The number of participants is limited. Please come equipped to handle changing weather conditions (rain), mountainous terrain, and enjoy the outdoors. Participants should wear comfortable hiking clothes and shoes, have rain gear, a pack to carry lunch (some trips), a water bottle, field guides and hand lenses (optional).
Transportation and a sack lunch will be provided. Trips depart from the large parking area near the Ramsey Center at 8:30 a.m. and return by 5 p.m.
The fieldtrips with workshops are 1 ½ days, Wednesday and Thursday morning. Those with Thursday field trips will depart at 8:30 a.m. from the parking lot near the Ramsey Center. After your return from the field trip on Wednesday, a reception and hearty dinner will be offered for all Wednesday event participants at the Ramsey Center at 6 p.m.
Hike difficulty ratings:
1– Easy, light walking, in and out of van
2 – Moderate, trail walking, a mile or so
3 – Moderately strenuous, away from bus, four miles or so
4 – Strenuous, uneven trails away from bus, steep terrain, four plus miles
5 – Very strenuous, rough terrain, away from the bus
Wednesday Field Trips, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. ($75. Includes lunch & dinner. The cost for Field Trip 8 only, as a work/study trip, is $50.)
FT 1: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest with Ila Hatter and a professional botanist of regional expertise
Limited to 25 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 2, moderate.
The awe-inspiring forests of pre-settlement America are exemplified in the Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area. What folks saw last year won’t be what they see this year or the next. The focus of this trip is an understanding of the dynamics of an old growth forest ecosystem and the rapid changes taking place. The cultural history of the area makes this trip more than “a walk in the woods.”
A nationally acclaimed interpretive naturalist and wildcrafter, Ila Hatter has been teaching the cultural heritage of native plants for 30 years. She edited an ethnobotany book, Plants of the Cherokee and produced a wild foods cookbook, Wild Edibles and Medicinals of Southern Appalachia. She has been featured in magazines such as Blue Ridge, Country, Our State, and on TV shows on CNN, Turner South, RFD-TV, and A&E. Ila also hosts the UNC-TV (PBS) Folkways program.
FT 2: Appalachian Mountain Plant Communities: Black Balsam Knob to Skinny Dip Falls with Chris Ulrey and Randy Burroughs
Limited to 27 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 4, strenuous.
We’ll visit six plant communities in five miles, ranging 1,800’ in elevation. The trip starts with a climb up Black Balsam Knob to 6,214 feet for a 360 degree panorama; then hops to a birch-sedge escarpment with giant ferns; and drops through a beech gap into a rhododendron hell at Graveyard Fields where we’ll have a streamside lunch and examine a fire-maintained boggy valley. Along the way we’ll study natural landscape ecology and aesthetics. The last leg meanders through a northern hardwood forest, crosses Skinny Dip Falls, and climbs back to daylight over a Galax covered ridge.
Chris Ulrey is the plant ecologist for the Blue Ridge Parkway. He works with rare plant conservation, invasive plant management, and forest pests and diseases. Chris grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina. He received his Ph.D. in 2001 from North Carolina State University, where he focused on the plant communities of the southern Appalachians.
Randy Burroughs is an Asheville landscape architect specializing in native plants and reconciling humans with their natural life-support system. He uses 36 years of training and experience in art, horticulture, and nature study to interpret the wisdom of nature into healthy-living gardens.
FT 3: Panthertown Valley, "Yosemite of the East" with Meredith Clebsch and Kevin Caldwell
Limited to 27 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 4, strenuous.
Panthertown Valley is a “hanging valley” of the East Fork Tuckasegee River. This area contains many relatively flat areas along the creeks that are traversed by stained water streams to form the headwaters of the Tuckasegee River. The area also has several granitic domes that add considerable picturesque quality to the valley. Waterfalls support both tropical and glacial period relict plants while the rocky areas support many unique plant species adapted to harsh growing conditions, reminiscent of desert floras. This trip will involve a hike of about 5 miles and include some steep climbs and descents.
In 1983 Meredith Clebsch started Native Gardens Nursery in Greenback, TN, one of the first to offer propagated native plants, and has had over 300 species for sale. She teaches native plant propagation classes from the nursery, lectures, and offers garden design and consultation services. Wildlife habitat design and native grasses are her specialties. Also an active birder, she can often be found wandering the woods and fields with her 4-legged friends, still trying to figure out how it all works.
Kevin Caldwell is vegetation and wildlife ecologist and owner of Mountains-to-Sea Conservation, Inc (MTS). Since 1994, Caldwell has worked with engineers, landscape architects, land trusts and their clients, USFS, municipalities, and over 75 private landowners in the southern Blue Ridge. He holds a bachelor's degree in ecology from UNC-Asheville. He serves on the Land Management Committee for the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy <http://www.appalachian.org/> and the Forest Task Force of the Western North Carolina Alliance, both of Asheville NC.
FT 4: Canoeing, Needmore Tract, Little Tennessee River with Peter Loos, Brent Martin, and George Morris
Limited to 21 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 3, moderately strenuous.
During this canoe trip on the Little Tennessee River, participants will see a diverse array of riverine tree and plant species, such as the federally threatened Spiraea virginiana. You’ll study natural healthy riverbank plant communities and recovering pastures recently added to the Little Tennessee River Easement. The canoe trip is an easy paddle of about three to four hours, with little to no experience required.
Trip Co-Leader Peter Loos is a botanist at heart, a horticulturist by trade, and a plant ecologist in his spare time. His professional experiences and a Master's degree from Stephen F. Austin State University have contributed to his extensive knowledge of Gulf Coast Native Plants and related ecological issues. Peter is unyielding in his promotion of bio-diversity throughout our environment and is a member of many organizations.
Brent Martin is the Southern Appalachian Senior Associate for the Wilderness Society and lives in the Cowee Community of western North Carolina. He
has also worked for the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and Georgia Forestwatch. For the last several years he has spent a great deal of his time getting to know the flora and fauna of the Little Tennessee River and its many outstanding tributaries.
George Morris has a BA degree in plant science from the University of Delaware. He worked at Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora, was superintendent of grounds at Davidson College, was the owner of Landscape Sanctuaries, a landscape company specializing in native plant landscaping, and worked for the Habitat Assessment and Restoration Program (HARP), a habitat restoration firm in Charlotte, NC. He is currently the vegetation specialist for River Works, Inc., a stream restoration firm in Cary, NC.
FT 5: NEW! The Slopes of Mt. Sterling in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with Janet Rock
Limited to 7 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 4, strenuous.
We will travel on a little known trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Big Creek. The forest is diverse and the ascent up the side of Mt. Sterling is rocky, a reason why portions of this forest were not logged. This area is particularly rich in fern species, and the overstory is comprised of some of the tallest trees in the East. We will hike about 2 miles up the trail then turn back the way we came (4 miles round trip).
Janet Rock has been a botanist for Great Smoky Mountains National Park since 1989 after obtaining an MS in Biology, with an emphasis in botany, from WCU in 1988. While at the Smokies, she has studied the affects of white-tailed deer on vegetation, the impacts of ramp harvesting, and population dynamics of American ginseng. Her job mainly focuses on rare plant monitoring, inventories, and overseeing the Park’s herbarium.
FT 6: NEW! Southern Highlands Reserve with John Turner, Dick Bir, Ron Lance and Richard Bryson
Limited to 27 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 3, Moderately strenuous.
The Southern Highlands Reserve is a private, non-profit institution dedicated to the preservation, cultivation and display of plants native to the Southern Appalachians. Open to academics and horticultural professionals, the 120 acre Reserve is located at 4500’ at the summit of Toxaway Mountain. A 20 acre Core Park of display gardens features the Azalea Walk (Gregory Bald azaleas), the Vaseyi Trail and Pond, the Wildflower Labyrinth (late summer meadow species) and the Woodland Glade. Of special interest is the newly completed roof garden. Surrounding the Core Park is a 100 acre natural area with rock cliffs, waterfalls and seeps, and perhaps the world’s largest natural stand of Vasey azalea. A well-maintained trail system featuring artistic originality in wood and iron traverses both woodlands and cliffs.
John Turner is the Director of the Southern Highlands Reserve
Dick Bir is a Cullowhee Conference pioneer and Tom Dodd Award winner and has been associated with the Southern Highlands Reserve since its early days.
Ron Lance currently serves as the naturalist and land manager at Balsam Mountain Preserve. He has wandered considerably for research, education, and collecting projects dealing with native plants and environmental work. He has been a botanical consultant with the Southern Highlands Reserve for five years.
Richard Bryson is a Southern Highlands Reserve staff member and native plant specialist.
FT 7: Whiteside Mountains and Highland Gardens with Jeff Zahner
Limited to 7 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 3, moderately strenuous.
This excursion includes both a moderate 3-mile loop hike up Whiteside Mountain and a walk through a historic garden in Highlands. The mountain hike is an opportunity to see and learn about many fine natives in their natural habitat and to take in the spectacular views from the top. The walk through Highland Gardens will expose you to a wide range of native plants in a garden setting and will include discussions about their culture and use in garden design.
Jeff Zahner is a horticulturist and amateur botanist who grew up in Highlands, NC, and has an uncommon insight into the ecology and botany of the area. With a lifelong love of plants and a degree in ornamental horticulture from Clemson University, Jeff and his wife Jodie started Chattooga Gardens in Cashiers, NC, a garden center that specializes in plant diversity featuring a large selection of native species and varieties. To further promote knowledge and use of Southern Appalachian native plants, Jeff and his parents have been instrumental in the Highlands Conference on Landscaping and Gardening with Native Plants, held each September as a benefit for the Highlands Botanic Gardens.
FT 8: NEW! Cheoah River Virginia Spiraea Monitoring & Invasive Plant Species Plan and Control with Carolyn Wells, Jane Hargreaves and Gary Kauffman
Limited to 21 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 4, Strenuous but within ¼ mile of the bus.
*Discount Work/Study Registration Rate $50
Participants will assist in a project to control invasive exotic plants currently threatening Spiraea virginiana, an endangered shrub native to scour-zones of larger riparian systems. The Cheoah River contains class 5 rapids in this six-mile stretch where we’ll explore several disturbed and natural habitat types. The river is also home to the federally endangered Appalachian elktoe and federally threatened spotfin chub. Conducting invasive exotic plant control in close proximity to these rare species requires special consideration, which will be the focus of this fieldtrip’s activities.
During this class, you’ll be given an overview of the project, and then be organized into smaller work groups to monitor the Virginia spiraea and remove its intruders. Groups will rotate between tasks (monitoring, mechanical removal and chemical control) to insure that everyone receives exposure to each aspect of the project. Participants need to wear boots, long pants, and a long sleeve shirt for invasive plant work.
Carolyn Wells is an endangered species biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Asheville. She serves as a recovery coordinator for federally listed plant species in the NC mountains, working with entities ranging from federal, state, and local governments to private property owners toward the conservation of these species.
Jane Hargreaves is an invasive plant control expert with 30 years background in the landscape nursery industry. She does plant surveys and mapping, strategic control, planning and coordination, and invasive plant “search and destroy” missions. Jane surveyed this Cheoah River corridor in 2007.
Gary Kauffman has been a botanist with the US Forest Service in North Carolina since 1992. His duties include analysis of rare plants and rare plant communities, sustainability of special forest products, plant community restoration, and invasive plant management.
FT 9: Pisgah to Balsam Gap with George Ellison
Limited to 18 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 1, easy.
Participants will explore several high-elevation forest settings (cove hardwood, northern hardwood, and spruce-fir) and examine a variety of distinctive natural areas (seepage slopes, wind forests, beech gaps, and high elevation meadows), where distinctive and often rare Southern Appalachian plants can be located and identified. Emphasis will be placed on learning to use Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide, a non-technical system that can promptly upgrade anyone’s identification skills. The trip leader will provide copies of Newcomb’s where necessary.
Trip Leader George Ellison writes the Nature Journal column for the Asheville Citizen-Times and the Botanical Excursions column for Chinquapin: The Newsletter of the Southern Appalachian Botanical Society. A collection of his essays, Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and his A Blue Ridge Nature Journal have been published by the History Press, Charleston, SC. He conducts natural history workshops for the NC Arboretum, Smoky Mountain Field School, NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching, and other facilities.
FT 10: NEW! Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness Area on Slickrock Creek with Jim and Bethany Plyler
Limited to 8 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 5, a very strenuous 6.5 mile trail
Slickrock Creek is a roadless watershed, accessible only by trails. We will hike along the steep mountainside above Calderwood Lake, passing two rare ferns, Carolina Rhododendron, and patches of cove hardwood wildflowers. The botanical delights continue as we head up Slickrock Creek by numerous waterfalls. We will stop for a swim in the pool at the base of the large waterfall. Leaving the stream for the loop back we will hike up a cove to the mountain ridge and follow it back down the watershed to finish a wonderful day in the wilderness.
The natural beauty and diversity of life in the southern Appalachians has been like a siren's song for Bethany and Jim Plyler, always pulling them back to the mountains that they love. The mountain flora inspired Jim to start Natural Landscapes Nursery on 44 acres of farmland in southeastern PA. The nursery is dedicated to growing native plants for landscape use. With backgrounds in ecology and botany, Bethany and Jim came to the conclusion that growing and planting native plants would be their role in helping save our planet.
FT11: NEW! Bear Lake Canoe Trip with Hank Bruno
Limited to 7 participants. Hike difficulty rating – 3, Moderately strenuous.
Enjoy a botanical canoe excursion on Bear Lake near Cullowhee. This trip will involve a leisurely, flatwater paddle with occasional stops to explore the local flora, geology and natural history of the area. The botanically rich slopes around Bear Lake are famous with local botanists for their abundance and diversity and should provide many interesting sights. It is recommended that participants bring sun block, extra water and rain gear.
Hank Bruno completed undergraduate degrees in botany and anthropology from Duke University in 1976. He then entered the Peace Corps, serving in Guatemala. He entered graduate school at Texas A&M University and received an MA in archeobotany in 1988. He joined Callaway Gardens in October 1991 where he now serves as the director of horticulture. His interests include plant ecology, ethnobotany, collections management and landscaping with native plants.
Wednesday/Thursday Field/Workshops
The following two-day programs are considered “Hybrid” Field/Workshops, which consist of both classroom time and a field trip. The dates of each part will vary by session.
FW 1: Propagation Workshop and Field Exercise with Jan Midgley
Limited to 18 participants.
All day Wednesday, we will learn to propagate native perennials from seeds and by vegetative methods. Jan will use both slides and a “boat load“ of hands-on materials which the participants can take home. Thursday morning, we'll go to the Parkway, where we'll stop often and talk about how to propagate the plants we see. (Classroom on Wednesday/fieldtrip on Thursday.)
Jan Midgley is the owner of Wildflower, a nursery selling native herbaceous perennials and ferns. She is the author of Nursery Sources of Native Plants of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern Wildflowers (currently available in seven state versions), and Native Plant Propagation. She lectures and writes about the cultivation and propagation of native plants. She is a past director of The Cullowhee Conference. She holds a BSN from the University of Missouri and a MSN from the University of Michigan.
FW 2: Digital Photography with Les Saucier
Limited to 12 participants.
The advent of digital photography has changed some of the skills and techniques for capturing wildflower images. The purpose of this 1 ½-day workshop is to bring wildflower photographers up to speed with the new technology. Participants will learn about traditional flower portraits, intimate landscapes, wide-angle close-ups and telephoto close-ups of wildflowers. Digital skills such as digital workflow, correct white balance, extending depth of field, stopping motion digitally, and wireless flash will be demonstrated in the field. Students will also be guided in creating their own digital images in the field. It is highly recommended that photographers use digital SLR cameras and tripods for this workshop. (Fieldtrip on Wednesday/classroom on Thursday.)
Les Saucier has taught nature photography workshops for more than 23 years, as well as nature photography courses at the University of Georgia. Trained as a biologist, Les developed many unique photo techniques during his years as a bio-photographer and researcher with the USDA’s Agriculture Research Service. As a professional stock photographer, his credits include publication of images in numerous books and magazines, including National Geographic. As a fine art photographer, Les has participated in numerous juried shows and has had several solo shows. Les’s website is AppalachianJourney.com.
FW 3: Ecological Mega Connections with Tom Goforth
Limited to 18 participants.
Exploring Mega Connections will focus on developing knowledge and skills for analyzing and predicting ecological characteristics for most habitats in the Southern Appalachians. The overall goal of this workshop/field trip combination is to provide participants with experience that can be applied to creating native designs in their gardens modeled on native ecology. Ecological factors, including geology, sunlight, slope, aspect, hydrology, soil conditions, and plant indicator species will be explored during the classroom session. The field trip will involve the use of maps, pH test kits, compasses, and native plant checklists to further understand habitats and plant communities. (Classroom on Wednesday/fieldtrip on Thursday.)
Tom Goforth lives near Table Rock State Park in South Carolina and owns Crow Dog Native Ferns and Gardens. He propagates native fern species from spores and conducts native fern ecology and horticulture research. He is currently doing a vascular flora ecology research project in the Jocassee Gorge in northern Pickens County, SC, and has recently discovered a new fern species at high elevation off the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. Tom is writing a novel about the migration of the first humans into the Western Hemisphere from northeastern Asia. He has a BS degree in geology and an MFA in visual arts.
FW 4: Mosses and Liverworts in your Backyard with Ken McFarland
Limited to 7 participants.
Learn about the diverse plants that form a green blanket over the forest floor, from luxuriant mosses to liverworts and hornworts, and how they can become part of your garden. Bring a hand lens to thoroughly enjoy the aesthetic beauty of these miniature plants. We will explore various habits on campus and how to begin discriminating the different forms and suitable habits for mosses gardening. An introduction to the biology of mosses and a discussion on the requirements for successful establishment of a moss garden or display will be covered. During the follow-up class room session on Thursday morning we will view the plants with the aid of microscopes and have a hands-on demonstration of propagation techniques. There may be some very pleasant surprises for this program.
Kenneth McFarland, Ph.D., is a lecturer in botany at the University of Tennessee. His research interests are morphology, taxonomy, and ecology of bryophytes. He has conducted research in the Smokies and mountain ranges of the western U.S., Mexico, Brazil, and Columbia.