We invite all Master Naturalists and their families to attend this fun filled day at Cool Spring Preserve. Registration is strongly encouraged. Please register below.

SCHEDULE (join us when you can):

7:30-9:00 Bird Walk

Talk a walk along some of the Cool Spring trails with expert birders Carol Winckler and Lynne Wiseman who will help you locate and identify the many birds that frequent Cool Spring.

9:00-10:30 Wetlands Walk

Join Tracy McCleaf learning about wetlands. Tracy is a graduate of the 2011 Master Naturalist class, former “Swamp Cop” for the state of Florida and the US Army Corps of Engineers, current US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) employee and National Conservation Training Center’s (NCTC) representative on USFWS pollinator and monarch butterfly teams.

10:30-12:00 Trees Walk

Learn about the trees of Cool Spring with Shawn Walker. Shawn has more than 10 years of experience working with trees after receiving a master’s degree in forestry in 2006. His latest endeavor is to become a certified forest therapy guide so that he can offer forest bathing walks to the local and regional community (click here for more information on Shawn’s forest bathing walk at Eidolon in September).

12:00-1:00 Lunch

Please bring a covered dish to share along with your own plate/utensils. We will be providing coffee, tea and water.

1:00-2:30 Build a Bat House

Clark Dixon and Lisa Kovatch will lead those interested in assembling bat houses to take with them. Bats are important in controlling insect populations. According to Bat Conservation International, one little brown bat can eat 60 medium-sized moths or over 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in one night! Space is limited to 9 people, but we will start at waitlist if more than 9 people sign up. Cost is $7.00 to cover materials. If interested, here is the link to a registration form: Build A Bat Box – Registration Form

For certified Master Naturalists, each walk and building a bat house are eligible for 1.5 continuing education hours. 

Please remember that parking is limited at Cool Spring. If you can, please carpool with others. Thank you.

Please bring along good walking shoes, warm jacket, mosquito repellent & a covered dish to share (plus plate/bowl and utensils).

Please contact Kris Phillips (phillipskoct@gmail.com) with any questions. We look forward to seeing you on October 19!