Field Tours & Socials
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Field Tours
Field Tour #1 – Ochlawaha Bog – TOUR FULL
Southern Appalachian Bogs are a rare ecosystem, with only a few hundred acres thought to be remaining. The Ochlawaha Bog was restored in 2011 from farmland just south of Asheville with the goal of re-creating seepage hydrology and habitat for the endangered bunched arrowhead plant, Sagittaria fasciculata) thought to only exist in two counties in the entire world. It is also the new home for over 30 species of game birds. Join us for a tour of this 30 acre restoration and learn about what it takes to coordinate, design and implement this type of ecological restoration project. (Pictures sourced from https://www.fws.gov/southeast/tags/ochlawaha-bog/)
Field Tour #2 – North Carolina Arboretum
The North Carolina Arboretum is a 434-arce public garden that offers some of the most beautiful, botanically-diverse plants in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The North Carolina Arboretum is a 434-arce public garden that offers some of the most beautiful, botanically-diverse plants in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Ten years later: How did stormwater control practices and a short, restored reach of stream hold up? Join us for a tour of SCM practices and the stream reach at The North Carolina Arboretum. Lessons learned during the design process and subsequent adaptive management will be at the heart or the discussions. Participants will have time to tour the arboretum. (Pictures sourced from The NC Arboretum and Clean Water Management Fund)
Field Tour #3 – UNC Asheville Sustainability Initiatives
Tour the UNC-Asheville Campus to learn about initiatives that create a vibrant sustainability culture that welcomes student, staff, faculty and community involvement. From our classes to our student organizations, our campus facilities to our beautiful edible gardens, UNC Asheville offers a wide range of opportunities for exploring and enhancing our relationship with the planet and its living systems. Sustainability is also a core value of UNC Asheville’s strategic plan, which solidifies our commitment to educating students about all dimensions of sustainability by integrating environmental literacy throughout the curriculum and modeling sustainable campus practices. Sustainability initiatives that are likely to be featured on this tour are biorention ponds, stormwater and pocket wetlands, rain gardens, vegetated roofs, botanical and edible gardens, and bee hotels. To learn more about UNC Asheville’s Sustainability Efforts, visit their website: https://sustainability.unca.edu/. (Pictures sourced from UNC Asheville)
Field Tour #4 – New Belgium Stream Restoration, Stormwater, and Low Impact Development
This tour will include a visit to the New Belgium Brewery where participants will be able to learn about the stream restoration enhancements, low impact development, stormwater management and native plant community establishment efforts at and around the Brewery. To learn more about the Brewery’s sustainability efforts, visit their website: https://www.newbelgium.com/sustainability/ (Pictures sourced from Barbara Doll and riverlink.org)
Post-Meeting Rafting Excursion
French Broad Rafting – Calm Water Trip
French Broad Adventures will be guiding a group of rafters down a calm part of the French Broad river, rain or shine. The trip will run from Redmon Dam to Barnard Park and will take roughly 3 hours. This part of the river has easy Class I-II rapids. Rafters will be able to enjoy a calm and relaxing experience on the river while viewing various native plants and animals as well at bond with fellow rafters. This excursion is an additional cost to the overall meeting and will be paid through the French Broad Adventures’ payment portal. The cost is $35. Rafters should wear closed-toed shoes that will not fall off in the water and should expect to get a little wet. The rafting company has plenty of room for people to privately change clothes after the trip and strongly recommend bringing a dry change of clothes with you.
Those interested in participating in the post-meeting rafting excursion should follow the link provided in the meeting registration confirmation email to reserve a seat. Further instructions will be provided on how to complete the registration and payment process. (Pictures sourced from French Broad Adventures)
Socials
Monday
After you make your way to Asheville, and check into your hotel, join us for an informal gathering, at the second floor of the Twisted Laurel, Monday, June 3rd from 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Address: 130 College Street, Asheville, NC 28801, 2 blocks away from the Renaissance hotel. Please note that this is an informal gathering in which participants will be expected to pay for their own drinks and food. (Picture sourced from SmokyMountains.com)
Tuesday
Tuesday evening we are happy to host a poster presentation and career fair, courtesy of our Sponsors. If you are looking for a job or just interested with speaking with industry professionals about how to transition into that specific field, this is a social you are not going to want to miss. In addition, poster presentations will be taking place. Make sure to stop by these presentations to learn about the exciting things happening in ecological engineering. Hors d’oeuvre and a cash bar will be available for enjoyment.
Wednesday
After an afternoon of field tours, join us at Smoky Park Supper Club for BBQ, and games, and live music by Jesse Barry and the Jam. Challenge someone to a game of corn hole or just enjoy the view. A cash bar will be available for enjoyment. Live music provided by The Beutel Foundation for Sustainable Entertainment. (Pictures sourced from Smoky Park)