The Friends of Gorges State Park (FOG) in North Carolina will hold its 2022 annual meeting on June 6 at the Transylvania County Library’s Rogow Room from 4:15 to 6 PM. All FOG members and the general public are welcome to attend this free event, featuring refreshments, park updates, and a keynote speech from Dr. Larry Ragsdale.
From 4:15 to 5 PM, a meet and greet event will be scheduled. It will have snacks and refreshments from Simple Treats Catering, free FOG gifts for registered attendees, and an optional sign-up bonus will be available.
Non-members can also sign up for membership for only $15 and get an additional seven months of membership until 2023 for free, according to a report.
The FOG annual meeting will run between 5 and 5:20 PM. Committee reports and a message from Board President Steve Pagano will be provided.
From 5:20 to 6 PM, park updates, a keynote speech, and a friend of the year award will take place. Park Superintendent Kevin Bischof will provide updates on GSP, including the new $5.8 million family campground scheduled to open this summer.
Keynote speaker Dr. Larry Ragsdale, Ph.D., is a Biology Professor Emeritus Emory University and Dalton Professor of Environmental Studies Emeritus Brevard College. He will address the importance of friendship groups to local parks and how that can be used to mitigate the effects of climate change.
In Georgia, Ragsdale initiated a new type of state park, the Panola Mountain Conservation State Park.
In North Carolina, he was also a member of the inaugural Gorges State Park Advisory Committee for Gorges State Park, a founding president of FOG, served as a vice president of North Carolina Friends of State Parks, and currently is vice president of the North Carolina State Parks Partners Foundation.
FOG is thrilled to share that board member, and longtime volunteer Linda Ives has been selected as the 2022 Friends of Gorges State Park Friend of the Year. The honorary award will be presented at the annual meeting.
Capacity is limited, and FOG asks that all who plan to attend register online at www.friendsofgorges.org.
This article originally appeared on The Transylvania Times.