LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Julia Grumbles, President of the Highlands Biological Foundation
If you are like me, you are ready for spring and summer in Highlands. I am happy to report that over the winter, the Highlands Biological Foundation staff has been busy getting things ready for us by upgrading and adding to exhibits in the Nature Center, lining up a fantastic series of speakers for the Zahner lectures, tending to the Botanical Garden with improved trails and signage, and preparing for what may be our best summer camps ever! I encourage all of our readers, members, supporters, families and visitors to come and walk through our gardens and learn about our native plant species, take in the beauty of Lindenwood Lake and enroll in one of our summer workshops to deepen your knowledge and understanding of our unique biodiversity.
The Highlands Biological Station’s 23-acre campus is devoted to and focused on the Highlands plateau with our fascinating geologic history, critical watersheds and rich ecosystems. How do we do that? Through research, education, and exploration. And how do we support these critically important activities? Through your generosity. Your support over 91 years has provided the Foundation the resources to offer teachers, students, children and scores of Highlands families and visitors access to fantastic learning opportunites.
I hope you continue to support these activities by giving to the Highlands Biological Foundation, renewing your membership or becoming a new member.
The Foundation deeply appreciates and is grateful for your belief in our mission and to that end, we hope to begin construction this year on the North Campus. This addition will open up the Station property adjacent to the Lower Lake Road and provide the public easier access to enjoy a brilliant new pollinator garden, an improved trail around the lake and over its wetlands, and a teaching pavilion plus much needed new parking and restroom facilities.
I look forward to seeing you this summer,
Julia GrumblesSAVE THE DATE
June 23: Annual Meeting
June 29-30:
Rockin' the Highlands Plateau
July 12: First Zahner Lecture
July 29: Summer Soiree
CONTENTS

• Letter from the President
• State of the Station
• Nature Center Update
• Rockin' the Highlands Plateau
• North Campus
• Summer Workshops
• Botanical Garden
• Outreach
• 2018 GIA Recipients
• Special Donor Acknowledgement

STATE OF THE STATION
A letter from Jim Costa, Executive Director of the Highlands Biological Station TWO STEPS FORWARD...

Greetings and Happy Spring! I say that optimistically, as elusive as spring has felt of late. The time between the waning days of winter and the arrival of "the season" always seems interminable to me. For every teaser warm day there are several cold rainy or snowy ones. But soon we'll turn a corner from "one step forward / two steps back" to "two steps forward / one step back," and soon after that we'll be off to the races. In the meantime we persevere, ever hopeful like the earliest wildflowers in the Botanical Garden, putting forth tentative shoots and flowers even mantled with spring snow.
We're in that state between planning our summer program and arrival of the much-anticipated summer season — expectant, as course registrations come in, Grant-in-Aid award notifications are sent out, course supplies are replenished, and the fiscal year budget clock counts down. Expectant in other ways, too. I've taken to joking that we have three major construction/renovation projects in various stages of not getting done... The revving up of the economy and the local construction climate may be a good thing overall, but it has put us at a disadvantage in terms of costs and responsiveness of contractors. We're moving forward, but the Cottages, Aquatics Lab, and North Campus projects are progressing painfully slowly.
Despite frustrations of construction delays, there is much to celebrate in our 91st year. First, we continue to innovate and experiment with programming. This year we hosted our first-ever "January Term" writing course, A Sense of Place. Taught by Hannah Rogers (Columbia), the course had 9 intrepid students from the University of Virginia. It was a great success despite weather-related challenges, culminating in a public reading hosted by our friends at the Hudson Library. This summer, too, we're offering another first: a collaborative field course between HBS and Wildsumaco Biological Station in Ecuador, a "hotspot to hotspot" comparative study of temperate & tropical mountain ecosystems.
S econd, we're excited about ongoing and new research and educational partnerships at the Station. For example, in the Botanical Garden lichenologists Jessi Allen & James Lendemer (New York Botanical Garden) are propagating an endangered lichen once common on the Plateau. Their technique bodes well for a larger-scale reintroduction effort. The Garden is also the site of on-going research on the ecology of celebrated Oconee Bells, by Matt Candeias of the University of Illinois. And, we're now part of the North American Bat Monitoring Program as a permanent NC monitoring site, led by Dr. Matina Kalcounis-Ruppell of UNC-Greensboro (who is also a new member of the HBS Board of Directors). The acoustic detectors installed will eventually be linked to a display in the Nature Center, so our diurnal human visitors can learn more about our nocturnal chiropteran visitors.
Last but not least, an important item in the Celebration Department is continued plans for integrating the Station fully with Western Carolina University. Our MOU is proceeding apace and the new relationship will come to fruition soon. WCU leadership greatly values the Station, our legacy, and what we mean to both the Highlands community and the broader scientific community, and we look forward to inaugurating this new chapter in the Station's long history.
L ook forward to seeing you at the Station soon —
RENEW YOUR MEMbERSHIP TODAY
There are many advantages to membership including: discounts on events, classes and summer camps; early registration; and being the first to know of the many opportunities offered through HBS. Most importantly, we cannot acomplish our goals and mission without your generous support. Please be sure to renew your membership today!
NATURE CENTER
This summer the Highlands Nature Center offers many new and updated exhibits and activities. Our recentlycompleted waterways exhibit lets you explore a mountain stream and bog while learning the importance of watersheds. Temporary exhibits in May and June will take you on journeys through the Botanical Garden to look for endangered species and animal scat. Tuesday nights in June and July you can explore the tale a starlight stroll and listen for our froggy friends with our evening program series. Thursdays in June, HBS student researchers and special guests, Jeremy Hyman and Carlton Burke will lead fun and informative presentations for the whole family. And there’s more – a new geology exhibit, returning favorites, and exciting new Zahner lecturers among others! Join us for a summer season of learning and exploration in the natural beauty of the southern Appalachians! S ummer natue camps are a perfect way to inspire your child to become a better steward of our environment while having summer fun. To learn more or to register go to our website at www.highlandsbiological.org or stop by the Nature Center.


NEW EVENT! ROCKIN' THE HIGHLANDS PLATEAU
This June, get ready to rock as we explore the geology of the Highlands Plateau in a whole new way! Rockin’ the Highlands Plateau will be a two-day event on Friday, June 29 and Saturday, June 30. The celebration begins with a lecture by Dr. Scott Brame of Clemson University focusing on the facts and the mystique of the southern Appalachian mountains. The talk will be followed by a rockin’ reception in the meadow; including a cocktail buffet, wine, beer and rock-n-roll. On Saturday from 10:00am to 2:00pm, various geologists, naturalists and botanists will lead hikes focused on the extraordinary geological formations here on the plateau and their contributions to the Plateau's natural history. Lunch is provided. Whether you want to unlock the mysteries of Whiteside, learn more about the formation of beautiful waterfalls or are curious about how soils affect plant communities; there is much to learn and see. Tickets are $75 for members and $100 for non-members and go on sale May 1.
ANNUAL MEMbERSHIP MEETING
Join us during this exciting time of growth and help us plan for the future of h B f GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING, June 23 at 3:00 PM the meeting will be held in the seminar room of the coker laboratory (265 n . 6th s treet)
NORTH CAMPUS UPDATE NORTH CAMPUS DONORS
The construction market in Highlands is currently thriving. That is the good news. The bad news is that it is making it difficult to find a qualified construction company with a reasonable bid. We take our role as stewards of your contributions very seriously. We are therefore unwilling to compromise the project by removing key aspects nor are we willing to reduce the scope of the project. The Highlands Biological Foundation is now in discussions with Western Carolina, the owner of the property, to enter into a short-term ground lease. This lease will enable the Foundation to act more quickly in attracting qualified, competitive and local bids. Contractors are sometimes reluctant to enter into state-controlled projects.
We want you to know that in the meantime, we have successfully completed the full design of the project and all construction documents, obtained all the necessary permits, and raised sufficient funding to begin construction as originally planned.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the donors who have supported the North Campus Campaign. Like all of you, we are excited about these improvements and we look forward to welcoming all of you and our community to what we know will be a wonderful contribution to the Station, town, and community of Highlands.
Special thanks to...
HBS gratefully thanks Kimberly Coward for assisting us with the finalization of a temporary ground lease between Western Carolina University and HBF. Without Kim's thoughtful persistence, we would not be ready to begin construction of the North Campus. Thank you Kim!
We are so thankful to those who made the construction of the North Campus possible. Those who have given donations to this project include:
A.L. Williams Family Foundation
Judy and Dick Allison
Amy and Cecil Conlee
Amy Stuart Cook
Anonymous
Glenda and Griffen Bell
Mr. Richard Boger
Mr. and Mrs. Mose Bond
Mr. and Mrs. James Bonham
Mr. and Mrs. Waldo Bradley
Mr. and Mrs. John Briggs
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Burke
Mr. and Mrs. William Burke
Dr. and Mrs. Tom Claiborne
Ms. Madison Cole
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Crenshaw
Kim and Richard Daugherty
Mr. and Mrs. James Davis
Susan Davis

Ms. Susie Day
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Dixon
Mr. Michael Dunn
Martha and Michael Dupuis
Mr. and Mrs. Berryman Edwards
Melinda and James Eithier
Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Ellis
Ms. Fredericka M. Flynt
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Foster
Mr. Randy Fowler
Mr. Jeffrey Schenck and Ms. Rachael Friday
Mrs. Tink Friedrichs
Dr. Carol Garrison and Mr. Julian Banton
Mr. and Mrs. Alson Glenn
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Goodsell
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Gregory
Julia and Bill Grumbles
Mr. Robert Harrison
Mr. R.B. Haynes
Mary Katherine Hodgson
Mr. and Mrs Ron Hogan
Ms. Suzanne Inman
Marianne and Ben Jenkins
Mr. and Mrs. George Johnson
Mr. Andrew Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Stiles Kellett
Diane and Michael Levine
Mr. and Mrs. David Martin
The Knox Massey Family
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Mathes
Ms. Kim Matthews
Mimi and Robert McCallum
Mr. and Mrs. Gwaltney McCollum
Mr. and Mrs. Forrest McConnell Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Forrest McConnell III
Mr. and Mrs. William McConnell
Mr. and Mrs. Ray McPhail
Mr. Heath Massey and
Mr. John Mitchener
Dr. and Mrs. John Moorehouse
Susan and Alex Nading
Nancy and Lyle Nichols
Mr. and Mrs. Cobbs Nixon
Mr. and Mrs. Tabor Novak
Mr. and Mrs. Skip O'Conner
Mr. and Mrs. Obie Oakley
Robin and Joe Owens
Mr. and Mrs. Kim Ratliff
Mrs. Laura Rogers
Robin Sanders
Mr. Paul Sanger
Mr. Steven Sawyer
Al and Elizabeth Simmons
Miriam and Vernon Skiles
Mr. and Mrs. Wiley Sloan
Mr. and Mrs. Clay Small
Ms. Danielle Berry and
Mr. Mark Squillante
Carol and Rusty Stewart
Martha and Hal Stibbs
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Stutts
Mr. and Mrs. Claude Sullivan
Pat and Bill Jordan Suthers
Jonnie and James Swann
Keller and Sam Torrey
Kathy and Bestor Ward
Lawrence Whatley
Mrs. Lyda White
Ms. Jane Woodruff