Stories from a Wildlife Veterinarian: From Oak Ridge to Peru and from Box Turtles to Penguins
In-person Program Friday June 5th at 7pm
Register to reserve your seat!
Location: The City Room, Roane State – Oak Ridge
Join the UT Arboretum Society and co-sponsors on Friday, June 5, for a globe-trotting evening with Dr. Matt Allender, a wildlife veterinarian whose work has taken him from the forests of Oak Ridge to the coast of Peru. In “Stories from a Wildlife Veterinarian: From Oak Ridge to Peru and from Box Turtles to Penguins,” Allender will share behind-the-scenes stories from a career spent studying and protecting wildlife, from long-running research on Eastern box turtles in Tennessee to conservation work with Humboldt penguins in South America. Please register to reserve your seat.
Dr. Allender is a board-certified zoo and wildlife veterinarian whose career bridges field research, disease investigation and wildlife conservation. He is the founder and director of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois and Director of Conservation Medicine and Science at Brookfield Zoo Chicago. His 18-year study of Eastern box turtles in Oak Ridge and Illinois has helped identify new viruses, bacteria and other health threats, while his ongoing Humboldt penguin work—begun in 2010—now brings together a multidisciplinary team studying pathogens, toxins and other causes of decline, including increasing El Niño events and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
This in-person presentation is co-sponsored by the UT Arboretum Society (UTAS), the Clinch River Environmental Studies Organization (CRESO),) Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning (TCWP), and the American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE).
Please contact Michelle at mcampani@utk.edu for any questions or registration issues.
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Dr. Matt Allender with Eastern Box Turtle
Guided Bird Walk: Wednesday, May 20 at 8am
Register to Reserve Your Spot
The American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) and the University of Tennessee Arboretum are partnering together to launch a new Citizen Science Birding Program to connect community members with hands-on science, local biodiversity, and ongoing conservation efforts. The May Guided Bird Walk will be held at the UT Arboretum on Wednesday, May 20th at 8:00 am. Please meet at the kiosk outside of the UT Arboretum Visitors Center. This guided walk will be led by volunteers from the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The event is limited to 25 participants and registration is required to save your spot. No pets please. Please wear comfortable shoes, bring hiking poles and binoculars if you wish. There will be a limited supply of loaner binoculars on a first come basis at the hike.
“Bird watching is now North America’s second most popular outdoor activity (second only to gardening).” Says AMSE educator Corky Witt. “There must be something to it—so come out with us and find out why!”
For questions or more information please contact Courtney Beard at cbeard@amse.org or 865-385-6081
Location: 901 S. Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
Creating Beautiful Blues and Patterns: Indigo and Shibori with Jan Quarles
Register to reserve your spot! Class Limit 12
Saturday, May 2, 9am-4pm, Fee $185 includes all supplies
Join us to discover the amazing transformations of indigo, the enchanting natural blue dye that is centuries old! You will learn and create among nature’s beauty in the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In this unique and intimate setting, limited to 12 students, fiber artist Jan Quarles will be your guide for an exploration of indigo and basic shibori – Japanese patternmaking techniques. Pre-registration is required. You’ll learn about the history of indigo dye and how it’s been used around the world. We will use two kinds of indigo vats, and you will learn how to make a small vat for home use. You’ll explore folding and clamping (itajime) and wrapping (arashi), traditional Japanese techniques, and learn other ways to make marks on natural fabrics. The full-day of instruction workshop fee of $185 +fee includes all supplies for your take homes of a silk scarf, two tea towels, an organic bandana, and sampling fabrics, as well as gloves, notes, a list of resources and extensive practice using provided shibori tools. UT Arboretum Society members receive a 10% discount. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dye on (indigo can be a messy process). You may bring 2 small items of your own to dye as well, bandana, a t-shirt etc. This class is not suitable for children – age 16 and up.
We will begin the day inside our auditorium for a history of indigo dying and then move outside to the covered Sharp Program Shelter for the dye portion of the class. The class is planned from 9am-4pm – please bring your own lunch, snacks, and drinks for the day. No refunds will be available unless the class minimum is met or we are able to fill your spot from a waitlist.
Jan Quarles is a long-time fiber artist who works with the beauty of the natural world. She has worked for over 30 years with fiber and color as a dyer, knitter, spinner and weaver. For the past 10 years she has focused on indigo in its many forms and on botanical printing. She is a former journalist and professor of mass communication in the United States and abroad. She has studied from expert teaching artists at craft schools like Arrowmont, Shakerag, Penland, John C. Campbell and Aya Studio. She studied in Japan in 2023 and in North Carolina in 2024 with her shibori teacher. Jan also collects textiles from around the world and will bring examples from her own indigo collection to share with the class.
For questions or registration issues contact UT Arboretum Education Coordinator, Michelle Campanis at mcampani@utk.edu or 865-483-7277.
Location: UT Arboretum Auditorium, 901 S. Illinois Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
