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

PVAS Host: Amy Thomas

$10/person (PVAS members receive a 10% discount). Kids aged 4 and under may attend for free and without being registered. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Pre-registration is required and limited to 20 participants.

This program has a minimum of 5 participants.

PVMN Continuing Education Credit Eligible

Enjoy a unique opportunity to connect up close with the amazing animals who live at the Case Nature Center at Cool Spring Preserve. Meet Willow the Wood Turtle, Scute the Box Turtle, and the rest of PVAS’s Animal Ambassadors as they enjoy dinner and exercise while a PVAS naturalist shares about their stories, behaviors, habitats, and how we can best support animals of their species to thrive in the wild.

Participants will have opportunities to help feed some of the Animal Ambassadors and gently touch them while learning what makes each species special. We will have other activities as well!

Your registration directly supports the care and enrichment of PVAS’s Animal Ambassadors, including food, habitat maintenance, and more.

Can’t make this event? Visitors can also meet many of the Animal Ambassadors for free during Nature Center Open Days, held most Wednesdays and select Saturdays. See our calendar for upcoming dates and details.

• Walking Distance: Little walking except for in and around the building, including going up and down steps.
• Exposure: This event is held partly indoors; depending on the weather conditions, we may hold some of this program outside near the back, covered deck of the Case Nature Center. It’s great when our Animal Ambassadors can get some sunshine!
• Restroom: Indoor, flushing restrooms are available in the Case Nature Center.
• Parking/Where to Meet: Meet inside the Case Nature Center.

Register Here!

Registration will remain open until the start of the program.

If the required minimum # of people do not register by 4 pm the evening prior, the program will be cancelled.

Read our pricing structure & policies.

About our Host: 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.”