Spend one of the last days of July with the Brodhead Watershed Association as we explore the grounds of the ForEvergreen Nature Preserve and Brodhead Creek Heritage Center.

The ForEvergreen Nature Preserve and Brodhead Creek Heritage Center is the office headquarters of BWA, Pocono Heritage Land Trust (PHLT), and PennFuture – serving as a vital resource for conservation, education, and community engagement – promoting the appreciation and protection of natural environments throughout Monroe County.

This is a great opportunity to connect with the local conservation collaborative and find out more about how your local organizations and advocates not only work together for the common cause of preserving and protecting the natural resources of our region and state, but also how we come together for the appreciation, enjoyment, and invaluable benefits that the natural world brings to our lives. We must continue our efforts as a community to protect clean water, open space, and a healthy watershed.

PROGRAM DETAILS:

2:00 P: Registration at the Heritage Center

2:30 P: Ramble Program Begins

Session 1: 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

CHOICE A: Bird Banding and Exploration with Jackie and Darryl Speicher.

Join Jackie and Darryl Speicher at the ForEvergreen Nature Preserve for a fun and unique opportunity to learn about bird banding. Darryl and Jackie are avian experts, running the Pocono Avian Research Center for 25 years. Jackie and Darryl have helped to increase awareness of local natural resources, particularly the native birds and habitats of our region through their research, education, and community involvement.

CHOICE B: Exploring Aquatic Life and the Fly Fishing Connection to Cold Water Conservation with the Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center.

Join Brittany Coleman of Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center to learn about the aquatic macroinvertebrates that reside in Brodhead Creek and their importance in the food web and as stream health indicators. We will explore the creek to locate and identify some of these interesting little critters. Be prepared to enter the stream and get wet feet! 

Join Eric Baird and Ann Foster from Brodhead Chapter of Trout Unlimited #289 to discuss fly fishing and its connection to cold water conservation and introduce basic fishing skills including casting fly rods and fly tying.

CHOICE C: Water Quality Discussion with volunteers from the BWA Streamwatch Program and Charlie Kelshaw of the Monroe County Conservation District.

Charlie Kelshaw of the Monroe County Conservation District will give a presentation of the methods employed in the Monroe County Water Quality
annual study, why those methods are used, and the most recent results and where they can be found online.

Volunteers from BWA’s Streamwatch program will have displays showing the results from the Streamwatch team’s continuous monitoring stations, including the location of the volunteer monitoring sites and the logger stations.

This session will be held inside the Brodhead Creek Heritage Center.

CHOICE D: Tree Tour around the ForEvergreen Nature Preserve with Keith Robinson, Don Miller, and Stu Poppel.

Go for a walk about the ForEvergreen Nature Preserve with Keith Robinson, Don Miller, and Stu Poppel to admire and identify the trees in the preserve. This will be a leisurely tour around the Preserve and its trails, and hopefully, we will see an eagle or hawks among the trees. 

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM – Hear from members of BWA and PennFuture’s Abby Jones, Esq. regarding advocacy updates and collaborations.

Session 2 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Switch things up for Session 2! If you caught Bird Banding in Session 1, check out Aquatic Life and Cold Water Conservation in Session 2. If you took the Tree Walk & Talk, check out the discussion on Water Quality.

5:00 – 5:15 PM – BWA Thank You and Remarks

5:15 PM – Picnic-style light fare provided by Barley Creek Brewing Company