News – Page 39

LTLT Hosts Annual Stewartia Hike with Jack Johnston June 26

June 12, 2014

Press Release:

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) hosts its annual Stewartia hike with Jack Johnston on Thursday, June 26. This event is a wonderful opportunity to see the rare native Mountain Camellia, Stewartia ovata, in flower with an expert guide who has been hunting (and finding) native Stewartia in the southeastern United States for more than two decades.

The hike group will meet at 9:00am at the Queen’s Branch Property and will then carpool to different locations to look for the Stewartia. Participants are asked to wear sturdy hiking shoes, and bring a water bottle and a snack/lunch.

The hike is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register for the hike please contact Sharon Burdette by email at [email protected] or by phone at 828- 524-2711 ext 305.

Molly Phillips Joins LTLT as Advancement Coordinator

June 11, 2014

Press Release:

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) is pleased to announce the addition of Molly Phillips as Advancement Coordinator. In this newly formed position, Phillips will coordinate the integration of LTLT’s fundraising, marketing and communications programs.

Phillips brings more than 10 years of non-profit development work to LTLT. She previously served as Regional Director of Development at Pursuant, a Dallas-based full-service fundraising firm that works with non-profits. Her clients included the University of Alabama, the University of South Carolina and Georgia State Athletics. Phillips also worked at her alma mater, Arkansas State University, where she was instrumental in implementing the transition to a dues-paying Alumni Association and the capital campaign for what is now the Cooper Alumni Center.

LTLT Deputy Director Sharon Taylor says Phillips is a great addition to the organization. “Developing private support for LTLT is critical as we continue to build a strong regional conservation non-profit to serve the people in this area. Molly’s experience, as well as her love of this area and passion to help keep it as beautiful as it is now for the next generation, makes her a great member of our team.”

Partnership Seeks Volunteers for Breeding Bird Survey Work Along Little Tennessee River

May 15, 2014

Press Release:

A partnership of organizations is seeking volunteers for the fifth year of a volunteer breeding bird monitoring and education program that will be conducted this spring and summer at two early-successional habitat sites along the Little Tennessee River.

A volunteer holds a Canada Warbler (Photo by Nicholas Morris)

The program is a partnership between the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT), Southern Appalachian Raptor Research (SARR), and the Fisheries and Wildlife Management program of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). The program is sponsored by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation’s Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources (RTCAR) initiative, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina State University, and the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research program.

During May to August, SARR will conduct 8 monitoring samples at both LTLT’s Tessentee Bottomland Preserve and EBCI’s Cowee Mound property. Volunteers are needed to assist in all aspects of the survey work and will receive training and supervision from SARR field biologists and technicians.

Black and White Warbler (Photo by Jim Petranka)

The monitoring work is based on the Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) protocol. MAPS is a nationwide program coordinated by the Institute for Bird Populations in Point Reyes, CA. The MAPS program includes a continent-wide network of over 500 mist netting stations and is designed to monitor productivity, survivorship, and population trends of breeding birds throughout North America. Analyses of the resulting banding data provide critical information relating to the ecology, conservation, and management of North American landbird populations, and the factors responsible for changes in their populations.

The first sampling date is May 18th at Tessentee. For a calendar of sampling dates, please visit http://bigbaldbanding.org/calendar/ . For further information, please contact [email protected] or call (828) 736-1217.