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If Fossils Could Talk
Written By: Julie Schott - Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust | Issue: 2016/06 - June | Photograph By: Terry Barnes
These mountains are old. Some say they are the oldest mountains in the world.
Many of us have pondered what it must have been like here a century ago when these thriving mountain communities were just taking shape.
But have you ever thought about what these mountains were like even before that? Way before that?
On Tuesday, June 28, Dr. Frank Forcino will help us explore these questions and more as part of the Village Nature Series in Cashiers.
Dr. Forcino will take us on a tour of the Cashiers / Western North Carolina Region through Earth’s history. He will discuss the changes in the position and shape of the continents, examine fossils that represent the life that once inhabited the region as well as the different rock types that were formed at different points through the past 500 million years in Western North Carolina.
Finally, Dr. Forcino will discuss how all of the changes in life and environment through time are relevant to the climate and ecological changes currently occurring on Earth and in Western North Carolina.
Dr. Forcino is an Assistant Professor at Western Carolina University in the Geosciences and Natural Resources Department. He is a geologist with a specialty in paleontology —the study of ancient life. His research focuses on understanding the ecological conditions of the past 500 million years to put the current ecological and biodiversity changes in perspective.
The Village Nature Series is a free event sponsored by the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and The Village Green as part of their shared mission to protect and preserve our land and natural resources. The monthly presentations provide educational opportunities to learn about distinctive features of the area as well as offer cultural enrichment for residents and visitors to the Highlands-Cashiers community.
The programs are the last Tuesday of each month from May through September at The Village Green Commons on Frank Allen Road near the Cashiers post office. For more information, call (828) 526-1111 or visit hicashlt.org.
