61st Roan Mountain Spring Naturalists Rally

The 61^st Roan Mountain Spring Naturalists Rally to be held

Friday – Sunday April 26^th – 28^th

Sponsored by The Friends of Roan Mountain, the spring rally takes place at Roan Mountain State Park in Carter County, TN.

 

The featured speakers are Jeremy Stout on Friday night and Scott Honeycutt on Saturday night. Jeremy, manager of the Nature Center at Steele Creek Park in Bristol, TN, will be doing his presentation “Dynamic Roan: a prehistoric perspective on today’s ecology”. Scott teaches Literature at ETSU in Johnson City, TN. His topic will be “Crossing the Hills – The Literature of the Appalachian Trail”. These presentations start at about 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday following the rally dinners at the Conference Center.

Register online at www.friendsofroanmountain.org or on-site at the rally. Meals are catered by City Market of Elizabethton, TN. The deadline for meal reservations is Tuesday, April 23^rd.

Roan Mountain is a very special place. Rising up to 6,285 ft. in elevation and is one of the highest peaks in the eastern United States.  As a part of the Southern Appalachians, it is located in northeastern Tennessee and northwestern North Carolina. Spruce/Fir forests can be found at the higher elevations which contain a number of rare and endemic species of flora and fauna. Another special feature of “The Roan” are the high mountain balds, rare and mostly treeless areas have a unique variety of plants and animals. In the lower elevations Northern Hardwood Cove Forests can be found that have some of the richest species diversity throughout most of the temperate regions of the planet.

Activities take place throughout the weekend. Be sure to register and plan to have a fantastic weekend!

Friday Apr 26

5:30 pm Registration and Check-in at Conference Center

6:30 pm Buffet Dinner at Conference Center

7:30 pm Program by Jeremy Stout at Conference Center

9:00 pm at Conference Center.

1 Astronomy and Night Critters

2 Moth Viewing

Saturday Apr 27

6:30 am Early Birds start at Visitors Center

7:30 am Porchlight Insects at Conference Center

8:30 am Field Trips start at field adjacent to the Cabins entrance

1 Birds of Roan Mountain

2 Jones Falls Hike

3 Twin Springs Trifecta

4 Nature Retreat Hike to Raven’s Rock

5 Birding for Beginners

6 Reptiles and Amphibians

7 Geology/paleoecology Hike

8 Centipedes and Millipedes

11:00 am at Conference Center

            1 Fossil Casting

            2 Flint Knapping

12:00 – 1:00 pm at Conference Center

            1 Lunch

            2 Nature Slide Show

1:00 pm History of Roan Mountain State Park at Conference Center

2:00 pm Field Trips start at field adjacent to the Cabins entrance

            1 Mindful Walking

            2 Aquatic Insects as Water Quality Indicators

            3 Mosses and Liverworts

            4 Riverside Wildflower Hike

            5 Raven Rocks Hike

            6 Habitats Stroll

            7 Spruce Fir Hike and Photography

            8 Butterflies

6:30 pm Buffet Dinner at Conference Center

7:30 pm Program by Scott Honeycutt at Conference Center

9:00 pm start at Conference Center

1 Night Sky Viewing

2 Moth Viewing

Sunday Apr 28

7:30 am Porchlight Insects at Conference Center

8:30 am Field Trips start at field adjacent to the Cabins entrance

            1 Birds of Hampton Creek Cove

            2 Ed Schell Memorial Hike: Doe River Gorge

2:00 pm Field Trips start at field adjacent to the Cabins entrance

            1 Salamanders

            2 Creepy Crawlies

 For additional information please visit www.friendsofroanmtn.org or call Larry McDaniel, Spring Rally Director at 423-773-9234  (larrycmcd@hotmail.com)