News Release

Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River sponsors free online program: Linking the “Fly” Ways - The connection between stream ecosystems, fly fishers, and the birds around them

Holly Merker

News Release Date: April 22, 2022 Upper Delaware invites you to participate in a free online program on the connection between stream ecosystems, fly fishers, and the birds around them. This virtual program will be presented on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 7:00pm – 8:00pm EST. While you may recognize the soundtrack of birdsong of the waterways you fish in, here's an opportunity to come and learn more about the lives and songs of the birds that become your stream companions in spring and summer. Presenter Holly Merker will "tie" in the hatches that match the occurrence of the songs you might be hearing and share more about the wonders of the birds around us and how to find them. 

The art of fly fishing can be likened to what birdwatchers call using a "sit spot": a place to be still and quiet, and in which birds and other wildlife come to you, allowing you a front-row view into their fascinating behaviors and lives. Our riparian corridors are rich with birdlife which are linked to and dependent upon these habitats for the food and shelter they provide. 

Holly Merker has a background in art therapy, but today employs birds and nature toward the same goals of wellbeing in her work as an environmental educator and birding guide. She has taught stream ecology to thousands of school students in Chester County for the last 15 years and loves to watch the joyful transformation that occurs when kids explore streams and the worlds within.

Holly is a professional birding instructor for National Audubon, the American Birding Association, and many other organizations. Dedicated to bird conservation, she has been state coordinator/reviewer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Pennsylvania since 2005.Holly believes that nature is a powerful healer and is lead author of the book Ornitherapy: For Your Body, Mind, and Soul (along with co-authors Richard Crossley and Sophie Crossley, Crossley Books, 2021) which uses birds as the guides into deeper connections with the birds outside our own doors. Holly is currently promoting the practice of Ornitherapy and providing workshops and programs across the U.S.  In her free time, Holly spends every possible moment practicing Ornitherapy herself, which she credits in helping her defeat breast cancer, restoring her health mentally and physically. 

So, mark your calendar and join us for this wonderful opportunity to learn more about the birds found in the Upper Delaware River Valley and their connections with stream ecosystems and fly fishers. Use the link below to join the program.

Time: May 9, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)Join Free Zoom Meeting (Limit 100 participants)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87502875646?pwd=QUx5d1dXeldUNWF4M1hnVUV2cjQydz09

Meeting ID: 875 0287 5646Passcode: 838560