Newest Edition of “Wild Ideas” Series: Wild Ideas for Getting Outside

The next event in TLC’s Wild Ideas series is coming up on March 3rd! This event will focus on Wild Ideas for Getting Outside, and will feature dynamic presentations from local outdoor adventurers, who will share their tips, tricks, and wildest outdoor adventures in the Triangle through rapid-fire imagery and storytelling. Presenters will cover mountain biking, children and family outdoors activities, canoeing, kayaking, and paddling, as well as hiking. If you want to be involved in a community forum for fresh ideas and innovations, then this series, as well as the follow-up Wild Ideas Goes Outside, on Saturday, March 7th, is the perfect venue for you.

We are extraordinarily lucky to have Joe Miller host the event. Joe Miller is the creator and author of the Triangle’s popular GetGoingNC.com website, where he explores fitness and adventure in North Carolina. He has published three books, including “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina,” “Backpacking North Carolina,” and “Adventure Carolina.” He’s the founder of the statewide GetHiking! Program, with about 2,400 members, and does corporate wellness hiking programs as well. He is the former outdoor adventure writer for The News & Observer in Raleigh.

People think the Triangle is a great place to live because of its proximity to adventure at the coast and in the mountains, but you can find great adventure right out your back door,” shares expert host Joe Miller. “There’s paddling (including whitewater on the Haw River), a killer greenway system and about 200 miles of natural surface trail offering solid hiking, trail running and mountain biking. You don’t find many urban areas offering so much immediate gratification.”

Vanessa Roth will present on mountain biking, and was inspired to pursue outdoor activities when she attended beautiful Northern Arizona University. She has lived in the Triangle for 8 years, and has a wealth of knowledge to share with participants.

We all know that inspiring children and families to participate in outdoor activities has important health and conservation benefits. Wendy Banning, Director of Learning Outside, will discuss the important role of the natural world in children’s lives and learning, the subject of the 2011 book she wrote with Ginny Sullivan: “Lens on Outdoor Learning.”

Canoeing, kayaking, and paddling can give outdoor adventurers a whole new perspective on their natural environment, especially along river and lake habitats. Banks Dixon knows the value of these outdoor adventure based activities, and he has worked as an outdoor guide, instructor, and environmentalist since the late 1980s (including time on staff with TLC!).

Beky Branagan will present on one of the most beloved outdoor activities, hiking. She was born and raised in upstate New York, and has since earned a BS and an MS in Outdoor Recreation. An advocate for outdoor experiences for children and adults, she works at Duke University and volunteers as an outdoor Skills Facilitator for the Girl Scouts and as the North Carolina leader for Outdoor Afro.

Given that 2016 is the centennial of the NC State Parks system, we’ll be closing out our speakers with remarks from the NC State Parks Director Mike Murphy. Mike became Director of North Carolina State Parks in July 2014 after a varied career including investment banking, nonprofits, education, government, and military service. He’s excited to share with us all the fun events they have planned to celebrate the park system's 100th birthday.

After the presentations, participants can enjoy delicious food and drinks, with refreshing beer donated by the Lonerider Brewing Company of Raleigh. While you mingle and munch, TLC and many other local organizations will be there to provide information about a wide range of outdoor activities. See below for a full list! As a follow-up on Saturday, March 7th, Wild Ideas Goes Outside will give participants the opportunity to experience many of the outdoor activities described during the presentations, with events all day and throughout the Triangle.

Wild Ideas for Getting Outside will begin at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at The Frontier, RTP’s newest innovation hub and creativity center (for a map, click here). This event is please, but please register in advance online. TLC’s Wild Ideas series is generously sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina with additional support for this event from Great Outdoor Provision Company.

Organizations participating in Wild Ideas for Getting Outside:

Chapel Hill Bird Club
CHER
East Coast Greenways Alliance
Eno River Association
Frog Hollow Outdoors
Get Hiking! Triangle
Go Take A Hike, Buddy! Meetup Group
Great Outdoor Provision Company
Haw River Canoe & Kayak Co.
Learning Outside
Mountains to Sea Trail
NC Rail-Trails
New Hope Audubon
Outdoor Afro
REI
Raleigh Parks & Rec
Research Triangle Foundation
TORC
Trailheads
Triangle Land Conservancy

About the Author:

Garrett Johnson