Celebrate Chimney Swifts in Shepherdstown during ‘A Swift Night Out’!

PVAS Host: KC Walters

Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is not required, but appreciated for planning purposes (All registered participants are guaranteed a sweet treat!).  

PVMN Continuing Education Credit Eligible

A Swift Night Out is a continent-wide effort to raise awareness about and encourage interest in Chimney Swifts and Vaux’s Swifts.

How to Participate:

1. Start by meeting us at the newly constructed Chimney Swift Tower off of University Drive near Dunlop Hall on Shepherd University’s campus.
2. Visit all five stations we will have set up at the tower to learn all about Chimney Swifts.  After visiting all the stations, you will receive a sweet Swift treat!
3. After receiving your treat, proceed downtown Shepherdstown to meet up with volunteers scouting out the Swift roosting location for the evening.  Be prepared to witness a mesmerizing bird display!

Please contact KC Walters at katelyn@potomacaudubon.org with any questions you may have.

Register Here!

About our Host: Katelyn (KC) Walters, a Shepherdstown native, is our Associate Director of Conservation and Operations. KC is a Shepherd alumna, and holds a M.S. in Biology, with a focus in forest ecology, from James Madison University. Her master’s thesis evaluated the long-term effectiveness of treating hemlock trees for hemlock woolly adelgid infestation in Shenandoah National Park. During her college education, she interned with The Conservation Fund: Freshwater Institute and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. After graduation, she worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in southeastern Louisiana where she served as a forestry technician and became a certified Wildland Firefighter. KC then returned home to Shepherdstown and worked with Sustainable Solutions LLC as the Lead Natural Resources and GIS Technician.  She joined the PVAS Team in April 2018 as the Land and Conservation Manager.  Just shy of five years later, in January 2023, KC was promoted to the Associate Director position she holds today. KC enjoys riding horses, working with her dog, Paisley, on agility training, and stewarding the natural resources on her own property.