BRING THE FAMILY TO EXPLORE BIRDS & NATURE WITH AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR KIM KURKI

Explore Birds and Nature with Author Kim Kurki

WHEN: Saturday, May 13, 1-3 pm; Exploring Birds and Nature as a Treasure Hunt will be held rain or shine. Books will be available for purchase. Light refreshments will be served.
WHERE: The barn at St. Michaels Farm Preserve, HopewelL. The driveway to the barn will be marked with a large sign and balloons. Information about St. Michaels Farm Preserve: www.drgreenway.org.
rsvp@drgreenway.org or 609-924-4646.

National Wildlife Federation’s World of Birds author and illustrator Kim Kurki will present an interactive program showing how nature is full of treasures to be discovered, especially birds that can be seen and heard. She will share her collection of natural artifacts, such as nests, eggs, feathers and surprises. There will be a fun craft activity and a hike around the preserve, where 85 species of birds have been counted. Exploring Birds and Nature as a Treasure Hunt is suitable for families with pre-school to elementary school-age children.

Kim Kurki (far right, signing books) has been fascinated by nature since childhood. Working as an artist for more than 30 years, she has focused on the natural world, including illustrations for Yankee Publishing’s The Old Farmer’s Almanac. For nearly a decade, she wrote and illustrated a monthly column for National Wildlife Federation’s Your Big Backyard magazine.

In World of Birds, Kurki explores amazing facts about more than 100 birds, including which is the fastest flier, which lays the biggest egg and which spends years of its life in the water, never touching land. Produced in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation the book introduces birds that would rather swim than walk, some that would rather walk than fly, and some birds that run very fast.

Kurki lives in Penns Park, Pennsylvania, where she is lulled to sleep at night by hooting owls.

D&R GREENWAY LAND TRUST IS IN ITS 28TH YEAR of preserving and protecting natural lands, farmlands and open spaces throughout central and southern New Jersey. Through continuous preservation and stewardship -- caring for land and easements to ensure they remain protected and ecologically healthy in perpetuity -- D&R Greenway nurtures a healthier and more diverse environment for people and wild species in seven counties. Accredited by the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission, D&R Greenway’s mission is to preserve and care for land and inspire a conservation ethic, now and for the future. Since its founding in 1989, D&R Greenway has permanently preserved close to 20,000 acres, an area 20 times the size of New York City’s Central Park, including 28 miles of trails open to the public.

The Johnson Education Center, a circa 1900 restored barn at One Preservation Place, Princeton, is D&R Greenway’s home. Through programs, art exhibits and related lectures, D&R Greenway inspires greater public commitment to safeguarding land.