BY DON H ENDERSHOT
When it rains – the tough go hiking
Trailing arbutus. Charles Wike photo
The Cradle of Forestry has a full slate of events planned in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 11. There will be guided bird walks, a live raptor program and tips on birding. The day’s events begin at 8:30 a.m. with the bird walk, mist netting demonstration at 11 a.m., live raptor program at 2 p.m. and crafts and games from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The Cradle of Forestry will be a hotspot of avian activity. A variety of migratory birds rest and feed there on journey north, while others stay to nest and raise their young. Admission to the Cradle of Forestry is $5 for adults and free for youth under 16 years of age and those with America the Beautiful passes and federal Golden Passports. The Cradle of Forestry is located on Hwy. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest. 828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
Movie on Aldo Leopold at Lake Junaluska
Smoky Mountain News
roundings. We had a good first third of the hike — just overcast and maybe a little foggy drizzle. And there was plenty to see — cut-leaved toothwort, spring beauty, trillium erectum, wood anemone, prostrate bluets, squirrel corn, Dutchmen’s britches, early meadow rue, and bloodroot were some of the wildflowers we saw. We also found a really cool earth star fungi of the genus Geastrum. My daughter Izzy turned logs for us and came up with at least three species of salamanders. I know we had ocoee and blueridge two-lined plus one other dusky, I wasn’t sure of the species. And birds were out singing, at one stop we saw/heard blackthroated green warbler, blue-headed vireo, ovenbird, and brown creeper. And then the rain came. It wasn’t too heavy but it was steady. A good all day spring soaker that, after an hour or so kind of made all of us hikers. We plodded out and while it certainly wasn’t the best of circumstances, I never heard any grumbling about “wish we hadn’t come, etc.,” in fact there was still the occasion to stop when someone happened on a bloom they didn’t recognize or found an owl pellet, or something caught their eye. Even a drenched day in the watershed is a good day if you’re the kind that revels in what Ma Nature has to offer.
Celebrate spring birds in the Pisgah
May 1-7, 2013
We’ve had a good run in the watershed. The Town of Waynesville has sponsored spring and fall guided hikes in its 8,000-plus acre watershed since 2007. The hikes provide a great way for residents and other interested parties to see this wonderful resource that has been placed in a conservation easement to insure the town has an ample supply of high-quality drinking water for generations to come. During the past 12 hikes we have seen a little rain, a little drizzle, a little fog, a little sleet, a little snow and lots of sunshine. This year we saw rain. We saw lots of rain. And it wasn’t like we didn’t know it was coming. The forecast for the day was 100 percent chance of rain. The skies were close and thick and grey when we met at 9 a.m. at the treatment plant. The impending rain presented an initial dilemma. For the first time since the hikes started we had an entirely new route planned. We were going to start at the top, where the watershed abuts the Blue Ridge Parkway, and hike down and out to the treatment plant, an estimated five miles or so. In the past we have done several routes, either walking in and returning, from the treatment plant or being shuttled in and walking out — all routes offering the option of turning around and heading out at any time. I know I was stoked for the new route and I think the other guides, perennial hike leader Dr. Pete Bates of Western Carolina University, Ron Lance, botanist and naturalist at North American Land Trust’s Big Ridge Preserve in Jackson County and Alison Melnikova, assistant town manager and hike coordinator since its inception in 2007, were all on the same page. After a quick huddle, conscience dictated that we offer the alternative of an in-andout hike for anyone concerned about the weather. I guess everybody who had those concerns were still home in their pjs, sipping coffee. The hardy crew that showed up (20 or so) was waterproof. We carpooled up to the Parkway, loaded up in the fog and set out. It was foggy and overcast, but so far dry. There was a little semi-bushwhacking, basically avoiding
blackberries and greenbrier, before we accessed the watershed. We saw a lot of trailing arbutus and bluets along the Parkway, plus one bunny that sat motionless, convinced it was invisible as the horde of humans sauntered past. The sprinters (hikers) hit the descent and quickly found their stride, leaving the amblers with Ron and I to observe our sur-
Beginning in May, the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society will offer regular Saturday field trips throughout the summer season. The schedule includes several new venues as well as repeat visits to favorite birding spots in the Franklin and Highlands areas. A special beginners’ session will be offered once per month as well and a limited supply of binoculars and field guides will be available. The first event will be a beginner’s walk scheduled for May 4 at Gibson Bottoms, a 65-acre preserved tract along the Little Tennessee River outside Franklin with several nest-boxes along the river. Participants will meet at 7 a.m. at Highlands Town Hall to carpool. The next outing will be on May 11 near Walnut Gap in Highlands. Birders will be keeping a keen eye out for golden-winged warblers. www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org Meanwhile, the Franklin Bird Club has an action-packed line-up of bird outings as
well, including a walk along the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin on Wednesday, May 8. Call 828.524.5234 for the meeting spot. Keep abreast of birding club fieldtrips — and other outdoor outings in the region trips — by following the outdoors section of the calendar in The Smoky Mountain News weekly.
outdoors
The Naturalist’s Corner
Macon County going to the birds
A screening of a documentary on the life and work of conservationist Aldo Leopold will be held at 6:15 p.m. May 14 at the Kern Youth Center at Lake Junaluska. The movie, “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and Land Ethic for our Time.” is 75 minutes long and will be followed by a group discussion about Leopold and his philosophy on land ethics. This was the first documentary made about the famous Leopold, who helped shape and influence the modern environmental movement. The showing is sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Audubon Society and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. www.gsmas.com.
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