LINVILLE — Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, is hosting the third presentation of the Grandfather Presents 2024 speaker series on Aug. 15. Dale Hall, retired Ducks Unlimited CEO, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and author, continues these Thursday night presentations.
The new Wilson Center for Nature Discovery will play host to the event. Guests will get to experience a “night at the museum” atmosphere, the speaker presentation and book-signing/“meet-and-greet” opportunities.
This season’s Grandfather Presents roster has an emphasis on those who make it their life’s mission to highlight the challenges, opportunities and good work happening around exploration, nature and conservation. Following Hall, these presentations conclude with biologist, educator, ecologist, explorer and author Margaret Lowman, Ph.D., also known as “CanopyMeg,” on Sept. 19.
Dale Hall has more than 40 years of professional experience in fish and wildlife resource management in both the federal and private sectors. He served over 30 years in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with duties across the United States and the Caribbean. In the course of those assignments, Hall worked on nearly every high-profile environmental issue in America. A fisheries and wetlands biologist by training, Hall spent significant time working on the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. In his last three and a half years with the FWS, he was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Following retirement from federal service, Hall was CEO of Ducks Unlimited Inc. for over nine years. During that time, more than $2.5 billion was raised and more than 2 million acres of wetlands, grasslands and waterfowl habitat were conserved.
Hall’s presentation will concentrate on the history of fish and wildlife protection in the U.S. He will also discuss what his childhood was like in Appalachia, and how it led him into a career focused on conservation.
“We are thrilled to host someone as dedicated to our environment as Dale Hall as part of our Grandfather Presents series,” said Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. “His efforts and achievements in conservation directly align with our organization’s mission to be stewards of the natural world through education, exploration and example. We greatly look forward to hearing from him and learning from the experiences he shares.”
Hall is the author of numerous scientific articles and two books, “Compelled” and “My Appalachian Trail.” Copies of Hall’s books will be on sale at Grandfather Mountain’s Wilson Center gift shop prior to the event and on Aug. 15 during Grandfather Presents, as supplies last. All four of this year’s Grandfather Presents speakers have authored books, and the mountain has launched a summer reading list to accompany these talks. To learn more, visit www.grandfather.com/reading-list.
Schedule: Aug. 15, 2024
8 a.m. | Grandfather Mountain opens for the day, and “VIP Reception” ticket holders are allowed access to the park. New this year, your event ticket will be scanned at one of our ticket booths at the entrance gate.4:45 p.m. | “Presentation” ticket holders are allowed to enter the park and are welcome to explore the Conservation Campus (Wilson Center, Mildred the Bear Environmental Habitats and more) prior to the speaker presentation. New this year, your event ticket will be scanned at one of our ticket booths at the entrance gate.4:45 to 5:45 p.m. | Check-in for all event attendees near the front entrance of the Wilson Center (to receive your wristband for the event)5 to 5:30 p.m. | “VIP” reception in the Wilson Center (“VIP Reception” ticket holders only)5:45 to 6:45 p.m. | Speaker presentation in the Classroom in the Clouds6:45 to 7:30 p.m. | Meet-and-greet/book signing with speaker7:45 p.m. | Park should be clear of all Grandfather Presents guests.
Event Tickets
Two levels of tickets are available for the Thursday night Grandfather Presents programs.
“VIP Reception” tickets include a VIP reception with the guest speaker that features heavy hors d’oeuvres, in addition to the program and “meet-and-greet/book-signing” session after the event. Admission to the park for the day is also included. “VIP Reception” adult tickets are $60 and $51 for members of the Bridge Club, the park’s annual membership program. VIP tickets to the event are limited.
“Presentation” tickets are a more cost-effective option and include only the speaker’s program and the “meet-and-greet/book-signing” session after the event. “Presentation” adult tickets are $25 and $20 for Bridge Club members. Children, ages 12 and under, are admitted free to the event with a paying adult. A maximum of four free children is permitted per purchase.
New this year, Bridge Club members will be required to enter their membership number online to gain access to their discounted event tickets when purchasing.
Tickets for “Grandfather Presents: Dale Hall” are on sale online.
To learn more about “Grandfather Presents: Dale Hall” and to purchase tickets, visit www.grandfather.com/event/grandfather-presents-dale-hall.
To learn more about the Grandfather Presents speaker series, visit www.grandfather.com/grandfather-presents.
The nonprofit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world through education, exploration and example. For more information, visit www.grandfather.com.
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