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 at Tremont. McCleneghan also leads walks for the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage and the Roan Mountain Naturalist Rally.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 3, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion.)
FRUIT, FOLIAGE, AND FALL WILDLIFE
Discover the magic of fall in the Smokies as we seek out the many colorful fruits and leaves of the mountains, and carefully consider the wildlife they attract. On several short walks at various elevations and habitats, we will learn to identify the trees, shrubs, and vines in part by their unique colored leaves and fruit, as well as by other simple clues. We will also discover signs of wildlife that rely on this fruit to fuel their migration and movements, or to supplement their resident diet. These birds, bears, boomers, boars, and other animals make up the fall wildlife shuffle, a natural necessity. Along the way we will sample some fruit, see majestic views, begin to unravel the confusing fall warblers, and may even catch a glimpse of other wildlife. Instructor: Carey Jones is a former Park Ranger naturalist who led educational walks for 14 years in the Smokies. Always the seeker and discoverer, his experience and M.A. help glean truths from nature to share with fellow learners. He is a naturalist for several organizations, including the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Park, and is the narrator of the new Bird Songs of the Smokies CD set.
This course is no longer available. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 10, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet on porch at Park Headquarters building.)
INCREDIBLE EDIBLES AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS
Climate and age of the Appalachian chain created a diversity of plant species that is greater here than anywhere in North America. This diversity of life has sustained Man for 10,000 years. Spend a day discovering how to identify plants and trees Native Americans and early settlers used for dye, food, medicines, crafts, and other items of daily life. Sample delicious wild flavors appropriate to the seasons. The instructor will share the herblore from “medicine men” and “granny women” while the group searches the woods and fields of this temperate rain forest for its hidden treasures. Instructor: Ila Hatter is an interpretive naturalist, artist, storyteller, and wildcrafter with nearly 30 years of experience teaching the cultural heritage of native plants. Hatter is author of Roadside Rambles, a wild foods cookbook, and a video series: Wild Edibles and Medicinals of Southern Appalachia and Mountain Kitchen. She hosted three Folkway programs for PBS/UNC-TV, and has appeared on CNN, Turner/South, RFDTV, and A&E.
This course is sold out. Please select another course.
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 10, 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at the barn at Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, N.C.)
DAY HIKE TO MT. LeCONTE
Spend the day with a naturalist and former Park Ranger exploring the plants, animals, and history along one of the most beautiful and significant trails in the Smokies. We’ll start in the Hemlocks, and wind through Northern Hardwood, Heath Bald, and Spruce-Fir forests to see majestic views on the third highest peak in the Park. We’ll follow a cascading creek, climb through a huge rock, smell the remnants of Civil War mining at Alum Cave Bluff, and learn why this trail led to the Smokies becoming a National Park. After resting at historic LeConte Lodge, we’ll stroll up to the Cliff Tops’ fantastic view. Perhaps most memorable on this 10-mile round trip hike will be the discovery and identification of the trees, flowers, birds, salamanders, and other wildlife that make the Smokies the biological capital of temperate America. Instructor: Carey Jones is a former Park Ranger naturalist who led educational walks for 14 years in the Smokies. Always the seeker and discoverer, his experience and M.A. help glean truths from nature to share with fellow learners. He is a naturalist for several organizations, including the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Park, and is the narrator of the new Bird Songs of the Smokies CD set. Note: Participants need to be prepared to hike this 10-mile roundtrip strenuous hike.
Register now: COURSE #09FA918
Fee: $49
Sat., Oct. 17, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Alum Cave Bluff Trail parking lot on Newfound Gap Road.)
CHARIT CREEK HIKE AND OVERNIGHT IN THE LODGE
Discover the beauty of Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on the Tennessee/Kentucky border. On this moderate seven-mile hike, your experienced naturalist guides will point out and discuss local landscape features; fall flowers and trees; and identify animal signs along the way. With time to explore the Arches, a wooden staircase makes for an easy climb to an overlook for a 360-degree view of the Big South fork area. The lodge, lying in a beautiful pasture framed by magnificent bluffs, is accessible only by horseback or on foot. For a peaceful, rustic experience, facilities are equipped with kerosene lamps and wood stoves. The lodge offers congenial accommodations and hearty meals. Space is limited, so sign up as a family or with an old friend! Instructors: Joel and Kathy Zachry, both M.S., are your husband and wife leaders with more than 50 combined years of backcountry identification and hiking experience and have led Field School sessions since the early 1980s.
This course is sold out. Please select another course.
Fee: $115*
Sat. and Sun., Oct. 17 & 18
Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
(Meet at Bandy Creek Visitor Center, 10:00 a.m., Sat.)
*Registration fee is nonrefundable.
FALL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
Learn techniques for designing photographs of combined subjects such as landscape, waterscapes, and fall color. We will use composition, perspective, light, and exposure to develop our images and will learn the technical manipulations of the equipment that are necessary to obtain the desired results. This workshop is applicable to both digital and 35mm SLR format. You should bring a variety of lenses and a tripod. Instructor: Kendall Chiles is a freelance nature photographer with more than 20 years of photography experience. His photos have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and brochures, and he has taught various photography workshops.
Register now: COURSE #09FA904
Fee: $65
Sat., Oct. 24, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Townsend
ANIMAL TRACKS AND TRACES
Come and discover the goings and comings of our forest friends from the traces that they have left behind. We’ll go on a treasure hunt and find clues in the forest to tell what animals have been there, what they were doing, and when they may come back. We’ll look for tracks, bits of food, fur, even trails laid out to favorite spots. Learn from the animals a new language—the language of the natural landscape! Instructor: Wanda DeWaard, M.S., recreation and environmental education, is an outdoor educator who has shared Earth Kinship and Environmental Awareness programs with community groups, schools, colleges, camps, nature centers, and teacher conferences since 1974. Anything and everything in the natural world brings out her enthusiasm and contagious sense of fun.
Register now: COURSE #09FA890
Sun., Oct. 25, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont parking lot.)
Fee: $29 adults and teens
$19 child (ages 6-12)
MT. LeCONTE HIKE AND OVERNIGHT IN THE LODGE
Since its establishment in the 1920s, LeConte Lodge has been a rustic attraction for hikers. At an elevation of 6,593 feet, it is the highest guest lodge in the eastern United States. The mountaintop serves as a grandstand for the whole Park, and the pleasures of a visit to the lodge can include breathtaking sunsets from Cliff Top, clear night skies for stargazing, and spectacular sunrises from Myrtle Point. The true charm of LeConte Lodge is in the friendly spirit of the people who come here—people who find relaxation and renewed energy in the cool, majestic solitude at the top of the Smokies. This is a strenuous hike. The trails are steep and rocky and range from five to eight miles each way. You need to be in good physical condition ready for a rigorous climb. We suggest you sign up with an old friend, or be prepared to bunk with a new one! Instructors: Charles W. Maynard and David E. Morris are experienced hikers, stargazers, and storytellers. They are co-authors of Time Well Spent: Family Hiking in the Smokies and Waterfalls & Cascades of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Fall Hike
We will go up via Rainbow Falls Trail and descend via Bull Head Trail. The brilliant fall foliage will be at its best, laid out in panoramic vistas. Note: The trails are steep and rocky and range from five to eight miles each way. You need to be in good physical condition ready for a rigorous climb.
This course is sold out. Please select another course.
Fee: $155*
Sat. and Sun., Oct. 31 & Nov. 1
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Meet at Rainbow Falls Trail parking lot on Cherokee Orchard Road, 9:00 a.m., Sat.)
*Registration fee is nonrefundable.
This apple denotes Knox County Teacher Center approval for in-service credit.
Question? E-mail us at professionalpgms@utk.edu
Download a print version of our catalog. (pdf)
Give us your feedback. Complete our course evaluation form. (pdf)