This program was rescheduled to February 24 from its original date of February 3 due to icy conditions.
Let’s get outside and enjoy the trails together!
PVAS Host: Ellen Murphy
This is a free/donation-based program. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required and limited to 15 participants. This program has a minimum of 5 participants.
This February, we’re celebrating World Wetlands Day with a visit to one of PVAS’s wetland habitats — Stauffer’s Marsh Nature Preserve, a 46-acre sanctuary tucked into Back Creek Valley. Once a stretch of farmland, this landscape was restored through the USDA’s first Wetland Reserve Program project in West Virginia, transforming it into the thriving marshwe know today. With more than 160 bird species recorded here, the preserve has become an essential habitat for ducks, geese, and many other wildlife that depend on wetlands.
As we wander the trail, we’ll take in the wide-open views, pause to watch waterfowl moving through the marsh (if they are out and about), and enjoy the calm that settles over the landscape in winter. Feel free to bring binoculars if you’d like to add a bit of birdwatching to the outing. After our walk, we may warm up with hot chocolate.
Dress for the season, bring your curiosity, and join us for a peaceful winter walk through this remarkable wetland preserve.
- Walking Distance: Approximately 2 miles or less.
- Pace/Activities: Moderate (steady but able to maintain a conversation)
- Exposure: Lots of open sky. Some areas of canopy cover in the woods.
- Terrain: Mowed grass/earthen trail The route is generally flat.
- Restroom: Restrooms are available for this program.
- Parking/Where to Meet: Ellen will send a detailed email to registered participants.
- What to Bring: Dress for the weather, bring water, and wear sturdy shoes!
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: Ellen is retired from PVAS (and a former National Park Ranger and Girl Scout Camp Director). With PVAS, she taught the Watershed Program, taught general environmental education for PK-5th grades, and directed Audubon Discovery Camp for 11 years. She has been a Master Naturalist since 2007. Her favorite word is “Look” and my favorite place is Yankauer Nature Preserve. She and her husband Kevin have been married for 39 years, residents of WV for almost 30 years, and “parents” to a series of pound puppies (currently #8 and 9).