BRC and SouthEnd Brewing present the Wonders of Nature Speaker Series

Blue Ridge Conservancy is pleased to announce the “Wonders of Nature,” a collaborative speaker series with SouthEnd Brewing in Boone, at 6:30pm on the last Thursday of each month throughout the summer. Grab a pint to support the brewery and BRC, and listen to an engaging slate of experts talk about the fascinating ecosystems of the High Country. The May 29 speaker will be NYT Bestselling Author Leigh Ann Henion, author of Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and other Marvels of the Dark.

SouthEnd Brewing owner Megan Kevorkian is excited about the series and about hearing Henion speak: “In Night Magic Leigh Ann Henion will inspire you to take yourself, children, and friends outside at night, away from lights and screens. This book is a lovely memoir about life in the darkness and all of the creepy crawlies that live in it. Ditch the screens, LED lights, and indoors for the magic of the night!”

The June 26 speaker will be Dr. Jon Davenport, a Community Ecology, Herpetology, and Conservation Biology professor at Appalachian State University. Dr. Davenport is a frequent visitor with his classes to the BRC Conservation Campus, where they catalog reptile and amphibian species, and has recently been part of a SPARCnet citizen science salamander project at Grandfather Mountain State Park, chemically tagging and tracking eastern red-backed salamanders. 

North Carolina Project Manager for the Wildlands Network Nikki Robinson will be the speaker on July 31, talking about her work to preserve and restore ecosystems by reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnecting fragmented habitat caused by roads. She works in close partnership with the NC Department of Transportation on planning, design, and implementation for wildlife crossings, and advocates on the state and federal levels to fund new projects. Nikki serves on the steering and outreach committees for Safe Passage, a coalition working to elevate wildlife connectivity issues across North Carolina.

August’s speaker is to-be-determined, so stay tuned for information. 

“BRC is excited to be part of this series with SouthEnd Brewing in Boone, because it’s informative but very casual,” says Leila Jackson, BRC’s Communications Director. “Our hope is that folks can grab a drink and a snack, learn about things they maybe have never even heard of before, and feel comfortable asking the speakers in-depth questions.”