E3: Steward of the Piedmont | Ken Bridle
Summary
In this episode, we hear from Dr. Ken Bridle, who’s been a professional botanist for over four decades, with a focus on plant physiology. His expansive career includes working as a natural heritage and watershed inventory biologist, a field ecologist, science museum exhibits director, and environmental consultant. He talks about how he came to be a naturalist and scientist, his connection to local lands, and his involvement with protecting the precious natural resources of the Piedmont region of North Carolina and beyond.
Full Bio
Ken is the author of several county Natural Heritage Inventories as well as watershed assessments, wetland delineations, and rare plant and animal surveys. He is a frequent leader of hikes and nature walks, and speaks often on local North Carolina conservation issues. Ken recently retired as the Stewardship Director for the Piedmont Land Conservancy, but is still Conservation Advisor there and continues to shepherd various projects for which he has had a hand in building. He is one of the instructors and founders of the new Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist Program, which I completed in November 2024 as part of its inaugural class.
Ken has served on the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission Non-game Wildlife Advisory Committee and is a past president of the North Carolina Prescribed Fire Council. He is a founding member of the Dan River Basin Association, Carolina Butterfly Society, and the Triad Mushroom Club, and is a three-term president of the state’s Native Plant Society. His first term was 24 years ago.
When he isn’t leading organizations, walks, watershed assessments, classes, or out building trail bridges and conducting rare animal and plant surveys, Ken is helping to relocate or save entire populations of wildlife. As an example of the latter, he has been involved in rescuing a population of native southern brook trout from a damaged stream and relocating them to a clean habitat on Piedmont Land Conservancy property.
One would be hard pressed to find some aspect of conservation within North Carolina that Ken has not been a part of or has had an influence on, and I’m thrilled to have him as a guest on the show.
In this episode, I talk to Ken on his beautiful property in the town of Walnut Cove, in Stokes County North Carolina. We sit and talk on the edge of what Ken described to me as his “Walden Pond”. It’s is such a lovely place, and our chat took place on a beautiful fall day as the sunlight was fading and the fall colors of the tree leaves were just starting to show.
Related Links
Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist Program
Keneth Bridle Native Plant Fund
North Carolina Natural Heritage Program
A collection of Ken’s paintings!
Credits
Many thanks to singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd for permission to use her song, Beautiful Day, as theme music for this episode. You can find Abigail and her music at:
Rooted by LNDO and Nature’s Way by Alsever Lake used by permission via Soundstripe.
Ken Bridle talks about characteristics of a prairie adjacent to the Blue Ridge Music Center near the North Carolina and Virginia state borders.
On the way to the spot where Ken and I talk during our podcast interiew.
Every part of Ken and his wife’s property shows evidence of many decades of hard work and care for nature and the land.
Ken stops for a photo op as he gives me a tour of the lush garden on his property.
Ken opens the door to a very old cabin that came with the property he and his wife purchased over 40 years ago. The space serves as his workshop and a place to keep all of his naturalist supplies.
The view during our interview: this is what Ken and I could see while doing our interview for this podcast episode.
Ken discusses lichens growing on an ancient boulder in the Ridges Mountain area of in North Carolina.
Ken explains the hike ahead to Northwest Piedmont Master Naturalist students as they enter the Ridges Mountain Nature Preserve near the Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina.
In this case, where there’s smoke, there’s forest health: this property is professionally and thoughtfully managed.
One of Ken’s naturalist paintings, Bluebirds in Spring, watercolor on masa, 2012. Go here to see a collection of his nature paintings!