Community Learning

Geologist Jeri Jones explains the significance of stone characteristics in a tunnel during a field trip. Stops vary each year on our geology field trips, with a focus on the geologic history and topography of our region. This year,  participants will travel by coach bus to Lansford, PA to tour the No. 9 Mine and […]

Coulsontown, historic stone structure near Delta, Pennsylvania. An exciting small-group adventure with geologist Jeri Jones, who leads this historic-based tour to Delta, PA. Here the world-famous Peach Bottom Slate was quarried from 1840s into the 1940s. In 1840, Peach Bottom Slate was voted the best building slate in the world at the London Expo, and […]

NASA scientist Todd Toth conducted a Solar Eclipse Party for Renfrew Institute on August 21. He will discuss the eclipse and review the significance of the data collected by observers. Toth will also provide an overview of his place of employment—NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The presentation will include a quick tour of the Goddard campus, […]

NASA scientist Todd Toth will discuss various citizen science programs at NASA, highlighting the GLOBE Program, an international science and education program that allows students and the public worldwide to participate in data collection and the scientific process. Free.

Workshop Filled! Email us at [email protected] to be put on the waiting list. Create an exquisite pysanka, an intricately decorated egg, using techniques of the traditional Ukrainian folk craft. Workshop Fee: $25 for RI members, $30/non-member. Ages 15 and up, limited to 10. For more information, call 717-762-0373 or email to [email protected]. Participants will learn to create […]

Will Sheppard, Historic Archaeologist Part One of Annual Lecture Series 2018: Keep the Wheels Turning. Presented by Will Sheppard, Historic Archaeologist and Anthropology Instructor. Will Sheppard has been a historic archaeologist for 25 years, with a long-standing relationship to the Renfrew property. The program will focus on the mills associated with the Royers, the family […]

Stanley Steamer car Part Two of Annual Lecture Series 2018: Keep the Wheels Turning. Presented by Bill Calimer, Wheelwright, Calimer’s Wheel Shop, Waynesboro, Pa. After a career in cancer research at Hershey Medical Center, Bill Calimer returned to Waynesboro and took over his father’s wheel and carriage shop in 1980. His father and grandfather were blacksmiths […]

Naturalist Lori Schlosser guides owl walks in fall and winter. THE OWL WALK HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO DEEP SNOW IN RENFREW PARK. IT WILL NOT BE RESCHEDULED FOR SPRING...NEXT TIME AROUND WILL BE IN THE FALL.  Meet at Visitors Center, Renfrew Park Naturalist Lori Schlosser conducts an outdoor walk to areas of Renfrew Park […]

The public is invited to attend a free showing of “Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home” in the visitors center at Renfrew Park. The program is presented by Renfrew Institute in partnership with the Antietam Watershed Association. The environmental education documentary focuses on showing how and why native plants are critical to the survival […]

A panel of experts will discuss the topic of ticks, and the many problems they can cause for people and animals. Landscaping solutions and tips for staying tick free will be provided. Organized by Institute intern & Penn State University senior, Ben Bender. Brochures, fact sheets and resource list will be available. Free. For more […]

To celebrate 2018's designation as the Year of the Bird, Tom Keller, the bobwhite quail and wild pheasant biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), will discuss the reintroduction of the Northern Bobwhite Quail to the Letterkenny Army Depot area. Once a popular game bird and a beloved mascot of the Pennsylvania farmer, the bobwhite quail […]