Carolina Mountain Club

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June 19, 2009

CMC Calendar

From Your Editor

For CMC members - a little housekeeping. If you change your email address, please send those details to Marcia Bromberg at mwbromberg@yahoo.com. Do not unsubscribe and resubscribe to the eNews yourself. It just gums up the works. Thanks! Danny

What's Happening in the Next Two Weeks

CPR/First Aid Class Offered

Jim Spicer and I will teach the recertification class for CPR/First Aid at the Hendersonville Red Cross on July 29 at 6:00 PM. The class is planned primarily to meet the education requirements for trail maintainers and volunteers, but we expect to have room for other CMC members. We're going to try a "blended learning" format that has two components.

Here's how it works:
1. Email mcjfive@aol.com for more information or to sign up.
2. Two weeks before the class, you'll get detailed information about how to access materials online. You read through it and then take the test. When you've completed all the material, you can print a certificate that you bring to class. The Red Cross says it takes about three hours to do online.
3. Come to class on the 29th, where you will practice and then demonstrate the skills. The classroom time should take two hours or less.

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Other Important News

Elk Update in Cataloochee

Calving season has begun in Cataloochee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and there could be more calves born this year than any year so far! There are several cows that could be producing their first calf, and with female survival very high over the last year, things look optimistic for herd recruitment this year.

Ten calves are known to have been born so far and at least two of them are female. Managers have not been able to handle the others yet to determine their sex and many more calves are expected to be born over the next 4 or 5 weeks.

Spring is a great time to visit the Park and view the elk. The bulls’ antlers are in velvet and growing very rapidly this time of the year. It can be interesting to watch their development over the course of the year until fall when they shed their velvet and enter the rut. Some of the calves that were born earlier are getting big enough to travel with their mothers and can often be seen in the fields, along with turkey hens and their newborn chicks. There have also been several sightings of bears feeding on wild strawberries in the fields of Cataloochee over the last few weeks. With all of the exciting things happening with wildlife right now, it is a great time to visit the Park and enjoy the show!! Joe Yarkovich Elk Management, GSMNP Joseph_Yarkovich@nps.gov

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NC State Park Email Addresses

The entire staff of the NC Division of Parks and Recreation changed their email addresses changed to ncdenr.gov. Please remember this as you attempt to email agency members. Emails sent to the old addresses will not be valid and the message will fail.

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Conservation News

Regional Conservation Organizations

As the CMC Conservation Committee studies and acts on issues impacting hiking in Western NC, we consult and work with many conservation and environmental organizations. Who, exactly, is in this group?

In this issue of the eNews, we’ll introduce them. Then, in subsequent issues, representatives of these organizations will explain their work and goals in more detail. As you learn who’s doing what, you may find one or more groups you want to affiliate with and/or support or whose work you want to follow. (At the very least, you’ll know what the acronyms stand for.)

Read the entire article. Ruth Hartzler and Marianne Newman

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Book Review

Hiking North Carolina's Blue Ridge Heritage - Reviewed by Gerry McNabb

Danny Bernstein has created another highly useful hiking guide for Western North Carolina, but this time she has creatively included a cultural twist.

In addition to her solid yet economical trail directions, she has peppered the book with interesting little- known information about people who made history in the hiking areas. This guide will point your way along the trail. It will also expand your vision of the hikes by including information on the settlers who first came to this beautiful part of our state.

Read the entire review.

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Help Wanted

Wilderness Search and Rescue with Dogs

My name is Erick Allen and I live in Hendersonville, NC.

I am currently training a puppy (Black Mouth Cur) for use as a Wilderness Search and Rescue K9 with the North Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association (based in Enka, NC).

Read the entire story.

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Heard on the Ground

Trails Forever Volunteer Opportunities in the Smokies

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Trails Forever Program offers several opportunities to work on Smokies Trails. Check out their schedule.

Adopt a Section of the Appalachian Trail

Big Butt to Flint Gap 3.3 miles

Adopt a Section of the MST

Richland Gap Access to Richland Balsam Access (3 Trees) 1.2 miles

Devil’s Courthouse Jct. to FS Road 816, 2.4 miles

If you're interested in either the A.T. or MST, email Don Walton.

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Maintenance Reports created by Don Walton

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Heard on the Trail

From Mac Tippins

Mac is a CMC member and a volunteer fire watcher out west for the summer.

He reports:

After ten very busy days on the East Butte lookout, I finally had a day off yesterday. I spent the night in Bend (Oregon) and got my first real shower in almost two weeks. I also managed to get my wireless internet card activated, so I have Verizon internet access at the lookout. Cell phone reception is still an issue. I can manage to make calls from the lookout catwalk, if I hold my phone just right, but I can’t take incoming calls. Read his entire post.

For more about Mac's adventures, get on his email list at wmtippins@gmail.com

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The Small Print

Hiker leaders, please send all your eNews hike reports and photos to Dave Wetmore at dwetmore@citcom.net

So send me your news and maintenance reports by Tuesday evening at 9 P.M. before the newsletter comes out, that is, by Tuesday evening June 30, 2009 to Danny Bernstein at danny@hikertohiker.com. Include your email address at the end of your story. Thank you.

       The CMC Calendar is meant to answer the perennial question "When is this happening again?" It is also meant to prevent conflicts between competing CMC events. Please check it often.

How to join the Carolina Mountain Club
1. Go to www.carolinamtnclub.org
2. Click on “How to Join” (upper-left on web page)
3. Print out the “CMC Application Form”
4. Fill it Out, write a check for your dues and ...5. Mail to CMC, PO Box 68, Asheville NC 28802

        For CMC members only - Send all address and email changes to Marcia Bromberg at mwbromberg@yahoo.com. Do not resubscribe yourself to the eNews. That will be done automatically.

If you are a non-member subscriber, you need to go back to the
CMC home page > News >Subscribe and change it there yourself.

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