Women Reconnecting and Engaging with Nature (WREN) will host a natural holiday craft making workshop on Nov. 23 at 1:30 p.m., inviting participants to create seasonal décor from foraged and sustainable materials.

​The program will begin with a guided nature walk, where participants can gather natural materials to use in their projects. Following the walk, the group will move indoors for a hands-on workshop, transforming their collected items into unique holiday crafts that highlight the beauty of the season and the creativity found in nature.

​Montour Preserve will host a daylong community festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, as the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and its Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership present Pack the Preserve.  The free, family-friendly event will feature a range of activities spread throughout Montour Preserve.

Ten women from across the region spent Aug. 16-17 backpacking during an overnight trip made possible by a partnership between Deep Green Journey, the Vernal School’s Women Reconnecting and Engaging with Nature (WREN) program, and Rider Park.

The group hiked 6.5 miles over two days, crossing Blessing Mountain and finishing near Jacoby Falls. For some, including Shaina Davis of Danville, it was a first backpacking experience, carrying full packs and camping overnight in the woods.

“I challenged myself to get out of my comfort zone and go backpacking.” Davis explained. “This was my first backpacking experience. It was great! I would do it again!”

Fossil lovers of all ages will have the chance to step back in time, nearly 400 million years, during a special fossil and paleontology program at Montour Preserve on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.

Bloomsburg University paleontologist Dr. Jennifer Peteya and fossil enthusiast Andrew Rockhound, leader of the Geology Club are teaming up to share their passion for the past.

The Bald Eagle Art League invites artists and art enthusiasts to a plein air gathering from 9 A.M. to noon Saturday, Sept. 27, at Montour Preserve’s Goose Cove Overlook.

This free, public event offers a chance to create art in the open air while taking in the natural beauty of one of the preserve's most scenic locations. Artists of all experience levels are welcome to attend. The event is not a formal class but a relaxed gathering of like-minded individuals looking to connect, create, and be inspired by nature.

Women Reconnecting and Engaging with Nature (WREN), Rider Park and Deep Green Journey have announced a partnership to host a beginner-friendly women’s backpacking trip this summer.
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The overnight event will take place Aug. 16–17 in Loyalsock State Forest, with the goal of helping women build confidence in the outdoors. Participants will hike approximately 2.5 miles to a hemlock-shaded campsite, where they’ll learn basic backpacking skills and enjoy activities that encourage a deeper connection with nature.

Women Reconnecting and Engaging with Nature (WREN) will host a guided plant and tree identification walk at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 29, at Montour Preserve.
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Sara Street, park manager at Rider Park, will lead the walk along the Goose Woods Trail, a 0.9-mile loop through the preserve’s wooded landscape. Participants will learn to identify native tree and plant species and explore their ecological roles in the local environment.

More than 1,300 students visited Montour Preserve in May for their schools’ spring field trips. Many of the visits were led by the Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership and featured guided hikes, fossil digs, pond studies and other interactive learning stations.

One standout trip came from the Milton Area School District, where 200 seventh graders took part in a visit organized by students in the district’s Chief Science Officers program.

The Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership is working with Scouting America’s Susquehanna Council this summer to support ecology programming at Camp Karoondinha, a 400-acre Scout camp along Penns Creek in Union County.

The collaboration will provide Scouts attending summer sessions with hands-on learning opportunities in environmental science. Activities include guided hikes, aquatic studies and ecology-focused lessons tied to the camp’s natural features.

​On Saturday, May 10, 2025, more than 80 Cub Scouts along with adult leaders and parents from across the region gathered at the local Scout council's Camp Karoondinha, located along Penns Creek near Millmont, to rotate through numerous stations designed to teach science and environmental literacy while having fun in Cubs Explore the Water.

​A pond study station, led by Doug Fessler of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, allowed Scouts to examine aquatic insects and learn how scientists use them to measure water quality. At another stop in the rotation, they built their own beaver dams on a stream table and watched how water flow changed.  

Participants also launched water bottle rockets, raced boats in the rain gutter regatta, cooled off at the octopus sprinkler games and practiced their casting skills at the fishing station.