Natural History Hike Leader: Jim Cummins

PVMN Continuing Education Recertification Eligible

This event is open to the public, however registration is required and limited to 14 participants. Please register below and note the following guidelines:

• Registration is required and limited to 14 participants (if you can no longer attend, please notify adultprograms@potomacaudubon.org so that others may attend)
• Outdoor only 
• We encourage masks be worn when in a group setting
• Respect the 6 feet+ apart/physical distancing guidelines when possible
• If you are sick or have been sick within the past two weeks (or been around anyone else that is sick), please stay home

PVAS President, Jim Cummins, will be leading this ‘walk & talk’ along the Harpers Ferry section of the C&O Canal. Join him as he leads the group on a stroll, intertwining the natural and human history in our region.

Click to Enlarge

The group will walk along the canal tow path about 3/4 mile and return, so the total walk will be about 1.5 miles.  Participants will meet at the cul-de-sac at the eastern terminus of Keep Tryst Road. Keep Tryst Road is located at the first right in MD after crossing the Potomac on Rt 340.  After turning, stay on that road about 1.3 miles until it ends.   See attached map, the parking lot is basically where the “Hiker Icon” can be seen on the far right.

Trip leader, Jim Cummins, is a retired freshwater ecologist. Jim and his wife Nancy, a retired Jefferson County teacher, live in Bakerton. He has a Masters of Science (1985) in Biology from George Washington University. Jim co-started the District of Columbia’s fisheries program where he worked from 1985 to 1988. From 1988 until his retirement in 2016, he was the Director of the Living Resources for the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. His projects included biological assessments of streams and rivers in WV, MD, PA and DC, environmental flow studies, habitat restoration and fish passage, especially in regard to the Little Falls Dam near Washington, D.C. and a linked American shad stocking program with integrated student and volunteer involvement. Jim enjoys woodworking, gardening, fishing, canoeing, playing music, working at various scales to improve the community, reading, and trying to keep a beagle named “Abe” from causing trouble.

Those who participate should be sure to wear sturdy footwear and bring along a mask, insect repellant and a water bottle.

If you have questions, please contact Krista Hawley at adultprograms@potomacaudubon.org or call the Cool Spring Preserve Nature Center at 681-252-1387.

If we need to cancel this hike due to poor weather conditions, we will post a decision on the event and send an email to all registrants by noon the day prior.

All fees are nonrefundable