Our campus and the landscapes surrounding BRDC were buzzing with enthusiastic naturalists this past weekend as we hosted the third rally of 2023, the Mount Rogers Summer Naturalist Rally! BRDC was excited to share programs on topics that included mushrooms, birds, dendrology, watercolor, summer wildflowers, edible/medicinal plants, freshwater snorkeling, salamanders, astrophotography, beaver ecology, land snails, butterflies, ferns, geology, and raptors. On Friday night, Dr. William Hopkins of Virginia Tech gave an excellent presentation on the Eastern hellbender, or “old lasagna-sides,” if you will, and the current status and research he’s conducting on their populations.
Dr. William Hopkins sharing his presentation, “THE RACE TO SAVE APPALACHIA’S GIANT SALAMANDER, THE EASTERN HELLBENDER”.
Ben Casteel leading his edible/medicinal plant walk.
Our youth participants also got to have their own adventures with our Naturalist Educators, Olivia and Brendan. The group focused on nature journaling, stream ecology, tracks and signs, campfire building, insect study, and of course, they had to test out the fire escape slide in the schoolhouse.
BRDC has been tagging monarchs caught on our campus. This one was tagged with the help of the kids at the rally!
Lots of big smiles during all the youth programming activities!
We had over 100 rally participants share meals together in the dining hall, follow their curiosities in the library, and some stayed on the second and third floors to fully immerse themselves in the rally experience. This was the first Summer Rally that we were able to host in the fully restored schoolhouse, and it was really special to see the campus being explored while in full bloom!
Rally participants exploring the diverse underwater world of a Blue Ridge mountain stream.
Participants of the astrophotography program, led by Jay Martin, had beautiful clear skies above Whitetop Mountain.
As always, none of this would have been possible without the knowledge and commitment of our guides and speaker. We also certainly could not have had a successful rally without the help of our volunteers, many of which were local college students from Emory & Henry College and East Tennessee State University.
With another successful rally in the books, we look forward to our upcoming Fall Rally, scheduled for October 13-15th. Make sure to join and help round out our first full year of seasonal rallies! Stay tuned!
