The Village Nature Series
The Village Nature Series (VNS) is co-hosted by The Village Green and Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and features experts in their field presenting on wildlife, habitats, conservation, and local cultural heritage. Traditionally, these events are held at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers, NC on the last Tuesday of every month during the summer season.
Programs are FREE, family-friendly, no registration needed, rain or shine.
Thank you to Cedar Creek Club for sponsoring these programs!
Programs are FREE, family-friendly, no registration needed, rain or shine.
Thank you to Cedar Creek Club for sponsoring these programs!
2024 Village Nature Series
Join us from 5:30-6:30pm at the Village Green Commons at The Village Green, once a month April - September
April 30th - Vermicompost, the Basics and BenefitsMary Ann Smith, Valley View Worms & Produce
Composting with worms is a simple process that manages food waste, while producing a super-enriched soil amendment and promoting sustainability. This class will cover not only the basics about worms and worm composting, but also the science behind successfully gardening with worm products. Come learn about worm composting and how to best use worm compost and worm tea in your own garden.
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Youth Village Nature Series
May 14th - Awesome Opossums
Gina Patton, Balsam Mountain Trust
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Most people know that opossums are creatures of the night who might climb into your garbage can or eat the dog food left on the porch. But few people know of the incredible adaptations this marsupial species has. Come join Balsam Mountain Trust Naturalist, Gina Patton, to learn why opossums are awesome and meet one of Balsam Mountain Trust's very own ambassador opossums.
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May 28th - Hope for the HemlocksOlivia Hall & Thom Green, Hemlock Restoration Initiative
North Carolina’s hemlock trees need your help. We have two species of hemlock in North Carolina, the eastern and the Carolina, and the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid threatens both. Though hemlocks are declining, there is hope to bring them back to their previous glory.
The mission of Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) is to work with a variety of partners and existing programs to restore hemlocks to long-term health throughout North Carolina and ensure that eastern and Carolina hemlocks can resist hemlock woolly adelgid and survive to maturity on North Carolina’s public and private lands. Join Olivia and Thom from the Hemlock Restoration Initiative to learn about hemlock ecology, woolly adelgid biology, what is being done to help, and management strategies to take care of hemlocks on your own land. |
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June 25th - Mushrooms 101: A Sneak Peak into the Frontier of the FutureLizza Bixby, Mushroom Expert
Join Lizza Bixby as she weaves a terrific journey around all things fungi! In this one hour presentation, Lizza will break the veil of mystery and briefly explain mushroom foraging in our area and at home mushroom growing and how it can be great for your garden. She will also cover some exciting myco-innovations sure to get you excited! Grab your boots and join us for this exciting mushroom discovery hour!
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July 31st - Restorying LandscapesJohn Lane, Author of Gullies of my People
Story is a conservation value that doesn't drive most people's ideas of evaluating and saving land. John Lane will discuss his latest book GULLIES OF MY PEOPLE in hopes of beginning a conversation about adding "restorying" to the index of conservation values. Lane knows through experience that stories are often lost as land changes land and status and creating narratives can reattach memories and events to places.
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Youth Village Nature Series
August 13th - Backyard Nature Exploration
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Hope Corbin, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
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Join HCLT for a nature exploration through the Village Green! Come learn about the amazing organisms that you can find in your own backyard, including plants, insects, amphibians, and reptiles, and what habitat each of these can be found. Practice how to use your senses to explore the world around you, and hone in your naturalist skills to notice more of this incredible earth, every day!
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August 20th - George Masa's Wild Vision with Brent MartinBrent Martin, Executive Director of Bartram Trail Conservancy
Brent Martin will present on the life and work of Japanese immigrant and photographer, George Masa, whose photography of western North Carolina in the early 20th
century was unparalleled. Martin is the author of George Masa's Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina, which won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award in 2022. |
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September 24th - Pollinator Habitat Conservation in the Mountains of WNCBryan Tompkins, US Fish & Wildlife Biologist, Pollinator Conservation Specialist
These days, there is a good chance that you have heard about the plight of North Carolina’s native pollinators. Loss of habitat, pesticides, disease, climate change, and non-native invasive species are all issues affecting the health and diversity of native pollinators in the state.
Though pollinator diversity and populations are in decline across the state, one native pollinator has recently been spotlighted – the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee. Historically, Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee was one of the most common bumble bee species in western North Carolina. Over the past few decades, its population has plummeted and in 2017 it was federally listed as an endangered species. Although Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee has not been observed in North Carolina since 2004, there are over 200 historic occurrence records of Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee in North Carolina. A vast majority of the occurrence records for Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee are in the mountains. Since the listing in 2017, the USFWS – Asheville Field Office has prioritized staff time to conduct surveys for Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee in the mountains of western North Carolina. This presentation will include a discussion of what’s causing native insect population declines and examine the survey efforts, data collection, and habitat restoration efforts taking place in western North Carolina. |
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Youth Village Nature Series
October 22nd - Exploring Animals with Cherokee Stories & Games
Jessica Metz, New Kituwah Academy
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Join us to discover how Indigenous animal knowledge is woven into traditional Cherokee stories. Then let’s play some active games to learn even more about the lively animal characters like Bear, Opossum and Bat! Teachers from New Kituwah Academy, Cherokee language school of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, will share culture, language and science with stories and play!
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Youth Village Nature Series
Wildcraft Wreath Making
Jessica Blackburn, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust
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Join HCLT for a natural Christmas wildcraft! We will be making Christmas wreaths from wildcrafted materials found on HCLT properties, including pine, fur, holly, and other evergreen and decorative elements. Learn about the art of wildcrafting, and how decorating with natural materials can be a sustainable and creative option for all seasons!
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