Shepherds needed! The family vacation is ending, and we are in need of volunteers to assist for the journey home. If you are up for the herding of the goats off the mountain, join Todd Eastin and company at Carvers Gap at 9:00am. The hike out will only take about an hour, to meet up with the goats and lead them back to the trailhead. Helpers are also needed to help carry gear and equipment off the mountain.
questions? jjudkins@appalachiantrail.org
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Guided Goat Hike
Guided Goat Hike - Roan Mountain Saturday, August 14 at 10:00 am
Free and open to the public!
Hike Leader: David Hall, Recipient of the 2009 Stan Murray Volunteer Award August 14 (Saturday) - Moderate 5 miles RT
If you missed the last Goat Hike, here is your chance to join SAHC for another grassy balds management/goat-viewing hike on beautiful Roan Mountain! Once again this summer, Jamey Donaldson, leader of the “Baa-tany Goat Project,” is rotating goats through test plots of vegetation on the high-elevation grassy balds of Roan Mountain. We will visit the goats and learn about their role in preserving the grassy balds. The hike will be around five miles of moderately steep terrain. Starts at 10:00am.
To learn more about the “Baa-tany Goat Project” visit:
http://friendsofroanmtn.org/goat%20project/goat%20project.html
Please bring sturdy hiking shoes, rain gear, backpack lunch, water, sunscreen and a camera.
RSVP by Friday, August 13th (5:00pm) to cheryl@appalachian.org or call (828) 253-0095, ext 209.Directions will be sent upon RSVP.
Information provided by:
Cheryl Fowler
Membership Director
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Land Trust Accreditation Commission Accredited
828-253-0095, ext. 209
34 Wall Street, Ste. 502
Asheville, NC 28801
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization that works with individuals and local communities to conserve the clean water, unique plant and animal habitat, working farms and recreational treasures of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In the last 36 years, the Conservancy and its 1,500 members have protected almost 50,000 acres, including key sites adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Highlands of Roan, and more than 3,000-acres of farmland in Sandy Mush near Asheville, NC.
Free and open to the public!
Hike Leader: David Hall, Recipient of the 2009 Stan Murray Volunteer Award August 14 (Saturday) - Moderate 5 miles RT
If you missed the last Goat Hike, here is your chance to join SAHC for another grassy balds management/goat-viewing hike on beautiful Roan Mountain! Once again this summer, Jamey Donaldson, leader of the “Baa-tany Goat Project,” is rotating goats through test plots of vegetation on the high-elevation grassy balds of Roan Mountain. We will visit the goats and learn about their role in preserving the grassy balds. The hike will be around five miles of moderately steep terrain. Starts at 10:00am.
To learn more about the “Baa-tany Goat Project” visit:
http://friendsofroanmtn.org/goat%20project/goat%20project.html
Please bring sturdy hiking shoes, rain gear, backpack lunch, water, sunscreen and a camera.
RSVP by Friday, August 13th (5:00pm) to cheryl@appalachian.org or call (828) 253-0095, ext 209.Directions will be sent upon RSVP.
Information provided by:
Cheryl Fowler
Membership Director
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
Land Trust Accreditation Commission Accredited
828-253-0095, ext. 209
34 Wall Street, Ste. 502
Asheville, NC 28801
Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization that works with individuals and local communities to conserve the clean water, unique plant and animal habitat, working farms and recreational treasures of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In the last 36 years, the Conservancy and its 1,500 members have protected almost 50,000 acres, including key sites adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Highlands of Roan, and more than 3,000-acres of farmland in Sandy Mush near Asheville, NC.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Very Busy First Month
It has been a hectic 1st month getting the goats settled in and keeping up with the paddock rotation and toting water while monitoring the assorted vegetation study plots. Our 1st surprise came when #211 gave birth to twins (a boy and a girl) the day before we herded the goats across the balds. Ansel and Audrey carried the twins across the balds while the mama goat followed, 
with occasional stops so the twins could nurse. Mama goat and her babies are doing fine. The little boy has been named (but not yet formally adopted) Gambol in memory of Hank Gamble who volunteered on Roan and elsewhere for many years. Hank was among the best of volunteers, he simply showed up, quietly helped with what was needed, and then often just as quietly slipped away when the work was done. I found out more about Hank’s life away from Roan from his obituary than from him directly.
with occasional stops so the twins could nurse. Mama goat and her babies are doing fine. The little boy has been named (but not yet formally adopted) Gambol in memory of Hank Gamble who volunteered on Roan and elsewhere for many years. Hank was among the best of volunteers, he simply showed up, quietly helped with what was needed, and then often just as quietly slipped away when the work was done. I found out more about Hank’s life away from Roan from his obituary than from him directly.Our 2nd surprise was during the herding across the balds. #902 veered off to the left while the herd veered to the right. She was last seen in the Rhododendron thicket on Round Bald.
Our 3rd surprise: Yet, being more like the Roadrunner than the Coyote, she showed up at the goat paddock 20 days later and about 1 mile from where she was last seen, apparently fine but obviously relieved to be back with the herd. She slept a lot the first couple of days after coming back.
We have help monitoring the rare Gray’s Lily this year. Joe, an undergraduate honor student at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is doing his senior thesis on Gray’s Lily. Joe has done the bulk of re-monitoring our 12 macro-plots (5 meter radius circular plots) as well as started the very first demography study (tracking the same individuals through time) on Roan Mountain. He plans to track the reproductive plants through this growing season. After the summer is over he will be analyzing the 3 year macro-plot data set as well as the demography study, with hopes of doing a meta-population analysis by including other researchers’ data sets. Sun hats off to Joe for helping get data on a rare plant that may well belong on the federal Endangered Species List.#230 and her twins from this year are doing fine. #210 is the young billy (his horns are much stouter than his sister’s), and #310 is the young doe. They started out a bit shy, like all the other kids, but soon became more outgoing just like their mother and her twins from last year. The twins spend most of their time together yet never very far from their mother.
G-man, my buddy, is one of #230’s twins from 2009. He survived last year’s hypothermia adventure (read about it elsewhere on the blog) and is the most outgoing ambassador goat of the 2009 kids. He has a rakish twist to his right horn that stands out from the other goats.
Here is an Eastern Photo Point 55mm shot from July 20 (from Harriet Bald viewing west at Jane Bald with Round Bald in the background).
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Return
Walkabout Goat, #902, last seen June 23 on Round Bald in the Rhododendron thicket during the 3rd Annual Herding of the Goats Across the Balds, showed up yesterday afternoon, July 12, at the goat paddock and allowed herself to be let back in. She appears fine and rather relieved to be back with the herd. There had been no reported sightings of her during her ca. 1 trail-mile 20-day walkabout. Nice to have her back.
- The Shepherd
- The Shepherd
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
3rd Annual Herding of the Goats!
This will be the 3rd Annual Herding of the Goats onto the Balds! Join us on Wednesday, June 23: with alternate bad weather days on the 22nd and 24th. Meet at Carvers Gap at 8:00am so the goats can beat the heat. Contact Jamey (tnplanthunter@yahoo.com) if you are willing to volunteer and help our baa-tany friends make it up to their summer home. If you are coming, please confirm with Jamey so he can prepare paperwork, and give him your phone number so he can contact you in case of change in plans.
If you would like to be a volunteer shepherd for a weekend, please contact Julie (jjudkins@appalachiantrail.org).
Weekend goatherds needed (Friday afternoon – Sunday afternoon):
July 2-4: Not Available
July 9-11: Not Available
July 16-18: Not Available
July 23-25: Not Available
July 30-August 1: Not Available
August 6-8: Not Available
August 13-15: Not Available
August 20-22: Not Available
August 27-29: Not Available
September 3-5: Not Available
September 10-12: Not Available
3rd Annual Herding of the Goats OFF the Balds (Wednesdays):
September 15: probable date
September 22: may stay an extra week if the weather is favorable…
If you would like to be a volunteer shepherd for a weekend, please contact Julie (jjudkins@appalachiantrail.org).
Weekend goatherds needed (Friday afternoon – Sunday afternoon):
July 2-4: Not Available
July 9-11: Not Available
July 16-18: Not Available
July 23-25: Not Available
July 30-August 1: Not Available
August 6-8: Not Available
August 13-15: Not Available
August 20-22: Not Available
August 27-29: Not Available
September 3-5: Not Available
September 10-12: Not Available
3rd Annual Herding of the Goats OFF the Balds (Wednesdays):
September 15: probable date
September 22: may stay an extra week if the weather is favorable…
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
G-Man's Adventure
On Wednesday, September 16, the rain started (the beginning of an 11-day stretch). On the morning of Monday, September 21, the 6th day of rain (cumulative total of 4 inches by Tuesday morning), G-Man was on his side, valiantly chewing what cud he could. He caught a chill: bona-fide hypothermia. I have learned that if you can pick up a goat or hug it then something is wrong. I gathered him up and picked some tasties for him to munch on. Bailey Goat, the one who got stuck in the hawthorn tree last year and who now has a children's book written about her, came over to investigate and had a knowing look in her eyes.
G-Man seemed to perk up with the fresh food and I put him down next to a pile of mostly Mountain Ash (with berries) and Blackberry and Beech leaves. Then I went to look check on the other goats. When I got back to G-Man he was on his side again. Couldn't do much for him with the winds and rain and the need to keep an eye on the other goats as well as cut more fence line and put up fence (rain or not) to get all the goats on fresh browse, so I decided it was best to evacuate him.
I called all my emergency numbers as well as left messages on the other phones that I was packing him out with hopes that someone would meet me so that I could get back to the rest of the goats. Wrapped him up in my fleece pullover that I had just packed in the day before and worn overnight and a garbage bag to block the wind, then tucked him inside the front of my rain jacket for the trek out.
Took 2 hours to hike the 2 miles from the AT - Grassy Ridge Trail fork area with frequent stops for me to rest (I don't have daddy arms / muscles for carrying any kind of kids for any kind of distance) and for him to munch, which he did most of the time. I kept telling him how much we needed him and to hang in there, that we didn't have far to go and that he would be warm and dry soon.
Got him settled into the middle of my truck seat with AC and heater on full, made one stop at Twin Springs for Sugar Maple and White Ash leaves, then continued on down the mountain. I was able to get Todd on the phone when I got to the town of Roan Mountain and we made plans to meet at Barker's, a drive in diner we both enjoy. I got there first, ordered 2 BLT's, a grilled ham & Swiss, french fries, and sweet tea with lemon (first food of the day for me). Ate the sandwiches and was finishing up the fries when Todd got there. By this time G-Man had roused himself and devoured the remaining leaves. Todd ordered a chocolate dipped cone. We got G-Man settled into Todd's car and I headed back up to the goats with 15 pounds of corn to give them all an energy boost (they loved it!).
Todd reported that G-Man quickly recovered and never lost his appetite, and has generally been keeping another goat kid who did not go up to the balds company while awaiting the return of the other goats.
His mother, Lady Chrevaset, just wasn't the same after he left. They have been or will soon be reunited. His twin brother Pete inquired about G-Man on my return and I told him that all was well and that everyone would be back together in another 9 days and asked him to pass the word along to his mother. Pete seemed satisfied with the answer.
We were lucky in that on Tuesday it did not rain but was still cloudy (I got the next paddock set up; we were actually working out the details of an emergency evacuation for everyone but thankfully the weather improved). Wednesday brought some sunshine which everyone needed. Some rain resumed both nights and then pretty much light-moderate rain Thursday and Friday. We had an intermediate herding from the east end of the saddle back into the saddle on Saturday. Had 9 people help with this - hard core folks - who braved the beginning of a storm that added 1.7 inches of horizontal rain and a bit of sleet making it 7.1 inches cumulative total for the 11 day stretch that ended late Saturday night / Sunday morning... The goats were, at this time, on fresh browse on the lee side of the ridge.
So that's the story of G-Man's Adventure that ended well. As I mentioned to some folks recently, most of this project runs on "blood, sweat, and tears". G-Man's Adventure involved all 3, at least on my part.
The herding of the goats off the mountain on September 30 went well.
I often think of a story (perhaps Judy told me) of a sheep rancher out west who only hires women shepherds. His reasoning is that "the women will do whatever it takes to take care of the sheep". High and hard standards for the guys to live up to but we have to try.
jamey
G-Man seemed to perk up with the fresh food and I put him down next to a pile of mostly Mountain Ash (with berries) and Blackberry and Beech leaves. Then I went to look check on the other goats. When I got back to G-Man he was on his side again. Couldn't do much for him with the winds and rain and the need to keep an eye on the other goats as well as cut more fence line and put up fence (rain or not) to get all the goats on fresh browse, so I decided it was best to evacuate him.
I called all my emergency numbers as well as left messages on the other phones that I was packing him out with hopes that someone would meet me so that I could get back to the rest of the goats. Wrapped him up in my fleece pullover that I had just packed in the day before and worn overnight and a garbage bag to block the wind, then tucked him inside the front of my rain jacket for the trek out.
Took 2 hours to hike the 2 miles from the AT - Grassy Ridge Trail fork area with frequent stops for me to rest (I don't have daddy arms / muscles for carrying any kind of kids for any kind of distance) and for him to munch, which he did most of the time. I kept telling him how much we needed him and to hang in there, that we didn't have far to go and that he would be warm and dry soon.
Got him settled into the middle of my truck seat with AC and heater on full, made one stop at Twin Springs for Sugar Maple and White Ash leaves, then continued on down the mountain. I was able to get Todd on the phone when I got to the town of Roan Mountain and we made plans to meet at Barker's, a drive in diner we both enjoy. I got there first, ordered 2 BLT's, a grilled ham & Swiss, french fries, and sweet tea with lemon (first food of the day for me). Ate the sandwiches and was finishing up the fries when Todd got there. By this time G-Man had roused himself and devoured the remaining leaves. Todd ordered a chocolate dipped cone. We got G-Man settled into Todd's car and I headed back up to the goats with 15 pounds of corn to give them all an energy boost (they loved it!).
Todd reported that G-Man quickly recovered and never lost his appetite, and has generally been keeping another goat kid who did not go up to the balds company while awaiting the return of the other goats.
His mother, Lady Chrevaset, just wasn't the same after he left. They have been or will soon be reunited. His twin brother Pete inquired about G-Man on my return and I told him that all was well and that everyone would be back together in another 9 days and asked him to pass the word along to his mother. Pete seemed satisfied with the answer.
We were lucky in that on Tuesday it did not rain but was still cloudy (I got the next paddock set up; we were actually working out the details of an emergency evacuation for everyone but thankfully the weather improved). Wednesday brought some sunshine which everyone needed. Some rain resumed both nights and then pretty much light-moderate rain Thursday and Friday. We had an intermediate herding from the east end of the saddle back into the saddle on Saturday. Had 9 people help with this - hard core folks - who braved the beginning of a storm that added 1.7 inches of horizontal rain and a bit of sleet making it 7.1 inches cumulative total for the 11 day stretch that ended late Saturday night / Sunday morning... The goats were, at this time, on fresh browse on the lee side of the ridge.
So that's the story of G-Man's Adventure that ended well. As I mentioned to some folks recently, most of this project runs on "blood, sweat, and tears". G-Man's Adventure involved all 3, at least on my part.
The herding of the goats off the mountain on September 30 went well.
I often think of a story (perhaps Judy told me) of a sheep rancher out west who only hires women shepherds. His reasoning is that "the women will do whatever it takes to take care of the sheep". High and hard standards for the guys to live up to but we have to try.
jamey
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Goats Journey off the Mountain
Greetings All,
A brief note to say that all the goats made it safely off the mountain yesterday and are snug in their barn in Shady Valley. We had a great turnout of volunteer goatherds (especially considering the low-mid 30 degree temperatures in the clouds at the start of the herding), perhaps 40 or more helpers but the final tally has not been done. i am heading back up today to finish wrapping and packing up the equipment before tomorrow's possibility of rains so that it can go directly into storage once leaving the mountain. More details to follow in a few-several days.
With much appreciation for the help, jamey
A brief note to say that all the goats made it safely off the mountain yesterday and are snug in their barn in Shady Valley. We had a great turnout of volunteer goatherds (especially considering the low-mid 30 degree temperatures in the clouds at the start of the herding), perhaps 40 or more helpers but the final tally has not been done. i am heading back up today to finish wrapping and packing up the equipment before tomorrow's possibility of rains so that it can go directly into storage once leaving the mountain. More details to follow in a few-several days.
With much appreciation for the help, jamey
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