THE LIGHT SHOW IN THE SMOKIES
Come to the mountains and witness the amazing spectacle of the fireflies that flash together in synchrony. It is truly an unbelievable natural phenomenon! We will meet in the evening just before dark to learn about natural history of the fireflies, synchrony in nature, and bioluminescence as well as the cultural history that led to recognizing these amazing creatures. We’ll travel to a good location in order to view the light show and to talk about the research being done to understand these amazing creatures. Some trail walking in the dark is to be expected. Don’t miss this opportunity! It comes only once each year! Instructor: Wanda DeWaard, M.S., recreation and environmental education, is an outdoor educator who has shared Earth Kinship and Environmental Awareness programs with community groups, schools, colleges, camps, nature centers, and teacher conferences since 1974. She has assisted with firefly education and research for the past six years.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $39
Thu., June 4, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Bring $1 for round-trip trolley ride.)
SALAMANDERS IN THE SMOKIES
Come find out why the Smokies are known as the Salamander Capital of the World. There are 30 known species of salamanders in the Smokies—more than anywhere else in the world. Spend a day visiting several forest communities in the Park, observe salamanders in their native habitats, and learn about the role of these fascinating animals in forest ecosystems. The beauty and diversity of
Smoky Mountain salamanders will amaze you. Instructor: Carey Jones is a former Park Ranger naturalist who led educational walks for 14 years in the Smokies. Always the seeker and discoverer, his experience and M.A. help glean truths from nature to share with fellow learners. He is a naturalist for several organizations, including the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Park, and is the narrator of the new Bird Songs of the Smokies CD set.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 6, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
NATURE SKETCHING: WATERCOLOR OR PENCIL
From a single wildflower to a mountain landscape, sketching outdoors is a wonderful way to enhance your appreciation of the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains. Both beginners and more experienced artists will find ample material for sketching as we spend unhurried time in the woodland landscape of the Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail. Through individual and group instruction, you’ll learn easy sketching techniques and styles. Pick up a pencil or watercolors and a sketchbook and learn to see the world around you differently. Instructor: Marty Komorny, M.A., studio artist and instructor, has been teaching drawing and watercolor for 20 years. She often sketches outdoors as preparation for painting.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 6, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail.)
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS
Climate and age of the Appalachian chain created a diversity of plant species that is greater here than anywhere in North America. This diversity of life has sustained Man for 10,000 years. Spend a day discovering how to identify plants and trees Native Americans and early settlers used for dye, food, medicines, crafts, and other items of daily life. Sample delicious wild flavors appropriate to the seasons. The instructor will share the herblore from “medicine men” and “granny women” while the group searches the woods and fields of this temperate rain forest for its hidden treasures. Instructor: Ila Hatter is an interpretive naturalist, artist, storyteller, and wildcrafter with nearly 30 years of experience teaching the cultural heritage of native plants. Hatter is author of Roadside Rambles, a wild foods cookbook, and a video series: Wild Edibles and Medicinals of Southern Appalachia and Mountain Kitchen. She hosted three Folkway programs for PBS/UNC-TV, and has appeared on CNN, Turner/South, RFDTV, and A&E.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 6, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at Park Headquarters.)
DAY HIKE TO MT. LeCONTE
Spend the day with a naturalist and former Park Ranger exploring the plants, animals, and history along one of the most beautiful and significant trails in the Smokies. We’ll start in the Hemlocks, and wind through Northern Hardwood, Heath Bald, and Spruce-Fir forests to see majestic views on the third highest peak in the Park. We’ll follow a cascading creek, climb through a huge rock, smell the remnants of Civil War mining at Alum Cave Bluff, and learn why this trail led to the Smokies becoming a National Park. After resting at historic LeConte Lodge, we’ll stroll up to the Cliff Tops’ fantastic view. Perhaps most memorable on this 10-mile round trip hike will be the discovery and identification of the trees, flowers, birds, salamanders, and other wildlife that make the Smokies the biological capital of temperate America. Instructor: Carey Jones is a former Park Ranger naturalist who led educational walks for 14 years in the Smokies. Always the seeker and discoverer, his experience and M.A. help glean truths from nature to share with fellow learners. He is a naturalist for several organizations, including the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Park, and is the narrator of the new Bird Songs of the Smokies CD set. Note: Participants need to be prepared to hike this 10-mile roundtrip strenuous hike.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 13, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at the Alum Cave Bluff Trail parking lot on Newfound Gap Road.)
WILDFLOWERS, FERNS, AND ECOLOGY OF ROAN MOUNTAIN
Cool, moist summits of Beech-Maple, Spruce-Fir, Grass, and Rhododendron Bald communities make Roan Mountain one of the most beautiful and interesting mountains in the eastern U.S. The mountain supports numerous rare and endangered plants, 26 globally-rare ecological communities, and several northern species not found elsewhere in the South. Join us during the peak bloom of the Mountain Rosebay Rhododendron, as we marvel at dramatic displays and identify numerous species of wildflowers and ferns and discuss changes in the plant communities over the last 100 years. Flame Azalea can be outstanding. Bring your camera! Instructor: James T. “Jamey” Donaldson, adjunct curator at East Tennessee State University’s John C. Warden Herbarium, is a professional botanist and biological consultant specializing in rare plant surveys and monitoring plant inventories and community classification.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 13, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Roan Mountain State Park
(Meet at Carver’s Gap, 5512 ft. elevation, on TN Hwy. 143/NC Hwy. 261.)
BASIC VISUAL TRACKING
Visual tracking is one of many methods available to locate missing persons. The participant will be introduced to several skills involved with tracking and locating persons in an out-of-door, or “wildland” situation. These include utilizing clues and “signs” left by the person being tracked, as well as times of day, weather, and terrain. It is not presented as a solution to finding lost persons, but as a “tool” when properly used will enhance success. The immediate goal of basic visual tracking is to attempt to determine the direction of travel of the person(s) being sought. Basic use of the tracking stick and basic equipment needed will be demonstrated. Instructor: Joe Kelley served as a National Park Ranger for more than 30 years, mainly in the Great Smokies and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Special assignments nationwide have included major disasters, forest fires, search and rescue incidents, the National Park Service’s Special Events Team, and instructor of national interagency emergency and incident management training.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 20, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
MT. LeCONTE HIKE AND OVERNIGHT IN THE LODGE
Since its establishment in the 1920s, LeConte Lodge has been a rustic attraction for hikers. At an elevation of 6,593 feet, it is the highest guest lodge in the eastern United States. The mountaintop serves as a grandstand for the whole Park, and the pleasures of a visit to the lodge can include breathtaking sunsets from Cliff Top, clear night skies for stargazing, and spectacular sunrises from Myrtle Point. The true charm of LeConte Lodge is in the friendly spirit of the people who come here—people who find relaxation and renewed energy in the cool, majestic solitude at the top of the Smokies. This is a strenuous hike. The trails are steep and rocky and range from five to eight miles each way. You need to be in good physical condition ready for a rigorous climb. We suggest you sign up with an old friend, or be prepared to bunk with a new one! Instructors: Charles W. Maynard and David E. Morris are experienced hikers, stargazers, and storytellers. They are co-authors of Time Well Spent: Family Hiking in the Smokies and Waterfalls & Cascades of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Summer Hike
The high-altitude pink catawba rhododendron should be in full bloom, and the trail covered with blossoms. We will go up the Appalachian and Boulevard Trails and descend via the Alum Cave Trail. Note: The trails are steep and rocky and range from five to eight miles each way. You need to be in good physical condition ready for a rigorous climb.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $155*
Sat. and Sun., June 20 & 21
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Alum Cave Trail parking lot on Newfound Gap Road, 9:00 a.m., Sat.)
*Registration fee is nonrefundable.
EARLY SUMMER WILDFLOWERS & FERNS
As spring edges into summer, numerous wildflowers and ferns make their appearance in the Smokies. You’ll visit various natural areas in the Park, from the lowest to the highest elevations, and take short walks over moderate terrain to find and identify a variety of species. Anticipate seeing showy plants like Indian paintbrush, flame azalea, umbrella-leaf, and bluebeadlily. And you’ll learn to identify ferns like the wood ferns, bracken, lady fern, hay-scented fern, and many others by close observation of their distinctive fronds and spore cases. The emphasis will be on appreciating the delicate beauty of wildflowers and ferns while learning non-technical identification methods using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Lawrence Newcomb and Fern Finder by Anne and Barbara Hallowell. Instructor: George Ellison is a writer-naturalist who resides in Bryson City, N.C. He serves as a fieldtrip leader for the annual Native Plants Conference, sponsored by Western Carolina University, and teaches plant identification workshops for the North Carolina Arboretum.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., June 27, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
This apple denotes Knox County Teacher Center approval for in-service credit.
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