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12th Annual Winter Roan Naturalists’ Rally
12th Annual Winter Roan Naturalists’ Rally, sponsored by Friends of Roan Mountain (Saturday, February 9, 2019)
Roan Mountain, TN – December 26th, 2018 – Join Friends of Roan Mountain on Saturday, February 9th at Roan Mountain State Park for a winter celebration of the Roan Highlands! For 12 years the Winter Naturalists’ Rally has drawn hardy nature enthusiasts from far & wide to Roan Mountain on a Saturday close to Valentine’s Day. The 2019 Winter Rally continues this celebration of our natural world by providing top speakers and field trip leaders on topics concerning the environs of the Roan Highlands.
INDOOR PROGRAM (9:30 AM – 12:10 PM)
Roan Mountain State Park, Conference Center
Ø http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/roan-mountain
- Tyler Wicks (Biology undergraduate, East Tennessee State University)
“Where are they hiding? A survey of rare Appalachian salamanders”
The Southern Appalachian Mountains are the center of salamander diversity globally and are home to many rare endemic species. Tyler will present the results from his recent field research, which focused primarily on assessing the population status of the northern gray-cheeked salamander (Plethodon montanus) in several locations around Roan Mountain.
- Robert Johnson (Artist – Celo, NC)
“Painting North Carolina state parks”
Robert will make a presentation on a three-year project he is currently working on. He is hiking and sketching in all 33 North Carolina state parks and developing paintings in his studio for a show at Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville in the fall of 2020.
- Dan Gibbs (Black Bear Program Leader, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)
“What do we do about all these bears? Black bears in Tennessee: Their history, current status and future”
Today black bears are recolonizing former range in Tennessee as well as much of the eastern United States. Now the question is, ”What do we do about all of these bears?”
LUNCH – Catered by City Market of Elizabethton, TN.
LUNCHTIME PROGRAM (12:10 PM – 1:00 PM)
- Jamey Donaldson (John C. Warden Herbarium Adjunct Curator, East Tennessee State University)
“There and back again: a hobble tale”
Jamey will present the results of his recent vascular plant research on Roan Mountain:
POST-LUNCH GUIDED HIKES (1:00 PM +)
The three concurrent hikes will depart from the Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center. The hikes will focus on such topics as recent land conservation in the area, winter species identification and wildlife tracking.
Photos – Downloadable event-related images can be found at the following link:
https://mackubin.smugmug.com/FoRM/Friends-of-Roan-Mountain-2019-Winter-Naturalists-Rally/n-bst8FW/
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE:
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Further info and images can be found on the link above or by emailing rally director Richard Broadwell at rbroadwell@gmail.com
