Submitted Photo Join Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday program at the Greystone Nature Preserve Bat, Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary in Fredonia. The Aug. 4 visit begins at 11 a.m., followed by an optional BYO lunch and conversation.

Audubon Community Nature Center’s First Friday on Aug. 4 features an exploration of Greystone Nature Preserve’s Bat Bird and Butterfly Sanctuary.

At the 11 a.m. event, bat biologist Jonathan Townsend will discuss the importance of conservation efforts on bats and birds, as well as the effects that habitat preservation can have on local native pollinating insects and other wildlife.

Also experience the meadows and recent installation of a native medicinal plants trail at Greystone.

Townsend has had a strong interest in bat biology and conservation since a very young age. He holds a BS in environmental science and an MS in biology, both from SUNY Fredonia. Currently he works as the Conservation Lands Manager at the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, an Adjunct Instructor in the biology department at Jamestown Community College, and is a Board Director at Greystone Nature Preserve.

Greystone Nature Preserve is at 8531 Bear Lake Road in Fredonia. Anyone interested is invited to meet there. Parking is available right where drivers pull into the preserve.

It is recommended to wear shoes that might get dirty in case of muddy conditions.

For more information on Greystone Nature Preserve, visit greystonenaturepreserve.com.

A BYO brown bag lunch and conversation follows the program.

The fee for attending is $8 or $6 for Nature Center members. Pay online through the Programs and Events page at auduboncnc.org by Thursday, Aug. 3 and bring the receipt; OR pay on arrival: cash or check only, exact change is appreciated.

This program is supported in part through a grant from the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation (NCCF).

This grant was made possible through generous community-minded donors who have established community benefit funds at the NCCF. Founded in 1986, the NCCF is committed to improving the community through the promotion of local philanthropy, strategic grant making and community leadership. The organization has distributed over 9.5 million dollars in the form of grants and scholarships within the community. Truly community in nature, the NCCF is an organization created by and for the people of northern Chautauqua County.

For more information, visit nccfoundation.org or call 366-4892.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.

Visit at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren, Pennsylvania, or online at auduboncnc.org.