Wil Hershberger – the mind behind songsofinsects.com – leads a Singing Insect Walk for PVAS each year. This year’s walk was held on July 31st at Cool Spring Preserve. Because attendance was more limited than usual due to COVID-19, and because Wil has such a way with words, we’d like to share his post-walk write-up: “We walked the northern portion...
As part of their “Finding Peace in Nature” series, our friends at West Virginia Rivers recently highlighted Cool Spring Preserve. Tanner Haid – WV River’s Eastern Panhandle Field Coordinator – writes about his family’s experience visiting Cool Spring, and how placing the preserve under a conservation easement is one step toward ensuring safe drinking water in WV’s Eastern Panhandle. You...
This year our Birdathon consisted of two parts: a fundraising Top Birder Competition and a family-fun Community Collaborative Big Day. Top Birder Competition Bob Dean, Matt Orsie, and Wil Hershberger conducted Big Sits at their respective homes in a friendly competition for the title of PVAS Top Birder 2020. Community members sponsored these birders in order for them to earn...
The results of our Youth Photography and Poetry Contest are in! We truly enjoyed reviewing these entries, each one brought a smile to our faces. The winning submissions from each category will be featured in the June/July edition of our member newsletter, Valley Views. But because we are so impressed with the budding photographers and poets in our community, we’ve...
Cool Spring Preserve is now 50 acres larger! We are so grateful to Linda Case for donating this beautiful piece of land, where we plan to establish new trails for all to enjoy. Additionally, all 63 acres of Cool Spring Preserve will now be placed under a conservation easement managed by the West Virginia Land Trust. You can read all...
Our Lead Teacher, Naturalist, & Audubon Discovery Camp Director – Amy Moore – has been busy these days! This time of year, you’d usually find her hunting for macroinvertebrates with local 4th grade students, or in the middle of interviewing potential camp counselors. But in recent months, all that’s changed. She’s been creatively adapting to COVID-19 by creating a series...
To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we put together a photo montage – check it out below! Members and friends of Potomac Valley Audubon Society submitted photos that reflect our mission statement of “preserving, restoring, and enjoying the natural world through education and action.” Our Lead Teacher & Naturalist – Amy Moore – then compiled these photos into...
We teamed up with the West Virginia Rivers Coalition for an interview with Hagerstown’s WDVM and The Martinsburg Journal – you’ll find links to both news pieces below. We discussed the recent findings showing North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds in 50 years, and how land conservation efforts can help mitigate this ecological crisis. WDVM video & article...
We love this video from our friends at Trout Unlimited: A Nation’s River The Potomac truly is “A Nation’s River.” We’re so glad to have groups like Trout Unlimited, and it’s partner organizations, working to improve our watershed.
Jefferson Magazine – a local publication featuring stories from the Jefferson County area and surrounding regions – just published a fantastic article about Stauffer’s Marsh Nature Preserve. Head to this link to read all about our history with the preserve, the work we’re doing to protect this crucial wetland, and about some of the unique bird species found there.