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 Baaaack to Basics on the Prairie with Wil Taylor, Jennings Center Manager, Jeremy Peck, Ranger Supervisor Laurel Hill State Park, and Kim Peck, Education Specialist, Laurel Hill State Park
Discover how fire, grazing, and other interesting strategies help improve habitat at Jennings and beyond. Plus: Meet the goats!
1:00 pm Wildflowers of the Prairie with Lindsey Bocian, Botanist
Lindsey Bocian has been working as a botanist since 2011 for various organizations including the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the National Park Service and currently works as an environmental consultant conducting Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plant surveys.
2:00 pm Baaaack to Basics on the Prairie with Wil Taylor, Jennings Center Manager and Madeline Boser, Jennings Intern and Goat Tender
3:00 pm Prairie Pollinators and Other Insects with Dr. Ainsley Seago and Dr. Kevin Keegan
Dr. Ainsley Seago is the curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. She also teaches courses on insect biomechanics and design at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on beetle taxonomy and the evolution of insect iridescence. She loves fungus beetles most of all.
Dr. Kevin Keegan is a collection manager in the Section of Invertebrate Zoology at Carnegie Museum of Natural History. He researches moths and butterflies, focusing on natural history and systematics. His main goals are discovering the unknown caterpillars of known moths, describing new species and other taxa, and using DNA to build evolutionary trees with which to determine the proper taxonomic placement of species. His favorite moths are the seedcoppers (Noctuidae, Stiriinae) of which there are two species in the Pittsburgh region, but the group's center of diversity in the deserts of North America.
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.
Live Reptiles and Amphibians with Nic Simione
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm at the Center
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)