Appalachian
Forest School
& Other
Educational Events
at
The Arc
of Appalachia Preserve System
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upcoming events, we recommend our E-MAGAZINE
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The Arc of Appalachia
Preserve System offers several types of educational experiences. Please click on
the title or text box below to learn more, or scroll down to see an entire listing of
upcoming events in calendar order.
Full Program Calendar
Arc
of Appalachia Preserve System -- click on title to get more information
March 12-17,2009
Forests of the South, Florida's Panhandle
A Wilderness East trip: spring
wildflowers crystal clear springs rare Torreya pine
tupelo swamps carnivorous plants ivory-billed woodpecker habitat
This is a
trip to northern Florida to explore the southernmost expression of the Eastern
temperate forest, and witness the echoes of its refuge during the last ice
age. We will try to time this visit to coincide with spring wildflower displays.
The panhandle boasts floral species surprisingly familiar to Eastern naturalists, but nearly
a full month earlier than mid-continent. We will be visiting a Florida
not found in most tourist books, visiting the crystal-clear springs of
Wakulla Springs and its champion-sized hardwood trees; an ancient tupelo swamp
forest of Leon Sinks; the carnivorous plants, bluffs and ravines of the
Apalachicola watershed and National Forest; the rare remnants of the infamous Torreya Pine at Torreya State Park; and the spring wildflowers in the karst
country of Florida Caverns. Final details of this trip are still being worked
out, but follow the above link for preview information.
March 21,2009 "snow
date" on March 28 Snow Trilliums of Chalet Nivale
An Exploring the Arc Tour:
Profuse displays of the world's smallest trillium, the rare Trillium nivale
There are
certain seasonal events so phenomenal that it is worth taking special effort to
see them first-hand. Snow trilliums are at their peak only for 3-4 days each
spring. At Chalet Nivale, where on a good year the trilliums cover the cliffs
like fallen star fields, it's not a display you'll want to miss. We will pick
the day that is closest to the flowers' peak.
We are delighted to now announce that
90 additional acres of land were added to Chalet Nivale in 2008, expanding this
significant botanical preserve from 15 to 105 acres in size. We are eager to
share this preserve's brand new trail system with you.
April 16-19,2009
Southern Ohio Wildflower Pilgrimage
A Wilderness East field trip: naturalist-led field trips
Over 2 dozen possible destinations world-class flower display
One of the world's greatest spectacles is the grand showcase of wild flowers
gracing the temperate forests in the spring. Located at
the southern edge of the glacial advance which rejuvenated the soils, and also
occupying the edge of the Cumberland Plateau of Appalachian foothills, the Arc
has one of the richest wildflower displays to be found in the Eastern Forest. This event is timed to
catch the beginning of the flowering trilliums - one of
the showiest of all the spring flowers. Participants may choose among over two
dozen day-long field trips, each with no more than fifteen people and led by
experienced naturalists and botanists.
Optional meals, packed lunches, and evening programs. Final details of this event are still being worked
out, but follow the above link for preview information.
Annual Garlic
Plucking Fest
Choose among Weekends
April
25, 26 and
May
2, 3, 2009 from
9:30 am to 3:30
pm
OR
join us for a 5-weekday in-service
April 27 through May 1,
2009
A
Volunteer Land Stewardship Event - work one day or two, lodging at the Sanctuary
available night before
We
hope to attract 100 or more volunteers to the effort of removing this
non-native plant from our preserves this year. You can sign
up for either location - HNS or the Bluffs - or you can let us assign
you to where we need the help the most.
May 9,2009
Orchids and Ancient Oaks - Samson Woods Preserve
An Exploring the Arc Tour:
Pink Lady Slipper Orchids Ancient old oaks
In
the year 2005, John and Emily
Samson donated a 70-acre forest tract to the Arc of
Appalachia Preserve System. Despite the thin infertile soil covering the
Appalachian hills, dozens of immense black oaks tower high into the canopy,
boasting impressive girths. John remembered planting pine trees in the farm
fields adjacent to the oak forests back in the 1960's, and today those pine
woodlands give shade to literally hundreds of pink lady slippers. John is proud
of the labor he expended in creating these aging pine plantations, but he is
even prouder of the wild orchids, which colonized the land effortlessly. The
hike will take participants off-trail into Samson Woods to see both the lady
slipper orchids and the stately old oaks.
May 26-June 1,2009
Exploring Missouri Ozarks - Current River Wilderness
A Wilderness East field trip:
Pine-Oak Forests Collared Lizards Wild Caves
Canebrakes Grass Pink Orchids Swainson's Warblers
This journey takes us to the Missouri Ozarks, the
tension zone between the lush eastern forests and the progressively drier
prairies of the Midwest.
Our destination is the wilderness region of the
spring-fed Current River and its tributary, Jacks Fork River, two of America's clearest
and most pristine rivers. We will see prairie glades filled with blooming orchids and a
dazzling array of forbes, natural canebrake communities that have nearly
disappeared elsewhere in the East and still support the rare Swainson's warbler, and
remnants of Missouri's once-expansive pine-oak woodlands. During our trip we
will explore wild caves without the trappings of sidewalks and electric lights,
in one case walking over one mile completely underground.
Final details of this trip are still being worked
out, but you may follow the above link for preview information.
June 5,6,7,
2009
Annual Spring Women's
Retreat
This retreat offers something rarely allowed in our busy lives -- expansive time
and lots of choices on how to spend it.
This
retreat, in its 6th year, is a true Sanctuary tradition. Why is it so popular?
One of its secrets is that it is not highly structured. Although shared hiking,
dialoguing, and yoga practice are offered, there is no obligation to partake of
all of the planned activities. You can enjoy the company of other like-minded
women to the extent you seek company, while giving yourself permission to pursue
guiltless solo time as you need -- whether it be for hiking, meditating,
journaling, or napping under a tree.
Beechcliff provides an ideal community-styled setting -- a handsome circa 1912 lodge
situated among giant beech trees along a tranquil stretch of the Rocky Fork
Creek.
We are intentionally creating a sanctuary within the
Sanctuary where you can unwind and restore your energy in a pristine setting so
that your inner voice can be heard. Women are used to taking care of
themselves, and there is great humility and joy in sharing our tasks
together.
July 11,2009
High Summer at Kamama
Prairie Preserve
An Exploring the Arc Tour:
Peak bloom for showy early flowers Peak of Swallowtail
Butterflies Dragonflies
Kamama Prairie is one of the
rarest ecosystems in Eastern North America-- a native short-grass alkaline
prairie. Over 43 state-listed imperiled wildflower species grow at Kamama,
and most bloom in the heat of the summer. We will be hiking at the beginning of
the expected show, when it is most colorful with its purple-headed coneflowers, scaley
blazing stars, butterfly weed, and prairie coneflowers in bloom. The prairie
also boasts over 72 species of butterflies and dozens of dragonfly species, and
we are timing the visit to hopefully catch the peak of the showy swallowtail
butterflies nectaring on the flowers.
July
12-17, 2009
Trees
of the Eastern Temperate Forest
Appalachian Forest School Course :
tree recognition forest succession
reading-the-forest skills
Although the Eastern temperate forest can claim well over 200 species of
trees, learning just 40 to 45 of them will allow you to travel anywhere into the
forest heartland -- from New York to Tennessee -- and identify with accuracy 90
to 95% of the standing trees you will see. This is exactly the goal of the course -
to teach you to the majority of the common, widely distributed broadleaf and
associated evergreen trees in the Eastern temperate forest by both common and
Latin name. You also learn its ecological relationships, the qualities of its
wood, its beauty and shape, wood craft and lore.
By the end of this program, with a bit of mental effort and repetitive practice,
you will not only be able to identify trees, but by learning the forest "alphabet"
of individual species you be trained to begin to read the forest's hidden
script -- gleaning from a quick glance a wealth of information about the
forest's soils, history, age and health.
August 16-21, 2009
Global Significance of
the Temperate Forest
aquatic systems as the forests'
lifeblood sister forests in Eastern Asia and
Europe hallmark species of the temperate forest
This course focuses on what makes North
America's Eastern temperate forest
unique among the temperate forests of
the world. Although our country's Eastern Forest shares many of its tree and
mammal genera with
forest centers in Europe and Eastern Asia, our native forest has one major component that -- when
compared to the other temperate forest centers of Europe and Eastern Asia--
distinguishes it globally. Quite simply, the Eastern temperate forest claims some of the
highest aquatic life diversity in the
temperate world, in some cases, the entire world.
Conservation challenges now make these our waterways one of our most
imperiled of our forest ecosystem components. This course will help you
appreciate the ecology of the Eastern forest through studying its lifeblood --
its rivers and streams and the myriads of life forms that they support. Academic
experts and researchers in the fields of botany, mussels, crayfish, fish and
salamanders will be leading this course--giving participants a global,
conceptual and cross-disciplinary foundation of knowledge.
September 18-20th, 2009
(or-Saturday only)
Private Forest Landowners
Workshop
Managing Private Forests for Native Biodiversity
l
forest succession l
evaluating
forest health & history l
qualities of a functioning old-growth forest l
attracting keystone species
l
the
role of fire and timber harvesting
l
non–native plant management
l
aesthetics and beauty as factors in management
l
vines and poison ivy
l
forest restoration
The vast majority
of the Eastern broadleaf forest is in the hands of private landowners. This
workshop is for forest stewards who want to do the “right thing” with their
forest, but have felt confusion over what often feels like conflicting advice.
The truth is, there is no one “right” thing to do with the forest. It depends
what the landowner’s goals are. Currently, there are three primary
possibilities. One is to manage a forest for maximum timber production and
related income. One is to manage the forest as recreational hunting ground for
popular game species. The third option, which is what this course is about, is
to steward the forest to maximize its capacity to support native bio-diversity.
Sept 26,2009
Tall-grass Prairie at Plum
Run Preserve
An Exploring the Arc Tour:
intact tall native grasses fall asters rare Heart-leaved
Plantain
Plum Run is
likely the largest tall grass prairie left in southern Ohio. Walking through the juniper-studded grasslands in autumn, with
the heavy seed heads of big bluestem towering above one's head, is a
stirring experience.
We will see the rare-for-Ohio Shumard's Oak, and the state-endangered
Heart-leaved Plantain, Plantago cordata (shown left), which has
almost disappeared elsewhere in the state. We are delighted to
say that 2008 turned out to be a year of recovery for the species at Plum
Run. As we
write, the count of mature plants is way up, and hundreds of new seedlings are taking
root along the stream banks of Plum Run.
Why not spend the entire weekend at the Sanctuary and register for Sunday's
program as well?
Click here for lodging recommendations.
Dec 5,
2008 1pm - 4pm
Holiday Open House at Cave Canyon
Saturday
A day of celebration
at Cave Canyon with all fees waived, no registration required
Here is an event to be enjoyed by the whole family. Held at the
Highlands Nature Sanctuary, this event provides an opportunity to tour Cave Canyon's trails and facilities without
charge.
Here you can view
the wintry cliffs of the Rocky Fork Canyon from the new Observation
Deck, watch
a short nature
slide show,
listen
to live music by a local artist, take a tractor-pulled hay wagon ride
down Cave Road, and hike three 1/4
mile long trails into the breathtakingly beautiful Rocky Fork Gorge and
surrounding forests. Children
can taste wild sassafras tea, make their own buckeye candies, and create
nature crafts for the holidays.
There are free refreshments for all.
After enjoying
activities at Cave Canyon,
pick up a map from the Museum and take a driving tour of
Beechcliff and
Hermitage, two overnight lodges.
Beechcliff offers additional craft activities for the children--plus a crackling fire in the old stone fireplace, bringing
cheer to this handsome 1912
renovated hunting lodge.
Connecting is the
first step.
e-mail
linkup.adm@highlandssanctuary.org
and ask to join our mailing
list to receive Nature Notes, educational program notices, and volunteer
opportunities