Oak Ridge Today

UT Arboretum Society has morning hike on New Year’s Day

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New-Years-Day-Walk-2015

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has a morning hike on New Year’s Day. New Year’s Day is Friday, January 1. (Submitted photo)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society has a morning hike on New Year’s Day. New Year’s Day is Friday, January 1.

The hike is for everyone that wants to start 2016 “on the right foot,” a press release said.

The walk will begin at 9 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Arboretum Shelter “where you will be greeted by fellow hikers and offered coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks,” the release said.

The UT Arboretum is located at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has annual Owl Prowl on Saturday

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UTAS Owl Prowl

Katie Cottrell, right, and Kathy Strunk are pictured at an earlier Owl Prowl at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (Submitted photo)

 

The Owl Prowl, one of the most popular events offered at the University of Tennessee Arboretum, will again be sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society on Saturday, October 24. It’s at the UT Arboretum, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue (Highway 62) in Oak Ridge.

Presented by the Clinch River Raptor Center, Kathy Strunk and Katie Cottrell will bring live owls for display and will give information about their natural history, a press release said.

The Raptor Center was started by John Byrd 30 years ago at Clinton Middle School. So far, 2,000 birds have come to the Raptor Center to be rehabilitated. Strunk and Cottrell have shared the responsibility as co-directors of the Raptor Center for more than 25 years, and they have given hundreds of programs in East Tennessee on birds of prey, the press release said. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents Moonlight Hike on Sept. 26

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University of Tennessee Arboretum Society Logo

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is offering a Moonlight Hike on Saturday, September 26. The hike is scheduled from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Join us as we walk Arboretum trails by the light of the silvery moon,” a press release said.

The hike will begin at the Visitors Center near the parking lot at 7:30 p.m. The 1.5-mile hike will be led by experienced volunteers.

The full moon is Sunday, September 27. The walk was scheduled a day early so that older schoolchildren could participate on a non-school night. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents urban forestry program Aug. 25

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is sponsoring a lecture on the “Knoxville Urban Forestry Program” on August 25 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the UT Arboretum’s Program Shelter at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The program will be presented by Kasey Krouse, City of Knoxville urban forester, who will discuss the City of Knoxville Urban Forestry program and its attempt to move from a reactive to a proactive urban forestry program. He will also discuss proper pruning, planting, mulching, tree selection, and other arboriculture practices that are pertinent to an urban forestry program. The presentation will conclude by touring trees around the arboretum and discussing some of the issues they face in an urban forest, a press release said.

As the urban forester for the City of Knoxville, Krouse is responsible for the expansion, protection, and maintenance of the city’s urban forest and implementing the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents Geocaching Workshop on July 28

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society is sponsoring an Introduction to Geocaching Workshop for rising fifth- through eighth-grade students on Tuesday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UT Arboretum.

The cost is $15 and is payable in advance. Advance registration is required, with a limit of 16 participants.

Students will learn the basics of using a GPS device, determining location, inputting waypoints, following a short course, hiding a cache, and finding caches hidden by others, a press release said. The Arboretum Society will provide the GPS devices for the class to use.

Janet Bigelow, a UTAS board member, will teach this workshop with help from other UTAS members. She is a semi-retired middle school teacher with 41 years of indoor and outdoor classroom experience. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society to present wetlands program on June 16

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a program on wetlands on Tuesday, June 16. This is both a walking and hands-on teaching event, a press release said.

The program is titled “Construction Techniques and the Value of Little Bitty Wetlands.” It’s scheduled from 6-8 p.m. June 16.

The talk will focus on the benefits of small wetlands and how to construct them, the press release said.

Participants will meet at the UT Arboretum parking lot at 901 S. Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge and walk about a quarter mile to the Valley Road Wetlands from the UT Arboretum parking lot. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum society to showcase redbud at plant sale on Saturday

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The University of Arboretum Society will celebrate its 50th anniversary by featuring “The Rising Sun™” Redbud at its Annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 18.

This plant was found and introduced into the trade by Ray and Cindy Jackson of Jackson Nursery in Belvidere, Tennessee. This brand-new Redbud displays heart-shaped foliage of deep apricot-orange in the spring, maturing to yellow and then speckled lime-green in summer, only to return to its rich golden tones for autumn. It has rosy-orchid sweet pea-like blooms in early spring which are attractive to bees and butterflies. It is a vigorous grower reaching eight to 12 feet tall and about eight feet wide, and is cold-hardy to Zone 5. This compact native is ideally suited as a specimen in small yards or gardens.  [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society to have plant sale Saturday, April 18

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UT Arboretum Society Spring Plant Sale 2015

A wide variety of plants, blacksmith demonstration, and food will be featured

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will have its 48th annual Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 18. The sale is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UT Arboretum at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The “Members Only” sale will be on Friday evening, April 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. Memberships may be purchased at that time for this “early bird” shopping opportunity. Checks and credit cards will be accepted.

This year, the Arboretum Society will gather the best of four local nurseries in one location. Beaver Creek and Riverdale Nurseries from Knoxville, Sunlight Gardens from Andersonville, and East Fork Nursery from Sevierville will be offering a large and varied selection of shrubs, trees, wildflowers, perennials, annuals, and edibles. [Read more…]

Garden tool sharpening workshop with UT Arboretum Society, Downtown Hardware

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University of Tennessee Arboretum Society Logo

A garden tool sharpening workshop will be offered by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society on Saturday, March 28, at the UT Arboretum shop in Oak Ridge.

The workshop will be led by Roger Clary and Doc Ferguson of Downtown Hardware in Oak Ridge. It will focus on chainsaw, lawnmower, and garden hand tools. It’s scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. at the UT Arboretum shop, which is 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

“Follow directional signs from the UT Arboretum up to the shop area, where parking will be provided for the event,” a press release said. [Read more…]

WVLT-TV meteorologist Haley to discuss ET weather on Saturday

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Heather Haley

Heather Haley

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Are you interested in our ever-changing weather in East Tennessee? Do you often wonder what contributes to some of our extreme weather?

Bring your questions and learn more from meteorologist Heather Haley of WVLT-TV Local 8 Now on Saturday. She will talk about our interesting weather phenomena and explain how she delivers her message to viewers at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 21, in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, a press release said. Sponsored by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society, this talk is open to people of all ages. [Read more…]

Expert to present wildflower talk on Thursday

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University of Tennessee Arboretum Society Logo

Dennis Horn, one of the country’s most renowned wildflower experts, will present a talk on wildflowers on Thursday evening in Oak Ridge.

The talk is presented by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society. It’s scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the City Room at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Father-daughter hike at UT Arboretum on Valentine’s Day

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Father Daughter Hike at UT Arboretum

Jeff Holt, pictured above in the green jacket and baseball cap, will lead a Saturday morning hike for fathers and daughters at the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge. (File photo)

 

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Dads: Make a date with your daughter for a Valentine’s Day Hike at the University of Tennessee Arboretum.

Are you looking for an opportunity to spend some father-daughter quality time outdoors? Come out to the UT Arboretum for a fun, short trail hike (one to 1.5 hours) on Valentine’s Day, Saturday February 14.

This is a great winter occasion to get some outdoor exercise with your young or older valentine. Wear clothes appropriate to the weather and boots or good shoes for outdoor walking. Just for fun, wear red! [Read more…]