Date: June 26, 2021
Time: 1-4p
Location: NC Arboretum, Asheville, NC
Cost: $35 - $45
Beginning meeting location: TBD
Guided experiences by: Tom Southard and Dan Lazar
To Register: Click here.
Leader Bios:
Tom Southard has a degree in plant science and forestry from Rutgers University. Prior to moving to the mountains in 2010, he worked extensively in stream assessment, aquatic ecology education and stream habitat restoration with the South Branch Watershed Association based in Flemington, N.J. He is also a volunteer stream monitor for sites in the French Broad River Basin and at the Arboretum.
Dan Lazar served for many years as the director of education at the Western North Carolina Nature Center, followed by several years as executive director of the Colburn Earth Science Museum. Dan has a degree in forest biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and has been an instructor in the Blue Ridge Naturalist program since 2005.
Culminating meeting location: The patio at the Education Center Veranda TBD
Pending Credit Hours: 3 (1.5 hrs each guided hike); Additional, on-demand hours available
DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Join us at the North Carolina Arboretum to pay tribute to Fredrick Law Olmsted’s lasting influence in North Carolina. Our State Arboretum was developed years after FLO envisioned a research arboretum for the Biltmore estate. Ultimately, its arrangement of cultivated and managed spaces continues to be inspired by the principles of design that FLO established in his career.
Straight from one of FLO’s many letters and quoted in Rybczynski's Olmsted biography, A Clearing in the Distance: "The root of all my good work is an early respect for, regard and enjoyment of scenery … and extraordinary opportunities for cultivating susceptibility to the power of scenery.” This NCASLA event will expose the nature happening within that scenery and encourage the visitor to see new details.
Tour two inspired spaces, Willow Pond and the Carolina Mountain Trail, with the leadership of experts in forest biology and aquatic habitats. Tom Southard will lead the Willow Pond hike, highlighting the vibrant ecosystem that has been established as a result of creative, sustainable stormwater management. This built environment teaches how vital wetlands are and how aquatic habitats can recover and thrive with responsible human intervention. Dan Lazar will guide a hike along the Carolina Mountain Trail, highlighting the region’s ecological diversity by focusing on forest types and insects’ symbiotic relationships with tree species.
Family members arriving in the same vehicle with registered participants are welcome to attend with no additional fee. Up to 3 CEUs are available.
Willow Pond Guided Hike (Pending 1.5 CEUs):
The Willow Pond Hike highlights the Arboretum’s design response to managing stormwater runoff. Participants will learn why the facility was created, observe a designed pond and wetlands, learn to identify plant and animal species that use the habitat since its creation, and understand the possibilities for environmental education that a system designed to encourage people and wildlife provides. In addition, the participant can explore, first-hand, the finished construction of boardwalks, permeable pavement, native plantings, and design details of the final installation. This hike offers an opportunity to see how new habitat was created, how accessible design was achieved to safely bring the user close to that habitat, and broader implications of these systems.
Learning Outcomes: Identify plant and animal species that inhabit sustainable stormwater management ponds and wetlands; Understand educational opportunities that facilities like Willow Pond can provide; Observe how users interact with elements of the design.
Carolina Mountain Trail Guided Hike (Pending 1.5 CEUs):
The Carolina Mountain Trail Hike will emphasize ecological diversity by focusing on forest types and insects’ symbiotic relationships with tree species. Healthy forest systems are important for sustainable planned projects. Unhealthy trees have the potential to become hazard trees to people and property, and to increase the cost of maintenance. This hike will provide insight into which trees naturally grow among one another, how healthy insect populations contribute to the health of trees, and how managed and natural forests promote conservation goals of the Arboretum.
Learning Outcomes:
Learn about of regional forest communities; Identify forest types of the region; Understand the nature of a symbiotic relationship between insects and trees; Learn how the Arboretum manages its forested areas.