1) Ranger Programs at the Blue Ridge Parkway
On Wednesday, Aug. 6 at 11 a.m. and Saturday, Aug. 10 and Sunday, Aug. 10, Cone Manor will be open for upstairs tours. The second floor will be open for guests to tour. Rangers will be on hand to answer questions.
On Saturday, Aug. 9 at Julian Price Campground Amphitheater, Skunked will be held at 3:30 p.m.. This critter is found throughout North and South America. Why are they so successful? Are they to be feared? How should be treat this neighbor? Come find out!
2) Fall of the Mighty Giants Presented Aug. 9
American Chestnut trees once dominated the landscape. Like the chestnuts, the hemlock trees are in decline. These prominent trees played an important role in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Now they are either gone or diminishing. Join a ranger at 7 p.m. at Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater and learn about these changes to the makeup of the forests surrounding the Blue Ridge Parkway and its effects on not just plants but every living thing.
3) Nepalese Sherpa to Speak at Grandfather Mountain Aug. 18
Grandfather Mountain will welcome a Nepalese sherpa Aug. 18 for an exciting presentation on the nature and people of Nepal. For more than 15 years, Pema Tshiri Sherpa has led mountaineering and trekking excursions in the Himalayas and is the only trek leader who has personally walked every mile of the roughly 960 mile Great Himalaya Trail. From offices in Kathmandu, he and his crew lead expeditions in the popular areas of Mount Everest and Annapurna as well as the more remote areas including the Kangchenjunga region, Arun Valley and Makalu and others. He is passionate about humanitarian causes as well as conserving the mountain ecology of Nepal. THrough slides and video, the sherpa will provide a glimpse into Nepal and its people. Grandfather Mountain is one of numerous stops he will make this summer as he tours the United States making presentations by invitation. The event will be held from 6-7 p.m. on Monday, AUg. 18 at the Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum Auditorium. Admission is $10 for the general public and $5 for students. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for those attending the presentation. For Grandfather Mountain guests who are already visiting the park, admission to the program is included in the entrance fee. For more details, call 828-733-2013.