Balsam Mountain Trust Director Michael Skinner and a Red-Tailed Hawk. Image courtesy of GSMNP

Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Balsam Mountain Trust are presenting a special program, Birds of Prey, at the Oconaluftee Multipurpose Room on Friday, July 10. This is the third year for the program.

Michael Skinner, Executive Director of the Balsam Mountain Trust, will conduct an hour-long Birds of Prey program beginning at 11:00 a.m. This program will provide visitors with an up-close glimpse of some of the most recognized and revered birds such as the tiny eastern screech owl and northern bald eagle.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Balsam Mountain Trust for a third year,” Said, Supervisory Park Ranger Lynda Doucette. “This program provides an opportunity for park visitors to see and learn about these beautiful birds first hand.”

Balsam Mountain Trust is a local non-profit whose mission is the stewardship of the natural and cultural resources on Balsam Mountain Preserve and the Blue Ridge Mountain region, through effective land management practices, scientific research, and environmental education. The Trust has earned special distinction as a place where non-releasable birds of prey are taken in, cared for, and then utilized as educational ambassadors.

The Oconaluftee Multipurpose Room is adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on Newfound Gap Road, 2 miles north of Cherokee, North Carolina.