On March 19th and 29th, homeschool students joined PVAS staff for our “Capturing Spring” nature photography program. This program was led by Amy Moore, Abby Freidline and Emily Sperling. Each student was provided their own Nikon DSLR camera and were challenged to students practiced photography techniques such as automatically and manually focusing on a subject. Students also practiced using both...
At PVAS’s March 10th Monthly Program, Ariel Firebaugh shared a wealth of information and interesting facts during her presentation on ‘Fireflies’. Fireflies bring magic to our summer evenings, entertaining and bringing joy to all ages. We were eager to have Ariel enlighten and educate us about these amazing creatures. Ariel discussed the following topics (and more!) to the PVAS community...
On January 13th, we joined Dr. Leskey’s for their PVASMonthly Program presentation on ‘The Invasive Spotted Lanternfly: Ecological and Agricultural Impacts and Potential Solutions.’ The spotted lanternfly is native to China, India and Vietnam. This invasive species was first detected in Berks County, PA in 2014. Since that time it has spread to additional states including WV, VA, DE, MD,...
Eight creative homeschool students, ages 8-13, participated in this January’s “Capturing Winter”; PVAS’s special nature photography workshop at Cool Spring Preserve. “Capturing Winter” was led by youth program instructors Abby Freidline and Amy Moore. Students began the day with the prompt; “What benefits does nature photography provide society?” The students suggested that nature photography is a great way to remember...
On November 11th, Susan Fluharty, Master Naturalist and retired teacher, and Ellen Murphy teamed up to produce ‘Road Warriors’, PVAS’s November Program. Mrs. Fluharty researched and compiled information on our local roadside weeds found along secondary roads as well as I-81, and together, Ellen and Susan have produced ‘Road Warriors’. Mrs. Murphy discusses those common weeds in the November Monthly...
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...
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