April 2009 Asheville Field Office press releases, story ideas, and media advisories

April 7, 2009

Workshop Offered For Commercial Outdoor Guides

Contact: Gary Peeples, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, gary_peeples@fws.gov, 828/258-3939, ext. 234

A natural history workshop will be held for commercial outdoor guides on Thursday, April 30th, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. at the Nantahala Outdoor Center facilities on the French Broad River in Hot Springs.

“We’re bringing together the natural resource community and the guiding community in an effort to increase the knowledge of the guides, so they in turn can provide a richer experience that leaves clients with a deeper understanding of our natural heritage,” explained Gary Peeples with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

The workshop will offer sessions on the state of the French Broad River, fish ecology and identification, native plant identification, stream insects, stream geology and hydrology, and how to serve as interpreters of the natural world.

It’s sponsored by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Nantahala Outdoor Center, and Appalachian State University. Registration is $10, with participants receiving $10 off their ticket to the French Broad River Festival which begins on Friday, May 1st.  For information or to register, contact Gary Peeples at gary_peeples@fws.gov, or 828/258-3939, ext. 234.

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