Countdown to the Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally 50th Anniversary!

We are looking forward to our Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally here at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center, but this year is particularly special. It is the 50th Anniversary of the Spring Naturalist Rally; a weekend that has enriched the highlands of Southwest Virginia for decades, long before it has thrived and grown since its convergence with the Blue Ridge Discovery Center. 

Great White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)

Today marks the one-month countdown until our exciting weekend of exploring, discovering, and sharing the wonders of our wild and comforting corner of the Blue Ridge. Be sure to PRE-ORDER our limited edition MRNR t-shirts. Each shirt features some of the mountain-dwelling species that draw nature enthusiasts to the region year after year, including the Magnolia Warbler, Great White Trillium, and the Blue Ridge Dusky Salamander. The last day to ensure you’ll have a shirt is this Friday, April 12th. 

THE RALLY will have a variety of field trips including classics like birding, wildflowers, geology, and the iconic Mount Rogers Hike, as well as some newer favorite topics including a tour of the American Chestnut Foundation’s farm, a caving expedition, wildlife rehabilitation, and a weather balloon launch! Check out the registration page for a full list of our programs. Join us Friday night for dinner, music and evening programs. Saturday brings various hikes and kids programs throughout the day with breakfast, lunch and dinner by reservation only. Then our featured speaker, Kevin Hamed, will be discussing native salamanders, what makes them special, and some of their unique conservation stories. Stick around for more nighttime activities as well as Sunday morning hikes. It’s a full weekend of fun for the whole family!

BRDC News: Upcoming Events

The world is thawing out, fauna is getting more active, and here at BRDC we are excited to get back out there and discover more with you! Here’s what’s in store for upcoming events:

Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally

February 17, 2024

Embark on a journey of discovery with us at the Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally! Our upcoming seasonal rally is just around the corner. The Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally is a celebration of the region's diverse ecosystems. Learn about Appalachia’s unique landscape, meet fellow nature lovers in your community, and engage in interactive lessons taught by naturalist professionals.

This event is open to anyone. To learn more, visit the event page below.

Join local artist, Suzanne Stryk, for her talk, “Taking the Pulse of Place: Connecting to the Natural World through the Arts" as she discusses how art offers ways of better connecting us to the natural world.

Woodcock Display: Members Event

Tentatively march 1

The American Woodcock is an anomaly, a plump little shorebird that makes its home in young forests and shrubby fields instead of coastal shores. The woodcock’s long bill and short, and rounded body make this bird a cartoonishly endearing sight - if you can spot them! Their mottled brown plumage, which camouflages them perfectly in their preferred habitats, and elusive behavior means that these birds can be difficult to spot. Except for in spring evenings, when breeding season takes over, and male woodcocks engage in marvelous flight displays. Cornell Lab of Ornithology refers to this mating display as “one of the magical natural sights of springtime in the East.” The males cry a loud, distinctively buzzy peent call and spiral in flight 200, 300 feet into the air, before plummeting in a zig zag back to Earth to do it again.

We invite members to join us as we watch this mesmerizing sky dance - we will meet at the Blue Ridge Discovery Center office and travel by van to the area where woodcocks are currently active. The exact date of this event is determined by woodcock activity as spring approaches, but is tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 1st. Stay tuned to our events page for any changes, and sign up for the event below to stay in the loop.

Family Weekend

March 16 through 17

Come spend the weekend with BRDC and surround your family with the magic of the mountains as you explore, discover, and share endless natural treasures together. This weekend is designed for families that are ready for adventure and fun. With our expert guides, your family will hone their observation skills while exploring seasonally interesting topics, such as beaver ecology, birds, tracks and signs, dendrology, nighttime creatures, and fire building. This package includes lodging in our facility, as well as meals. More information coming soon!

Spring Break Kids Camp

March 25 through 28

Looking for something to keep your young naturalist engaged during spring break? BRDC is now offering Spring Break Camp from March 25-28, 2024! This is a perfect opportunity for any young naturalist between the ages of 6 and 13 to explore, discover, and share the wonders of the Blue Ridge during the springtime!

Programming topics will include tree study, nature journaling, birding, hiking, pollinators, orienteering, native plants, and more! Activities will take place both indoors and outdoors.

Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally

The weather held out! As with most Rallies, rain or snow can happen (and usually does) and although it was predicted…it stayed away allowing for a beautiful weekend outdoors. The 49th annual Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally drew a large crowd of enthusiastic participants last weekend reaching the highest attendance yet and included a full house in residence. BRDC provided high quality food throughout the weekend using locally sourced ingredients and prepared with love by Chef Micah.

Our keynote speaker Dr. Marcella Kelly, Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, shared her Virginia Appalachian Carnivore Project. Her research focused on the perception of increased coyote populations and its impact on white-tailed deer. The data provided powerful insight into the predation on white-tailed deer and opens up questions for further study…we can’t wait to find out more!

Dr. Marcella Kelly

Field trips on Saturday included several new opportunities such as Weather Survival in the Wilderness, Camera Trapping and Land Snails. Birding, Geology, Mushrooms, Butterflies, Nature Drawing, and the tried and true trips from the past, also remained popular.  

Special thanks to all of the volunteers and Board (baking desserts and providing greens) who worked to make the event a success! The wonderful support of our volunteer guides was greatly appreciated as they lead 25 different field trips during the weekend. There were full day kids programs, night programs, and 6 walk and talk programs as well. Last but certainly not least was the wonderful porch pickin’ provided by the Nale sisters and their family: Lindsey Nale, Ashley and Gary Hultman, and Dave and Christine Hultman.

Additional thanks go out to all the donations provided for our Raffle: Matt Reilly, Vortex Optics, Barbara Kingsolver, Dark Hollow Roasters, Marion Outdoors, VADWR, GHSP, Karen Doyle, American Chestnut Foundation, Marceia Holland and many others. Thank you all so much for your generosity.

All in all, the 49th annual Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally was an inspirational weekend of sharing through exploration and discovery in the wonders of the Blue Ridge.
 

Dr. Marcella Kelly to Speak at Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally

Dr. Marcella Kelly is the Associate Department Head For Graduate Affairs & Graduate Program Director for the Virginia Tech Department of Fish & Wildlife Conservation. Her research focuses primarily on carnivore population ecology, management, and conservation using emerging and evolving techniques such as camera trapping combined with advances in population modeling to estimate population sizes and densities for elusive, hard-to-track, carnivores; non-invasive genetic sampling and molecular scatology to determine carnivore abundance, growth rates, genetic diversity, and gene flow across fragmented landscapes; Global Positioning System (GPS) collaring combined with landscape modeling to investigate carnivore habitat selection and fine scale movement across multi-use landscapes; and finally conservation physiology of captive black bears to better understand hibernation/torpor ecology and its potential link to human-wildlife conflict.

This May, attendees of the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally will have a chance to meet Marcella during her presentation, THE VIRGINIA APPALACHIAN CARNIVORE PROJECT: ECOLOGICAL FINDINGS FROM 10 YEARS OF RESEARCH ON BEARS, BOBCATS, AND COYOTES. The Virginia Appalachian Carnivore Project (VACS) began 2011, primarily in response to a perception of increased coyote populations and potential impacts of coyotes on white-tailed deer in the region. Due to initial findings, the VACS project was expanded in 2016 to include bobcats and bears. Come find out what we have learned about these 3 carnivores and whose eating bambi.

To attend Marcella’s presentation at the Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally on May 12, 2023, please register online!

Mt. Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally coming this February!

We are excited to announce the our first Mount Rogers Winter Naturalist Rally to be held February 17-18th! This Rally will not only celebrate the ecosystems and natural history of the Blue Ridge but more specifically, focus on the flora and fauna that make the Winter such a beautiful time in the Blue Ridge mountains! Guided programs include, but aren’t limited to: bark identification, snow science, geology, and more!

People of all ages are more than welcome to help celebrate this change in season with us. Click on this link to join us for a wonderful weekend Winter Rally weekend!

Mt. Roger's Fall Naturalist Rally Keynote Speaker: Michael St. Germain

Michael St. Germain currently works for the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech as a wildlife ecologist with a special interest in bat research. He has a Bachelor’s of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of Rhode Island along with a Master’s of Science in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech. His current research is on bat population distributions all over Virginia. He is using a geostatistical model and remote sensing to conduct his research. He will use his extensive bat knowledge as the main topic of his speech at our first ever Mt. Roger’s Fall Naturalist Rally. Mike’s last visit to our campus was with a group of Wildlife students from Virginia Tech. Mike aided these students in finding a few species of bats in the area around our campus. The bats they found were the Big Brown bat, the Eastern Small-footed bat, and the Eastern Red bat. These are just three of the 17 different species of bats found in Virginia. 

Big brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are the largest bat species in Virginia. They can be identified by their sheer size alone and their uniform brown color. They can be found all over Virginia feasting on insects. They usually live alone, but have been known to form maternity colonies in the summertime. These colonies can be found in old buildings and caves. 

Eastern Red Bats (Lasiurus borealis) are smaller than Big Brown bats and can be identified by their red fur. They also have a red fur tail that can be used to wrap around themselves, similar to a jacket, during the cold winter months. They are also the only sexually dimorphic species of bats in Virginia, meaning that their males and females look slightly different. The difference is that the female fur isn’t as vibrant as the male fur. These bats can also be found all over Virginia feasting on insects. Instead of forming maternity colonies, these bats produce offspring alone in the trees. 

Eastern Small-footed Bats (Myotis leibii) are the smallest bat in Virginia. They can be identified by their small size, brownish gold fur, and black face and wings. They typically feed on insects as well. They can be found in caves along the western part of Virginia in the mountainous regions. Like the Big Brown bats, they also form maternity colonies in the springtime. 

If you’re interested in hearing more about bats of Virginia, sign up for the rally on our website and stay tuned for more rally updates to come!

Pre-Order Your Fall Naturalist Rally T-Shirt!

The Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally is a little over a month away and we could not be more excited! Starting this week, we have opened pre-orders for the limited edition Fall Naturalist Rally t-shirt. Illustrated on the Rally shirt are the squirrels the Blue Ridge region. What signifies fall better than squirrels! They are the perfect fall mascot due to their abundance and increase in activity. This increased activity is due to their need to store food for the winter. The five native squirrel species are the Eastern Gray Squirrel, the Red Squirrel, the Fox Squirrel, the Northern Flying Squirrel, and the Southern Flying Squirrel. 

If you’re interested in pre-ordering one of our Limited Edition Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist T-Shirts, click on the link and check out our Mount Rogers Fall Naturalist Rally page for more rally information to come!

Eastern Gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis carolinensis) are one of the most common squirrels in Virginia. They can be identified by their gray coat, white belly, and narrow tails. During this time of year, these squirrels spend a great deal of time hiding food in a variety of places so that they do not need to go into a full hibernation. Eastern Gray squirrels will be able to feast on their hidden sustenance all winter long since they tend to hide more food than necessary for survival. Due to this excess of food, these squirrels play a vital role in seed dispersal. 

Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus abieticola) are another common species in Virginia. These squirrels can be easily distinguished from the Gray and fox squirrel due to their reddish coat and small size. While other squirrels tend to favor tree nuts, the American Red squirrels tend to be more inclined to devour seeds and fungi. They are also known to steal from bird feeders since most are designed to prevent larger squirrels from invading the feed supply. 

Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger niger) are the largest of the squirrel species in Virginia. They can be identified by their large size, brown/gray back fur, and orange belly. These squirrels follow the same food storage protocol that Gray squirrels follow, meaning that they also store an abundance of nuts in various locations in order to feed themselves throughout winter. These squirrels tend to be more social in comparison to other native squirrels and are likely to be found in neighborhoods or parks rather than trees.

Virginia Northern Flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) are actually endangered, so their abundance in the area has declined. These squirrels can be identified by their brown coat with a gray belly  and membrane-connected hind and fore legs. This membrane connection is what allows these squirrels to glide through the air from tree to tree. Northern flying squirrels can be distinguished from the southern flying squirrels by their vast difference in size. The northern flying squirrel is much larger in comparison to the southern flying squirrel. While these squirrels also store seeds for themselves to eat during the cold months, they also are able to feed on lichens and fungi, which makes them less reliant on storing seeds. 

Southern Flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans volans) are slightly more abundant than the northern flying squirrels, but still prevalent in Virginia. These squirrels also have a grayish-brown coat along with a brown belly and membrane-connected hind and fore limbs. The Southern Flying squirrel can be distinguished from its fellow Virginia native flying squirrel, the northern flying squirrel, by its smaller size. These squirrels tend to feed on nuts and store these in various locations. 

Drawing From Nature with Suzanne Stryk

The Blue Ridge Discovery Center is excited to announce that the talented artist and author, Suzanne Stryk will be leading a “Drawing From Nature” session at the 48th Annual Spring Naturalist Rally, with a book signing to follow! 

Suzanne calls Southwest Virginia home, and includes many creatures and found objects from the Blue Ridge Mountains in her conceptual works. Her artwork can best be described in her own words as “a dialogue—as in life itself—between the overwhelming tangle of life and the crisp, if fragmentary, vision emerging from it.” 

We are delighted that she will be sharing her wealth of knowledge as a naturalist and an artist with Rally attendees. Her session will provide opportunities for participants to enhance their observational skills and record experiences in the natural world. Part of Stryk’s creative process is to record observations in sketchbooks and collect natural materials; then, back at her studio in Bristol, she will create assemblages about each unique place. In the session, Stryk will demonstrate how to make quick sketches as well as more sustained studies. Participants are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks and pencils or pens. 

Suzanne’s book The Middle of Somewhere: An Artist Explores the Nature of Virginia will be available to purchase after the program! In the book, Stryk proclaims that “everywhere is the middle of somewhere for some living being,” and explores various outdoor sacred spaces encountering many Appalachian creatures in their habitats. She has a knack for weaving in historical anecdotes and personal memories while relating her encounters with all of these “beings” in their “somewheres.” You won’t want to pass up the opportunity to pick up one of these breathtaking books. (purchase proceeds go to the Blue Ridge Discovery Center).

Register For the Rally Here: https://blueridgediscoverycenter.org/mrnrspring

Spring Rally Wrap Up!

The Kribbs family and friends at Elk Garden.

Once again we were unable to hold our traditional Spring Naturalist Rally, but that didn’t stop BRDC from getting people outside, engaged with nature, discovering, exploring, and sharing in the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area! We invited everyone to attend our first ever Scavenger Hunt!

From May 1st through May 9th, Rally participants came by Blue Ridge Discovery Center to pick up scavenger hunt packets. Within each packet, there were hints and clues to various destinations within the MRNRA. Once they figured out where to go…off they went to find amazing flora and fauna. When they completed the scavenger hunt, they had to find a hidden geocache with a secret phrase to report back to BRDC staff. When the participants returned to the Center to share their findings, they were rewarded with a raffle ticket and the chance to win great prizes.

Blue Ridge Discovery Center supports citizen science and thus created another iNaturalist Project where participants could share their findings with the world. Those who submitted observations during the Rally were entered into an additional daily drawing for our staff designed species t-shirts!

Over 85 people (and nearly 30 kids) participated in the Mt Rogers Naturalist Rally Scavenger Hunt! We all had a great time getting out and sharing what we found. We made new friends and shared new places. The weather even cooperated (for the most part)!

MRNR Rally Sticker

We so appreciate all the generous donations received for our raffle. Thank you to Matt Reilly (Guided Fly Fishing Trip), Vortex (Diamondback binoculars), Joe Flowers (knife designer), Green Cove Collective (many great outdoor gear gifts), Virginia Master Naturalists - Holston Rivers Chapter (great naturalist gear and books), Ernst Seed Company, and the American Chestnut Foundation (Chestnut tree saplings).

Even though our customary guides were not available to take us into the field, they shared knowledge and information in written form and we thank them for their time and efforts creating educational pieces for our scavenger hunt packets. Thank you to Allen Boynton, Tom Blevins, Cade Campbell, Steven Hopp, Shawn Kurtzman, Aaron Floyd, Arthur Merschat, Nancy Adamson, and John Kell.

We hope to see everyone IN PERSON for the Mt Rogers Summer Naturalist Rally scheduled for August 20-22, 2021.

Cover photo credit to Heather Bunch

Spring Naturalist Rally Begins this WEEKEND!

Its not too late to get in on the fun! This Saturday, May 1st begins the Mt Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally: Scavenger Hunt Edition.

The Mt Rogers Naturalist Rally: “Scavenger Hunt” Edition is a self-guided, hands-on exploration of the biodiversity within a 7.5 mile radius of the Blue Ridge Discovery Center and within the MRNRA suitable for all ages. Participants will be provided clues to locate and explore unique and special locations, complete challenges, detours, and roadblocks, earn chances to win great prizes, and share findings!

From May 1st through the 9th, you may participate as many days as you like, start anytime you like, and travel at your own pace and convenience. You will:

• Utilize a map and clues

• Complete challenges.

• Contribute to citizen science

• Earn chances to win great prizes

• and, Learn about the natural history of the Mt Rogers area

If you can’t get over this way for the event, raffle tickets are available for purchase to support the Rally with daily chances to win great prizes including a guided fly fishing trip with Matt Reilly, a weekend getaway for two in coastal SC, Vortex binoculars, a MagicScope, loaded naturalist pack, local swag, and more!

Get Yours Now!

The 47th Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally is coming up on May 1st-9th, and per the world's continued health crisis, BRDC has created a fun, engaging, and self-guided rally scavenger-hunt!

But there’s more! We still have the Raffle drawings and a newly designed MRNR T-Shirt!

Guided fly fishing with Matt Reilly

DAILY RAFFLE PRIZES

Enter early and often for your chance to snag a Guided Fly Fishing trip with Matt Reilly, Weekend GetAway for Two in coastal SC, Vortex Binoculars, MagicScope, Loaded Naturalist Pack, local swag, and more! Winners will be announced daily via live-stream video at 12:00 pm May 2-8. Grand prize winner(s) will be drawn Sunday, May 9th at 5:00 pm. All winners will be contacted using the email address provided during registration. 

1 Ticket for $5; 5 Tickets for $20; 20 Tickets for $40

Isle of Palms Getaway for 2

LIMITED EDITION MRNR T-SHIRT

Part of the joy of a special event is being reminded of it whenever you wear the event T-shirt! Now you can preorder our limited edition "Scavenger Hunt" MRNR T-shirt to be sure you get the sizes you want, while supporting the Mt. Rogers Naturalist Rallies! Delivery on or around May 1st*

*When ordered by April 1st. Delivery date dependent upon status of shipping industry.

Remote Rally Going Strong

Another stellar day on the iNaturalist Project! The leaderboard shows 97 observers with over 2,800 observations and 840 species…WOW! This is so awesome! The May 5th BRDC species t-shirt winner was ‘themadcollector13’ (Shawn). Congratulations and keep the observations coming!

Our highlight observation today is the gray-foot lancetooth snail photographed and posted by Carrie Holt. Here is what naturalist Cade Campbell has to say about it:

Photo by Carrie Holt

“Hello, fellow naturalists! As I was looking through some of the observations on the MRNR Backyard Naturalist Rally project, I noticed Carrie Holt's (@csholt) observation of a gray-foot lancetooth (Haplotrema concavum) from Saltville, Virginia. This awesome snail is widespread throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains, and lives under leaf litter. They have pale, gray-white shells which give them an almost bleached, skeletal appearance. The shell itself spirals similarly to the horns of a bighorn sheep, or a garden hose. But aside from its unique appearance, Haplotrema concavum has plenty more tricks up its "sleeve." Or should I say, "shell."

Photo by Cade Campbell

The gray-foot lancetooth is predominantly nocturnal, waking up from under the deciduous forest floor to roam across the ground or up the trunks of ambient trees. Not in search of vegetables, but instead, other snails. H. concavum is famous for hunting other snail species with a fascinating methodology. Creeping up beside an oblivious snail, such as a whitelip (Neohelix sp.) or globe snail (Mesodon sp.), they will use their sharp, calcareous radula (ring of "snail teeth" hidden inside their mouth) to "drill" inside the shell of their prey (Pearce & Gaertner, 1996). Once the shell has been penetrated, they engage in a slow-motion attack on the snails; similar to wolves taking down an elk or deer. This has earned them a fitting nickname; the "wolves of the snail world" (Dourson, 2013).

Photo by Cade Campbell

Despite this crazy, bloodthirsty life history, Haplotrema snails are relatively common and very easy to identify. The species name "concavum" comes from the snail's wide umbilicus. The umbilicus is the "hole" or "bellybutton" (or lack of one) on the underside of the snail's shell. Since the gray-foot lancetooth appears to be "coiled up" like a rope, the umbilicus is very wide and open. Also, the snail has a pale gray body to match the shell's appearance. Two other carnivorous snails are native to the Southern Appalachians, but both of these are bright blue, and one is endemic to the Smokies. The other, Vitrizonites latissimus, is endemic to the Southern Blue Ridge and has a fascinating natural history of its own. Cheers and Happy Adventuring, CADE CAMPBELL

Vitrizonites latissimus by Cade Campbell

You can see @csholt 's observation here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44838312.

It’s not too late to join the fun and our iNaturalist project. Visit our website to purchase rally tickets and raffle tickets for great giveaways and prizes. The weekend is fast approaching and we still have lots in store for you!

Remote Rally Update!

The Mt Rogers Naturalist Rally: Backyard Edition is off to a fantastic start! It is delightful to have so many participants in our iNaturalist project. We love seeing you getting outside to Explore, Discover, and Share with us. 

If you didn’t know, we are giving away a BRDC Species T-shirt each day to a lucky observer. So far the winners are Carolyn Unger, Nicole and Natalie Freeman, and John Unger. Congratulations! We also have great raffle prizes and drawings daily. If you haven’t gotten your rally/raffle tickets yet, there is still time to win some big ticket items. Check them out on our website.

As we mentioned before, the Backyard Edition iNaturalist project is booming with observations. Less than half way through the project, we have an impressive leader board with over 2,300 observations and 700+ species. The greatest collection is in plants, then insects, birds, and fungi, respectively. Kudos to Theresa Burriss and several others very close to her number of 169 observations! We are loving seeing all these wonderful organisms and some really great photos to go with them. One special species photo we’d like to share is Jenny Brown’s trout lily. Thank you, Jenny!

Trout lily by Jenny Brown

As part of the Rally, BRDC staff and a few socially distanced volunteers assisted with our NABA Spring Butterfly Count. This was our first spring count and we had a gorgeous day for it. The Mt Rogers High Country Butterfly Count is a 15-mile diameter circle centered around the BRDC campus. Each individual observer was delegated an area to count throughout the day. The species and total number were low but that is to be expected in the spring. We were still able to count and capture a few photos of some great butterflies. One in particular was an early hairstreak found and photographed by Bruce Grimes.

Early hairstreak by Bruce Grimes

This is a great find as the species is vulnerable throughout the US and imperiled in Virginia. Imperiled means this species is rare and local over a broad range, and highly threatened by the loss of its foodplant to disease. The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program ranks this species as significantly rare. Please enjoy some of the butterfly species photographed this weekend! Thank you, Bruce, Allen, Matt, and Cade for helping us count our precious flying beauties. Stay tuned for our summer and fall butterfly counts and how you can participate.

Thanks to Dennis Ross for his iNaturalist journal contributions thus far. A truly talented and genuine naturalist, Dennis inspires us all to get out and observe our surroundings, take notes, and sketch or paint what we see. Here’s what he says: “I have been using iNaturalist for years, since it was started in California by Scott Loarie as part of his PhD work at Stanford and UC Berkeley. Scott is the son of a close friend from Medical School. I mostly post just for myself, to keep tabs on what I see. I keep a timeline of when flowers bloom, birds appear, and total species in my immediate area (about 700). I also enjoy seeing what everyone else posts and learn much from that. I have made many friends through iNaturalist, some virtual and others I have met. The Mt Rogers Naturalist Rally is off to a great start with so many observations. I am in awe of you all.” DENNIS ROSS

Enjoy this “remote” Rally week. Visit our website, iNaturalist, Facebook, and Instagram for a glimpse of the week through snapshots, observations, blogs, and live webinars. Join us everywhere and don’t miss a thing! See you outside! #MRNR, #BackyardEdition.

Reflections on the 2019 Summer Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

“Leave the beaten track behind occasionally and dive into the woods.” - Alexander Graham Bell

During the 4th Annual Summer Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally last weekend, over 150 naturalists came together at Blue Ridge Discovery Center’s new Campground & Field Station to enjoy one of the world’s most fascinating treasures.

Participants traveled from as far as 370 miles away and began arriving mid-week in preparation for this unique event. Registration and field trip sign-ups began Friday afternoon under the shade trees as children vied for their turn on the rope swing. When it came time for Friday Night Dinner, The Pakalachian Food Truck served their award-winning chili to anyone lucky enough to snag a dinner ticket before they sold out.

Hosting the MRNR on this beautiful creekside property allowed us - for the first time in rally history - to enjoy the featured speaker’s presentation outside overlooking Big Laurel Creek. On Friday evening, Dr. Rick Van Noy shared inspirations from his book, A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids with Nature through the Seasons, while the occasional child explored the creek bank and participants lounged barefoot, the gentle breeze between their toes.

During this time, BRDC Board Member and Campaign Chair Keith Andrews also shared the status of our capital campaign. With just under $200,000 left to raise through community donations, we have nearly reached our $2,250,000 fundraising goal for the restoration of the historic Konnarock Training School, the future BRDC School of Discovery.

As the sun slipped behind the mountains and the stars took over the sky, participants enjoyed a creekside campfire, picked at guitars, and searched the creek by flashlight to witness aquatic creatures out hunting at night.

Saturday morning kicked off with a locally-sourced breakfast before participants split up and departed on ten different field trips. Some slipped into the incredible cave systems underlying Sugar Grove. Some worked their way up to Virginia’s highest peak while learning about the natural history of Mount Rogers. And others ventured out to conduct biological surveys, sample fresh tea derived from native plants, or to explore the plants, insects, birds, or geology of the Blue Ridge while children learned about animals through the senses.

During the mid-day break, participants returned to the field station to share stories and discoveries over lunch. Afternoon field trips presented participants with opportunities to snorkel, practice primitive skills, hunt for mushrooms, identify butterflies, and practice sketching techniques. Some sought gall-forming insects or edible and medicinal plants while others held snakes and sampled the creek’s macroinvertebrates.

On Saturday night, blue light shining on a white sheet invited in a plethora of moths, caddisflies, and other flying insects to be collected and identified.

Sunday morning, participants enjoyed one last breakfast together before heading over to the meadows, waters, and hills of Helton Creek. There, we discovered butterflies, plants, and turtle tracks, cast flies over the creek, and witnessed spider after spider wrapping up its lunch in small, silky packages.

This event is not complete without a heartfelt thank you to every participant, guide, and volunteer who shared their time, interests, and character with us and this wonderful community.

We look forward to seeing you all at many more events at the BRDC Campground & Field Station as we continue leaving the beaten track and diving into the woods!

The Rain Did NOT Dampen the Weekend

The 45th Annual Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally, held May 10th-12th this year, was a BIG success. The weather always threatens to ruin the weekend and as usual, it was set to be extremely rainy. Alas, the rain came but not in the amounts nor the times to disrupt the Naturalists gathered together for this fantastic event that celebrates the flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.

Twenty-nine guided trips went out Saturday and Sunday, all full of enthusiastic attendees. Many focused on birds, wildflowers, salamanders, insects, stream ecology, fly fishing, and edible and medicinal plants while others pursued art and science. Lets not forget the awesome kids programs about salamanders and rocks!

It takes a lot of individuals to make this come together. We couldn’t do it without the love and passion our guides have and share for their fields of expertise. Nor could it happen without all the volunteers and their loving hands providing sustenance for the many participants. It is a pleasure to bring like-minded souls together to Explore, Discover and Share the wonders of the Blue Ridge.

44th Spring Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

We couldn’t have asked for better weather for the 44th annual Mount Rogers Spring Naturalist Rally. It seems that more often than not this second weekend in May is nice and rainy, but with just a brief shower Friday evening during registration, the rest of this year’s weekend was warm with partly cloudy to sunny skies.  Friday night’s locally sourced dinner included Lasagna, garlic bread and a nice mix of spring greens and attracted a record crowd which made for a successful fundraiser for the Konnarock community center.

Long time Rally supporter, Allen Boynton, was the keynote speaker and shared his vast array of experiences through the trajectory of his wildlife biology careers with Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The weekend included several new opportunities including a habitat enhancement project for an important gray’s lily population and the kick off of a long term monitoring project of the red spruce / northern hardwood ecotone on Whitetop Mountain.

As with all of the previous, the 44rd annual Spring Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally would not have been possible without the support of the wonderful guides and other volunteers.  Their hard work and dedication to sharing their knowledge combined with the incredible natural resources of the Mount Rogers area continued the tradition of exploring and celebrating our portion of the Blue Ridge.  

40th Annual Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

On May 9th, folks from at least four states began arriving at the Konnarock Community Center for their annual fix of nature and fellowship. Registration tables awaited the throng as Roald and Ellie Kirby scratched out some tunes for ambiance.

While people caught up on a year’s news, the Community Center kitchen staff was putting their final work into the traditional chicken dinner, filling the center with inspiring smells.

Dinner commenced at 5:30, with announcements soon following.

Field trip leaders, all 20 of them, each delivered a brief description of their guided outings to take place the next day.

These outings are all led by professional, well-informed men and women whose commitment to the Rally has a long history.

For instance, such field topics covered run the gamut from geology, cultural history, salamanders, small mammals, native mussels, fly tying, to kid focused programming, birding, wildflowers, mushrooms, fishing and all day hikes.

In short, there is something for everyone.

At 7:30, as has been our practice, the evening is given over to a special guest speaker.

This year Nancy Lee Adamson PhD, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society, gave an informative talk on native pollinators, with a strong focus on bees.

With a slide show and a table of resource materials, Nancy was able to fully illustrate her narrative as well as offer educational take-home pamphlets and identification cards.

Many Rally participants choose to camp for the weekend, and Grindstone typically fills up late Friday night.

Some head straight to bed, while others hang out around a good old campfire, further catching up and planning Saturday trips.

Early Saturday morning, the Community Center is unlocked and ready for further registrations.

Field trip leaders collect their groups as car-pooling strategies emerge.

By 8am, most everyone is off for their morning outing, while a few stay behind at the center for indoor programming and general management.

The Friends of Mount Rogers has a merchandise table, as well as membership sign-up opportunities.

Blue Ridge Discovery Center, the management team for the MRNR, also shares that stage, and this year, the New River Land Trust was given a table to describe their work and display their maps.

This sharing helps illustrate the cooperative nature of the MRNR.

Many chapters of Virginia Master Naturalists are represented, as well as a few from other state Master Naturalist organizations.

Field trip leaders hail from universities, colleges, MN orgs and various state agencies.

Participants range from 3 years old well into the 90s.

Between the morning and afternoon field trips, a hot dog lunch is offered for the hungry hikers.

This is not a fund raising effort, just a volunteered measure to keep stomachs full.

During lunch, folks talk about their morning discoveries and make final decisions on what afternoon trip they will take.

By 5pm, most field trips are over and people disperse to their campsites or home.

The Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally always takes place the Friday and Saturday on Mother’s Day weekend.

Stay tuned for announcements of next year’s rally and remember, this is a great local resource for family fun and outdoor learning.

Scott Jackson-Ricketts

Chair, Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

Executive Director, Blue Ridge Discovery Center

Discovering Diversity

Discovering Diversity

May 7, 2011

Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally

A summary of observations made by participants during BRDC’s “Discovering Diversity” program in a

complex forest at the intersection of Big Branch and Big Laurel Creek, Konnarock, Virginia.

Introduction

Participants in the “Discovering Diversity” program were challenged to find as many different living and non-living things as possible. They worked fast, producing more than 35 sketches and several photographs of things discovered. This field guide includes those images, as well as lists and descriptions of other items discovered on site on May 7, 2011. Overall, this little field guide provides a good glimpse into the qualities of the site on the day of the program.

Findings

The participants focused on a small piece of land comprised mostly of forest. This forest and the forests nearby at similar elevations are quite unique when compared to the typical Virginia forest type (Oak-Hickory dominated). At this site we found a biological community that contains a diverse array of dominant trees including linden, buckeye, magnolia, and yellow birch.

The program was divided into two groups, and the groups were rotated half way through the program. One group focused on terrestrial forest life and another group focused on aquatic life in Big Branch (a stream along the eastern edge of the study area). The overall study area was about 150’ x 250’ in size (see map).

Location

Elevation: low point, 3050’; high point: 3080’

Latitude: 36.6740

Longitude: -81.6032

Aspect: North

Slope: gentle, lower slope semi-riparian

Geology

Rock Formations: Konnarock Formation, Mount Rogers Formation

Age: 760-730 million years old

Rock Types:

Sedimentary Breccia: A breccia (coarse-grained rock that is made up of angular broken pieces of rock that are held together by a cement of minerals) that is formed by the consolidation of loose silt, sand, pebbles or other sediment.

Rhyolite: A rock that formed as the result of cooling lava. It contains the same minerals as granite, but is more fine-grained. One may observe bands of gray and pink in this rock.

Description of the rock:

There were two primary rock types on site:

Konnarock Formation

; Maroon diamictite, rhythmite, and arkose. These are rocks that were deposited in habitats that included deep icy lakes and glacial activity. They are the silicified (fancy word for 'turned into rock') remains of muds, silts, pebbles and cobbles carried by glaciers. Interestingly, the stones seen in the silicified mud were dropped into that muck and consist of materials from formations nearby...ryholite, greenstone, and granite. This makes sense because the glaciers would have been eroding these materials from the land during that time...and, it was a landscape devoid of plants and animals!...mountains and valleys of pure rock, silt, and sand!

Mount Rogers Formation

; Phenocryst-poor rhyolite. These rocks are a dark purple, and are the results of lava flows! Mount Rogers, White Top, and Pond Mtn. (NC) form the core of what was a massive and explosive volcanic complex. These once towering volcanoes have seen a lot of erosion, and have even found themselves buried beneath miles of sediment at different points in the geologic past. But today, we are afforded a view of these ancient volcanoes. It is worth noting here that this rock known as "Rhyolite" is high in silica, and breaks kind of like glass (concoidal fracture). This made it a choice material for use in making spears, knives, and other tools during prehistoric times. Somewhere on these mountains hides ancient quarries used by Native Americans!

Trees and Shrubs

1. black birch,

Betula lenta

2. yellow birch,

Betula alleghaniensis

3. northern red oak,

Quercus rubra

4. red maple,

Acer rubrum

5. sugar maple,

Acer sacharrum

6. shagbark hickory,

Carya ovata

7. yellow buckeye,

Aesculus flava

8. white oak,

Quercus alba

9. eastern hemlock,

Tsuga canadensis

10. cucumber magnolia,

Magnolia acuminata

11. American beech,

Fagus grandifolia

12. Mountain Basswood,

Tilia americana var. heterophylla

13. striped maple,

Acer pensylvanicum

14. green ash,

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

15. American witchhazel,

Hamamelis virginiana

16. rhododendron,

Rhododendron sp.

17. yellow poplar,

Liriodendron tulipifera

Ferns

1. Christmas fern,

Polystichum acrostichoides

2. eastern hayscented fern (fiddleheads),

Dennstaedtia punctilobula

Mosses, Bryophytes and Lichens

1. Unidentified lichen sp. (photo)

2. Unidentified moss sp. (by the stream)

3. Club moss species, unidentified

Wildflowers

1. foam flower,

Tiarella cordifolia

2. white violet,

Viola sp.

3. may apple (blooming in field, but not forest),

Podophyllum peltatum

4. partridgeberry,

Mitchella repens

5. jack-in-the-pulpit,

Arisaema triphyllum

6. star chickweed,

Stellaria pubera

7. wild strawberry,

Fragaria virginiana

8. white clover,

Trifolium sp.

9. A small woodland phlox,

Phlox sp.

Other plants

1. poison ivy,

Toxicodendron radicans

2. stinging nettle,

Urtica sp.

3. Blackberry,

Rubus sp.

Arthropods

Terrestrial

1. common buckeye butterfly,

Junonia coenia

2. black swallowtail butterfly,

Papilio polyxenes

3. bumble bee,

Bombus sp.

4. Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle,

Harmonia axyridis

5. Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle,

Harmonia axyridis

; hatching larvae, on the underside of a cucumber magnolia leaf

6. Soil Centipedes (

Order: Geophilomorpha

)

7. Ant (unidentified)

8. terrestrial snail, under logs (

Group: Pulmonata

)

9. large slug (

Class: Gastropoda

)

10. Millipede (

Class: Diplopoda

)

11. Earthworm sp.

Aquatic

1. Clubtail dragonfly (

Gomphidae family

)

2. Dragonfly species (unidentified)

3. Water bug (unidentified)

4. Crayfish species (

Astacoidea fam.

)

5. Snail species (

Class: Gastropoda

)

6. Mayfly adults (

Order Ephemeroptera

)

7. Mayfly larvae (

Order Ephemeroptera

)

8. Cranefly larvae (

Family Tipulidae

)

9. Caddisfly larvae with a case of pebble and sticks (

Order: Trichoptera

)

10. Caddisfly larvae with a case of leaves and sticks (

Order: Trichoptera

)

11. Midge larvae (

Order: Diptera

)

12. Stonefly #1, roach-like (

Order: Plecoptera

)

13. Stonefly #2 (

Order: Plecoptera

)

Spiders

1. Wolf spider juveniles (

Family: Lycosidae

)

2. Daddy long-legs, or harvestman (

Order: Opiliones

)

Fungi

1. devil’s urn,

Urnula craterium

Amphibians

1. American Toad,

Anaxyrus americanus

(in the forest)

2. Blue Ridge two-lined salamander ,

Eurycea wilderae

(terrestrial, under logs)

3. Dusky salamander,

Desmognathus sp.

(in the stream)

4. Black-bellied salamander,

Desmognathus quadramaculatus

(in the stream)

Birds

1. American goldfinch,

Carduelis tristis

2. common raven,

Corvus corax

3. American crow,

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Mammals

1. eastern cottontail rabbit,

Sylvilagus floridanus

, (scat

evidence)

2. white-tailed deer,

Odocoileus virginianus

(scat evidence)

3. unidentified

Canidae

mammal (likely stray domestic dog or coyote) (scat evidence)

4. human,

Homo sapiens sapiens

(helicopter driver, program participants)

_______________________________

A Common Rarity, and the Helicopter

While the woodland and stream investigations produced many magical moments of discovery, none were as exciting as the arrival of a mammal and its flying machine. After the program guides and participants gathered along the edge of the woods at one end of a large field of Fraser fir Christmas trees. This tree, a species that is quite rare to find growing in the wild, litters the agricultural fields and hills of the highlands. From the large “Christmas tree” field from which we launched our woodland exploration one can see the Fraser fir’s wild and native habitat. Mount Rogers rises in the east, and its top is crowned by a wild Fraser fir forest.

If the native Frasers standing high upon Mount Rogers had eyes, they likely would have seen the helicopter approaching their brothers and sisters planted in rows in the fields below (Christmas trees to-be). They would have seen it heading toward an unsuspecting group of humans gathered at the edge of one of those fields.

As we stood there at “basecamp”, gathering notes, taking photographs, and compiling sketches, the thunderous beat of a helicopter suddenly entered our ears. Looking up, it approached from the woodland side, and it was upon us in an instant. The chopper had a large container suspended beneath it and before we had a chance to flee, the container opened and dropped its giant load of pellets. “Run!” We dropped everything and ran toward the community center, fearing the worst. We found out several days after the event (after tracking down the helicopter’s aviation company) that the substance dropped was a relatively harmless fertilizer (Di-Ammonium Phosphate 18-46-0). That was great news!

While I gathered notes for this booklet I reflected back upon that incident and view it as such an amazing turn of events. At the onset of the outing our biggest worries were blackberry thorns, poison ivy and stinging nettle. Then, along comes human and a flying machine…our senses were instantly recalibrated. The most interesting and memorable part of the outing was undoubtedly this large mammal, and its flying contraption. As the helicopter dropped its rain of phosphorous to a leached landscape, as we ran, the complex story of the Fraser fir raced through my mind. Humans (mammals) are an integral part of nature. I do hope that humans continue to grow in the direction of valuing exploration, discovery, and sharing knowledge. The resulting understanding and wisdom can help to improve the well-being of generations to come and they can inspire all of us to love and care for the places we live.

The Fraser Fir Tree:

some amazing facts

• The Fraser fir forest on top of Mount Rogers is the northernmost wild community of this tree and it is the only “natural” stand in Virginia.

• The habitat of the Fraser fir, known as the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest, is the second-most endangered ecosystem in the United States.

• The Fraser fir-red spruce forest is a relic of the last ice age, meaning that in previous (and much cooler) climates it had a broader range in Eastern North America than today.

• A non-native insect called the Balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) was introduced to the United States in about 1900, and it has led to a dramatic decline of the Fraser fir. More than 80% of wild growing Fraser fir trees have been killed .

• There’s a really amazing set of plants and animals that live in the native stands of Fraser fir at Mount Rogers, such as the endangered Spruce-fir moss spider(Microhexura montivaga) and the Pygmy Salamander(Desmognathus wrighti).

Sources:

• Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 1993, Geologic Map of Virginia

• United States Geologic Survey website: http://minerals.usgs.gov/

• Google Earth, and map layer files available at USGS.

• http://blueridgediscoveryproject.blogspot.com/2010/09/exploring-grindstone.html

• www.enature.com

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

• http://www.fs.fed.us/outernet/r8/gwj/mr/recreation/wildlife_areas/index.shtml