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February 2023
Urban Wildlife: Sharing Spaces (online)
Though many may not realize it, the city of Philadelphia offers a very unique ecosystem that is ripe with opportunity for wildlife to flourish. Despite the large human population and cityscape, our urban area is home to a wide variety of critters that have adapted to Philly's hustle and bustle. Join Interim Director of our Wildlife Clinic, Stephanie Stundon, and Clinic Assistant, Sydney Glisan, in a discussion about cohabitating with wildlife and how to avoid conflict before it arises. Learn…
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Walking the Edge Evening Rest Session
End your day with us in the Schuylkill Center’s art gallery and experience the exhibition Walking the Edge in an embodied, restful way while celebrating the completion of the eighth day of the 11th Walk Around Philadelphia. Curator JJ Tiziou will lead a ~10-mile walk from Elkins Park to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education as part of his 11th Walk Around Philadelphia. Join the walkers in enjoying food, herbal foot soaks provided by former LandLab resident Kate Farquhar, and…
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Walking the Edge Morning Send-off
Enjoy breakfast and beverages at the Schuylkill Center as we send off walkers on a ~10-mile journey along Philadelphia’s perimeter from the Center towards St. Joseph’s University. As part of Walking the Edge curator JJ Tiziou’s Walk Around Philadelphia project, this experience invites the public to walk along the city’s edge and reflect on the intertwining relationships between pristine natural spaces and the rest of the city’s urban/industrial landscapes. Please note: You do not have to attend the walk to…
Find out more »March 2023
Ways of Walking Book Discussion with editor Ann de Forest
Join Walking the Edge curator JJ Tiziou in conversation with Ways of Walking editor Ann de Forest and contributors of the book. Ways of Walking brings together 26 writers who reflect on walks they have taken and what they discovered along the way. Some walk across forbidden lines, violating laws to seek freedom. Some walk to bear witness to social injustice. Still others walk so they can notice what faster travelers in cars or trains might miss. The event will…
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From Food Deserts to Food Forests (online)
High inflation rates nationwide have made it more difficult for many people to put food on the table. This impact is even greater in areas of our city where stores selling fresh fruits and vegetables are few and far between. Many community organizations throughout Philly are stepping up to transform city green spaces into urban farms and food forests, growing fresh produce, teaching gardening skills, providing nutrition education, and making neighborhoods more sustainable and resilient in the face of economic…
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Walking the Edge Community Exhibition Discussion (online)
The Center’s newest exhibition, Walking the Edge, is an exciting investigation into artistic expressions of the city of Philadelphia’s perimeters and boundaries, as well as other urban landscapes and natural spaces. For this community show, we invited the public to share their creative expressions on borders and edges in nature. Selected submissions are curated into a display, presented both in the Schuylkill Center’s art gallery and online on its website. Hear from curator JJ Tiziou, Director of Environmental Art Kristina…
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Uncovering Bioluminescent Fungi (online)
Bioluminescence, light created by living organisms, is one of nature's most incredible creations. We usually see this phenomenon in fireflies, but all around us lies a hidden world of glowing life. Glowing mushrooms dotting the nighttime forest, weaving through the soil and climbing up tree bark, even wood that glows in the dark! Experience the wonders of fungal bioluminescence with educator and mycologist Matt Schink and find out what might be hiding in your own backyard.
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Environmental Justice Roundtable (online)
For over 30 years, the environmental justice movement has been fighting adverse environmental impacts that are disproportionately concentrated in poor neighborhoods and communities of color. An example in Philadelphia is the lack of tree canopy in certain neighborhoods, leading to higher incidences of heat-related illness and death during summer heat waves. What are the environmental justice issues facing Philadelphia neighborhoods and what government and citizen-led initiatives are empowering communities to work toward a more just and sustainable future? We speak…
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Wild Philly Book Launch
Gather with friends for a fireside chat with Mike Weilbacher and Paul Meyer to discuss Wild Philly, Mike's vibrant, family-friendly guide to the unexpected nature found in and around Philadelphia. Ticket price (includes a signed copy of Wild Philly): $115 per couple $70 per individual Locally-sourced hors d'oeuvres, small bites, and refreshments will be provided. Space is limited; please register by Friday, March 24th.
Find out more »April 2023
Walking the Edge Closing Celebration
Join us in celebrating the closing of our community exhibition, Walking the Edge. Philadelphia-based Soapbox Press will lead a workshop on letterpress, a historical printing technique where paper is pressed against an inked surface. Curator and community organizer JJ Tiziou will lead guided walks around the Schuylkill Center’s grounds. Participants will also enjoy food and drinks while getting the chance to meet artists featured in Walking the Edge.
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a river is… Exhibition Opening
You’re invited to celebrate the opening of a river is…, our first 2023 LandLab artist residency exhibition. LandLab is our immersive artist-in-residence program, providing artists or teams with the resources and support to create innovative, site-specific installations or performative artworks. This year’s artist-in-residence, Bitter Kalli, embarked on a textual and textural exploration of the Schuylkill River watershed. Weaving together memoir, research, and community-based practices, the artist used natural dyes and organic materials from riverbank plants to create textile pieces. Their…
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Forest Stargazing (CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER)
Experience the glowing wonders of our forest through a multi-sensory nighttime event. Director of Environmental Art and certified yoga teacher Kristina Murray will offer a grounding meditation in opening the senses. Artist and stargazer Ana Vizcarra Rankin will then lead the group on a naked-eye stargazing hike, inspired by her practice of studying star maps and telescope imaging. Educator and amateur mycologist Matt Schink will aid us along the way in spotting and understanding the beauty of bioluminescent fungi. Admission…
Find out more »May 2023
Native Plants Happy Hour
We're opening our greenhouse for an evening of in-person native plant shopping. Enjoy snacks and Yards beer and shop gifts for Mother's Day with advice from our native plant experts. No registration required; dress code is cottagecore casual.
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Writing to the River II
In this interactive workshop led by LandLab artist-in-residence Bitter Kalli, participants will read written works by authors including Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Alice Oswald, and Toni Morrison which reflect on the theme of rivers. We will discuss the symbolic and ecological role that rivers play in our lives and our environments, and create personal maps and “love letters” to the rivers and waterways that are important to us. This event is open to the general public and will take place in…
Find out more »June 2023
Native Flute-Making Workshop with Tchin and We Are the Seeds
Learn how to make and play a Native courting flute with Tchin, an Indigenous Elder musician and culture bearer. We Are the Seeds is creating space for Native and Non-Native individuals to learn to make and play the Native courting flute, which holds unique historical and cultural significance. In a modern take on this traditional art, participants will make flutes out of PVC pipes. They will also have the opportunity to learn from and have discussions with Tchin, creating opportunities…
Find out more »July 2023
Spend your Saturday morning finding tranquility through yoga in our forest. Using maps devised from Katonah Yoga and tools from a variety of body-weight movement traditions, we will build a foundation through posture, mobility and breathing with instructor Noah Julian. These classes are beginner-friendly, geared towards adults, and will take place rain or shine. Cost is $10 for members, $20 for non-members. Please bring your own mat. Classes will take place on the green next to the Visitor Center.
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Adult Outdoor Restorative Retreat
This event is centered around enjoyment, play, and connecting with nature. The program will include: Sculpting class using natural materials Hiking and canoeing Sunset yoga Dinner and botanically-themed cocktail hour We'll start off with an assemblage sculpting class using natural materials we gather ourselves, followed by a hike to Wind Dance Pond to hit the water with some canoeing. At the end of the night, we'll unwind with sunset yoga led by Katonah Yoga and Calisthenics instructor Noah Julian and…
Find out more »January 2024
Winter Bird Census
This is a great time of year for bird watching and we'd like to invite birders to help us collect data for our annual Winter Bird Census! We will monitor the abundance of bird species that winter in our forests and fields. All of the information we collect will be shared with other citizen scientists, helping us to better understand how our local bird populations change over time. Drinks and food will be provided. Birders of any level of experience…
Find out more »February 2024
Flying Free: Birds at the Schuylkill Wildlife Clinic
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a wildlife rehabilitation clinic? Do you have a passion for birds and want to learn more about helping preserve our native species? An upcoming virtual gathering sponsored by the Valley Forge Audubon Society, Flying Free: Birds at the Schuylkill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, will discuss the rehabilitation process for avian patients. Our Assistant Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation, Sydney Glisan, will be sharing about what brings these birds in for care,…
Find out more »Giants of the Forest *CANCELLED DUE TO WINTER FORECAST*
With leaves off of many trees, our giants of the forest have revealed themselves. (No, not the fairy tale variety, the trees!) While walking the trails of the Schuylkill Center in the summer months, our most gigantic trees are tucked away from sight, obscured by cork trees, devil’s walking sticks and sometimes their own young saplings. Now that winter days are upon us, the largest trees on our preserve can be appreciated in their full glory! Join us for a…
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