Letter from Our Executive Director – July 2026

Letter from Our Executive Director – July 2026

Dear Friends of Southern Highlands Reserve,  Summer on the mountain feels like a deep exhale. After the anticipatory energy of spring — the unfurling, the first blooms, the eager arrival of visitors — summer settles into something fuller and more generous. The...
Women Shaping Conservation

Women Shaping Conservation

We are proud to shine a light on something we believe is worth celebrating: the women who are doing the hands-on, boots-in-the-soil, data-in-the-spreadsheet work of conservation at Southern Highlands Reserve. Our team reflects a growing truth — that women are more...
Gardening Corner – Summer 2026

Gardening Corner – Summer 2026

Summer in Western North Carolina is the season for which we garden. Long days, afternoon thunderstorms, cool nights at elevation — it is, in every respect, the best time to be on this mountain. The forest is at peak density, the living collection is in full...
Programming for Children: Nature Play Day

Programming for Children: Nature Play Day

Building on the success of last year’s Nature Play Day, we recently partnered with the Lake Toxaway Nature Park to offer a special event for children and their families. A joyful group of children spent a morning exploring the garden and learning about...