Tennessee State Parks will be offering an opportunity for young women to learn more about the great outdoors in Carter County.
Roan Mountain State Park announced over the weekend the parks department would host a Girls Outdoor (GO!) Workshop in Roan Mountain September 30 to October 1. All activities will be held on the park’s campus.
Park Ranger Meg Guy stated this is the first time the park has offered the event. The GO! Workshop is geared to girls ages 12 to 15 years old and provides an “authentic experience” in the outdoors. Workshops are geared to provide opportunities to learn more about women in the science and conservation fields, and “foster a strong foundation in the natural world.”
Campers will participate in a bevy of activities, including a wilderness safety lesson, camping, a creek stomp, archery, astronomy, nature hikes and a stewardship project.
“I think that this event could be extremely influential in the lives of girls from our community,” Guy told the Elizabethton Star Monday. “Much is said about increasing the numbers of women in scientific fields, and I believe that this workshop could encourage young women to explore conservation and outdoor related fields.  They will also perhaps discover career possibilities that they didn’t know were available to them through the female role models presented in this workshop.
“Female Park Rangers, EMTs, Park Managers, TWRA officers, TDEC biologists, Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, Outdoor professionals, Astronomers, and others will all be in the lineup for GO!,” Guy continued. “Not to mention that it will just be plain fun spending the weekend camping in the park while hiking, learning archery, catching salamanders, stargazing, and more.”
Roan Mountain State Park, the 2016 State Park of the Year, is no stranger to allowing the public to experience the different activities available in the great outdoors. Over the summer, the site has offered various children’s camps to encourage the up-and-coming generation to take an investment of what Mother Nature, and Carter County, has to offer.
Guy stated the workshop would start at 9 a.m on Saturday, Sept. 30 and last until noon on Sunday, Oct. 1. The park ranger added overnight accommodations would include tent camping, tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags can be provided if needed. Campers will be asked to meet at group camp during the first day of the event.
Individuals can visit www. tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/roan-mountain/#/?event=GO-RMSP-September-2017 to register. Registration is $35 per person and includes all meals during the workshop.
For more information about the workshop, email Guy (meg.guy@tn.gov) and Katie Wisniewski (katie.wisniewski@tn.gov) with Tennessee State Parks.
Roan Mountain State Park has a bevy of activities still available this year. To learn more about the events on the horizon, visit their website or call 1-800-250-8620.