The summer Nature Connection Series continues this week at the WVU Core Arboretum’s woodland amphitheater.
The talk begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The series runs each Tuesday evening through the summer.
This week’s speaker is Samantha Moyers, a Ph.D. candidate at West Virginia University School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences.
Her talk will be on spending time in nature for human health. This talk was originally scheduled on July 12 but was canceled due to rain.
The arboretum will also host Moth Night 2022 from 9-11 p.m. Thursday.
Moyers’ talk will look at how spending time in nature can leave one feeling refreshed, and what the science has to say about that. She will discuss the benefits that time spent in nature can have on human health, reasons for these positive effects and how nature-based programming has evolved over time.
Find out about the array of nature-based interventions used today, challenges faced when implementing these programs, and future directions in research and practice. She will also discuss a nature-based intervention coming to the Core Arboretum this fall.
Moyers holds an MA in social responsibility and sustainable communities from Western Kentucky University. Her interest in the intersections of human health with the natural and built environments was sparked through work experience as a municipal planner in a remote coastal community. In addition to conducting her dissertation research, Moyers currently serves as the fellow for the Physical Activity Policy Research and Evaluation Network’s Rural Active Living Workgroup.
Nature Connection Series is a series of public talks by local and regional experts on a variety of nature-related subjects at WVU Core Arboretum. This summer, talks will cover topics such as birds, trees, geology, elk in West Virginia, butterflies and many other things.
The talks are free and open to the public, and no registration is required.
All the talks are outdoors, so dress for the weather.
Talks will be rescheduled if the weather is inclement. Free parking is available at the arboretum parking lot and the adjacent WVU Coliseum parking lot.
The 2022 WVU Core Arboretum Nature Connection Series is supported by the WVU Department of Biology, the WVU Core Arboretum Endowment and donations from the public. All speakers are volunteers.
For Moth Night, there will be sheets and lights set up in the arboretum lawn area to attract moths, and there will be experts on hand to identify those attracted.
Last year’s event brought over 95 species of moths and numerous other insects.
There will also be people from the WVU Insect Zoo at the event with some of their displays and live insects. There is not a formal program for this free event, and all are welcome to stop by any time between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. to learn about moths and how to attract and study them. Bring a flashlight.
The event will be cancelled if it is raining.
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