When: April 3, 2025 @ 5:00 pm
Walk through the seasons with Mainspring!
Once a month, spend your Thursday evening taking a casual stroll with a naturalist! We’ll amble through one of Mainspring’s preserves, taking the time to appreciate and learn about this season’s happenings. Our schedule changes with the seasons; this month’s focus is birds. Which colorful birds are coming back to our backyards after a winter away, and why is Welch Farm a good place to view a variety of birds? How can we identify our feathered friends by sight and sound, and how can we encourage these creatures to visit and live in our own properties? Binoculars will be available for participants to borrow. As always, though we will be focusing on birds during this event, we are open to discussing any naturalist topics you may be interested in!
This event is free and open to the public, and registration is not required to attend. Just bring yourself, your water bottle, and your curiosity! We’ll meet at the trailhead of Welch Farm Preserve just before 5:00pm on Thursday, April 3rd. See the map at the bottom of the page for exact location. The walk will take about an hour and a half and will be on mostly even, level ground. There are some stepping hazards at Welch Farm, like roots or mud in the trail, but there is no elevation gain. We will be back at the trailhead by sunset.
This event is weather-dependent; we will update this listing and our social media with any scheduling changes. Please leave pets at home. Location changes per month, see the schedule below. Email Skye with any questions.
2025 SCHEDULE:
February 6th, 4:00pm-5:30pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Winter Wildlife
March 6th, 4:30pm-6:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Early Spring Flowers
April 3rd, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Birding
May 1st, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Wildflowers
June 5th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Welch Farm in Andrews: Salamanders
July 10th, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin, 9:00pm-10:00pm: Full Buck Moon
August 7th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Mushrooms
September 18th, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Birding
October 16th, 5:00pm-6:30pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Fall Foliage
November 6th, 3:30pm-5:00pm, Tessentee Bottomland Preserve in Franklin: Mosses
December 4th, 3:30pm-5:00pm, Welch Farm Preserve in Andrews: Winter Tree ID
MEET YOUR NATURALIST
As Mainspring’s Conservation Outreach Director, Skye Cahoon inspires people to connect with their local landscape and value the conservation efforts that protect it. As a kid, she could often be found climbing trees, hunting for salamanders, or chasing fish at her local swimming hole. Her passion for nature grew with her, and in 2020 she earned her Zoology B.S. from the University of Maine. Integrating her experience in wildlife research with her excitement about the natural world, Skye now strives to make science fun and accessible. She leads a variety of educational programs here at Mainspring, and enjoys continuing to learn about the creatures that call the Southern Appalachians home.
