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February 1-28
Support Our Wildlife Ambassadors
Roan Mountain State Park
All month
Price:
$10: Feeds one bird a day
$20: Feeds two birds a day
$30: Feeds three birds a day
$40: Feeds four birds a day
$50: Feeds five birds a day

At Roan Mountain, we house, care for, and educate the public on a variety of native animals. We work under an educational permit from the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Currently, we care for three birds of prey and several snakes. As you can imagine, caring for these animals is costly, as their food and health care are specialties.

All of our animals are non-releasable for a variety of reasons. We frequently program with these animals and never charge for educational programs when using them. Here is your opportunity to support our educational wildlife program and help us care for these animals.

All donations will go to purchase food, pay veterinary bills, buy gloves, tethers, falconry equipment, and aquarium bedding, and improve and build more housing facilities for our non-releasable birds of prey.

To donate, click the green “Register for Event” button at the right. Your donation is a one-time payment. If you wish to cover more than one day, update the “quantity” you wish to donate, or simply return to this page in future months.

Thank you for supporting our wildlife ambassadors at Roan Mountain State Park!

February 21
Senses of the Night Hike – 8-9 p.m. Meet at Shelter 3 in the campground. Price is $10, and you can register for the event. Join us on the evening of Friday, February 21, for an after-hours nature tour through the forests of Roan Mountain State Park. Park Ranger Rodriguez will lead you through the dark on a 0.5-mile hike through the Tom Gray trail. We will be learning about how nocturnal wildlife have adapted their senses for the dark and try our own hand at adapting to the night! From glow-in-the-dark animals, starry nights, and turning over logs and rocks to find some of our park’s most secretive wildlife, this nocturnal prowl is fun for the entire family.
This activity is limited to 20 participants at a cost of $10 per person. Registered participants will meet at Shelter 3, located in the campground on the right once you pass the tennis courts. Guests are encouraged to bring sturdy hiking shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, water, and a flashlight.

February 22
Tree Ring Printmaking – 6 to 8 p.m. Meet at the Conference Center. Price is $10, and you can register for the event. Come on out and join us as we create our very own works of art!
We will be utilizing wood that has fallen due to Hurricane Helene and repurposing them to create tree cookie prints! By using tree rings, we get the opportunity to dive deeper into learning the life story of that tree and the forest around it. As we learn more about dendrochronology, we will reflect on how we, and trees, measure our successes every year.
During this program, we will be using tree cookies, acrylic paint, and our canvases to create works of art. All materials are provided.
Registration is required as spaces are limited.

February 28
Raptors of the Roan
4-5 p.m. Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Office Aviary.
Join Roan Mountain State Park at the aviary, located at the park headquarters building, to meet our owl ambassadors and aviary staff. Participants will become familiar with the rich and unique diversity of birds of prey found in the park and surrounding area.
This is a great way to learn about local raptor birding destinations and events. Of course, meeting our live education owls is an experience all its own!

March 1
2025 Roan Mountain Weed Wrangle – 2-5 p.m. Meet at the Roan Mountain State Park Visitor Center. You can register for the event.
Join Roan Mountain State Park on Saturday, March 1, for a nationwide effort spearheaded by the Garden Club of America to remove invasive exotic plants from our landscape and replace them with useful native plants. From 2-5 p.m. EST at the Visitor Center, volunteers and park ranger staff will work together to remove non-native Chinese Privet from along the shores of the Doe River and prepare the area for planting native plants to outcompete the privet. This workday will start and end at the Visitor Center parking lot, where restrooms will be closed at all times. Volunteers will be given park tools and safety gear (gloves and eye protection) but are asked to bring water bottles and any snacks/medicine needed for a 3-hour work event.

June 23, 2025
Junior Ranger Camp (Ages 8-12)
8:30 a.m. to noon. Price: $75 per participant; $55 for Cloudland Elementary students.
Learn about safety, plants, animals, bugs, astronomy, environmental stewardship, history, and more. At the conclusion of the week, each participant will be sworn in as an official Junior Ranger for Tennessee State Parks at our graduation ceremony and banquet.
Camp runs Monday through Thursday, with the graduation ceremony and party taking place Friday night from 6-8:30 p.m. at the park Conference Center.
The registration fee of $75 includes a T-shirt, daily snacks, and a fun awards celebration on Friday night. After registration closes on June 1, registrants will receive additional paperwork via email, including a liability waiver, medical history form, and agenda details.
Registration is open to kids ages 8-12 only. Refunds will be granted for cancellations made before June 1. After June 1, no refunds will be given (T-shirts and supplies will have already been ordered).