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Past Events

Past Events

Come Together: 2024 Delayed Meeting and Planning for 2025Featured

BRNN members came together on January 30 for our 12th Annual Meeting held at the Asheville Botanical Garden. Several members who were instrumental in founding the organization in 2013 were on hand to provide historical perspective.

Highlights of the 2024 Annual Meeting included:

  • The 2024 Naturalist of the Year award to went Marilyn Kolton and Lou Dwarshuis. They were not able to be at the meeting but will be honored at another gathering. 
  • The election of three BRNN Board members: David Teafatiller, Vice President; Diane Mooney, Website and Publicity Director; and Nancy Cole, Secretary.  
  • Kris Stewart, Treasurer and Membership Director, presented the annual financial report. A discussion followed to consider using a portion of BRNN funds to assist organizations with recovery from Helene. The members voted to empower the Board to do so.
  • Paul Fredrickson, Outdoor Programs director, led a review of options for member outings. He has already received confirmation from some favorite trip leaders for this season. Watch for more information in the March newsletter.
Past Events, Plants

The Natural History and Ecology of Fungi: From Parasitism to SymbiosisFeatured

Watch the talk here!

Todd Elliott, PhD, will speak about mushrooms in our region and their significance. He grew up in the Southern Appalachians, but has worked as a naturalist, biologist, and photographer on six continents. He is the author of Mushrooms of the Southeast and many other publications. Learn more about him here: https://toddelliott.weebly.com and watch for more information in future emails.

Outings, Past Events

Pisgah View Outing

On July 15, 23 naturalists visited the yet-to-be-opened Pisgah View State Park in Hominy Valley – the first state park in Buncombe County.  We were led in our exploration by Jamie Cameron, the park ranger, who gave us an overview of the park and then led the group on trails up the mountain and to a nearby bog.   The park opening is slated for 2025, but Jamie thought that it might take another year or two to conform to requirements for state parks.

Members exploring Pisgah View

The Park was formerly  the “Pisgah View Ranch” which offered horseback riding, rental cabins, swimming pool, a tennis court, and other amenities. The biggest challenge for the 1,300 acre park is what to do with the numerous structures there, many of which are in a state of disrepair since the former facility closed. Jamie said there are volunteer opportunities to help in preparing the park for opening. We will let our members know once we have that information.

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