Winter Naturalists Rally

16TH ANNUAL

 

FRIENDS OF ROAN MOUNTAIN

WINTER NATURALISTS’ RALLY

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2024

Speakers include:

Dr. Trevor Chapman

“Northern Gray-Cheeked Salamanders in the Southern Appalachian Highlands”

Becky Smucker

“Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts in

Roan Mountain State Park

Dr. Rebecca Fletcher

 

¨ “Appalachian Foodways: A Seasonal Approach to Farming and Wildcrafting”

 

Join Friends of Roan Mountain on Saturday, February 17th at Roan

Mountain State Park for a winter celebration of the Roan Highlands! Since

2007 the Winter Naturalists Rally has drawn hardy nature enthusiasts from far &

wide to Roan Mountain on the Saturday closest to Valentine’s Day. The 2024

Winter Rally continues this celebration of our natural world by providing expert

speakers on topics concerning the environs of the Roan Highlands. Top naturalists

volunteer their time and energy to make the event both enjoyable and educational

for people of all ages.

Highlights of the day include registration beginning at 9 am in the Roan Mountain

State Park Conference Center, located at 1011 TN-143, Roan Mountain, Tennessee.

Members of Friends of Roan Mountain are admitted at no charge. Non-member

Adults are $10.00 for the day; children are free.

Please consider becoming a member of Friends of Roan Mountain. There are

different membership levels with an Individual adult membership costing $20.00

per year providing free attendance to all 4 of our annual naturalist events & rallies.

All speakers, activities, and hikes will take place at, or leave, from the conference

center. There will be 3 indoor speakers in the morning, beginning at 9:30 am and

ending at 12:30 pm. (schedule below)

Lunch break will run from 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm. If you would like to reserve a bag

lunch from City Market, you will need to register and pay in advance by visiting

www.friendsofroanmtn.org.

There will be a choice of 3 afternoon hikes that will leave from the Roan Mountain

State Park Conference Center at 1:15 pm that will last until no later than 4 pm. Pre-

registration for these activities is not required.

 

SATURDAY MORNING PROGRAM (9:30 a.m.)

¨ Dr. Trevor Chapman: “Northern Gray-Cheeked Salamanders in the Southern

Appalachian Highlands”

Southern Appalachia is home to several endemic species of salamanders that thrive

in high elevation habitats. In this talk, Trevor will discuss one species, the Northern

Gray-Cheeked salamander, and the research that he has done with this species over

the last 6 years at various local state parks including Roan Mountain.

Speaker bio: Trevor is currently a biology lecturer at East Tennessee State

University, and his research interests are in amphibian conservation. He is co-

advising several graduate students that are involved in research such as frog

pathogen detection, salamander genetics and speciation, and salamander behavior

and stress. He is particularly interested in applying new techniques, such as dermal

swabbing for stress hormones, in an ecological and conservation-oriented context.

 

¨ Becky Smucker “Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts in Roan Mountain State

Park”

Bryophytes (mosses, liverworts and hornworts) were recently surveyed by Becky

Smucker in Roan Mountain State Park through a grant from the Friends of Roan

Mountain and support from Tennessee's Natural Heritage Program.

Speaker Bio: Becky is a field bryologist with experience in the Eastern US and

has completed surveys for the National Forest Service, for State & National Parks,

environmental businesses and non-profits, Natural Heritage Programs & private

land.

¨ Dr. Rebecca Fletcher “Appalachian Foodways: A Seasonal Approach to

Farming and Wildcrafting”

Rebecca will discuss the historical foodways of the Southern Appalachian

Mountains, including seasonal farming, hunting, food preservation and

wildcrafting for edibles and medicines.

 

Speaker bio: Rebecca Adkins Fletcher is an anthropologist at East Tennessee

State University. She is Associate Professor in the Department of Appalachian

Studies and Assistant Director of the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services.

Rebecca teaches Appalachian Studies courses in health, environment, foodways,

paranormal Appalachia and dark tourism, and community engagement. She is co-

editor of two books, Appalachia Revisited: Regional Perspectives on Place,

Tradition, and Progress (2017) and Engaging Appalachia: A Guidebook for

Building Capacity and Sustainability (2023).

 

12:30 p.m. LUNCH

Bag lunches available by pre-paid reservation. Deadline for reservations is

Tuesday, Feb. 7 th . Choice of sandwiches can be found on our website – QR code

below

 

1:30 p.m. POST-LUNCH ACTIVITIES

Hikes will leave from the Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center. Pre-

registration for these activities is not required. Meet trip leaders at the

Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center at 1:15.

 

Þ Hike #1​. Mosses, Liverworts and Hornworts Trip leader: Becky Smucker

(Naturalist/ranger with Warriors’ Path State Park, TN)). Explore and discover

the intriguing plant life at Twin Springs Recreation area during the winter.

(carpooling; moderate)

 

Þ Hike #2. ​Roan Mountain State Park Animal Tracking Trip leader: Marty

Silver (ranger with Warriors’ Path State Park, TN). Marty will lead a wildlife

tracking and animal signs hike down near the Doe River. (easy; kid-friendly)

 

Þ Hike #3. Birds on Roan Mountain Trip Leader:

Debi Campbell (President of Bristol Bird Club) Learn about the birds that

can be found in and around Roan Mountain State Park. (easy: kid-friendly)

 

 

To register Online and access other resources for Friends of Roan Mountain

 

* Visit our website: friendsofroanmtn.org

 

* Follow us on Facebook:

 

facebook.com/friendsofroanmountain.org