Forest Floor is offering sixteen different week-long camp options for ages ranging from K-10. Camps begin with the first week June 15-19 and end with the week of August 10-14. The program is structured to get kids out in the forest, exercising and playing, sharing stories and songs, solving challenges, and learning traditional crafts, wilderness skills, survival skills, and martial arts. Forest Floor programs are unique in the Asheville area because of the focus on Nature Connection Mentoring and helping children reach and exceed their potential.

Parents can drop their children off at Haw Creek Commons in Asheville between 8:30 – 9:00 AM daily, and then pick them up there between 3:00 – 3:30 PM. Camp staff will transport the children via passenger van to the forest location and back each day. An “After Camp” option with games and nature activities is available for parents who choose to pickup as late as 5:30 PM. After Camp can be reserved for specific days or the entire camp week.

The standard pricing for the camps is $295 per week including transportation. The Blacksmithing and Knife-making camps for Grades 6-10 only are priced at $384 per week. After Camp adds $15-30 per afternoon depending on the specific reservations. A payment plan and sibling discount are offered as well. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. Registrations are taken online in advance at the company website www.OnTheForestFloor.org.

About Forest Floor Wilderness Programs – Forest Floor Wilderness Programs (FFWP) is a unique Asheville provider of Nature-Connection Mentoring programs. FFWP was founded in 2011 by Executive Director Clint Corley to bring a nationally-proven youth mentoring model to the Asheville area. The group offers summer camps, and a wide variety of other programs including weekly programs for homeschool families, bi-weekly programs for teens & public school children, Saturday programs, family campouts, and workshops for adults.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Grandfather Mountain will close until further notice, effective Sunday, March 15. The closure means the park will prohibit public access, including from the main entrance gate and hiking trails.

In addition, all special events and programs scheduled through Memorial Day have been canceled or postponed.

NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch

For adults looking for an extra challenge this spring, the Arboretum has created the North Carolina BioBlitz patch in conjunction with the 2020 City Nature Challenge (April 24 – 27). To earn the patch, participants will need to create a free iNaturalist account; attend the “Intro to iNaturalist” class on April 9 (or watch the recorded version later); make 50 nature observations during the City Nature Challenge; and help identify 50 species during the Challenge’s “identifying” stage (April 28 – May 3). Students in the Arboretum’s Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener certificate programs can earn three elective credits if they complete the North Carolina BioBlitz program and one credit if they only take the “Into to iNaturalist” class.

Healthy Rivers equal Healthy Communities. RiverLink’s Watershed Resources program works to improve water quality in the French Broad River and its tributaries. These waterways support critical wildlife habitat for many species, such as the hellbender salamander and rainbow trout. Our local economies thrive on water-based recreational tourism. The French Broad River watershed also provides drinking water for many communities. These things are true only if the water is clean. Our Watershed Resources program uses a combination of initiatives, including on the ground projects and community outreach to improve and protect water quality.

Stream Restorations

Stormwater Control

WaterRICH, Water Conservation Program

Watershed Planning

Name That Creek

 

A scenic, wild, team adventure in the mountains of Western North Carolina, the Smoky Mountain Relay is an adventure that is not to be missed. This course will challenge you and your friends with tough legs and reward you with stories to last a lifetime. Choose from the original 200-mile course or the shorter 135-mile course with your team of 8 or 12 participants.

The 200-mile course begins at the Pink Beds Trail Loop picnic area just outside of Brevard, NC In the Pisgah National Forest. Teams of 12 or “ultra” teams of 6 make their way through 36 legs and finish at Nantahala Outdoor Center.

The 135-mile course begins at the Jackson County Recreation Complex in Cullowhee, NC. Teams of 8 or “ultra” teams of 4 make their way through 24 legs and also finish at Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Each relay team member will run between 3 and 6 legs of varying lengths and difficulty and will cover an average total distance of 18-20 miles of the race.

Race Information & Registration: Please visit Smoky Mountain Relay’s webpage for more information on registration and pricing. Registration is now open for 2020!

Lodging & Activities

Racers, family and friends receive 10% off lodging, whitewater rafting, ziplining and mountain biking at our Nantahala Campus April 24th – April 26th using code using code SMR2020. Book your lodging while it lasts at one of our overnight options including: platform tents, the Basecamp bunk house, luxury Cabins and the Dogwood Motel. Learn more about our lodging options here.

Alum Cave At-Home Adventure is a Virtual Fundraising Hike on one of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most iconic trails. Although the trail will look different for everyone, we’re all going the distance together – 4.6 miles for a roundtrip hike to Alum Cave or 10 miles up to the top of Mount Le Conte and down via Alum Cave Trail. Find your own trail. It could be your yard, your neighborhood or a treadmill in your basement. If a hike isn’t your thing, just choose the Park Bench option! Anyone can join us in solidarity to raise funds for Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the comfort and safety of your own home. Here’s how it works: 1. Register to virtually hike at AlumCaveAtHome.org, and personalize your fundraising page. 2. Ask your family, friends, and coworkers to support you by making a tax-deductible donation to Friends of the Smokies through your personal fundraising page. 3. You have until June 6, 2020 to fundraise and complete your virtual hike, then you will receive your hike swag, including a t-shirt and finishers medal, in the mail! Over the last few weeks, we’ve become pros at staying home and practicing social distancing. As we take care of ourselves and each other, we hope you’ll also help us take care of the Smokies. The park is closed for the safety of visitors and staff, but critical conservation projects still need funding. It’s up to us to preserve the park for generations to come so we hope you’ll join us.

#AvlQuaranclean   1) AGW Office @ 2 Sulphur Spring Road 2) AGW Office @ 318 Riverside Drive 3) The HOP @ 640 Merrimon Ave #103 4) Sutton / Dezio Law @ 70 Mt Pisgah Hwy (on their back porch) 5) Buncombe County Sports Park Entrance @ 58 Apac Drive Our cleanup events may have been canceled, but there’s still trash to collect as part of Avl Quaranclean! Our Cleanup Supply Stations have been filled and supplies are ready for pick up if you find yourself wanting to get out of the house & motivated to improve our community. Each station has been filled with supply packs— in one roll you will find: 2 trash bags, 1 safety vest and 1 pair of gloves. There are further instructions at each station. Make sure to post videos and pictures and tag #AvlQuaranclean so that we can all see the incredible job you’re doing. And, as always, please stay safe and healthy.

Join over one hundred students on a quest to deepen understanding of the natural sciences through the Blue Ridge Naturalist Certificate of Merit. The program offers adult learners a comprehensive curriculum of study about the natural world of Western North Carolina. Classes meet year round and students work to complete 240 hours in core courses on ecology, botany, geology and plant identification as well as electives on animals, lichens, insects and more. View current class offerings for credit in the Blue Ridge Naturalist program here. All students must complete and present a final project prior to graduation.

To begin your program complete an application and return it to the Education Center along with a a one-time, non-refundable $55 application fee.

If you are reading this, you are most likely a landowner in western North Carolina who is concerned about the future of your land along the French Broad River or one of its tributaries. Perhaps you have a farm or cattle ranch that has been in your family for generations, or maybe you recently purchased your second home in an idyllic rural area. Whatever your situation, many North Carolina landowners face the same dilemma: how do you ensure that the land you love looks the way that it does forever?

Conserving Land

Protected Properties

Parks, Greenways & Blueways

Diverse, intact forests are literally the greenest infrastructure on Earth, vital to our health and survival. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, protecting forests is truly the greenest investment we can make for our future. Yet environmental policy solutions put forward in America today largely fail to recognize protecting existing, natural forests as a “green infrastructure” priority.

Read the full piece on why we need to prioritize protecting and restoring forests as part of the upcoming Green Stimulus and Infrastructure bailout.

The US is the world’s largest consumer and producer of wood products. Every year, millions of acres of forests are logged, damaging the greenest life-supporting infrastructure on Earth, releasing vast amounts of unreported carbon into the atmosphere, and limiting forests’ ability to remove carbon and provide natural protections against intensifying flooding and droughts.

The degradation of forests along with the pollution of our air and water has left communities in a degraded economic condition, with disproportionately high poverty and unemployment rates. These same communities are bearing the brunt of the economic impacts of extreme weather events linked to climate change. And now, they are at greater risk of dying prematurely if they get the Coronavirus due to high levels of industrial pollution which have been linked to higher mortality rates.

Forests should be prioritized in a way that reduces poverty and increases well-being. The world’s leading scientists recently revealed that restoring degraded land between now and 2030 could generate $9 trillion in environmental benefits, such as clean water, clean air, and increased wildlife.

It’s not too late for “green” policy initiatives to embrace letting existing natural forests grow to reach their full biological potential. No batteries, no mining, no transportation, no chemicals, and no factories are required. Protecting forests is truly the greenest investment we can make for our future.

Invest in our green future today. Make a special Earth Day gift to protect the forests and people of the South.

For our forests,

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), Grandfather Mountain will close until further notice, effective Sunday, March 15. The closure means the park will prohibit public access, including from the main entrance gate and hiking trails.

In addition, all special events and programs scheduled through Memorial Day have been canceled or postponed.

NEW! North Carolina BioBlitz Patch

For adults looking for an extra challenge this spring, the Arboretum has created the North Carolina BioBlitz patch in conjunction with the 2020 City Nature Challenge (April 24 – 27). To earn the patch, participants will need to create a free iNaturalist account; attend the “Intro to iNaturalist” class on April 9 (or watch the recorded version later); make 50 nature observations during the City Nature Challenge; and help identify 50 species during the Challenge’s “identifying” stage (April 28 – May 3). Students in the Arboretum’s Blue Ridge Naturalist and Blue Ridge Eco-Gardener certificate programs can earn three elective credits if they complete the North Carolina BioBlitz program and one credit if they only take the “Into to iNaturalist” class.

Healthy Rivers equal Healthy Communities. RiverLink’s Watershed Resources program works to improve water quality in the French Broad River and its tributaries. These waterways support critical wildlife habitat for many species, such as the hellbender salamander and rainbow trout. Our local economies thrive on water-based recreational tourism. The French Broad River watershed also provides drinking water for many communities. These things are true only if the water is clean. Our Watershed Resources program uses a combination of initiatives, including on the ground projects and community outreach to improve and protect water quality.

Stream Restorations

Stormwater Control

WaterRICH, Water Conservation Program

Watershed Planning

Name That Creek

Alum Cave At-Home Adventure is a Virtual Fundraising Hike on one of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most iconic trails. Although the trail will look different for everyone, we’re all going the distance together – 4.6 miles for a roundtrip hike to Alum Cave or 10 miles up to the top of Mount Le Conte and down via Alum Cave Trail. Find your own trail. It could be your yard, your neighborhood or a treadmill in your basement. If a hike isn’t your thing, just choose the Park Bench option! Anyone can join us in solidarity to raise funds for Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the comfort and safety of your own home. Here’s how it works: 1. Register to virtually hike at AlumCaveAtHome.org, and personalize your fundraising page. 2. Ask your family, friends, and coworkers to support you by making a tax-deductible donation to Friends of the Smokies through your personal fundraising page. 3. You have until June 6, 2020 to fundraise and complete your virtual hike, then you will receive your hike swag, including a t-shirt and finishers medal, in the mail! Over the last few weeks, we’ve become pros at staying home and practicing social distancing. As we take care of ourselves and each other, we hope you’ll also help us take care of the Smokies. The park is closed for the safety of visitors and staff, but critical conservation projects still need funding. It’s up to us to preserve the park for generations to come so we hope you’ll join us.

#AvlQuaranclean   1) AGW Office @ 2 Sulphur Spring Road 2) AGW Office @ 318 Riverside Drive 3) The HOP @ 640 Merrimon Ave #103 4) Sutton / Dezio Law @ 70 Mt Pisgah Hwy (on their back porch) 5) Buncombe County Sports Park Entrance @ 58 Apac Drive Our cleanup events may have been canceled, but there’s still trash to collect as part of Avl Quaranclean! Our Cleanup Supply Stations have been filled and supplies are ready for pick up if you find yourself wanting to get out of the house & motivated to improve our community. Each station has been filled with supply packs— in one roll you will find: 2 trash bags, 1 safety vest and 1 pair of gloves. There are further instructions at each station. Make sure to post videos and pictures and tag #AvlQuaranclean so that we can all see the incredible job you’re doing. And, as always, please stay safe and healthy.