Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level

40TH ANNUAL AMERICAN GIRL SCOUT DAY AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN SEPTEMBER 18

Girl Scouts and their families are invited to Grandfather Mountain on Saturday, September 18 to join in the 40th Annual American Girl Scout Day. The event, which began in 1971, is geared towards educating and empowering girls through natural science and outdoor activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The day will start off at 10 a.m. with guided hikes of varying difficulty. The High Elevation Hike, for ages 10 and up, is limited to 15 scouts. Please call the Naturalist Department at (828) 733-4326 for reservations. Also at 10 a.m., scouts can meet Naturalist Jill Goodwin and special guest Kevin Tincher of the Lost Cove Naturalist Center for the Survival Hike. Scouts will learn skills on how to survive in the wild along with basic plant identification.

“Kevin is a great source of information on medicinal uses for plants,” said Goodwin. “This hike is full of important information for girls to know about basic survival skills.”

“We have several new activities this year that we’re excited to share with the Girl Scouts,” said Chief Naturalist Jesse Pope. “The NASA workshop is getting the scouts involved in ground-breaking material.”

From 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., scouts can join Naturalists Katie Gray and Patrick McConnell for the NASA Climate Science Workshop. They will use state-of-the-art equipment to collect data that will be analyzed by experts of the field and will contribute to the understanding of Earth’s systems and climate change.

The “Flight, Feathers and Fun” workshop will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., allowing scouts to visit interactive bird stations and meet some of Grandfather’s own feathered friends.

Habitat and Naturalist Staff will be on hand to answer any questions in the Environmental Habitats from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

At 3:30 p.m. scouts can choose to participate in the Hawk Watch on Linville Peak or the Monarch Butterfly Program at the Nature Museum.

hawk watch

“The timing of this event is perfect to catch the peak of migration for birds of prey and monarchs,” said Pope.

The first 250 Girl Scouts to enter the park receive a special Girl Scout Day button.

Grandfather Mountain is a scenic travel attraction and nature preserve located near Linville, NC on US Highway 221, one mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305. All Girl Scouts and troop leaders will be admitted free with proof of membership. Families traveling with scouts may ask for discount admission rates. For more information phone 800-468-7325 or plan a trip at www.grandfather.com.

 

 

Return to News Release Archive index page
Photos, Virtual Tours & More…Get the Monthly NewsletterTell Us About Your ExperienceSend an E-card to a Friend