Session Two, Week Four: Highlands, NC
11/1/2012 Today we were focusing on learning about plants and forest ecology. Even though we lost most of our deciduous leaves in the heavy winds over the last week, there are still a lot of evergreen plants and other plants to learn about in the forest. There’s even been occasional snow at this elevation, which makes for some beautiful pictures. The landscape is beautiful at this time of year, and we [...]
Session Two, Week Three: Highlands NC
10/25/2012 Today we were out exploring nature, specifically focusing on the pond ecosystems. Our botanical garden contains a small lake that is home to many plants and animals, including fish, snapping turtles, ducks, and lots of macroinvertebrates! Even though it is starting to be consistently chilly weather, there are still a lot of green plants and a lot of life in the forest and at the pond! The vivid colors of the trees add to the breathtaking nature of [...]
Session Two, Week Two: Highlands, NC
10/18/2012 Fall is upon us and things are changing rapidly in the forest! We spent the day looking for interesting fall changes in the botanical gardens and learning about reptiles and amphibians. We went searching for salamanders in a stream in the botanical gardens. Chilly weather can make it more difficult to find amphibians, but we were successful finding a variety of salamanders including Black-bellied Salamanders, Ocoee Salamanders, and Two-lined Salamanders. Salamanders tend to be very photographic so we practiced [...]
Session Two, Week One: Highlands, NC
Backyard Naturalists in Highlands, NC is back for a second session! We have a wonderful mix of new students and returning students. The returning students, who participated in the first session, are taking their skills to the next level while helping to mentor and teach the new students. We spent the day exploring the gardens and practicing multiple ways to express ourselves through nature journaling. There are so many small details that can be observed in the natural world! [...]
Our First Graduating Class!
The inaugural Backyard Naturalists class came to a close on May 16, 2012. The 8-week pilot program, which was held at Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, North Carolina was a great success. It was a learning experience for everyone who was involved and thanks to a wonderful group of children and hardworking staff we are now able to refine our curriculum and approach in order to improve upon our offering for the next group of students later this year. We [...]
Eckerd Family Foundation Grant Helps Launch Backyard Naturalists
News release – for immediate release, Tuesday January 24, 2012 Contact: Sonya Carpenter, 828.526.2221, Highlandsbiological@gmail.com The Highlands Biological Foundation has received a $25,000 grant from the Eckerd Family Foundation to create “Backyard Naturalists,” an after-school program designed to inspire a lifelong appreciation of the natural world through science, art and technology. The program is created in partnership with Meet Your Neighbours, an international photographic initiative designed to reveal the wildlife living amongst us in an extraordinary way, and will draw [...]
Pilot Program: March 19th!
We’re pleased to announce that our pilot program will kick-off March 19 in Highlands, North Carolina as an eight-week after-school program for 24 local middle school children. The curriculum will introduce children to a new way of looking at the natural world in their own backyard and expand their knowledge of local biodiversity. Each lesson will have four components: a short lecture on nature, an outdoor discovery component, journaling, and an art project. Topics are wide-ranging, from bird morphology to [...]