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Feature article
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Photographer, ornithologist speaking at naturalists’ rally
By Stella Hatzikazakis
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The 43rd annual Fall Roan Mountain Naturalists’ Rally will be held Sept. 9-11 at Roan Mountain State Park.
This year’s rally features guest speakers Ed Schell, a wildflower photographer, and Dr. Fred J. Alsop III, a well-known ornithologist with a doctorate in zoology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Schell’s photographs of wildflowers have been featured in several magazines including Natural History and Living Wilderness.
“At the time I started photographing, I was very interested in birds and I wanted to get pictures of birds,” Schell said. “I soon found out on a trip to Alaska that wildflowers are easier to photograph than birds. Then, I became interested in plants and I learned how to identify them and became a semi-skilled botanist.”
Schell’s photographs of wildflowers were published in two books by National Geographic, “America’s Wild Woodlands” in 1985 and “Mountain Adventure” in 1988. He has won the Ansel Adams Award for outstanding conservation photography, the Nature Conservancy Award for his work on the Tennessee River Gorge Project, the Stanley Murray Award from the Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, and the James and Edna Potter Conservation Award from the Friends of Roan Mountain.
“I particularly like the showy lady slipper flower,” Schell said. “There are only two populations of it in the Southeast, one of which I found in Johnson County while I was exploring.”
During the rally, Schell will sell his book “Tennessee” for $40 with all proceeds going to the Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, Schell said. “It’s a very nice coffee table book.”
“Hundreds of people come to the Roan Mountain Rally each year,” said director Gary Barrigar. “It’s a very popular event for all ages.”
The schedule of events is:
Friday, Sept. 9
5:30 p.m. — Registration
6:30 p.m. — Buffet dinner at the Roan Mountain State Park Convention Center. Pre-registration required.
7:30 p.m. — Wildflowers of the Southern Appalachians Program
Saturday, Sept. 10
6:15 a.m. — Sunrise on Roan Mountain. Bring a camera and meet at Carver’s Gap.
7 a.m. — Early bird trip
8:30 a.m. — Birds, Wildflowers, Ecology and Rare Plants, Mushrooms, Ecology of Roan Mountain for children, Trees, Cave Trip (exploring a local cave; helmets and lights provided; bring four AA batteries. Anyone younger than 18 must be accompanied by an adult), Arthur Smith Memorial Hike on the Hack Line Trail; Grassy Ridge; Animal Tracks.
10 a.m. — Butterflies.
1 p.m. — Scenic and Wildflower, Hughes Gap to Roan Mountain.
2 p.m. — Presentations on Fish, Ferns, Medicinal and Edible Plants, Stream Ecology, Nature Fun for kids, Wildflowers, Geology of Roan Mountain
6:30 p.m. — Meeting of Friends of Roan Mountain
7 p.m. — Social gathering with refreshments
7:30 p.m. — Birds of Roan Mountain program
Sunday, Sept. 11
8:30 a.m. — Presentations on Birds, Nature Photography, Mushrooms
2 p.m. — Presentations on Wildflowers, Butterflies, Dragonflies and Damselflies
Roan Mountain is located at 1015 Highway 143. Hikes will leave from the first field on the right after passing the Visitor’s Center.
Programs and hikes are $4 per person. Friday dinner is $8.50 per adult and $4 per child. Saturday bag lunch is $4.75 per person. To register for these events call Anne Whittemore at 477-2235.
Fall Roan Mountain Naturalists’ Rally
Friday-Sunday, Sept. 9-11
Roan Mountain State Park
477-2235
Cost: Programs and hikes are $4 per person;
Friday dinner is $8.50 per adult and $4 per child;
Saturday bag lunch is $4.75 per person.
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