2024-2025 Programs
Programs are presented at AAS Chapter Meetings (monthly on 3rd Thursday evening from 6:30 to 9:30)
Meeting location: Christ Presbyterian Church
421 Deerfield Road
Camp Hill, PA 17011
Park in the lot at the far end of the church.
Sept 19, 2024 (Completed)
Owls of Pennsylvania - Lylee Leonard
Meet the 8 different species of owls found in PA! This presentation by Red Creek Wildlife Center will include interesting facts and how to identify the beautiful creatures by sight as well as sound. Red Creek was founded in 1991, our mission since then has been to offer a second chance to distressed Pennsylvania Wildlife through rescue and rehabilitation, public education and by providing training for wildlife rehabilitators. Taking over 4,000 wild animal patients in a year, our goal is to get these critters ready to survive and thrive back out in the wild. The presentation will be presented by Lylee Leonard, our public program director. Lylee will be bringing two of her education ambassador owls’ so you will also get to see these beautiful birds of prey up close and in person!
Oct 17, 2024 (Completed)
Falconry – Jade Chen
Fly into the realm of wild skies with The Raptory, a small traveling wildlife exhibit that lives and breathes raptors! The Raptory, with its founder Jade Chen, has traveled all over the country, presenting educational programs at a variety of events and places, inspiring young and old alike.
Nov 21, 2024 (Completed)
Hummingbirds: Jewels of the Air - Sandy Lockerman
Sandy Lockerman, a licensed hummingbird bander, will discuss the intriguing world of hummingbirds. She will help you to take a look as some of their unique adaptations and migration mysteries. In addition to her ongoing ruby-throat project, she will update you on the documentation efforts being made of western hummingbirds in Pennsylvania.
Dec 12, 2024
(Social Time is extended, starting at 6pm. There will be free bird-friendly coffee being served from Bantam Coffee Roasters and a silent auction of nature-themed and seasonal items!)
Nest to Nest: The First Year of the Third Pennsylvania Bird Atlas - Sean Murphy
Pennsylvania’s Third Bird Atlas has completed its first breeding season! Join Sean Murphy, PGC’s State Ornithologist, to discuss first year findings, future directions of the atlas (such as the new winter effort and specialized surveys), and other activities the Game Commission is doing to make the Commonwealth a better place for birds. Photo by J. Dingel, PGC.
Jan 16, 2025
Birding Pennsylvania’s State Parks - Chris Kemmerer
Pennsylvania has one of the largest state park systems in the country. With 124 parks across 64 counties the system includes geologic wonders, prominent moments in American history, old growth forests, tidal waterways, and Great Lakes access. This diversity is also represented in the flora and fauna that call our Pennsylvania State Parks home. Join Chris Kemmerer, Education and Interpretation Section Chief for Pennsylvania State Parks, on a tour of the best birding spots in PA's state park system. He'll highlight parks close-to-home near Harrisburg, parks worthy of a daytrip and parks further afield that may require an overnight visit or two. You'll get a sense for the diverse habitats of each park as well as the best birds to look for. You'll also learn a few other ways to engage with PA State Parks beyond a birding adventure.
Feb 20, 2025
Smithsonian Bird Friendly Coffee and Cocoa: Proudly Serving Biodiversity - Melissa Mazurkewicz
The Smithsonian Bird Friendly® certification is the environmental gold standard in sustainable certifications for coffee and cocoa. Smithsonian scientists developed the Bird Friendly certification for coffee in the late 1990s to conserve habitat and protect migratory songbirds. Bird Friendly habitat ensures a variety of native trees, adequate shade cover, tree height, and biodiversity that creates quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Learn about how to eat, drink and live Bird Friendly!
Mar 20, 2025
Vernal Pond, the most important ephemeral habitat of the forest - Gene Wingert
Woodland Vernal Ponds are found throughout Pennsylvania’s woodlands. They are an integral part of the forest community. These diminutive wetlands typically fill with water during the Fall and dry in late Spring or early Summer. The organisms that breed in these ponds are an integral part of the forest ecosystem. Because these ponds dry during summer months, predators of permanent waters are not present and the recruitment of many of the obligate species is often near 100%. The amphibians that breed in these wetlands comprise the greatest biomass of vertebrates in the forest ecosystem. This program will follow the ecology of a vernal pond through a single year from Summer to Summer and investigate the various migrations and breeding behaviors of amphibians that utilize these wetlands.
Apr 17, 2025
Birdsong, Stan LeQuire
“A World of Song and Wonder: Listening to the Birds of Central Pennsylvania”
A quick tour through the avian soundscape of our central Pennsylvania woods and backyards. What do you hear this spring? This presentation will have practical information for both beginning and experienced birdwatchers. Each participant will receive a checklist/cheat sheet for the songs and calls of local birds.
May 18, 2025
Join the Appalachian Audubon Society and celebrate another successful year at our annual picnic. This event will again be at Lower Allen Park’s Fernlawn Pavilion. Stay Tuned for more details.