Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022
Time: 9 am – 4 pm
Leader(s): Kristy Ealdwine (She/Her)
Partners making it possible: SAWS (Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards)
Location: Raven Cliffs Wilderness, Raven Cliffs Falls Trail
Outing Description:
Volunteer training! This training session with our partners at SAWS will equip you to begin monitoring Wilderness character with Georgia ForestWatch. You will learn how to collect data for solitude monitoring, why it is valuable, and how you can use it to further conservation efforts in our area and others.
Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) is a conservation non-profit organization dedicated to educating, cultivating, and empowering an engaged public and the next generation in the stewardship of public lands in our backyard. At SAWS, we believe that taking care of our public lands and connecting them to the next generation matters. We also believe that it is our shared responsibility to care for these lands; to advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors; and to educate, train, and develop a skilled workforce to be the next conservation stewards and conservation leaders.
Meeting Place Directions:
PLEASE NOTE: We will meet at Dukes Creek parking area so we get cell reception area, then move our cars to Raven Cliffs Falls parking area.
See meeting place on Google Maps
Distance and Difficulty:
5 miles round trip with easy/moderate difficulty. There is a water crossing where the water is around a foot deep but could be deeper after a rain.
What to Bring and Wear:
$5 exact change for self-serve parking pass. Mask required if you cannot social distance, but we will do the outing in a social distance format. Please have a mask on standby.
Pack a lunch, snacks, and 2+ liters of water in a daypack. I will be handing out hard hats but feel free to bring your own. Dress for the cool end of the morning and peak daytime temperature. Always pack a rain coat. The outing will not be cancelled for light rain. There is a water crossing right away, and your feet may be wet for the duration of the hike.
Not required but recommended: Bring a phone or tablet with Survey123 and Avenza downloaded. Extra information will be provided in a folder before the event including how to get the survey, geo-referenced maps, and background information.
Cancellation: If Outing is cancelled due to weather or unforeseen circumstances, we will notify you via email by 6:00 pm on the evening before.
Pet Policy: One pet per person allowed. Pet considerations here
Participation Limit: 10
Please note: there are limited spots for this outing. We hope that this training will build skills and awareness for our volunteers, and most importantly, we hope it will engage those who can continue to utilize this information for solitude monitoring in the future.