May 2008

Saturday, May  17 – What is a Conservation by Design Community?
Join the LTLT, HRWC and Conservation Community Group at The North Hill at Staurolite, Brasstown, NC and find out!

Open House
Saturday, May 17
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Walk the trails, enjoy live music and local snacks, and learn about conservation design: a development approach that protects and preserves the natural landscape.

Directions: From the East, take Old Hwy. 64 to Trout Cove, turn right, go 2.5 miles, to the North Hill at Staurolite. From the West, Old Hwy. 64 to Greasy Creek, turn left, go 3 miles to the North Hill at Staurolite.

Call 828-389-1367 for more information.

May 24 - Exclusive opportunity for LTLT members
Hike Land's Creek in Swain County with renowned naturalist George Ellison. A very special opportunity for LTLT members to hike the beautiful Land's Creek trail and learn wildflower identification from George Ellison. In order to insure the greatest benefit of this opportunity this hike is limited to 20 people. The trail is moderate 4 mile round trip with a couple of shallow creek crossings (your feet will get wet so wear approprate shoes). You can learn more about George from his website www.georgeellison.com. Contact Kate Parkerson for more information or to reserve your space.

June 2008

June 20 – Stewartia Hike
Take advantage of this special opportunity to learn about the rare Mountain Camellias and to see them in bloom.  Contact for more information and to sign up contact Kate Parkerson.

June 28 – Little Tennessee River Day at the Great Smoky Mountain Fish Camp (joint LTWA outing)
Paddle a boat down the Little Tennessee River and stop in at the Great Smoky Mountain Fish Camp Cowee Creek location for lunch, music, and entertainment. The staff of LTLT and LTWA will be there to welcome you and to answer any questions you may have about our organizations.

For you landlubbers, the Friends of Rickman Store will be offering tours of the Cowee-West Mill Historic District leaving from Rickman Store with a stop at the Cowee Creek location for lunch and to join in the festivities there.  For more information and directions, please call either Kate at LTLT, 524-2711, Ext. 203, or Jenny at LTWA at 369.6402.

October 2008

October – Support Your Local Land Trust Shopping Day
On this day, local merchants will be contributing a percentage of their sales to The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. You can get full details and a current list of participating merchants on our web site at http://www.ltlt.org/supportlt.html. Bring your shopping list!

October – Land Stewardship Volunteer Day
We need your help to keep up the good work that has been started on invasive exotic plant (IEP) species control.  Contact Dennis Desmond for more details and to sign up.

November 2008

November 1 – Fall Celebration
Join the family fun on the river with canoe trips, hikes, educational demonstrations, music, food and more.  For more information contact Kate Parkerson.

November – Land Stewardship Volunteer Day
Program and location to be announced.  Contact Dennis Desmond for more details and to sign up.

December 2008

December 5 – LTLT Open House
The LTLT office will be open as part of downtown Franklin’s Window Wonderland.  Come in to meet the staff, learn about our projects and for some refreshments. For more information contact Kate Parkerson.

December – Land Stewardship Volunteer Day
Program and location to be announced.  Contact Dennis Desmond for more details and to sign up.

December  20 – Annual Bird Count at Tessentee Farm
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host an annual Christmas Bird Count at Tessentee Farm in Macon County near Otto.  Birders will meet at 8:30 a.m. at the farm and will walk approximately 1.5 miles along the Little Tennessee River and on the farm's forest trails. This is an annual event at Tessentee, which lies in the heart of a major flyway, with over 100 species of birds being documented. The outing will last approximately three hours and is led by Jack Johnston. For directions and to RSVP, contact Kate Parkerson or by calling 828-524-2711 x203.

Other Dates to be Determined

Valley River Hop Skip and Jump – First Annual joint HRWC and LTLT event at Konahaga Park from 10:00-12:00.  Kids contests for hopping races, skipping stones, and jumping frogs.  For more information contact Kate Parkerson.