Spend lazy mornings and afternoons exploring our misty Appalachian landscapes, the forested hillsides and sweeping vistas, the pastures filled with cattle and old barns. Local experts will show you the geological faces of the area, and naturalists will guide you on leisurely walks looking for wild plants and animals. Whether by foot or by bike, get a close-up look at ecology, wildlife habitats, farms and cave environments.

Some of the field trips and tours in recent years included:

• Creeper Trail Bird Walk
• Creeper Trail Night Ride
• Exotic Finds from the Gray Fossil Site & in the Natural History Museum
• Flavor of Agriculture Farm Tour
• Save-Our-Streams Workshops
• Day Hike at the Pinnacle Natural Area Preserve
• Canoe the Clinch River
• Ecology of the Herpetofauna of the Virginia Creeper Trail
• Hike to the Great Channels: The Nature Conservancy's Brumley Mountain Nature Preserve
• Beyond the Solar System
• Let's Go Underground! Caves
• Mountaintop Stargazing & Starlore
• Rain Gardens: A New Landscaping Tool for Your Yard
• Where Streams and Farms Meet
• You Ain't From Around Here! Invasive, Non-Native Plants
• From Forest to Floor: Green Building in Southwest Virginia
• Flycasting Techniques and Demonstration
• Virginia Creeper Trail Stream Life

Lectures, Demonstrations & Workshops may include:

• "Protecting Your Land with Conservation Easements"
• "Giant Ground Sloth, Horse, & More: Recent Finds From the Gray Fossil Site"
• "What's Underground?"
• "The Woods in Your Backyard"
• "Low Impact Development: A New Twist on Construction
• "Are We Warm Enough Yet?"
• "Fly Fishing Opportunities in Southwest Virginia & Northeast Tennessee"
• "Costa Rica: A Living Classroom"
• "Lake Superior's South Shore Country"
• "The Secret Life of the Trickster ’Äî the Freshwater Mussel?"
• "Whose Backcountry?: Native Americans and Colonists in the Southern Appalachian Region"

Other fun family outdoor events during the festival:

• Local Foods Celebration Suppers
• Rich Valley Grazers Hayride & Barbeque

2008 EVENT INFORMATION COMING SOON

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