Rucker

ELKINS — The Elkins Tree Board and Kump Education Center are sponsoring a new Tree Talks Lecture Series starting March 4.

The free series will consist of three different lectures and will gather experts and community members to “explore various aspects of our Appalachian woodlands,” from its biological uniqueness to multi-generational ways to celebrate its beauty.

The first of three lectures, “Under Pressure: A Tale of Two Salamanders,” will feature Lacy Rucker, Biological Scientist with the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station and will take place on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 p.m.

All lectures in the series are free and open to the public, and take place in the Kump House, located at 401 Randolph Avenue. Parking is available in the back of the house and is accessible by Seneca Road.

Rucker’s talk will discuss why the Appalachian Mountains are considered a biodiversity hotspot and are frequently referred to as the salamander capital of the world.

“Unfortunately, logging and subsequent unnaturally extreme wildfires that occurred between the 1880s and 1910s across West Virginia are believed to have shaped the distributions of some salamanders, including the Cheat Mountain salamander,” a Tree Board release states. “(Rucker’s) presentation will cover how these historical impacts, habitat fragmentation, destruction, and climate change continue to threaten salamanders.”

The second lecture, “Exploring Woods with Wonder: Multi-Generational Ways to Share the Outdoors,” will take place on Wednesday, April 1, at 7 p.m. This lecture will feature Valerie Hart and Kate Reed, the co-owners of the non-profit Wonder & Grow and coordinators of the Randolph County Outdoors program.

The series’ third and final lecture is “Forest Invaders: How Invasives Wreak Woodland Havoc” with Michelle Fonda, a Private Lands and Invasive Species Biologist with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. It will take place on Wednesday, May 6, at 7 p.m.

For more information about the event, visit kumpeducationcenter.org. For information about the Elkins Tree Board, visit cityofelkinswv.com/city-government/boards-commissions/tree-board/.