Once again this year the Blue Ridge Naturalist Network will be holding a plant swap fundraiser on May 8th from 9 am to 1 pm, hosted by Charlotte Caplan. Our first plant swap in 2019 was highly successful, raising hundreds of dollars to supplement our annual budget. Basically the idea is that folks can bring in plants from their garden (natives preferred) and exchange them for other plants. Or they can simply buy plants at a nominal price of $4 each if they wish to take away more than they brought. We make money by providing a start-up selection of plants donated by BRNN members.
If you missed this event you can find the recording here .
Gary Kauffman
Gary Kauffman will discuss the highlights of Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land Management Plan. The Nantahala and Pisgah NFs have not had a complete forest plan revision since 1987. For the past 8 years, plan team members have been drafting plan components and meeting with interested private and governmental parties. In late January of this year, the final revision was released. Gary will be discussing some of the highlights, with an emphasis on ecological implications.
Gary Kauffman has been the botanist/ecologist program manager for the National Forests in NC since April of 2007. The National Forests in NC cover 1.3 million acres across 4 forests, the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests in the mountains, the Uwharrie NF in the Piedmont, and the Croatan NF in the Coastal Plain. His duties include planning revision at the forest level which we will be discussing today, restoration of rare plant populations and rare plant communities, coordination of invasive plant programs, and environmental compliance for forest projects.
Gary has been with the USFS since 1992 previously filling the Nantahala NF botanist position from 1992 to 2000. Gary has a master’s degree in botany/mycology. He is originally from Ohio having moved and lived in western NC for the past 35 years.
Discover Life in America and A Walk in the Woods host Annual Glamping Event
Gatlinburg, TN – Discover Life in America (DLiA) has partnered with the award-winning hiking company, A Walk in the Woods, to present the Great Smokies Eco-Adventure. This exciting fundraising event features “glamping” (glamorous camping), gourmet food and drink, guided nature hikes, as well as live music. The Eco-Adventure will be held April 10–12, 2022 near Gatlinburg, and all proceeds will help support DLiA’s mission to conduct biodiversity research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Eco-Adventurers will see the Smokies like never before at the height of the spring wildflower season! Professional guides from A Walk in the Woods will lead guests on world-class day hikes through the National Park, and DLiA staff will provide unique insight on Smokies flora and fauna, drawing from their extensive knowledge of Smokies biodiversity. Guests will stay at A Walk in the Woods’ luxurious off-grid camp near Cosby, TN and will be treated to gourmet food, local beer and wine, and live music by local bluegrass duet Elza Gate.
All proceeds from the Great Smokies Eco-Adventure will help support DLiA, the non-profit organization coordinating the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Currently there are 21,302 unique species known to the Park—with more than half of those documented by the ATBI in its 23+ year mission to catalog every species that exists in the Smokies. The ATBI effort continues as scientists estimate that there are tens of thousands of species yet undiscovered in the Park.
“The Eco-Adventure is a wonderfully ‘edu-taining’ experience for any nature lover! Guests learn about the wildflowers and wildlife that make the Smokies so spectacular, but in a fun and luxurious atmosphere,” said Todd Witcher, Executive Director for DLiA.
Tickets for the Great Smokies Eco-Adventure are $950 per person, which include all food (including vegan options) and libations, glamping accommodations, entertainment, and transportation during the event. Tickets are limited, so purchase now! For more information about the event, please visit dlia.org.
“We should preserve every scrap of biodiversity as priceless while we learn to use it and come to understand what it means to humanity.” – E. O. Wilson
DLiA’s mission is to discover, understand, and conserve biological diversity. DLiA’s flagship project, the ATBI (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory), is a joint effort with the National Park System to identify and understand every species within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To date, DLiA has helped add over 10,000 species to the inventory of life in the park, 1,044 which are new to science.
Our Mission
The Blue Ridge Naturalist Network is an outgrowth of the Blue Ridge Naturalist Program through the N C Arboretum. Our interest is in the natural world and environmental issues, with a foundation based in science.
