Rally Information
Thank you for your interest in the annual Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally. Every year the Naturalist Rally Committee assembles a wide variety of excellent field trips with leaders who are experts in their field. Their goal is to make the Mount Rogers area ecology understandable and interesting for everyone, from inquisitive amateurs to accomplished naturalists.
The 2011 Rally will be May 6 & 7. This year's Friday night speaker will be Doug Ogle.
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The 2011 rally wants to make you aware of an honor that has been bestowed on Dr. Jim Organ, our local salamander expert. Dr. Jim and Della have researched salamanders in the Mount Rogers area since the 1950s. Reffered to by other researchers as the Salamaster, Dr. Organ has had the pygmy salamander found here and north of the French Broad River renamed in his honor. Originally, the species was referred to as Desmongnathus wrighti. Scientists have declared that the Northern Pygmy Salamander, now Desmognathus organi, officially as a new species.
Directions:
From I-81, take exit 35 (Chilhowie), go south on Rt 762, passing Hardee's. Follow this for 3.6 miles to the flashing light at intersection. Keeping straight the road becomes Rt 600, crosses Iron Mountain (disregard "Old 600" signs)and in 7.6 miles turn left at intersection, staying on Rt 600. From here go 2/10 miles and the Konnarock community center is on the left.
Schedule of Events:
Friday, May 6
- 4:00 p.m. - We will be planting a northern red oak tree in memory of Sam Hambrick, our long-time rally chairman who passed away in October, 2010. We welcome Sam's family and invite anyone who would want to make a comment or share a "sam" story to do so.
- 5:00 p.m.- Registration begins - Konnarock Community Center. Fee is $5 for each person 12 or older. PLEASE TRY TO BRING CORRECT CHANGE. This registers you for Friday evening and Saturday field trips
- 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Chicken dinner prepared and served by the Konnarock Community Club at the center. PREPAID RESERVATIONS FOR DINNER ARE ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. The cost is $10. This total fee goes to the community center.
- 6:45 p.m. - Welcome & introductions of field trip leaders
- 7:30 p.m. - Featured speaker, Doug Ogle :: "The Great White-Topped Mountain"
Saturday, May 7
- 7:00 a.m. - Continued registration if you missed us on Friday - $5
- 8:00 a.m. - Morning field trips depart the Konnarock community center. We try to carpool as much as possible. (Look for signs on the building for each field trip and meet at the one you are interested in.)
- 11:30 - Lunch break - $2 hot dog lunch
- 1:00 p.m. - Afternoon field trips depart the Konnarock community center.
Below are the scheduled field trips for the 2011 rally. Other trips may be added by rally time.
Friday Evening - Saturday (demonstration)
- Solar Energy - Jack and Dianne Mason will have their solar equipment on display Friday evening and all day Saturday. Solar cooking and solar electricity will be included but they will focus on demonstratin water heating with "state of the art" solar thermal equipment.
Saturday Morning (Starting at 8:00 a.m.):
- All-Day Hike to Top of Mount Rogers - Dr. Phil Shelton has led this trip for 25 years. Along the way, he will discuss the flora and fauna of Mount Rogers. Hikers should bring food, water and dress for high-altitude weather. This is a challenging 9 mile round trip hike.
- Birding
- This outing with Allen Boynton, Scott Jackson-Ricketts (both with the Blue Ridge Discovery Center [BRDC]) will include stops on Laurel Valley Road and Grindstone Campground. Ex[ect to see a good selection, including flycatchers, grosbeak, vireos, and several warblers. - Birding by Ear - Randy Stanley and Betsy Grossman will show you the latest gadgets and tools of birding, then lead this easy walk for birders who want to identify birds by sound.
- Salamanders - Kevin Hamed, Bio professor at VHCC, will lead this hike to several study areas on Whitetop Mountain, where he is involved in a 10-year salamander research project. Many species of salamanders are only found at these high elevations.
- Medicinal and Edible Wild Plants - Join Carolyn (Widener) Ward, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation on a stroll to look at ways trees and plants have been and still are used by every culture that has inhabited these mountains. Carolyn led rally hikes from 1993 - 1997, so welcome back!
- Small Mammals of the NRA - Dr. Karen Francel, Radford University will check dozens of pre-set live traps in the woods near the community center and Mount Rogers trail in hopes of examining a sample of the small mammal diversity of the Mount Rogers NRA.
- Forest Ecology Hike - David Richert, a forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry, will lead a moderate hike on National Forest land near Green Cove. Participants will explore how forest vegetation (herbs, shrubs, and trees) is the expression of complex interrelationships between various biotic and abiotic factors. As a group, there will be some discussion about how these basic principles of ecology apply across a variety of landscapes, including the "backyard."
- Whispering Waters, Wildflowers, and Woods - Join naturalists Rebecca and Amanda Currin and Jim Barker on this walk along the nature trail at Grindstone Campground as they look for the spring wildflowers, talk about the forest, and find some bugs.
- Fly-Tying Workshop - Virginia Master Naturalist, Ernie Barker, will show you how to make 3 flies (Prince Nymph, Hare's Ear Nymph, and Griffith's Gnat). All materials will be provided including an instructional CD with photos for each participant. This program will require a $5 fee in addition to the regular rally registration and must be paid by April 30. There is a 12 participant maximum.
- Mushrooms :: Seeking the Morel High Ground - Becky Rader of New River Valley Mushroom club and BRDC will be looking at late-season high-elevation fungi, foraging, and taking a look at what we can look forward to finding this summer.
- Geology :: Virginia Creeper Trail - Fred Newcomb, Marion Senior High School teacher, will lead this exploration of cuts along the Creeper trail. An easy walk, considering you are going back millions of years in time!
- Fairwood Valley Cultural History - Join Virginia Master Naturalist Steve Lindenman of the Nature Conservancy as you drive and stop along the Fairwood Valley to consider the cultural history of this valley before formation of the National Recreation Area.
- Habitat Exploration for Young People - Mark Merz, Marion Primary school teacher, will visit different activity stations to explore why plants and animals occur in different locations. Includes looking for selected species and comparing habitat traits. Children, be sure to bring a parent!
- Whitetop Wildflowers - Join Claibornre Woodall, DCR and Eleanor Grasselli, Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club on this wildflower stroll from Whitetop Mountain north to Elk Garden (2½ miles & mostly downhill). Expect to see carpets of wildflowers as well as hear and see birds of the forest. You will want to be sure to bring field guides and binoculars!
Saturday Afternoon (Starting at 1:00 p.m.):
- A Closer Look at the "White-Topped Mountain" - Our speaker Doug Ogle (who knows Whitetop better than anyone) will lead this hike to look at the plant population dynamics of this dynamic environment.
- Writing at the Rally - Back by popular demand - Debby Clark, a freelance journalist & English teacher, will lead participants in a discussion/demonstration of how to include nature themes/images in their own creative writing. This activity includes a nature walk and lots of inspiration. Be sure to bring some writing materials.
- Young People - Highland Treasures :: Discovering Diversity - How many different kinds of plants, animals, fungi, and rocks can you find? Join the BRDC for this survey of diversity. Naturalists Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Devin Floyd, and Becky Rader will lead you on an expedition to find as many lifeforms as possible, document them, and compile the information so it can be shared with others. Expect to take something of your own creation home with you. We will be using measuring tools, illustration, photography, and writing to document discoveries. The guides are artists and craftsmen as well as naturalists. Hands-on learning in the outdoors doesn't get any better than this! Ages 5 - 12. Youngsters need a parent to come along.
- Aquatic Insects and Fly Fishing at Creek Junction - Justin Laughlin, VDGIF, invites you to join the Trout Unlimited group for fly fishing instruction and identification of the aquatic insects in Whitetop Laurel Creek. If you were in the morning fly-tying workshop, bring your finished items along! A Virginia fishing license, trout stamp and National Forest permit required if you plan to fish.
- Butterflies - Allen Boynton and Gale Kuebler, members of the BRDC, will lead this walk looking for butterflies and showing you how to recognize various characteristic traits to make identification easier for you.
- Salamanders - Join a new leader, Eric Stinges (a herpetologist and science teacher at Albemarle High School) to take a look at salamanders and any other amphibians you may find along the roads and ravines of the Whitetop area.
- Geology of the Virginia Highlands - Once upon a time, our Appalachian Mountains were taller and more rugged than the Rockies. On this hike with Bill Whitlock, geologist with the Virginia DMME, find out what happened to our mountains and why we have the green and gently rounded peaks here the Mount Rogers area.
- Trees - Joel Keebler of VHCC Horticulture department will lead this easy hike in tree identification and appreciation. His focus will be on native trees and shrubs.
- Appalachian Woodland Wildflowers - Claude Greever will lead this wildflower hike around the Grindstone nature trail and then drive to Elk Garden to find wildflowers galore in the higher elevation. Bring field guides and a hand lens.
***All of our field trip leaders volunteer their time for the Naturalist Rally, so let them know you appreciate their sharing their time and knowledge with us.***
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The Friends of Mount Rogers will be offering some items for sale that you would find in the visitor centers in the Mount Rogers NRA: T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps, maps, identification books, nature books. Be sure to bring extra money if you'd like to purchase any of these items.
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Dinner & Registration
Dinner is by pre-paid reservation ONLY. There will be no dinners sold at the door. Registration for the rally events and dinner is due by May 1, 2011. You can register/pay online here or download and print the registration form and send it to:
Carrie Sparks
301 Look Avenue
Marion, VA 24354
Please make all checks payable to:
Mount Rogers Naturalist Rally
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How to Take a Field Trip
All field trips leave from the parking lot of the Konnarock Community Center unless otherwise indicated or announced on Friday evening. All times listed are actual departure times. Please allow extra time if you still need to register and to sign up with the field trip leader. (Some leaders take sign-ups on Friday evening and some trips fill quickly.) All trips will go out regardless of weather conditions. Come prepared with good boots or shoes, a sweater or jacket, raincoat or poncho.
Lodging
Two Forest Service campgrounds - Grindstone (VA Route 603) and Beartree (US Route 58) are within 10 miles of Konnarock. To reserve a site, call 1-877-444-6777 or online at www.ReserveUSA.com. There are numerous bed and breakfast inns and rental cabins in the area. Try www.virginiablueridge.org for information. Motels are available in Abingdon, Chilhowie, Glade Spring, Marion, all with places to eat.