Swamp thistle and goldenrod in the Nantahala National Forest. Photo by Maddy Watson
By Emma Castleberry
MountainTrue has announced the spring line-up for its Guided Adventures, events that connect people to the many environmental issues the organization focuses on. This month’s events on Saturday, March 19, and Friday, March 25, will both be guided hikes. “We always include a few guided hikes because those are our most popular adventures and they connect people to unique ecosystems on our public lands,” says Susan Bean, community engagement director for MountainTrue.
MountainTrue’s ecologist and public lands director, Bob Gale, will lead the Green River Gorge Hike in Saluda on March 19. “I will be providing natural interpretation about the plants, animals and varying forest communities, as well as education about forest threats, management and control of non-native invasive plants,” says Gale. The hike begins in a rural community and as one progresses along the river, it becomes an increasingly wild setting. The Gorge is home to a diversity of plants, including spring ephemerals—wildflowers that leaf out and bloom early in the season before the foliage from the tree canopy shades out their growth.
The hike will also pass through a stand of eastern hemlock trees that have been protected from the hemlock woolly adelgid infestation. Hikers are even likely to see and hear warblers who are arriving from Central and South America to nest in the Gorge. “These kinds of hikes are important because they help others to understand the connections between the natural world and our own,” says Gale. “We humans are totally dependent upon the health of the natural environment which sustains us. With this understanding, hopefully gained from hikes like this, comes a public desire to become involved in helping to protect natural ecosystems.”
The March 25 hike will explore grassland restoration and fire ecology in the Sandy Mush Game Lands. “The game lands are managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and the area we’ll be hiking in specifically shows the outcome of years of fire management,” says Bean. “We know that we need to be doing more to ensure the health of our drier ecosystems and to protect our communities from wildfires. Our public lands staff help land management agencies like the National Forest Service prioritize fire management locations, so this hike will be a great opportunity for folks to learn more about that process in a very relevant setting.”
Guided Adventures for the remainder of spring include a Headwaters & Wildflower Hike near Chimney Rock; an Electric Bike Tour with The Flying Bike in Hendersonville; a Restoration Project Tour/Nature Walk in Andrews; a Rattlesnake Lodge Wildflower Hike; and a Headwaters Fun Float on a section of the French Broad River in Shelby.
“These events give people fun ways to learn directly from our expert staff about the issues that are most pressing to the health and sustainability of our mountain region,” says Bean. “Participants also have plenty of time to ask all their questions, so they return home with a new appreciation for and desire to protect these special places and the communities that inhabit them.”
To learn more or register for upcoming events, visit MountainTrue.org.
