Oak Ridge Today

UT professor to discuss last year’s wildfires on April 13 in Oak Ridge

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Henri Grissino-Mayer

Henri Grissino-Mayer

A University of Tennessee professor will discuss the devastating wildfires in the Southeast in 2016 during a talk in Oak Ridge on April 13.

The featured speaker will be UT professor Henri Grissino-Mayer, a renowned expert on ecosystems, a press release said. He will address the devastating fires, their cause, and what the future may be, a press release said.

The talk is titled “The 2016 Wildfires in the Southeastern U.S.: What Comes Next after Gatlinburg?” It will be presented by the University of Tennessee Arboretum Society.

It’s scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 13, in the UT Arboretum Auditorium at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Grissino-Mayer is a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and director of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Science. [Read more…]

Bill Bass of UT’s ‘Body Farm’ to give Feb. 21 lecture at Pellissippi State

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Bill Bass

Bill Bass

Bill Bass, a forensic anthropologist who founded the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, more popularly known as “The Body Farm,” will give a lecture at Pellissippi State Community College in Hardin Valley on February 21.

His program is titled “Forensic Law Enforcement Field Operations.” It is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, February 21, in the Goins Auditorium in the Goins Building at Pellissippi State Community College. His talk will address research and field work throughout his career and more recently at the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center, a press release said.

Bass is best known for his research on human osteology and human decomposition. He has assisted federal, local, and non-U.S. authorities in the identification of human remains, the press release said. He is the author of numerous best-selling books and will have some books for sale, which he will sign. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society presents Father-Daughter Hike on Feb. 18

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a Father-Daughter Hike at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (Photo courtesy UT Arboretum Society)

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a Father-Daughter Hike at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017. (Photo courtesy UT Arboretum Society)

 

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will offer a Father-Daughter Hike at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, February 18. It’s the eighth year of the popular program, a press release said.

It’s a fun, short trail hike of about one to 1.5 hours, the press release said.

“This is a great winter occasion to spend some quality time outdoors with your daughter or dad,” the press release said.

The hike will be led by Jeff Holt, a local forester. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society has global warming, climate change program Thursday

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Joanne Logan

Joanne Logan

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a program on global warming and climate change on Thursday in Oak Ridge.

The program, titled “It’s all in the Timing: Impacts of Global Warming on Ecosystems and Phenology,” is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, January 19, in the City Room at Roane State Community College.

It will be presented by Joanne Logan, who is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee and a renowned expert on the subject, a press release said. Logan is an associate professor in the UT Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science. She has studied applied and agricultural climatology for 30 years, and she directs the undergraduate program in environmental and soil siences, the press release said. [Read more…]

Tree workshop dedicated to Pat Imperato to be held at UT Arboretum

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University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

University of Tennessee Arboretum fall scene (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

 

Pat Imperato

Pat Imperato

A tree workshop at the University of Tennessee Arboretum on Saturday, November 12, will be dedicated to Pat Imperato, a tireless champion of environmental issues, a press release said. Her advocacy was evident in her long history of contributions to the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board and Keep Anderson County Beautiful, the release said.

The workshop will be presented by the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board in partnership with the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. It’s scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, November 12, at the UT Arboretum Auditorium, which is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Imperato, 69, died in October, but she spent the last several years spearheading work on a “Tree Plan” for Oak Ridge. Imperato was also an outspoken proponent for proper stewardship of city and private lands, and she was interested in community education and outreach, the press release said. [Read more…]

UT Arboretum Society to hold Fall Wildflower Walk, Meet and Greet on Saturday

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will host a fall Meet and Greet followed by a fall wildflower walk on the UT Arboretum grounds on Saturday, September 17, from 9-11 a.m.

The public is invited for a Meet and Greet at the UT Arboretum Visitor’s Center at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge. Coffee and donuts will be served from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Kris Light, an expert naturalist, educator, and photographer will lead this fun, educational, and easy walk, a press release said. Participants may want to bring a camera to take pictures of the many wildflowers on the Arboretum grounds. [Read more…]

Butterfly Festival at UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge on July 30

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Butterfly Festival monarch (Submitted photo)

Butterfly Festival monarch (Submitted photo)

 

Monarch release and UT Insect Zoo are highlights

The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a Butterfly Festival on Saturday, July 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum Auditorium and surrounding grounds at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.  It is co-sponsored by the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. The gate will be open at 8:30 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be sold from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

The event, designed for children and adults of all ages, will take place rain or shine. This educational and fun activity features four speakers, two local native plant vendor,s and artisans. Speakers will give their presentations in the air-conditioned comfort of the Arboretum’s new Auditorium. The food vendors, plant vendors, and artisans will be stationed near the Program Shelter. The monarch butterfly release will take place on the patio outside the Auditorium.

The day’s highlight will be the release of 100 butterflies at approximately 2 p.m., in honor of the 50th anniversaries of UTAS and the Arboretum. We invite children to help release the monarch butterflies, which will be offered at a cost of $10 per butterfly. [Read more…]

Save the Date: UT Arboretum Society Butterfly Festival is July 30

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The University of Tennessee Arboretum Society will present a Butterfly Festival on Saturday, July 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UT Arboretum Auditorium and surrounding grounds in Oak Ridge.

It is co-sponsored by the UT Forest Resources AgResearch and Education Center. The gate will be open at 8:30 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be sold from 9 to 10.

The UT Arboretum is at 901 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

The event, designed for children and adults of all ages, will take place rain or shine, a press release said. [Read more…]

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 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 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…]