Keynote Speaker
Holly Merker
We are excited that Holly Merker is our keynote speaker for 2024. Holly is a global advocate for the practice of Mindful Birding, and has been a birding instructor for National Audubon, Red Knot Outfitters Birding Guides, and the American Birding Association. She is in demand nationally as an educator and speaker and also serves as the Pennsylvania State Coordinator for Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird.org.
Holly has co-authored/authored two books that guide readers into optimizing the wellness benefits birds provides us, including the award-winning Ornitherapy: For Your Mind, Body, and Soul and The Power of Birdwatching. Holly founded the Mindful Birding Network in 2021, and is co-host of The Mindful Birding Podcast. She holds a certificate as Wellness Counselor and is a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide (ANFT).
Holly will be delivering programs for all ages during the 2024 Wings Over Water Festival (March 15, 16, 17) as well as the festival’s keynote address: The Power of Birdwatching. Learn more about Holly at: ornitherapy.com
Featured Artist
Laurie Potter
Laurie Potter’s paintings are an expression of her love for our beautiful natural world and its inhabitants. Driven by passion for the infinitely interesting colors and forms that she sees while spending time outdoors, Laurie’s work is representational and expressive. She paints with an eye for detail while capturing character, whimsy, and mood in the both the animals and the landscapes that she paints. As Laurie continues to portray her subject matter in a fairly realistic manner, she’s also developing exciting ways of creating a loose, painterly atmosphere, border, or background with patterns and texture. Approaching her paintings with a playful, spontaneous attitude and finishing with areas of more focused detail results in more than just an image, but rather a story, a metaphor, or an abstracted reality. Click here to learn more about Laurie and to see her work.