Conserving Carolina: Protecting LandsFeatured
For Nature and People. Forever.
Presented by Pam Torlina,
Community Engagement Director, Conserving Carolina
Station Cove Wildflower TrailFeatured
What a great day to see the awakening of spring ephemerals! The threat of rain did not encourage 6 naturalists – the weather was cool with only an occasional mist.
There were masses of Sweet Betsy Trillium in their usual maroon dress, but there were some exceptions of tan, green and yellow. We were greeted by masses of Green and Gold plants with their yellow flowers. Foam Flowers were in various stages of developing and Mayapples carpeted the forest floor as we neared the falls. Canada and Sweet White Violets were present as was Rue Anemone. We saw a couple of Bloodroots with most of them having already gone to seed. Yellowroot with its tiny maroon flowers was in abundance in the early portion of the walk. There was also some Blue Cohosh in bloom, the Black Cohosh we found will be flowering later. We missed the flowering of Liverwort, nuts.
Read moreMarilyn Kolton and Lou Dwarshius- 2024 Naturalists of the Year – presented by Jessie WilderFeatured
It is my privilege to tell you a bit about the 2024 Naturalists of the Year, Marilyn Kolton
and Lou Dwarshius. When it comes to Marilyn and Lou, if you get one of them, you get
the other as a bonus. They come as a pair.
Marilyn and Lou started as instructors in the Blue Ridge Naturalist in 2006. They have
been volunteering as walk leaders with the BRNN since the network formed. For 19
years I have had the privilege to learn from them and to call them my friends.
The Geology of the Blue Ridge, Its Mountains and Its WaterfallsFeatured
Presented by Bill Jacobs, author of Whence These Special Place: The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands and Panthertown Valley
Watch this presentation on Youtube!
Ever wonder why Looking Glass Rock and nearby Devil’s Courthouse have such radically different profiles, or why Looking Glass Falls is rugged and precipitous but a few miles upstream Sliding Rock is smooth and slidable? This program will answer these and many similar questions by exploring the processes, spread over more than 500 million years, that have created the western North Carolina mountains. Bill Jacobs will discuss the Blue Ridge mountains and the geology that has shaped specific mountains and waterfalls.
Bill Jacobs is the author of Whence These Special Places? The Geology of Cashiers, Highlands & Panthertown Valley. When he retired from his Atlanta-based legal career in 2011, he began pursuing his curiosity about the geologic origins of the mountains. After years of in-person and on-line courses, wide-ranging self-study, and numerous back-country explorations, he began to give presentations to interested groups as well as writing Whence these Special Places.
Calling All Native GardenersFeatured
BRNN Plant Sale
Sunday, May 11 9:00 am to 2:00 pm
BRNN will again hold a plant sale on Mothers Day (Sunday, May 11) to raise funds for our organization and to offer an inexpensive option for people who want to add native plants to their home gardens. The sale is held at the home of Charlotte Caplan in Montford.
Most of what we sell comes from the gardens of members who have well-established plants that can tolerate being divided in the fall or spring to be potted up for sale. We are appealing to our gardening members to pot some plants this spring. If you bring plants to the sale, you can swap them for plants that others have grown.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Ideally, plants should be in pots by April 1 to have time to grow and look good by May 11. They definitely need to be potted a month ahead.
- Each plant should be labeled with the common name and, if possible, Latin name. Indicate whether it likes sun or shade. A good place to check names and growing conditions is the NC Extension Plant Toolbox. (https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/)
- Quart containers that yogurt and cottage cheese come in make good pots for small plants if you punch holes in the bottom.
- Natives aren’t too fussy about their potting soil but straight garden dirt is usually too heavy unless it has a lot of organic matter. Mixing your own soil with an inexpensive potting mix is a good option.
- Your newly potted plants will need to be kept moist and out of full sun.
- If you plan to bring more than 10 plants it would be helpful to have them delivered to Charlotte’s home a day or two before the sale. We primarily sell native species from our region, with a few exceptions.
- If you would like more information contact Mayo Taylor at 828-582-1061 or president@brnnetwork.org.
Come Together: 2024 Delayed Meeting and Planning for 2025Featured
BRNN members came together on January 30 for our 12th Annual Meeting held at the Asheville Botanical Garden. Several members who were instrumental in founding the organization in 2013 were on hand to provide historical perspective.
Highlights of the 2024 Annual Meeting included:
- The 2024 Naturalist of the Year award to went Marilyn Kolton and Lou Dwarshuis. They were not able to be at the meeting but will be honored at another gathering.
- The election of three BRNN Board members: David Teafatiller, Vice President; Diane Mooney, Website and Publicity Director; and Nancy Cole, Secretary.
- Kris Stewart, Treasurer and Membership Director, presented the annual financial report. A discussion followed to consider using a portion of BRNN funds to assist organizations with recovery from Helene. The members voted to empower the Board to do so.
- Paul Fredrickson, Outdoor Programs director, led a review of options for member outings. He has already received confirmation from some favorite trip leaders for this season. Watch for more information in the March newsletter.
Conserving Carolina: Protecting LandsFeatured
For Nature and People. Forever.
Presented by Pam Torlina,
Community Engagement Director, Conserving Carolina
at the Reuter Center at UNCA
April 8, 7:00 pm
Pam Torlina, a field biologist who has worked with Conserving Carolina for 18 years, will explore how the organization has successfully moved nearly 50,000 acres of special lands into permanent conservation, while also planning for public use, continued farm production, clean water, and more.
Conserving Carolina is based in Hendersonville and its area of concentration stretches from south Buncombe County into South Carolina. A current project includes the rugged Hickory Nut Gorge, where an ambitious effort is underway to protect selected lands and to connect them through an extensive network of trails.
This program is free and open to the public.
The Natural History and Ecology of Fungi: From Parasitism to SymbiosisFeatured
Watch the talk here!
Todd Elliott, PhD, will speak about mushrooms in our region and their significance. He grew up in the Southern Appalachians, but has worked as a naturalist, biologist, and photographer on six continents. He is the author of Mushrooms of the Southeast and many other publications. Learn more about him here: https://toddelliott.weebly.com and watch for more information in future emails.
The History and Biology of Coyotes In North CarolinaFeatured
Watch the talk on Youtube.
Tuesday, November 14, 7 p.m.
Reuter Center at UNCA Manheimer Room
OLLI.Cedar Classroom UNC Asheville is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Blue Ridge Naturalist Network November 2023
Time: Nov 14, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
BRNN Annual MeetingFeatured
September 6
Holmes Educational State Forest, Hendersonville
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
RSVP: president@brnnetwork.org
On Wednesday, September 6, we will hold our organization’s Annual Meeting and celebrate our 10th anniversary. We hope you will join us. BRNN was founded on September 4, 2013 at the NC Arboretum by six visionary participants in the Blue Ridge Naturalist certificate program: Diane Bauknight, Charlotte Caplan, Ken Czarnomski, Barbara Harrison, Linda Martinson and Tom Southard. The rest, as they say, is history.
We are returning to the Holmes Educational State Forest, where we will enjoy hikes guided by Dan Lazar and Charlotte Caplan, followed by a lunch catered by City Bakery. Our brief business meeting will include the announcement of our Blue Ridge Naturalist of the Year. The BRNN Board also will present a slate of nominees for positions that will be open in 2024. Additional nominations will be taken from the floor.
You must be a member of BRNN to attend the Annual Meeting but if you are not a current member you may join onsite and your dues will be good through 2024.
RSVP to president@brnnetwork.org.
Linville GorgeFeatured
Eleven BRNN members joined US Forest Service Botanist Gary Kauffman and his intern for an expedition to Linville Gorge to see the interesting and rare plants found there. Our group travelled south from the Table Rock trailhead towards the Chimneys and learned about a remarkable variety of plants along the way. Some highlights along this stretch included Carolina lilies, starry campion, Table Mountain pine, wild lily of the valley, witch hazel, fothergilla, sand myrtle, and some interesting fungi, mosses and lichens. At the end of the trail with a bit of clambering we saw the stars of the show, the rare Hudsonia montana and Liatris helleri. But the plants weren’t the only attraction; we were treated to amazing views of Linville Gorge and some fascinating Quartzite rock outcrops.
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Prospecting for Plants – The Western Carolina Botanical ClubFeatured
Tuesday, June 13, 7 p.m. / Reuter Center Manheimer Room
Please access the recording and transcript download here. The recording will be available until July 13. https://unca-edu.zoom.us/rec/share/ngU5DXtewwy2X2GKaQ8RzU9HD_gOTYKJ81ZSVncMW028-un8vHBrN4LV6MHwS0CB.2_6-rSAeeVoYUyul
Have you ever wondered where and when to find our most interesting and rare wildflowers at their peak? Have you wanted to discover some new and interesting trails loaded with botanical curiosities? If so, you’ll want to join this program to learn more about the Western Carolina Botanical Club. Now celebrating its 50th year, the Western Carolina Botanical Club connects people who are passionate about the plants of the Southern Appalachians. Representatives of the club will discuss its history, mission, and the tremendous amount of data they’ve collected on our local plant species. We will also learn about its weekly field trips to some of our most interesting local biodiversity hotspots, illustrated with photos of favorite wildflowers, woody plants and mosses.
George Ellison, long-time naturalist, author, Citizen Times columnist, dies at 81Featured
Karen Chávez Asheville Citizen Times 2/20/2023
ASHEVILLE – George Ellison, a naturalist, author, longtime columnist for the Asheville Citizen Times and by all accounts a Western North Carolina treasure, died Feb. 19, according to his daughter, Quintin Ellison. George Ellison, 81, lived in Bryson City with his wife, Elizabeth Ellison. Their daughter said Ellison had Parkinson’s disease. He died from double pneumonia after receiving “amazing care” from Haywood Regional Hospital and Four Seasons Hospice, Quintin said. George Ellison was by any measure the voice of the WNC mountains for at least the past 36 years, penning the weekly “Nature Journal,” detailing the intricate ways of wildlife, especially his beloved birds, the passing of seasons in the mountains and the wonders of nature. These weekly columns were accompanied by Elizabeth’s stunning watercolor artwork. “He was tough,” Quintin Ellison said of her father. “But life had just been kind of been getting harder and he couldn’t type, you know, he couldn’t work, and that’s what he lived for – it was writing. He was proud of his relationship with the Asheville Citizen Times. And that was a long relationship.” Ellison was writing as long as he could. His last “Nature Journal” column was published Feb. 4, about hepatica. “But to my way of thinking, year in and year out, hepatica is the earliest of the truly showy woodland wildflowers,” he wrote.
Quintin Ellison, herself a former reporter with the Citizen Times, said she believed her father started working as a correspondent for the paper, writing and taking photos, even before the Nature Journal gig, starting back in the 1980s.
He was a prolific naturalist and author, who had also written six books. In 2019 Ellison was honored with the prestigious Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award for co-authoring with Janet McCue, “Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography,” by the WNC Historical Association.
It is a 500-page, seminal biography on one of the most famed naturalists in WNC history. It was edited by Frances Figart and published by Great Smoky Mountains Association.
George Robert Ellison II was born on Dec. 15, 1941, in Danville, Virginia, the son of Ruth and George Robert “GR” Ellison, who was killed in World War II, Quintin Ellison wrote on her Facebook page.
“My father played football for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After a caree ending knee injury, Dad turned his attention to academics, finishing his bachelor’s at UNC and continuing at the University of South Carolina, where he received his master’s degree.
He taught at Mississippi State University in Starkville. In the early 1970s, we moved to Bryson City.
He loved these mountains and its flora and fauna. He and my mother last year placed into conservation our family property on lower Lands Creek in Swain County.”
He and Elizabeth had three children, George Robert Ellison III, Milissa Ellison Dewey and Quintin, six grandchildren – George Robert Ellison IV (George Ellison), Daisy Ellison, Jonathan Reed, Elizabeth Liz Reed and Will Murphree – and great-grandchildren.
“He was not always an easy person, but always he was an interesting one, and we loved and cherished him, just as he did us, exactly how he was and how we are,” Quintin wrote.
“In lieu of a memorial service, my mother asks that you consider planting a wildflower garden and/or supporting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Family members wil build a small cairn in his memory at home in Bryson City.”
This story will be updated.
Karen Chávez is Interim Executive Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips, comments, questions? Call 828-236-8980,
email, KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or follow on Twitter @KarenChavezACT. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times at citizentimes.com/offers.
Check out this story on citizen-times.com: https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2023/02/20/george-ellison-citizen-times-columnist-kephart-biographer-dies/69923023007/
A Short History of the Beginnings of the Blue Ridge Naturalist ProgramFeatured
In 2002 Jesse Wilder attended a 10-week residential program in Ecoliteracy at Genesis Farm in New Jersey. There she delved into the story of the unfolding Universe, Earth’s story, and wisdom traditions that have shaped how humans have related to Earth. After coming home to Asheville, she wanted to study the bioregion of the Southern Blue Ridge, but could only find bits and pieces of what she wanted to know.
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