The Pettit Environmental Preserve will be open to the public for the Fall Hike: Spidermania! on Saturday October 20 from 10 am – 5 pm. The program will feature spiders of all shapes and sizes, including a Rosehair Tarantula. The free event will open the trails for self-led hikes in addition to event activities.
"The Fall Hike is always our best attended event," says the Preserve's Executive Director, Marina Robertson. "We've been using the fall hike for a scary creatures series and it's been a big hit with the community." The event will feature a visit with a live tarantula for those who are interested, a supersized spider web, spider biofacts, and fun spider related activities for kids.
Not everyone is fond of spiders, but Ronnie Holcomb, a naturalist with the Department of Natural Resources, is a big fan: "People don't realize how beneficial they are to the environment, keeping many pests under control." Holcomb will bring his collection of animal artifacts and passion for spiders to the Preserve for the one-day event.
The Pettit Preserve was created to provide environmental education and promote ecological preservation. The 70-acre property hosts hundreds of school children, home-schoolers, and Scouts for field trips, hiking & Scout badge activities every year.
The Preserve has trails that feature a swinging bridge, a Learning Shed, two aquatic stations, and three amphitheaters for teaching, all nestled around a 9-acre lake. Since 2006, the Preserve has hosted over 4700 students for field trips.
Since the mission of the Preserve is educational, not recreational, it is not open to the public daily for hiking. However, the trails were professionally designed by Switchback Trails, which has built trails all over the country, including the Appalachian Trail. The Summer Hike is an ideal time to experience the trails.
The Pettit Preserve is located off Highway 61, 4 miles south of the Cartersville airport. Turn left on Douthit Bridge Road and continue to fork; right fork is Vineyard Rd., which leads to the Preserve. For more information on the programs of the Pettit Preserve, including the Spring Hike, visit the website at www.pettitpreserve.org or contact Marina Robertson at director@pettitpreserve.org or by phone 678-848-4179.
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