Join us for a turtle-filled morning at the Case Nature Center!

PVAS Host: Amy Thomas

Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is not required

Connect with the amazing animals at the Case Nature Center/Cool Spring Preserve! Watch Willow the Wood turtle, Scute the Box turtle, and the rest of PVAS’s Animal Ambassadors as they munch their food and get exercise while a PVAS representative shares information about these wonderful creatures in our care.

• Walking Distance: Little to no walking, though we encourage participants after the program to enjoy the Nature Playspace, walk the trails, or sign up for Trail Trekkers, our new program for small-group nature exploration with one of our educators, beginning at 11 am!
• Exposure: This event is generally held indoors, though depending on the amount of people that show up and weather conditions, we may hold some of this program outside near the back, covered deck of the Case Nature Center.
• Restroom: Indoor, flushing restrooms are available in the Case Nature Center.
• Parking/Where to Meet: After parking in the gravel lot, go through the main entrance/top floor of the Case Nature Center right next to the parking lot.
• What to Bring: Dress for the weather in case we go outside for part of the program.

About Amy:

Amy is our Lead Teacher and Naturalist. She first worked for PVAS starting in 2012 as a camp counselor for three summers and then as camp director in 2015.

While studying at Towson University, Amy interned with the National Aquarium and Irvine Nature Center and worked for the University’s Office of Sustainability as a Compost Educator. Amy was also very involved in her university’s Outdoor Adventure program where she worked as an Outdoor Trip Leader, Kayak Clinic Instructor, Challenge Course Facilitator and Climbing Gym Supervisor. After earning her BA in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Informal Environmental Education in 2015, she served as a Chesapeake Conservation Corps member, working as a naturalist at Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville, Maryland. Most recently, Amy worked as a field instructor at the Mountain Institute at Spruce Knob, West Virginia, where she led students on backpacking trips and taught Watershed Education programs.

In her free time, Amy enjoys backpacking, biking, rock climbing, kayaking and cross-country skiing.