CALENDAR

MAY 8, 2008  Southern Indiana Hiking Club will meet at Clarksville (IN) Public Library at 7 PM.  Program topics are "Mount St. Helens" and "Death Valley."  For more information contact Troy Wright (502)817-7969 or twinsdad07@hotmail.com 

MAY 9, 2008  Mayor's Healthy Hometown Pedestrian Summit:  5:30 - 7 pm  "Kick-off Reception" will be held at Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville.  For more information, visit www.louisvillepedsummit.com  

MAY 10, 2008  Mayor's Healthy Hometown Pedestrian Summit:   9 am - 3 pm  "Pedestrian Summit" will be held at Gheens Academy and Male High School cafeteria at 4425 Preston Highway in Louisville.  For more information, visit www.louisvillepedsummit.com 

MAY 12, 2008  Volunteer work day at Floracliff State Nature Preserve.  Meet at 1 pm to help remove invasive species.  For more information, contact floracliff@aol.com or visit www.floracliff.org 

MAY 16 - 18, 2008  Trail Days in Damascus, Virginia.  For more information, visit www.traildays.info 

MAY 17, 2008  Mammoth Cave National Park Backcountry Work Day.  Meet at Maple Springs trailhead parking area at 9 AM CST.  All tools will be provided.  Contact Larry Johnson at L_Wayne_Johnson@nps.gov for more information.

MAY 19, 2008  Spencer County Trails Group February Meeting will be held  from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at On the Way Cafe in Taylorsville.  All future meetings will be held the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

JUNE 7, 2008  National Trails Day.  Visit www.americanhiking.org for more information.

JUNE 9, 2008  Volunteer work day at Floracliff State Nature Preserve.  Meet at 1 pm to help remove invasive species.  For more information, contact floracliff@aol.com or visit www.floracliff.org

JUNE 11 - 15, 2008  Twice a year at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County, people from throughout the United States meet for a four-day, four-night workshop highlighting the best natural areas in the region. The “In the Footsteps of Lucy Braun” workshop is named after the famed ecologist, Lucy Braun, who was the first to recognize that the Eastern Kentucky forests are the most diverse in Kentucky.  The full four-day session is the most enjoyable, but individuals can request to attend for two or three days if necessary.  Participants pay just $275 for meals, lodging and transportation to some of the most spectacular places in the region. These include Bad Branch State Nature Preserve, Lilley Cornett Woods, Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve, Black Mountain, and the Pine Mountain Trail State Nature Preserve. The workshop also offers a wide variety of lectures on botany, geology, ornithology, and current land conservation efforts in Kentucky.  Please visit www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com or call 606-558-3571 for more information. The workshop is geared toward adults, and participants should be able to hike four to eight miles daily on moderate to strenuous trails. 

JULY 25 - 27, 2008  Forecastle Festival in Louisville, KY.  Music, art and active lifestyle.  To see who is participating this year, visit www.forecastlefest.com 

AUGUST 13 - 17, 2008  Twice a year at the Pine Mountain Settlement School in Harlan County, people from throughout the United States meet for a four-day, four-night workshop highlighting the best natural areas in the region. The “In the Footsteps of Lucy Braun” workshop is named after the famed ecologist, Lucy Braun, who was the first to recognize that the Eastern Kentucky forests are the most diverse in Kentucky.  The full four-day session is the most enjoyable, but individuals can request to attend for two or three days if necessary.  Participants pay just $275 for meals, lodging and transportation to some of the most spectacular places in the region. These include Bad Branch State Nature Preserve, Lilley Cornett Woods, Blanton Forest State Nature Preserve, Black Mountain, and the Pine Mountain Trail State Nature Preserve. The workshop also offers a wide variety of lectures on botany, geology, ornithology, and current land conservation efforts in Kentucky.  Please visit www.pinemountainsettlementschool.com or call 606-558-3571 for more information. The workshop is geared toward adults, and participants should be able to hike four to eight miles daily on moderate to strenuous trails.

SEPTEMBER 18 - 21, 2008  Rally 2008:  National Land Conservation Conference in Pittsburgh, PA.  For more information, visit www.lta.org 

OCTOBER 19 - 25, 2008  American Hiking Society is sponsoring a volunteer vacation at Mammoth Cave National Park.  For more information, visit www.americanhiking.org/events/vv or call (301)565-6704

OCTOBER 2008 (dates TBA)  Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association (ALDHA) "Gathering".  For more information, visit www.aldha.org 

NOVEMBER 15 - 18, 2008  19th National Trails Symposium, Little Rock, Arkansas.  www.AmericanTrails.org