Activities
2025 Info Coming Soon! In the meantime, check out 2024 for an idea of topics and timing of activities!
Nature Explorations
(all walks meet at the prairie entrance/stone gate)
9:00 am Birds on the Prairie with Martin Carlin, Bartramian Audubon
10:00 am Massasauga Rattlesnakes with Ryan Miller, zoologist with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Natural Heritage Program
11:00 am Wildflowers of the Prairie with Bonnie Isaac, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Bonnie Isaac is the collection manager for the Section of Botany, the co-chair of collections at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the vice chair and program director for the Botanical Society of America, Northeast Section. She manages the museum’s herbarium, which ranks among the top 25 herbaria in North America.
12:00 pm Meet the Goats and Prairie Habitat Expansion with Wil Taylor, Jennings Center Manager and Bree Dittman, Jennings Intern and Goat Tender
1:00 pm Birds and Their Habitats with Jeffrey Hall, President, Bartramian Audubon Society
2:00 pm Prairie Pollinators and Other Insects with Steven P. Jenkins, Entomologist and retired Biology Professor, Grove City College
3:00 pm Meet the Goats and Prairie Habitat Expansion with Wil Taylor, Jennings Center Manager
Live Reptiles and Amphibians with April Claus
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at the Center
Using live specimens, models, sights and sounds, this engaging “hands-on” environmental program introduces visitors to Pennsylvania’s Reptiles and Amphibians.
In 2006, April was honored with the “Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year Award” from the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators. She has been featured in WQED’s “On-Q Magazine” television program, and in numerous articles and feature stories.
In August 2010, April received the "40 under 40" award from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. This award celebrates the next generation of individuals (under the age of 40) who will continue to shape Pennsylvania’s future landscape with their innovative ideas and actions. There are only 40 recipients of this award statewide.
More recently, April has been serving as an adjunct faculty member at her alma mater, Allegheny College in Meadville PA, in the Environmental Science and Sustainability Department.
April continues to offer educational programming about Pennsylvania’s natural resources at parks, nature centers and schools all over western Pennsylvania.
Foltz School Open!
9 am - 5:00 pm
A unique opportunity for individuals of all ages to experience a piece of history and gain insight into what life was like for students attending a one-room school in the past. Upon arrival, visitors will be greeted by knowledgeable volunteers who will provide brief overviews of the school's history and answer any questions guests may have. The Foltz School has a rich history dating back to the late 1800s and visitors will have the opportunity to learn about its origins, its role in the local community, and how it operated as a one-room schoolhouse.
In addition to the volunteer-led overviews, visitors will be able to engage in self-guided interactive activities, designed to provide a hands-on experience of what it was like to be a student in a one-room schoolhouse, and that reveal the differences and similarities between schooling yesterday and today.
As visitors explore the schoolhouse, they will have the opportunity to view authentic artifacts from the time period, such as antique desks, textbooks, and school supplies. They will also be able to see how the building has been preserved and restored to maintain its historical integrity.
At Your Own Pace
(a variety of acivities for adults and kids throughout the park all day long)
9 am - 5 pm Wildflower ID Discovery Center at the Center (suitable to adults and older children)
9 am - 5 pm Welcome To My Prairie storybook trail at the prairie entrance and along blazing star trail (suitable for children with younger families)
9 am - 5 pm Children’s Tent with a variety of activities in the Vendor Area (suitable for kids of all ages)