Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
Discover the plants and animals as well as rocks and minerals that can be found at this state park in Ashe County.
Preview your trip on the web: Mount Jefferson State Natural Area
Learn more
- EEK! Environmental Education for Kids An electronic magazine for kids in grades 4-8 and their teachers too that features constantly changing information, games, and activities about nature and the environment.
- American Field Guide A collection of online videos that explore many aspects of America's wilderness from animals to earth and space to public policy.
- eNature.com Includes a field guide with over 5,000 species, a habitat gallery of places for wildlife near you, migration information, an ask-the-expert area, and more. You can also listen to an audio clip of the bird of the day!
- Lesson plan: Trees of North Carolina Students complete activities including tree and leaf identification, species comparison, online research, measurement, and creative writing in conjunction with monthly visits to the "Iredell County Outdoor Education Site"
- Lesson plan: Rock around the rock cycle Students will study the rock cycle to understand the relationship between the three types of rocks, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous, and the conditions needed to transform one type of rock into another. This hopefully will be accomplished through visual learning with computer activities and the demonstration and through auditory learning with the discussion. The student can then apply the knowledge they learned through a story.
- Lesson plan: Look at those leaves! Students observ attributes of leaves, group the leaves, and consider any patterns they see emerge.
Related pages
- Turnbull Creek Educational Forest: This is the only North Carolina Educational State Forest located in the coastal plain region of the state. Intended for use by both organized groups and the general public, Educational Forest Rangers are on staff to present programs to any requesting group.
- Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve: A visit to the Ev-Henwood Nature Preserve gives insight into the uses of the land from prehistoric times to the end of the twentieth century. Students can explore trails and learn about the plants and animals that are found there as well as the importance of protecting nature and our natural resources.
- Chimney Rock State Park: Explore the wonders of nature up close and personal at Chimney Rock Park. From nature talks and special programs to hiking trails, there is much to do and see.
Related topics
- Learn more about Ashe County, North Carolina, biology and life science, botany, environmental science, forests, geology, minerals, natural history, nature reserves, rocks, science, and trees.
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A botanical paradise, the slopes and summit of this mountain are home to a diverse population of trees, shrubs and wildflowers. The large variety of interesting and unusual plants qualified the area for designation as a national natural landmark by the National Park Service in 1975. Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. Rangers hold regularly scheduled educational and interpretive programs about Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. To arrange a special exploration of Mount Jefferson State Natural Area for your group or class, contact the park office. Mount Jefferson has a rich natural and cultural history, and the area has played an important role in the community. By special request, park rangers and/or local historians can guide you through the natural and cultural history of Mount Jefferson.
Educational materials about Mount Jefferson State Natural Area have been developed for grades 5-7 and are correlated to North Carolina’s competency-based curriculum in science, social studies, mathematics and English/language arts. The Mount Jefferson program introduces students to basic geologic processes, rocks and minerals of the area. Accompanying the program is a teacher’s booklet and workshop, free of charge to educators.
Each state park and recreation area has an EELE (environmental education learning experience) curriculum guide that includes on-site activities, pre- and post-visit activities, student information pages, worksheets, fact sheets, vocabulary, and references. You can receive a free copy of an EELE by attending its corresponding workshop at a park, or you can borrow these guides through interlibrary loan at any public library in North Carolina. The EELE for Mount Jefferson State Natural Area is “Metamorphic Mountain” for grades 5, 6, 7, 8 and high school.
The North Carolina State Parks website offers a search feature for finding the plants and animals that can be found at each state park. Using the drop-down menus, you can choose a park and either an amphibian, bird, reptile, mammal, fungus, insect, or vascular plant. You can search within each group by family, scientific name, or common name. There are photographs from the state parks and fun facts for some of the species.
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