A FREE Daily Visitor Guide for the North Carolina Mountains and 50+ NC Mountain Cities: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hosts Birds Of Prey Programs

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Hosts Birds Of Prey Programs

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials invite the public to attend several special fall programs at the Mountain Farm Museum, adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C., and the Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, Tenn., in October.

A Birds of Prey program will be conducted twice by naturalist Doris Mager. The first program will be at the Mountain Farm Museum on Wednesday, October 13, from 11:00 a.m.-noon. She will do another one at the Sugarlands Visitor Center on Saturday, October 16, from 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Mager, also known as the "Eagle Lady", has been working with raptors for over 35 years. During the two programs, she will have four birds with her, including an American Kestrel, a Screech Owl, and a Great Horned Owl. The public will have an opportunity to "get up close and personal" with these fascinating creatures. At age 84, Mager still travels the Eastern United States giving educational programs. She has cared for over 80 injured eagles and hundreds of other raptors, and has housed up to 36 birds of prey in her backyard at one time. For more information contact the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at (828) 497-1904.

photo Courtesy of Sam Hobbs

No comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 469 miles long is the nation's longest scenic rural parkway. Now 70 years old it is administered by the National Park Service and host to approximately 20 million visits annually. It connects the Shenandoah Valley National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Along the route are opportunities for lodging, dining, camping, hiking and simply enjoying breathtaking views from easily accessible overlooks and picnic areas. For additional information visit :The Blueridge Parkway Association

The River Arts District is open year around with the opportunity to meet artists in their studios. Schedules are available online. This unique area along the French Broad River is home to more than 165 artists with working studios located in 18 turn-of-the-century industrial buildings. The artists of the River Arts District welcome you into their studios to talk with them, see their latest artwork, watch demonstrations, and experience for yourself the magic hidden inside the time-worn factories and warehouses along the French Broad River.

Chimney Rock Park is named for a 500 million-year-old giant granite monolith overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. Visitors are awed by the breathtaking view that spreads 1200 vertical feet beneath them and 75 miles across the Carolinas. The now state owned park encompasses 1,000 acres offers the best of the mountains in one place with spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more. Chimney Rock NC

The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities.

Tsali Recreation Area is an outdoors lover's paradise. Probably the most popular features of Tsali Recreation Area are the 39 miles of trails suited for mountain bikers and horse-back riders, as well as hikers. The 4-loop system offers a variety of landscapes. You can climb 1-foot wide rugged paths or travel flat, well-beaten roads. The four trails--Right, Left, Mouse Branch, and Thompson Loops--meander through mixed pine and hardwoods on a peninsula stretching into Fontana Lake. Near Bryson City NC and Robbinsville NC.