2025-2026 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.

Jan 16, 2025 (Completed)

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.

Here is the registration link: Register Here

PA Parks & Forests Foundation: paparksandforests.org

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.