Meanderings to an Alaskan Glacier and Back: Scenic and cultural observations of a Juneau forest ranger from NC

LENOIR, NC (March 3, 2019) — Please join us on Wednesday, 6 March @ 11:00 a.m. for a special presentation by Julie Mullis, a local gal from Deep Gap, NC, as she brings scenic highlights and cultural observations from her season as a forest ranger in the Tongass National Forest in Juneau, Alaska and her month long meandering trek back home to North Carolina through western Canada and the northern United States.

Julie retired from 20 years of teaching English and humanities courses at Wilkes Community College as well as serving as global education director and department chair. Prior to her teaching job, she worked eight seasons as an interpretive National Park Ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as two seasons as outreach ranger at the US Army Corps of Engineers’ W. Kerr Scott Lake. Throughout her teaching years, she continued presenting volunteer programs on mushrooms, edible and medicinal wild plants, and other natural science topics to local state parks and civic groups.

This past year she drove to Bellingham, Washington, then took a three-day Alaska Marine Highway ferry to Juneau, Alaska, where she worked for five months at the Mendenahll Glacier Visitor Center in Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the U.S. While there, she interacted daily with black bears and porcupines and taught visitors about many topics relevant to the recreation area, including glaciers, salmon, bears, temperate rain forests, birds and climate change dynamics. She spent the month of October 2018 leisurely driving back home to Deep Gap.

Beginning 11 March, she will begin a seasonal environmental educator position at Grandfather Mountain through 9 November. She will be leading visiting school and camp groups through various activities involving local animals, plants, geologic features and weather, as well as helping with other educational special events and programming.