On Thursday October 22, 2026, at 7:00 pm Glenn Gravatt will present “A Journey Through the Appalachian Trail Ecosystem” at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV.
After retiring from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Glenn hiked the entire Appalachian trail from 2014 to 2016. As a forester and wildlife biologist, Glenn will weave into his journey various ecological observations he made while hiking “the green tunnel” from Georgia to Maine.
The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T. extends almost 2,200 miles between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, passing through 14 states. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy claims the AT to be the world's longest hiking-only trail. First proposed in 1921 and completed in 1937, improvements and changes have continued since then. It became the Appalachian National Scenic Trail under the National Trails System Act of 1968. The trail is maintained by 31 trail clubs and multiple partnerships managed by the National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the nonprofit Appalachian Trail Conservancy.
Glenn Gravatt received his degrees from Virginia Tech and worked for the State of Maryland in forest inventory. He then worked 35 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service supporting science and technology applications in ecology, population biology and species inventory. Before retiring, Glenn’s last position was Chief of Science and Technology Training at the National Conservation Training Center. He continues to “rehike” sections of the
Appalachian Trail and introduce new people to backpacking and the outdoors. Glenn lives with his wife, Debbie, on their 30-acre farm near the AT in Harpers Ferry, WV.
This event is free and open to the public. To register, please email: NCTC-Lecture-Series@fws.gov
Include the program date, the names of adults attending, and any questions.
Doors open at 6:30 PM.
Program begins at 7:00 PM.
This lecture will be recorded and available online Oct. 29 at 2:00 pm ET.
Hosted by The National Conservation Training Center. The NCTC Conservation Lecture Series is co-sponsored by The Friends of the NCTC