*Now including a free optional group walk!*

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.

Beginning at about 10:30, you are invited to explore the preserve’s trails on your own self-guided hike or join one of our program instructors for a group hike. Our guided hike will highlight the unique sights and seasonal happenings in the preserve at that time of year.

To enhance your experience, we offer an optional take-along activity to enjoy during your hike. Activities will vary each month and may include items like binoculars to borrow, a scavenger hunt, and more.

If you would like to join the group hike, our program instructors will announce that they’ll be leading a hike for anyone who wants to join. All you have to say is “I’m coming!” and you are all set!

Optional Donation

This program is offered at no cost, but we kindly ask that you consider making a donation to help support program expenses and staff time. Your contribution is greatly appreciated. You can donate online here, or you donate at the time of the program by cash or check (made payable to “Potomac Valley Audubon Society”).

• Walking Distance: Little to no walking for the first part of the program. Walking distance will vary for the optional hike depending on a variety of factors including participant interest and ability.
• 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.