(WNY News Now) – Jamestown, N.Y. – You can learn more about the amazing folks behind the local Rails to Trails effort and about the organization itself at Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday, March 1, 11 a.m.-noon.
Guest presenter Wendy Lewellen will talk about her new book, Good Soles: Chautauqua Rails to Trails Namesakes and Trailblazers.
Lewellen’s book profiles the people for whom the local trail segments are named. It also highlights the accomplishments of the early trailblazers in the 1990s who worked so hard to establish the network.
In both the presentation and the book you will find photographs and Lewellen’s version of the history of the organization. The book features a fold-out map, and all sales of the book raise funds for Rails to Trails.
After the program, Lewellen will sell her books (for $27.95) and sign them. Please bring cash or check to purchase.
In the latter half of her life, most of which has been in Chautauqua County, Lewellen has directed her community service to Chautauqua Rails to Trails, shifting away from watersports, golf, tennis, etc. She is a retired health ed teacher and also an early childhood education teacher trained in the Montessori method. In 2009, she published a book about her mother titled Chautauqua Hostess: Winnie of the Wensley House.
You are welcome to bring a bagged lunch and join Lewellen after the program for lunch and conversation.
The fee is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members and children ages 9 to 15. Reservations are appreciated by calling (716) 569-2345 or online through Programs and Events at AudubonCNC.org. Walk-ins are welcome.
Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike, snowshoe or cross country ski over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.
The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 – 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.
To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC.org.
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