TOWNSEND, TN — From June 17-21, 2024, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is hosting Naturalist Week, a free virtual event designed to connect people with nature from wherever they are. Kids and adults are encouraged to explore their backyards, local parks, or any green spaces to notice the nature around them.

Naturalist Week features the Level Up Challenge, where participants earn points by engaging in outdoor activities such as eating a meal outside, following an insect’s travel path, or camping in the backyard. Participants collect 25 points to win a prize and enter a drawing for a custom Tremont experience. Point totals should be submitted online by Monday, June 24 to receive a prize in the mail.

Last year, 56 individuals ranging from 4 to 77 years old from 13 states completed the Level Up Challenge, earning a total of 2,088 points. A local participant shared with event organizers, “I noticed how magical it is to share time and perspectives with someone else while in nature. My daughter and I love similar experiences, but introduced new ways of seeing something to each other.”

On Thursday, June 20, Tremont is hosting The Big Day, a challenge to document as many species as possible, including plants, mammals, fungi, insects, birds, and lichens. For each observation shared on Tremont’s website or social media, a generous donor will donate a dollar to support Tremont’s environmental education programs.

“Over the last two years, we have stories of people exploring with their grandkids, taking intentional time outside during lunch breaks at work, and discovering nature mysteries in their backyards,” said Tremont’s Marketing Director, Erin Rosolina. “It’s incredibly heartening to see people explore biodiversity and find wonder in their own outdoor spaces.”

To wrap up the week, Tremont is hosting a family-friendly happy hour at Yee-Haw Brewing Company in Knoxville on Friday, June 21, from 6 to 10 p.m. A dollar from each pint sold will support Tremont’s programming.

Virtual Naturalist Week is taking place at the same time as an in-person Naturalist Week on Tremont’s campus inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The in-person event is an overnight environmental camp for adults, and includes several of the same activities as the virtual event, including The Big Day. A few spots remain for the in-person Naturalist Week camp; learn more at gsmit.org/event/naturalist-week.

Though not required to participate, Tremont encourages donations to Naturalist Week; the funds raised throughout the week will support the nonprofit’s year-round work to connect people of all ages with nature, both through on-campus experiences in the Smokies and educational outreach in the surrounding communities.

Learn more about Naturalist Week activities, including the Level Up Challenge and species documentation, at gsmit.org/naturalist.

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Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont provides in-depth experiences through educational programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at www.gsmit.org.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2022

Contact:
Erin Rosolina, Tremont Institute
(865) 448-6709, [email protected]

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