Roan Mountain Spring Naturalists Rally

This will be the 67th year that naturalists and those that love nature have been gathering at Roan Mountain for the Roan Mountain Spring Naturalists Rally. This spring’s rally is set to be one of the finest with evening speakers, Ingrid Luffman and Lisa Benish, lunchtime activities, a lunchtime program by Cade Campbell, a lunchtime slide show and a great variety of field trips over the entire weekend. All activities at the rally are family-friendly, and there are a variety of difficulty levels. This rally, and all rallies, are sponsored by the Friends of Roan Mountain and would not be possible without many volunteers and the support of Roan Mountain State Park.

Members of the Friends of Roan Mountain are admitted to all weekend activities at no charge, with the exception of meals. Registration without membership is detailed in the brochure. By becoming a member of Friends of Roan Mountain, you can attend 4 different rallies throughout the year – Winter, Spring, Summer (Xtreme Roan Adventures for Kids), and Fall.

Friends of Roan Mountain is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

For additional information about the rally:

TO REGISTER GO TO FRIENDS OF ROAN MOUNTAIN WEBSITE:

ETSU Geoscientists Respond to Hurricane Helene by Ingrid Luffman

Ingrid Luffman is a hydrologist with ETSU’s Department of Geosciences. She has degrees in Mathematics, Earth Sciences, and a PhD in Geography from University of Tennessee. A transplant from Canada, she has taught at ETSU for 28 years, and is a founding member of the Boone Watershed Partnership, a local non-profit that identifies and addresses water resources concerns in the Boone Watershed. Recently, the partnership completed forest restoration work at Jacob’s Nature Park in Johnson City to eliminate hundreds of invasive plants and replace them with over 400 native plants; volunteers contributed over 800 hours to the project.

In September 2024, Hurricane produced high winds and torrential rains in the NC headwaters of several TN streams, leading to flooding that scoured channels and floodplains, removed riparian forests, and destroyed homes and sanitary infrastructure. When extreme weather events occur, as a hydrologist and geoscientist, I try to understand the nature and magnitude of the event by evaluating damage to critical infrastructure and by using data to estimate how often events of this magnitude might recur in our communities. This program describes work done by ETSU Geoscientists in the days and months following Hurricane Helene.

by Lisa Benish

Lisa Benish is an environmental educator and the Executive Director of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC) in southwest Virginia. With a passion for place-based learning and conservation, she leads BRDC’s efforts to connect people of all ages to the natural world through hands-on science, outdoor exploration, and stewardship programming. Lisa works closely with educators, naturalists, and community partners to develop immersive programs that highlight the ecological richness of the Blue Ridge region, including forests, wetlands, streams, meadows, and pollinator habitats. Her work focuses on fostering curiosity, conservation ethics,and access to meaningful nature experiences for rural and underserved communities.

Program Description:                                            
The Blue Ridge Discovery Center (BRDC) is a regional hub for environmental education and wildlife discovery in southwest Virginia. This presentation will introduce BRDC’s mission, campus, and core programs, highlighting how its diverse landscapes—forests, wetlands, streams, meadows, and pollinator gardens—serve as living classrooms. Attendees will learn how BRDC engages youth, families, educators, and naturalists through camps, field studies, citizen science, and conservation-focused programming, with an emphasis on fostering long-term connections to the Blue Ridge ecosystem. The session will also explore how BRDC partners with agencies and naturalists to expand access to nature education and support conservation awareness across the region.

  6:30 PM   BUFFET DINNER requires PREPAID reservation by  Tuesday, April 21   

 7:30 PM    PROGRAM “ETSU Geoscientists Respond to Hurricane Helene”   Ingrid Luffman

 9:00 PM    Night Salamander Walk (E, KF)

 Dale Ledford

 6:30 AM   Early Birds (E) Herndon Chapter TOS,  meet at Visitor Center (water wheel) Bring binoculars

 7:00 AM   Moth Viewing (Kf) Meet at Conference Center

 Larry McDaniel

 8:30 AM    Field Trips: Meet at field adjacent to the park cabins entrance. Onsite registration is available.

1. Birding (E/M, Kf) Elizabethton Bird Club

2. Beginning Birding (E, Kf) Elizabethton Bird Club

3. Jones Falls Hike (M/S) Marty Silver

4. Aquatic Insects (E, Kf, W) Gary Barrigar and

    Janet Brown

5. Wildflowers (E) Guy Mauldin

6. Salamanders (E, Kf) Lance Jessee

7. Insects & Kin (E, Kf) Cade Campbell

8. Using Keys to ID Trees (E, Kf) Lisa Benish

      Fossil Casting (Kf) Mick Whitelaw

      Flint Knapping (Kf) Bob Estep

11:30 AM Nature Slide Show Tracy Campbell

12:00 Lunch  Bag lunches at Conference Center by preregistration only, or bring your own lunch and join us!

12:30 PM Program “The Revolutionary Power of Insect Conservation” Cade Campell

2:00 PM Field Trips: Meet at field adjacent to the park cabins entrance. Onsite registration is available.

1. Mosses & Liverworts (M) Jim Goldsmith

    2. Geology/Paleo-ecology Hike 3-5 mi (M/S, Kf)

        Jeremy Stout

3. Wildflowers (E) Park Greer

4. Tech in Nature (E, Kf) Philip Hylen

5. Wildlife Tracking (E, Kf) Marty Silver

6. How Streams Respond to Floods  (E, Kf)

     Ingrid Luffman

7. Hughes Gap to Ash Gap (M/S) Guy Mauldin

4:00 PM  Owl Workshop: (Kf) Ryan Stephens

 6:30 PM   Buffet Dinner—Requires reservation

 Prepaid by deadline of Tues, April 21. 

7:30 PM   Discovering the Blue Ridge: Place-Based Nature Education at Blue Ridge Discovery Center” Lisa Benish

9:00 PM   Night Walk (E, Kf) Cade Campbell