Middle Tennessee State University faculty and alumni will once again be involved in the 45^th Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade Wildlife Festival at Cedars of Lebanon State Park six miles south of Lebanon, Tenn.

MTSU’s Center for Cedar Glade Studies partners with the state park to host the annual event the evening of Friday, May 5, and all day, through the evening of Saturday, May 6. Most events are free, but donations will be accepted.

Kim Cleary Sadler, professor of biology education, and biology professor Jeff Walck will be key contributors, along with alumni Todd Crabtree, Hobart Akin, Melissa Turrentine, Sharon Bracy, Bekkah Riley and students Lori Klukowski and Ori Bergman.

Sadler admits “there will be something for everybody, even if you don’t want to get out and hike” at this year’s festival, formerly known as the Wildflower Pilgrimage. “We want people to come and learn about the cedar glades.”

Cedar glades are characterized by very thin soil and exposed, rocky patches surrounded by redcedar trees. Cedar glades, which support a variety of plant life, are found in the Midstate in Wilson, Davidson and Rutherford counties. 

“There’s a wonderful native plant garden behind the nature center,” Sadler said, adding that native plants will be available for sale May 20, but not at this year’s event.

Activities at the festival include three-hour hikes with field botanists for people wanting to learn more about the plants. A new event this year is Botany by Bike — bring lunch and bike with Roger McCoy to selected glades for the entire morning.

There’s also shorter, family-friendly programs that include a geology hike to learn more about the rocks and fossils in glades, native plant gardening and learning stations that teach about some aspect of cedar glades. The full schedule is available on the Tennessee Native Plant website.

For children of all ages, there will be an owl presentation with park ranger Shawna Bridges — and activity tables for youngsters from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Friday evening program features state botanist Todd Crabtree speaking about rare plants in cedar glades. Hobart Akin, cultural resources and exhibits specialist for Tennessee State Parks will talk about the history of Cedars of Lebanon.

The Saturday evening program features Pany Upchurch, former assistant chief of biodiversity for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, speaking about current conservation challenges facing the unique habitats of the central basin.

Sadler said attendees should plan to bring food and drink, particularly water, on Saturday, as there are no food vendors at the park.

The late Elsie Quarterman was a professor emerita of Vanderbilt University. Quarterman pioneered cedar glade research in the early 1950’s and did much research at what is now known as the Elsie Quarterman Cedar Glade, a 185-acre natural area in Rutherford County, according to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation website. She was an advocate for natural area protection throughout her career, and her efforts helped Tennessee in 1971 become one of the first states to pass legislation to protect natural areas in the U.S.

The 2024 Cedar Glade Festival will be held May 3-4. 

For more information, contact Sadler at Kim.Sadler@mtsu.edu.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)