The best way to see the exit of winter is to take a stroll through the parks of Herndon and witness the entrance of spring. With the season's change, Town Naturalist Susan Lilly has made sure there is plenty to do outdoors. Lilly sat down to answer a few question's via e-mail about the town's nature programs.
What types of programs do you offer? We offer a wide variety of nature programs including Aromatherapy, Reptiles, Building a Nest Box for Your Own Backyard, Butterflies, Tiny Trekkers! Preschool Programs, a National Arboretum Tour, a Forest and Meadow Wildflower Walk, a Nature Sketch Workshop, a Virginia Native Plant Walk, Life in a Log — I hope this gives you an idea. We also do Nature Birthday Parties. Celebrate your birthday outdoors at Runnymede Park. Kids can choose from several themes: Radical Reptiles, and Creatures of the Night. Each one-hour program is designed to entertain as well as educate. We are having our Town of Herndon Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 at Runnymede Park.
What are the most popular programs? The most popular programs we do are ones that involve wildlife, like our upcoming "BatFest." Bat World NOVA will be participating in this event. We will have a huge display of bat boxes, and if you look carefully you will actually see bats inside. Experience Bat Chat, the social vocalizations of bats, batty crafts and take a hike and encounter an Echo Location device to locate bats. This program will be Saturday, May 20.
What can people expect of your programs? People can expect to have fun, learn something about their natural surroundings, how to conserve natural spaces and wildlife, and how to practice stewardship.
What can participants learn? Something participants might learn is —The Town of Herndon has two valuable resources, a town naturalist and a town forester (John Dudzinsky 703-435-6800 ext. 2014) and even though Herndon is rapidly growing and changing, our Mayor, Town Council, and the Director of Parks and Recreation truly care about preserving and protecting Herndon's natural spaces.
What's your favorite natural area in Herndon? Runnymede Park is Herndon's pristine natural park. This 58-acre park is a beautiful habitat for wildlife, nature studies, and a serene place to walk, relax and reconnect with our natural world. Runnymede Park is open from dawn till dusk and maps of the park's gorgeous trails are located in the parking area kiosk.
Town Naturalist Susan Lily can be reached by contacting 703-435-6800, ext. 2113 or susan.lilly@herndon-va.gov. See The Connection calendar listings for upcoming events.