This June, we hosted our first-ever virtual Naturalist Week, an event designed to help more people connect with nature from wherever they are. All week, we celebrated the great outdoors by hosting challenges, in-person events, and updates from campus – and it was a blast! Check out some of the highlights below.

On Monday, we hosted a showing of the Hidden Rivers documentary in Knoxville – about 40 people attended, and there was a great post-showing conversation with representatives from Conservation Fisheries and Discover Life in America.

On Wednesday, The Big Day, we challenged people to notice biodiversity in their own outdoor spaces and share interesting observations. Folks shared over 400 species observations in one day!

Throughout the week, people from all over the country participated in the Level Up Challenge. They ranged from 2 and a half to 75 years old and represented Tennessee, North Carolina, California, Florida, Alabama, Missouri and everywhere in between. We asked folks who completed the challenge what their favorite or most surprising part of the week was, and here’s what they had to say:

  • “This was a REALLY fun challenge. I loved keeping track of my observations throughout the week, exploring your activity prompts via the “Weekly Wonder” videos, and finding time throughout the week to intentionally get outside to explore, reflect and write. My favorite activities were the alphabet nature challenge, “New Best Friend” journal activity and sound mapping. Thanks again for all that you do! – Age 47
  • “My favorite activity was the bike ride I took on Wednesday. I made my goal at 100 nature photos and set out. I found a neat trail to ride, and biked really slowly, taking pictures every 10 feet. I also went to parks, climbed around in the forest, and took the last twenty or so in my own backyard.” – Age 17
  • “Smelling the tree and describing it. And having grandma, Papa and Daddy all do it with us.” – Age 8
  • “Did lots of things I would not have thought about without the activities suggested in this challenge. Favorite activities were catching and releasing fireflies and touching something weird (a pet pig). Surprising activity was finding black bear tracks in my neighbor’s driveway. The challenge also motivated me to make a donation to Tremont.” – Age 75
  • “We camped at Norris Lake Sunday and Monday this week. I fished, caught & released fireflies, ate outside, learned new constellation names, watched the sunrise and skipped a lot of rocks!” – Age 9
  • “I had a great time!! Thanks for getting me outside with purpose, I actually dusted off my field guides, and learned a couple new plants here in the Florida! Plus, I loved connecting with Tremont again, great to be a part of it!” – Adult
  • “My favorite activity was watching Hidden Rivers at Hi-Wire and getting to meet the people from Conservation Fisheries. My most surprising event this week was seeing a red fox in my backyard this morning! I’ve never seen a fox here before. Another super cool thing that’s been happening the last few weeks is two barred owls have been hanging around my yard. One even landed on my deck to look for frogs in my pond.” – Age 56

“What does it mean to be a good naturalist?”

In his session with in-person Naturalist Week campers, former Tremont executive director Ken Voorhis shared lessons from his experiences training other naturalists, highlighting what skills a good naturalist needs (and which skills are perhaps less important.)

A Conversation from Nannette Enloe

Nannette Enloe was a counselor at Tremont before it was Tremont. 75 years ago, she worked at Camp Margaret Townsend, a Girl Scout camp in Walker Valley. She has returned to Tremont many times since, but recently attended our in-person Naturalist Week, where she was reminded that she always has friends in these mountains. Check out this great article about Nannette’s experience in the Tremont area.

Over 65 people donated to Naturalist week, totaling over 5,600 in support of Tremont. Donations like these allow us to continue offering immersive, hands-on educational experiences in the national park to all who want to join us in Walker Valley. If you would like to support experiences like this throughout the year, consider making a gift.