ENTERTAINMENT

The Vibraslaps are a new commodity on the Knoxville scene, but hardly a new commodity. This unique cover band is a mix of rock veterans who originally came together for a special occasion and had such a good time that they wanted to keep it going. The band performs covers from the 60s through today, with an emphasis on the early days of MTV and 80s alternative hits.

FOOD

Holly's Eventful Dining is our sponsoring caterer this year. Holly Hambright has nearly 30 years experience in the food industry. We will have a great selection of Hors d’oeuvres including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. We will have drinks for all ages including, Polywog Punch for the kids, and an open bar with beer and wine.

The Purpose of the Ball

If you’ve ever marveled at the depth, breadth, or beauty of wildlife in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, you are invited to one of the region’s premiere fundraising events that directly supports conservation and science. This family friendly evening encourages you to dress as your favorite Smokies critter and join the staff and board of Discover Life in America (and a few surprise guests!) to celebrate the wondrous biodiversity in GSMNP. This event is for adults and children of all ages!

Last, but not least, we are delighted that we could partner with the Knoxville Zoo to hold this event at their great facilities. Please come early and take some time to visit the zoo's wonder-filled exhibits!

Biodiversity Hike to LeConte Lodge- Ever wonder what it would be like to stay overnight at the lodge with the highest elevation in the Eastern United States? How about doing so with a guided hike up one of Mt. Le Conte’s most scenic trails? Join Discover Life in America for all this and more on our annual Biodiversity Hike to Mt. Le Conte, September 4 and 5, 2015.

The trip begins with a guided hike up Alum Cave Bluff Trail with an experienced guide providing natural history, local human history, biodiversity lessons and much more along the way. We’ll be having a picnic lunch on the way up, an evening sunset program about the ATBI at Clifftops, and a chance to meet some new friends while learning a thing or two. You’ll be presented with handmade note cards from DLIA, and lodging with dinner and breakfast. All this for the price of $275 per person – and you will be supporting both DLIA and the Smokies ATBI program.

Reserve your place now while spots are still open! For reservations or more information, e-mail Todd at todd@dlia.org or call (865) 430-4757. The lodge will house two guests to a bed, so bring a friend or share a bed with another program participant.

First Annual Urban Wilderness Bioblitz: August 22, 2015- 10 am till 6 pm in Knoxville, TN

The City of Knoxville and Discover Life in America are serious about the importance of Biodiversity!

What is a Bioblitz?

A BioBlitz is a short (usually one-day), intense team effort to discover as many different life forms as possible in one location. Teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as they can.

BioBlitzes are designed to increase the public's awareness of the variety of life in their immediate neighborhood and the services these various species provide to improve the quality of their lives. We usually hear the word "biodiversity" in regard to rainforests, with their vast number of species. Yet the diversity of life in our own backyards is phenomenal.

BioBlitzes also help to:

• Engage students in community geography and citizen science
• Identify species that should be monitored and controlled
• Make recommendations towards public land management and conservation
• Generate data
• Highlight the positive impact of parks and open spaces on our lives
• And celebrate diversity with DLIA!

Who can we thank for this great idea?

Discover Life in America (DLIA) has partnered with Legacy Parks, University of Tennessee, the City of Knoxville and the Aslan Foundation along with regional scientists to host a Bioblitz within Knoxville’s beautiful Urban Wilderness.

What Will We Do?

• We'll be surveying all living things using nets and provided collection/preservation equipment.
• No experience necessary!
• The event is FREE, but we ask that participants be 10 years old or older.
• We'll have experts on hand to train participants and identify species.
• We will use the iNaturalist application to add our findings to those of BioBlitzes around the nation!

What Should I Bring?

• Food and water for the day.
• Dress for being outside and for whatever weather might arise.
• If possible, download the iNaturalist app on your phone or smart device.
• Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

Park Information:

• High Ground Park, Knoxville, TN. - Park Map Link
• Park Size: 39 acres
• Surface: pea gravel and natural
• Natural Trail: 1.0 mile one-way
• Type: wide
• Difficulty: easy
• Hours: dawn till dusk
• Main Entrance: 1000 Cherokee Trail

Directions:

Take I–40 to US-129 S/Alcoa Hwy and take the Cherokee Trail/UT Medical Center exit. Stay right on Cherokee Trail and go approximately 3 miles. Park will be on the right immediately after the blue water tower. If we have enough participants, we may also get into the River Bluff Urban Wilderness area across Cherokee Trail road from High Ground Park.

Come join us for public bioblitz #3, taking place in East Tennessee on Saturday, August 22, 2015! Please click here to register via email, or call 865-430-4757. The event is free, but registration is required.

DLIA’s mission is to discover and understand America’s species through science and education for conservation. DLIA’s flagship project, the ATBI (All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory), is a joint effort with the National Park Service to identify and record every single species within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To date, DLIA has been instrumental in adding an astonishing 8,095 new species to the park’s records, and an even more astonishing 951 species new to science.

The Tennessee Valley Authority and Discover Life in America are serious about the importance of Biodiversity!

Come join us for public bioblitz #2, taking place in East Tennessee on Saturday, July 11, 2015!

This Bioblitz is a short, one-day (9 am to 6 pm) event. Generally bioblitzes are an intense team effort to discover as many different life forms as possible in one location. Teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as they can. On this day's bioblitz, Discover Life in America (DLIA) has partnered with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) along with regional scientists to host this Bioblitz event with a focus on plants, birds and butterflies in the TVA Whites Creek Small Wild Area in Tennessee on Watts Bar Lake in Rhea County.

Directions: either use 736 E. Roddy Road, Spring City, TN 37381 address in your vehicle GPS.
Or, take I-40 to the Rockwood exit and then get on Rt 27 South toward Spring City for almost exactly 15 miles, turn left onto E. Roddy Road, and drive about .8 mile to the TWRA launching area where the main trailhead is located, and where we will have our DLIA sign and pole tents.

It’s totally FREE and we invite everyone (no experience necessary) to join us to celebrate the importance of biodiversity formally through the BioBlitz! Registration required. Call 865-430-4757 or e-mail todd at dlia.org .

Observational data will be submitted online via iNaturalist. There will be a short training session at the bioblitz site prior to going out into the field.

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The bioblitz, in East-Central Tennessee at TVA's White's Creek Wild Area, along Watts Bar Lake, on July 11th, is now history.  The inventory of living things there went very well. Check back soon to see a report of what we found!

The Tennessee Valley Authority and Discover Life in America are serious about the importance of Biodiversity!

Come join us for a public bioblitz in North Carolina on Saturday, June 20, 2015!
This Bioblitz is a short, one-day (9 am to 6 pm) event.  Generally bioblitzes are an intense team effort to discover as many different life forms as possible in one location. Teams of volunteer scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to find and identify as many species of plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms as they can. On this day's bioblitz, Discover Life in America (DLIA) has partnered with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) along with regional scientists to host this event with a focus on plants, birds and butterflies in the TVA Raven Rock Small Wild Area in North Carolina, just downstream of the Hiwassee Dam.

Why do we have BioBlitzes?
BioBlitzes are designed to increase the public's awareness of the variety of life in their immediate neighborhood and the services these various species provide to improve the quality of their lives. We usually hear the word "biodiversity" in regard to rainforests, with their vast number of species. Yet the diversity of life in our own backyards is phenomenal.

BioBlitzes also help to:

• - Engage students in community geography and citizen science
• - Identify species that should be monitored and controlled
• - Make recommendations towards public land management and conservation
• - Generate data for use in protection and management
• - Highlight the positive impact of parks and open spaces on our lives
• - And celebrate diversity with DLIA!

It’s totally FREE and we invite everyone (no experience necessary) to join us to celebrate the importance of biodiversity formally through the BioBlitz! Registration required. Call 865-430-4756 or e-mailheather@dlia.org.

Observational data will be submitted online via iNaturalist. We will have a special training session on June 19th. (click for more info) However, there will also be a short training session at the bioblitz site prior to going out into the field.

View observations from TVA Raven Rock, NC Bioblitz on iNaturalist.org »

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The bioblitz, in Southwestern North Carolina at TVA's Raven Rock Wild Area on June 20, is now history.  The inventory of living things there went very well. About 385 observations were made. Check back soon to see a report of what we found!
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