“Wildlife 101” – the City’s engaging, engrossing opportunity to learn about animals and more in the great outdoors – is moving online, with the debut of this webinar series happening later this month.

“Ranger Jen” Young, the City’s Outdoor Recreation Supervisor, will regularly welcome experts from the around the state and perhaps beyond to discuss wildlife-related matters that many in Milton might encounter. Maybe it’s telling the difference between a “good” or a “bad” snake; or grasping the value and danger of  bats; or knowing the different natural habitats of different birds. Basically, there’s no shortage of nature-related topics that can be covered.

The February 25 kick-off episode will focus on injured and orphaned wildlife, especially knowing that there will soon be newborns on all kinds of species as the weather warms up. So if you find a baby cardinal or brown thrasher on the ground, what should you do? If a fawn approaches your back deck, should you feed it? And is it OK to bring a tiny squirrel inside your house?

Two leaders from the Georgia Wildlife Network – Executive Director Heather Thomas and Assistant Director Tiffany Greene – will touch on scenarios like these during their presentation, which will be followed by time for citizens’ questions and experts’ answers. They’ll also talk about their volunteer-run non-profit and how anyone can be a part of it, making a positive impact one animal at a time.

This “Injured and Orphaned Wildlife 911” webinar will be from 6-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25. All can attend (whether or not you live in Milton) this Zoom webinar for absolutely free, though first you’ll need to register in advance at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rD9DKV4JQkG60xvA6XYzbw#/registration.

There are plans for more episodes of “Wildlife 101: The Webinar Series with Ranger Jen” to roll out over the coming months. If there’s something nature-related that you’d like us to focus us, please email Young at jen.young@miltonga.gov.

These webinars are part of Milton’s ever developing offerings related to outdoor recreation, which are intended to tap into our community’s love of nature through education, engagement, and hands-on activities. Other programs include the Junior Rangers, Scout projects, night and trail mix hikes, fishing classes, and a successful in-person Wildlife 101 class late last year.

To learn more about all these and others, check out https://www.miltonga.gov/government/parks-rec/outdoor-recreation.