Where:
Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Ecological Research Station in Letcher County, KY( About 160 miles or 3 hours from Richmond)
Lilley Cornett Woods is one of the longest protected and largest protected tracts of old growth forest in the Appalachian Mountains. It's a registered National Natural Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior. It also serves as a field site for base-line ecological research, as well as advanced undergraduate and graduate instruction.
What we'll be doing:
- Providing access to one of the premier old-growth forests in the southern Appalachian regiion for faculty and others to explore and consider future research or teaching opportunities on their own, or with others
- Conducting several guided hikes and hands-on field experiences including water testing, forest ecology, herpetology and geomorphology
- Engaging in outdoors skills, such as rock climbing, "Leave No Trace" camping and recreational tree climbing
- Cooking out, telling ghost stories, searing marshmallows and just having fun in an spectacular and unique ecological forest setting
- Taking possible field trips to nearby points of interest, which may include:
- Appalshop in Whitesburg(home of some of the best darn documentary filmmaking anywhere
- Jenkins Road Cut(a rock-hound's dream!)
- A mountaintop removal site and/or the Hazard Airport & other redeveloped mountaintop removal sites (if you're curious)
- Apiforestation sites (beekeeping on reclamation sites)
All the above will be done while conducting the NSF Appalachian Headwater Health summer research program and teaching REC 790/EMS 864S - Teaching in the Outdoors
Who will be there:
Our field experts will likely include:
- Bill Martin - Appalachian old-growth deciduous forest expert and Division of Natural Areas founding director
- Melinda Wilder - Director, Division of Natural Areas and Environmental Educator
- Alice Jones - Watershed Geographer and Director of Eastern Kentucky Environmental Research Institute
- Jimmy Fox - Water resources engineer, University of Kentucky
- Neil Pederson - Forest Ecologist, Climate Change and Tree Chronology, Eastern Kentucky University
- Stephen Richter - Amphibian, Conservation Biologist (salamander guy), Eastern Kentucky University
- Brian Clark - Adventure Program coordinator and outdoor skills specialists, Eastern Kentucky University
- Billy Bennett - Director, Center of Environmental Education, Eastern Kentucky University
- Cindy Harnett - Electrical engineer field testing remote "salamanders", University of Louisville
What we hope you come away with:
Ideas, Inspiration and Relationships!
Our purpose is to explore and enjoy this beautiful treasure of a place and to give some thought to how it can best be used to enhance EKU's teaching and research experience while maintaining the utmost resprect for its primary purpose as a rare forest nature preserve.
We hope you leave with:
- Ideas about your research and teaching interests
- Connections with others whose interests and needs mesh with yours
- Reinvigorated creative energies from breathing deeply on top of a mountain
Who's invited:
Any faculty members and their graduate students or staff to whom the points above sound appealing!
Cost:
A nominal fee of $15/day to cover the cost of food and logistics of attending the camp
To sign up:
Please contact
Karen Pratt,by June 1.
Limited transportation provided upon request.
Each participant must complete and submit a
Lilley Cornett Woods Camper Information Form by June 1.
