'Almanac'
(published in
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2005)
By
Steven G. Sears
Stewardship is alive just off of Routes 17 and 502 in the hills of Bergen
County.
Jesse
Pope
Grandfather Mountain Naturalist Program
Route 221
Linville, NC
www.grandfather.com/conservation/naturalist.htm
(800) 468-7325
naturalist@grandfather.com
Jesse Pope, Grandfather Mountain naturalist, is fielding an
array of questions from various visitors as they cross the
attraction’s highlight, the mile high Swinging Bridge.
“What birds are those flying near the
cliff over there?” “That
purple flower – what is its name?”
“What’s the shortest hiking trail here in the
mountain?”
Pope, who originally joined the park as
a ranger in 2002, answers them all with enthusiasm and a smile.
The odd thing?
It’s his day off.
“I like to “touch” people,” he
says, “educating them about the wildlife here, the delicate
ecosystems and more. Before,
we primarily had habitat tours with the animal habitat staff. I
wanted to expand on that, to educate people about the diversity of
Grandfather Mountain.”
It is for the above reasons that Pope
proposed to Grandfather Mountain management a new naturalist
program. Welcomed
enthusiastically, it commenced in February 2004.
Offered
are slide presentations, up-close, personal visits to natural
enclosure wildlife habitats, wildflowers tutorials, hikes and more.
How does Pope, who owns a biology
degree in biology from Lees McRae College, keep visitors enthused
while educating them at the same time?
“We offer a lot of hands on
demonstrations with the young and adults alike getting involved.
When people visit, I don’t want them to just listen, walk
away and forget it. I
want them to depart thinking that they not only learned something,
but I want what they
learned
to become a part of them as they encounter all sorts of plant life,
wildlife and varieties of ecosystems.”
Grandfather Mountain is the only
private international biosphere reserve in the world.
Part of the United Nations Man and Biosphere Agreement, its
focus is on conservation efforts primarily in the area of rare
plants, actively managing diversity and education the public.
And, with almost 4,700 acres to cover
on the mountain, Pope realizes the task is not an easy one.
“On my part there’s a lot of
research involved, a lot of learning.
And we hope to have more structure to the program in 2005.
Things will only get better and benefit everyone.”
Learn more about the
Grandfather Mountain naturalist program online at www.grandfather.com/conservation/naturalist.htm.
To reach Jesse Pope, dial 800-468-7325 or email him at
naturalist@grandfather.com.
