An Introduction to Salamanders

Instructor: Alina Martin

Day & Date: Thursday, October 2, 2025

Time: 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Tuition: $65.00

Ages: 18 and Up

All levels are welcome. No experience required.

Students Please Bring:

• Note taking materials.
• (Optional) A snack and/or water bottle. Filtered water is available in the classroom.

Southern Appalachia is home to 40+ species of Salamanders, making it the Salamander Capital of the World! In this workshop we will be learning the natural history of the salamander, such as how they feed, breed, and survive throughout the four seasons. There will be a focus on how to identify the species living in Clay and Cherokee counties with an emphasis on telling land-dwelling and stream-dwelling salamanders apart. Participants will have the opportunity to safely handle and study live salamanders collected under scientific permits. In addition to salamander identification we will also learn about the different habitats salamanders thrive in and what species to look for based on habitat, range, and time of year. Participants will leave this workshop with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for salamanders and a desire to keep learning about the region’s amphibian diversity.

An additional fee for materials provided by your instructor for this workshop is estimated at $0.00 THIS FEE IS PAYABLE TO THE INSTRUCTOR at the time of the workshop. Material fees may change depending on the number of participants and price of materials at the workshop. *Payment by cash or check is required for materials fees. 

* We contract with local and regional instructors for short workshops that generally require a minimum of 4 students to run. If you have any questions, you’re welcome to call Olive’s Porch for up-to-date enrollment information. To respect our instructor’s time and preparation for workshops please contact us as soon as possible if you are unable to attend a workshop. Cancellations made more than 14 days prior to a workshop will be issued a full refund. Cancellations made 14 or less days prior to your workshop are not eligible for a refund. If Olive’s Porch needs to cancel a workshop for any reason, we will issue a full refund. See our General Information and Policies page on our website for more information.

About Instructor: Alina is the Conservation Outreach Associate for Mainspring Conservation Trust; where she plans and leads engaging events that connect people with the region’s remarkable landscapes. Drawn to western North Carolina by its incredible diversity of salamanders, birds, and plants, she fell in love with the temperate rainforest and close-knit community. A Baltimore, Maryland native, Alina grew up exploring forests and marshes with her outdoors-loving family. She earned a B.A. in English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, where she spent as much time birding and hiking as studying literature. Her curiosity for wildlife led her to pursue intensive training in botany and ecology, birding from Maryland to Arizona, where she surveyed Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sky Islands and Grand Canyon region. An avid eBird and iNaturalist user, Alina loves sharing her knowledge of birds, amphibians, and plants to inspire a deeper connection to nature.