The Lookout Mountain Conservancy (LMC) invites everyone to spend an afternoon at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Rising Fawn, GA on Sunday, October 4, 2009, from 3:00 until 5:00pm EDT.
The event is an opportunity for people to learn more about the LMC and its projects and meet Nate Thomas, LMC Project Manager. Kevin Calhoon, Assistant Curator of Forests for the Tennessee Aquarium will give an informative talk about birds that live, breed and migrate through Lookout Mountain on their annual voyage to and from the tropics. Joshua McKinley, Cloudland Canyon Interpretive Ranger, will be on hand to share information about the park. Refreshments will be served and the event is open to the public. A $5 parking pass is required at all Georgia Sate Parks. The fee, collected at the entrance to the Park, helps cover maintenance for recreational facilities in Cloudland Canyon.
The Lookout Mountain Conservancy is a public, non-profit land trust advocating, through partnerships and projects, for wise land use and good growth across the full 93 miles of Lookout Mountain. From Hamilton County, Tennessee to Etowah County, Alabama, LMC works to protect significant scenic, historic and ecological sites by connecting existing conservation areas. LMC provides environmental education and information to landowners and other interested parties about land conservation options. And, LMC promotes greenway development and conservation planning. The mission of the LMC is to protect and promote the stewardship of Lookout Mountain’s resources of scenic, historical and ecological value.
Nate Thomas has more than 17 years experience in the environmental and conservation fields. He most recently served as North Georgia Conservation Manager for the Georgia chapter of The Nature Conservancy. As Project Manager for the LMC, he focuses on land management and conservation planning activities for the organization. Kevin Calhoon has been with the Tennessee Aquarium since its inception in 1991. He has led 11 expeditions for Tennessee Aquarium members, most recently to Antarctica. He has been a statistician for the Chattanooga chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) for many years, coordinating local and regional bird counts, and has studied bird species from the South Pole to the tropics to Southeast Tennessee and beyond. In addition to his work with TOS, Kevin has been a long time member of Tennessee Bird Records Committee. Cloudland Canyon State Park is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain. The park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek and elevation varies from 800 to 1,980 feet. Two waterfalls cascade over layers of sandstone and shale into pools below, making Cloudland Canyon one of the most scenic parks in the state of Georgia. Joshua McKinley has been an Interpretive Ranger with Cloudland Canyon for 5 years.
For more information about the event on October 4, or to find out more about the LMC, please contact Robyn Carlton, CEO at 423-424-3882 or visit www.lookoutmountainconservancy.org.
For directions to Cloudland Canyon State Park, please contact the Park at 706-657-4050 or visit www.GeorgiaStateParks.org.
Leave a Reply