Know your Natives: A Guided Walk at Mt. Cuba Center *Must register on AMC site*

What is a native plant? How does an ecosystem work? How do I identify plants? What can I do in my own backyard to help the environment?

If you find yourself asking these questions, or if you love the outdoors, plants, and the environment, then join us Saturday, August 23rd for a guided walk around the Mt Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE. Leading the walk will be Peni MacMeekin, who is our Vice Chair of the Delaware Valley AMC chapter, as well as Peter Brown, one of the 20s/30s chairs. The walk will cover approximately 2-3 miles at a leisurely pace; stopping often to look at plants, trees, and shrubs, and discuss their size, shape, typical habitat, role in the environment, and more. It is recommended that only adults attend this particular visit; ages 16+ who are interested in the topic may also attend, but require a parent or legal guardian to attend with a paid ticket as well.

Mt. Cuba is a renowned botanic garden committed to the conservation of native plants and their habitats. It conserves and stewards more than 1,000 acres including meadows, forests, streams and riparian corridors.

Accessibility note: Due to Mt. Cuba's rolling terrain and mulched paths, access to level, even terrain is limited. Please visit Mt Cuba's Accessibility page to learn more.

We will meet in the parking lot at 10am and begin our tour promptly at 10:15. Please feel free to bring water, snacks, camera, binoculars, sunscreen, or other outdoor essentials with you.

Cost: Due to the nature of the tour, space is limited. We recommend that you register here as soon as possible. Non-member cost is $29 (which includes your Mt. Cuba Center admission ticket, a $20 value!), but members get to attend for free and the AMCDV chapter will purchase their ticket. Want to join us and attend this trip for free? See information below. Remember- if you a current member, register via the Google form. If not, choose your payment option below.

Refund Policy for this Trip: The tickets will be purchased on August 8th, 2025, so the last day that participants may receive a full refund will be August 7th, 2025. Unfortunately, refunds will not be possible after this date. If your plans change and you need to cancel your registration and/or receive a refund, please email [membership@amcdv.org](mailto:membership@amcdv.org) .

This guided tour is a Field Trip, a type of AMC experience designed to explore a particular aspect of the great outdoors. Field Trips are open to both AMC members and non-members, but members get priority and come for free.

• AMC Members: Please register for FREE using this linked form (membership will be verified)
• Non-Members: Register and pay $29 here on AMC's website
• Non-Member Special Membership Offer! Become an AMC member for $40 during registration and you can attend the activity for free! You can then attend any Field Trip event during the rest of your membership year FOR FREE.

NOTE: This is not show-and-go. You must register to attend.

Bios:

Peni MacMeekin is an experienced hiker and gardener who looks forward to welcoming participants to our chapter. She recently helped plant a pollinator garden at an Appalachian Mountain Club site in the Delaware Valley area.

Peter Brown is an active native plant gardener, and participates in many local environmental stewardship, restoration, and preservation groups including the Roxborough Manayunk Conservancy, PHS Tree Tenders, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Tree Philly, and Valley Forge National Historical Park.

Please note: In order to comply with Pennsylvania Youth Protection Laws, all children under 18 years of age must be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian. This policy applies for all events offered by the Delaware Valley Chapter as well as any other Chapter events within the state of Pennsylvania.