On Saturday, the Friends of Roan Mountain held their yearly Roan Mountain Winter Naturalists Rally, an event that has brought nature enthusiasts together for over 13 years.
“The goals of the Winter Rally have remained the same from year to year as we try to bring together like-minded people who are interested in the general topic of natural history,” Richard Broadwell, Roan Mountain Winter Naturalists Rally director, said. “We make an effort to focus on topics that directly relate to Roan Mountain and the Southern Appalachians because we are always looking for interesting and relevant topics, some of which regard recent ecological discoveries on Roan Mountain or new insights into various topics of Appalachian flora, fauna and ecology.”
The event lasted all day with registrations, followed by a morning program with seminars led by Highland of Roans Stewardship Director Marquette Crockett, Director of HERBalachia School Michelle Boutinand and Park Manager for Cumberland Trail State Park and State Scenic Trail Bob Fulcher.
“We have an amazing volunteer board of directors who help to make all of the logistics of putting on the rally as easy as possible,” Broadwell said. “The main challenges simply involve putting together a program that will appeal to a wide range of people, some of whom are professional scientists while some are just folks who have a general interest in topics of natural history.”
Following the morning program were afternoon activities such as three hikes across Roan Mountain State Park led by Crockett, ETSU’s Jamey Donaldson and Warriors Path State Park ranger Marty Silvers.
The event ended with an indoor conservation discussion led by Dr. Frosty Levy, professor emeritus of biology at ETSU.
“We’ve had excellent turnout for all of our Rallies over the years, with greater overall attendance during the spring and fall rallies,” Broadwell said. “Those are weekend-long events, while the Winter Rally is only a one-day affair. And the Winter Rally perhaps started off with a smaller audience, but we now routinely attract anywhere from 80 to 100 people.”
Broadwell added that interest has always been strong and has grown in the last four years. Friends of Roan Mountain have their next rally planned from April 24-26 with the 62nd annual Roan Mountain Spring Naturalists Rally.
