Join Michael for a hike off of the Preserve to Boogerman Trail in Cataloochee Valley. We will meet at the Nature Center and carpool to the trailhead. The hike will be about 7.5 miles with multiple unbridged stream crossings. Prepare to potentially get wet. Bring a backpack with lunch and water.
Join Amy on a nighttime walk to search for the magical and elusive Blue Ghost. Blue Ghosts are a unique firefly species in these parts. Rather than flashing on and off, as most fireflies do, Blue Ghosts light their lamps with an eerie, blue-ish light, and keep them glowing as they weave through the trees […]
Calling all book and nature lovers, artists, scientists, poets... Join us on the second Thursday of each month for a community nature adventure where we discuss The Forest Unseen by David Haskell, create and observe our own nature plots, and explore the wild world. Contact Amy Duggins, BMT’s Community Science Coordinator, to sign up at […]
Join Balsam Mountain Trust for this FREE Festival celebrating World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 11 from 10:00am-4:00pm. This year's theme is "Protect Insects, Protect Bird," emphasizing the crucial relationship between a thriving invertebrate population and a healthy bird community. BirdFest features free educational programming, local conservations organizations and businesses, music, art, food and […]
Gina and Hazel the tailless opossum will be traveling to The Village Green in Cashiers to present a program all about how awesome opossums are.
Calling all book and nature lovers, artists, scientists, poets... All are welcome! Bring your copy of The Forest Unseen, journal, and favorite tea mug, and join us at the Outpost, or drop in on Zoom if you’re away from the Mountain. Contact Amy for this month’s reading at aduggins@bmtrust.org.
Plein air artist, Jo Ridge Kelly, will be joining us for an artist demonstration at the Tavern. Jo’s works are held in corporate and private collections around the globe, including many in resident’s homes on the Preserve. Inspired by nature with a unique play between color and light, Jo’s work is simultaneously dramatic and calming. […]
In conjunction with Mainspring Conservation Trust and Highlands Biological Center, Gina will be leading a group hike on the Needmore Game Lands during a focused Bioblitz to identify local fungi species. Observations collected during this event will help drive future conservation in this area, fill gaps in scientific knowledge, and maybe even document a critter […]
Some wildflowers seem to shout “look at me!” Others almost seem to be hiding. But whether flamboyant or shy and unassuming, all wildflowers have personality and surprising gifts to offer. Join BMT’s Community Science Coordinator Amy Duggins for a leisurely stroll on the Forest Therapy Trail at Pinnacle Park to meet some of our late […]
Did you know that the small creatures in our streams can indicate how healthy our water is? Come join Gina to stomp in Sugarloaf Creek and find some fascinating macroinvertebrates and learn about their amazing lifecycles. We might see some crayfish and salamanders too. Please wear footwear and clothing that can get wet. Meet at […]
Join Gina, Balsam Mountain Trust Naturalist, to meet some of our ambassador animals and learn all about amphibians and reptiles (Geared toward children but adults are welcome).
Let’s all head to Cherokee, NC to visit the Oconaluftee Indian Village to see what the world looked like for the indigenous nation. Pack a lunch and meet at the Nature Center at 12:20. $25 pp. RSVP required. Meet at the Nature Center! From their website: Oconaluftee Indian Village is an outdoor living history museum. […]
Come join Gina Patton to hammer beautiful and artistic natural prints using only botanical material and a hammer. If you have flowers or leaves you want to try printing, please bring them along as well as a hammer if you have one.