Backcountry Ecology Expedition Camp

June 9 – 13

Great Smoky Mountains National Park covers approximately 800 square miles, but few visitors experience the wilder sections of the park.  Our Backcountry Ecological Expedition program explores the wild side of the Smokies. This program blends the science of our Field Ecology Adventure Camp with the thrill of Teen High Adventure. We will canoe to an island in Fontana Lake, a large lake that forms the southern border of the park. Once at the island, we will set up camp for 4 days and 3 nights. From the island, we will take day trips to the mainland to set-up field experiments in support of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, an ambitious project that is attempting to document all of the estimated 100,000 species found in the Smokies. Butterflies, beetles, birds, and botany are just a few of the subjects of our investigations as we explore the creeks and hollows in search of the next organism new to the park or even to science!