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SUMMARY:Roan Mountain Fall Naturalists Rally
DESCRIPTION:SIXTY-FOURTH\nANNUAL \nRoan Mountain\nFall Naturalists Rally\nSeptember 18 – September 20\, 2026 \nSponsored by \nThe Friends of Roan Mountain \nFor sixty-four years the Fall Roan Mountain Naturalists Rally has drawn nature enthusiasts from\nall over the country to Roan Mountain\, the jewel of the southern Appalachians. This event\, and\nall the Friends of Roan Mountain events\, would not be possible without our volunteer field trip\nleaders\, the support of Roan Mountain State Park and the membership of Friends of Roan\nmountain.\nConsider joining the Friends of Roan Mountain\, if you are not a member. Members get free\nadmission to all Naturalists Rally events and our newsletter which is published twice a year. For\nall of our events\, kids get in free.\nEvening and lunch programs will take place in Roan Mountain State Park’s Conference Center.\nField trips will leave from the field beside the entrance to the park cabins.\nFOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:\nRally Directors; Gary Barrigar and Larry McDaniel \nfriendsofroan@gmail.com \nTO REGISTER GO TO FRIENDS OF ROAN MOUNTAIN WEBSITE: \nFriends of Roan Mountain website \nFRIDAY EVENING PROGRAM:\n“Roan Mountain in Time and Space: Exploring the Origin and Evolution of Roan's Grassy Balds” James\nCosta\nDr. James (Jim) Costa is professor of biology and executive director of the Highlands Biological Station of Western\nCarolina University (Highlands Biological Station).  An evolutionary biologist and Darwin and Wallace scholar\, Jim\nteaches courses in biogeography\, Darwin's Origin of Species\, and a Humboldt-inspired comparative temperate-\ntropical ecology field course between the southern Appalachians and the Andes of Ecuador.  Jim's most recent books\ninclude  Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace\, Darwin and the Art of Botany:\nObservations on the Curious World of Plants (with Bobbi Angell)\, and The Descent of Man: An Annotated Edition\nof Darwin’s Classic Work (with Elizabeth Yale).  A Trustee of the Charles Darwin Trust\, his honors include the\nAlfred Russel Wallace Medal and the Stephen Jay Gould Prize of the Society for the Study of Evolution.\nPresentation Description:\nRoan Mountain is home to the most extensive grassy balds in the southern Appalachians\, a beautiful and evocative\nlandscape that has intrigued naturalists for centuries. Its puzzles abound: the balds lie below climatic tree line\, yet\nare treeless. They are dominated by native grasses and other southern Appalachian flora\, yet are also home to rare\nplants whose main range is in the far north. Do the balds of Roan Mountain constitute a natural biological\ncommunity\, or do they somehow owe their existence to humans…or both? Are these balds unique\, or are there other\necological versions of the balds out there\, and if so what do they teach us? In this talk I will discuss the geological\nand ecological history of Roan Mountain and its magnificent grassy balds\, and explore some of the main hypotheses\nfor the origin and maintenance of the balds from the speculations of early naturalist-explorers to the investigations of\nmodern ecologists. \nSATURDAY AFTER LUNCH PROGRAM:\n“Sharks and Alligators of Southern Appalachia” Jeremy Stout\nSATURDAY EVENING PROGRAM:\n“Can’t See the Forest for the Trees? Look at the Birds Instead” Adrianna Nelson\nAdrianna began birding at the age of 9 when a Dark-eyed Junco appeared in her yard on a cold winter day. She\nwas immediately hooked and became involved in local groups like the Bristol Bird Club\, Steele Creek Park\nNature Center\, and the Tennessee Bluebird Society. Her undergraduate studies on songbird behavior at\nAppalachian State University solidified her interest in avian research. After graduating\, she traveled the US\nand abroad to work on various conservation and research projects. Now\, Adrianna is thrilled to be back home\nin Southern Appalachia where she is a master’s student in Wildlife and Fish Biology at Clemson University.\nShe is studying the effects of Hurricane Helene disturbance on nesting birds in western North Carolina. Her\ngoal is to inform the US Forest Service on best management practices for birds in this new and dynamic\nlandscape. \nPresentation Description:\nAdrianna’s presentation will provide a peek into the world of banding birds\, birds as a tool for science\, and\nhow her work could help turn a natural disaster into a win for conservation. She will share fun stories\,\nbeautiful photos of birds\, and silver linings for wildlife impacted by Hurricane Helene.\nSCHEDULE OF EVENTS \n  \nFRIDAY September 18: All activities take place at Roan Mountain State Park Conference Center. \n5:30 PM REGISTRATION\n6:30 PM BUFFET DINNER – requires PREPAID reservation by deadline of Tuesday\, September 15\n7:30 PM PROGRAM\n“Roan Mountain in Time and Space: Exploring the Origin and Evolution of Roan's Grassy Balds”\nDr. James T. Costa\, Ph.D \n9:00 PM The Park after Dark (E\, Kf) Daisy Graham \nSATURDAY September 19: Field trips will carpool from the field adjacent to the cabin area entrance. \n7:00-8:00 AM Moth Viewing (Meet at the conference center) (Kf) Larry McDaniel\n8:30 AM FIELD TRIPS\n1. Birds (E) Lee & Lois Herndon Chapter TOS \n2. Bird Banding (E\,Kf) Adrianna Nelson \n3. Wildflowers (E) Guy Mauldin \n4. Useful Plants (E\, Kf) Marty Silver \n5. Mushrooms (M) Cindy Fowler & Ken Crouse \n6. Spiders (E\, Kf) T. J. Jones \n7. Salamanders (E\, Kf) Anthony Brais\n8. Stream Ecology (E\, Kf\, W) Gary Barrigar & Janet Brown\nSaturday\, continued –\n11:00 AM – 1:30 PM Conference Center activities: \n1. Fossil Casting for All Ages (Kf) Mick Whitelaw\, ETSU Dept. of Geology and Geoscience Club \n2. Flint Knapping – (Kf) Bob Estep\nLunch Time Slide Show Marty Silver \n12:00 PM Lunch – Bag lunches at Conference Center\nby pre-paid reservation only (deadline Tues\, Sept 15)\, or you are welcome to bring your own lunch.\n12:30 PM PROGRAM\n“Sharks and Alligators of Southern Appalachia” Jeremy Stout\n2:00 PM FIELD TRIPS\n1. Gardening for Ecology (E\, Kf) Jim Costa \n2. Geology of Roan Mtn. (M) Mick Whitelaw \n3. Wildlife Tracking (E\, Kf) Marty Silver \n4. Mosses & Liverworts (E) Jim Goldsmith \n5. Nature Journaling (E) Kelly Porter \n6. Appalachian Cove Forest Exploration (E\, Kf)\nCade Campbell \n7. Butterflies (E\, Kf) Philip Hylen \n5:45 PM Annual FORM membership meeting \n6:30 PM BUFFET DINNER – at Roan Mtn. State Park Conference Center: requires PREPAID\nReservation by deadline of Tuesday\, September 15\n7:30 PM PROGRAM\nCan’t See the Forest for the Trees? Look at the Birds Instead Adrianna Nelson \n9:00 PM Night Walk (E\, Kf) Cade Campbell \nSUNDAY September 20: Field trips will leave from the field adjacent to the cabin area entrance. \n7:30-8:30 AM Moth Viewing (Meet at the conference center) (Kf) Larry McDaniel\n9:00 AM FIELD TRIPS\n1. Birds (E) Lee & Lois Herndon Chapter TOS \n2. Rare Plants of the Roan Highlands (E) Gary Kaufman \n3. Salamanders (E\, Kf\, W) Dale Ledford\n11:00 AM Tardigrade Workshop (Meet at the Conference Center) (Kf) Diane Nelson\n2:00 PM FIELD TRIPS\n1. Butterflies & Other Insects (E\, Kf) Lance Jessee\n2. Mushrooms (E) Coleman McCleneghan \n3. Birds of Prey (E\, Kf) Philip Hylen
URL:https://northeasttennessee.org/event/roan-mountain-fall-naturalists-rally-5/
LOCATION:Roan Mountain State Park\, 527 TN-143\, Roan Mountain\, TN\, 37687\, United States
CATEGORIES:General,Outdoors
ORGANIZER;CN="Friends of Roan Mountain":MAILTO:gbarrigar@friendsofroanmtn.org
GEO:36.170384;-82.1006244
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