AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES OF THE SMOKIES
If your kids have never held and admired a redcheeked salamander up close, a special opportunity awaits them! We’ll have fun wading in streams and gently turning rocks and logs in search of woodland and aquatic salamanders. Assuming luck, enthusiasm, and quick hands, some frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes also will be discovered and examined. The program will begin with slides and a short introduction, but mostly we’ll be exploring in the woods. Instructors: John Byrd, biology teacher, Clinton High School. He has led salamander programs as a part of the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and is co-author of The Snakes of Tennessee. Leah Lavoie, M.S. biology, works for the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization assisting high school students with field-based ecological research.
COURSE #284870
Sat., July 5, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
FEE: $29 adults and teens
$19 child (ages 6-12)
SENSATIONAL SALAMANDERS
Salamanders will captivate the interest of your children. Join me for a fun day as we search high and low to get close-up looks at many different kinds of salamanders. We will learn about where they live, what they eat, who eats them, and lots more. After our day together, you will know why the Smokies is called the Salamander Capital of the World! We will drive and make several stops along Newfound Gap Road – with some walking on trails. Instructor: Liz Domingue, M.S., wildlife and conservation biology, is a naturalist, educator, photographer, and writer. She has gained her outdoor experience while hiking, paddling, and backpacking. Through photography, observation, and research, Liz has studied wildlife, plants, and the natural world throughout the United States and abroad.
COURSE #284882-1
Sat., July 12, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at the Park Headquarters bldg.)
FEE: $35 adults and teens
$25 child (ages 6-12)
EDIBLE AND POISONOUS FUNGI OF THE SMOKIES
The Smoky Mountains are world-renowned for mushrooms and home to more than 2,000 species. Here’s a chance to learn about the many kinds of mushrooms and how to identify them by size, shape, and color. We will take short hikes in the Park to observe mushrooms in their natural habitat. Through these field explorations, we will learn about the ecology and habitats for mushrooms, toxicology, and the association between fungi and tree roots. The workshop is designed for beginners, but veterans will learn something, too. Instructor: S. Coleman McCleneghan, Ph.D., has taught numerous fungal courses including mycology and lichen courses at Appalachian State University, the Smoky Mountain Field School, and the Great Smoky Mountains Institute of Tremont. Coleman also leads walks for the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and the Roan Mountain Naturalist Rally.
COURSE #284858 FEE: $49
Sat., July 19, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Cataloochee campground parking area.)
MOSSES, LIVERWORTS, AND HORNWORTS OF THE SMOKIES
Learn about the small plants which form a green blanket over the forest floor, the luxuriant mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. View this miniature plant world with the aid of a hand lens and microscope. Learn how to identify these intriguing non-flowering plants and about their niche in the natural environment. Both experienced naturalists and those who are just curious to learn about these plants are welcome. We will admire these plants in their natural habitat within the Park and study details in a classroom at the nearby UT Biology Field Station. Bring a 10X hand lens! Instructor: Kenneth McFarland, Ph.D., lecturer, UT Division of Biology. Dr. McFarland’s 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 Colombia.
COURSE #284902 FEE: $49
Sat., July 26, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Greenbrier ranger station.)
INTRODUCTION TO SEARCH & RESCUE MANAGEMENT
This workshop is an introduction to the management skills involved in conducting land search and rescue operations. It involves the use of the National Incident Command System used by the majority of land managing agencies. “Table Top” searches will be completed by teams in a classroom environment. 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 & rescue incidents, the National Park Service’s Special Events Team, and instructor of national interagency emergency and incident management training.
COURSE #284956 FEE: $49
Sat., July 26, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet in training room at Sugarlands Visitor Center.)
The apple denotes Knox County Teacher Center approval for in-service credit.
Question? E-mail us at Smoky@utk.edu