Slow Burn: Fall Foliage Taking Its Time

Posted on October 3, 2013 by

Fall Color at Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest

One good place in North Carolina to see spectacular fall color is Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Forest in Wilkes County

No, it’s not another sign of the federal government shutdown. North Carolina’s hardwood trees are taking their time to change colors this fall because of a low-stress growing season that included plenty of moisture and mild temperatures, a North Carolina State University expert says.

“Growing conditions have been good, so trees have postponed shutting down the food factories in their leaves,” says Dr. Robert Bardon, forestry and environmental resources professor. “I expect the fall colors will arrive a little bit later than usual.”

While the federal closures mean that leaf peepers won’t be able to check National Park Service websites or use the visitor centers on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Bardon says it’s still possible to map out a spectacular fall foliage tour. “Through our state and local governments, we have access to a lot of information. We can still enjoy the colors.”

The North Carolina Forest Service is open for business, along with eight educational state forests across the state. Both are keeping their websites updated with information for visitors. Check http://www.ncforestservice.gov/ or http://www.ncesf.org/ for the latest conditions.

Two of Bardon’s scenic picks are Rendezvous Mountain Educational State Park in Wilkes County and Merchant Mills Pond State Park in Gates County. The earliest color displays will be at high-elevation sites like Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain.

“The nice thing about our state is that we have a wider window for fall colors because of our topography,” says Bardon, who leads extension programs in the College of Natural Resources. “Color moves gradually across the state from mountains to coast, giving us plenty of opportunities to enjoy the foliage.”

Yellow and orange leaves come from carotenoids, the pigments that give carrots and sweet potatoes their color. Anthocyanin provides rich reds later in the growing season as nighttime temperatures fall. Both pigments are present in leaves, but during the growing season they’re overshadowed by bright green chlorophyll, Bardon says.

Media Contacts: Dr. Robert Bardon, 919/515-5575 or rebardon@ncsu.edu
D’Lyn Ford, News Services, 919/513-4798 or dcford@ncsu.edu

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Colby Named Chair of UNC Staff Assembly

Posted on September 30, 2013 by

Susan Colby, a staff person and alumna of our Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management was recently named chair of the UNC Staff Assembly representing over 27,000 UNC System staff members to UNC System President, Tom Ross. She shared with us a little about the path which lead herto this leadership position.

At the age of 12, Susan Saunders Colby (BA, BS PRTM, ’85, MPRTM, ’12) looked off the balcony of Lee Residence Hall over central campus towards downtown Raleigh and knew that she wanted to attend NC State University.

I was a delegate to NC 4-H Club Congress for several years and each summer we would spend a week at State for 4-H competitions. I just fell in love with the campus and the city of Raleigh. Plus my favorite color is ‘red’ so I didn’t have a problem with the school colors.”

Colby entered NC State in the fall of 1980 with sights set on having a career in sports broadcasting. After the first communications class, she decided that might not be her best career choice. So, sitting on her bed in Lee Hall, with the help of the old-fashioned NC State Course Catalog, she found Recreation Resources Administration (now Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management) and felt this major would lead to a career which would keep her involved and enhance the things she loved.

“I remember thinking ‘what would my dream job look like?’ and coming up with the answer of ‘wearing shorts, t-shirts, a bathing suit and sneakers in the summer, sweatpants in the winter, something in sport or outdoors, and working with kids and older adults’. I was thrilled to find RRA. The things I learned from Beth Wilson, Carol Love, Bob Sternloff and so many others set me up for a successful career with the YMCA. My first position was as Youth and Day Camp Director, then as Health and Wellness Director where I worked with preschoolers through active older adults. I had my dream job!”

Colby returned to NC State in 2000 and now serves as the Student Services Coordinator for the NC State PGA Golf Management Program in PRTM. She is the advisor for the PGM Ambassadors, and the Women in PGA Golf Management and the Women Rising to the Top in PRTM student organizations. “I love what I do now. I enjoy watching our students grow, mature, graduate and become successful in their careers and in life. I guess I’ve had two dream jobs really.”

This month, October 2013) Colby will take on another leadership role as Chair of the UNC Staff Assembly representing over 27,000 UNC System staff members to UNC System President, Tom Ross. She just completed a year as Chair of the NC State Staff Senate in which she served as the voice of staff to Chancellor Randy Woodson and members of the NC State administration and Board of Trustees. “I feel like I’m ‘tri-lingual’, says Colby. ‘I speak student, alumni and staff.”

In her upcoming role with the UNC Staff Assembly, Colby will lead discussions with staff members from the 17 institutions across NC and relay information from those meetings to President Ross and his staff at UNC General Administration.

“Right now there is a lot talk about higher education, budget concerns, and staff reductions in force. Staff are worried. My goal is to be an effective communicator to the President on behalf of my colleagues throughout the state. And, to work with staff from the different campuses to generate ideas to help with morale issues and ideas for no-to-low cost benefits which can be given to employees who haven’t had a raise in 4 years.”

Colby earned her MPRTM in December 2012. In regards to the PRTM Online Masters Program she says, “I absolutely loved the Master of PRTM program. I learned so much. Most of my comments to the Staff Assembly delegation last October came from lessons learned through Dr. Jason Bocarro’s class on Organizational Behavior and Leadership.

Thanks to the grant writing portion of the Advanced Fiscal Management class I now have the basis for a grant I’d like to write to the PGA Foundation regarding funds for adaptive golf equipment. The funds would allow our students to work with people who would like to learn to play golf, but have special needs. The PRTM Online Masters is a great program and I’d would highly recommend it. You’re never too old to learn!”

PRTM Team + Volunteers = Quality Visitor Impact Data

Posted on September 9, 2013 by

How do managers at the Rachel Carson and Masonboro Island Reserves learn about how visitors impact Reserve land and resources?

In the past, monitoring visitor use of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve sites presented a challenge due to limited resources and staff time.

However, a recent partnership between the Coastal Reserve and North Carolina State University focuses on training Reserve volunteers to monitor visitor use and impacts on natural environments.

This will ultimately improve staff understanding of how people use the Reserve and help tailor stewardship efforts to benefit both visitors and the Reserves’ natural resources.

Dr. Yu-Fai Leung of N C State’s Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management department is interested in studying sustainable visitor use in protected areas, and how participatory monitoring of visitor impacts can provide useful data to protected area managers.

As federal and state protected lands with significant public use for recreation and wildlife viewing, the Coastal Reserve is an ideal study area to implement Dr. Leung’s research on using volunteers to monitor visitor use and impacts.

Dr. Leung states that data collection by volunteers can “benefit the public good of these coastal resources by balancing visitor use and conservation goals.”

Read the complete article on the NC Coastal Reserve website.

CNR helps NCSU Break Fundraising Record

Posted on August 8, 2013 by secorica

NC State University fundraising efforts hit record breaking levels for fiscal year 2012-2013 with gifts and pledges totalling $198.2 million – a 78% increase over the previous year. Cash in the door jumped 27 percent to $127.6 million. Fundraising for the endowment was off the charts, raising nearly $130 million. And the annual giving program surpassed 2011-12 by 7 percent, collecting nearly $2 million.

Donations to the College of Natural Resources grew 263% over the previous year to $9 million. The total is due in part to a soon-to-be-announced $7 million gift from a donor who isn’t even an alumnus, just a committed wildlife enthusiast who believes in the work the college is doing.

Donor support is critical as the university faces an expected 5 percent cut in state funding this year just as it begins to implement an ambitious strategic plan that calls for investments in faculty and infrastructure to improve student success, confront society’s grand challenges and drive economic development.

Learn more >>

Trust Thy Neighbor

Posted on August 8, 2013 by

During times of community change, familiar sources of information feel more trustworthy

Increases in population size may lead to a breakdown in social trust, according to Jordan Smith a professor in North Carolina State University’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management.

As local populations grow, local elected officials and national news media become less trusted, compared with friends and family, local churches and civic institutions. This ‘trust deficit’ has implications for long-term environmental and community planning.