“Owls of the Carolinas” Next Topic of “Church Chats” at Mills River Presbyterian Church

MILLS RIVER, N.C. – On Tuesday, August 2, 2022, Mills River Presbyterian Church will present a “Church Chat” at 7pm on “Owls of the Carolinas” led by Pam Torlina, Southeast Stewardship Manager for Conserving Carolina. The session is free and open to the public.

Torlina’s presentation will focus on several species of owls found in the Carolinas. Special attention will be given to the unique characteristics that make owls successful predators of the night.

“Conserving Carolina has a special permit from the federal government to collect and possess bird specimens to use for educational purposes,” says Torlina. “I’ll bring owl feathers, talons and other specimens to share during the Church Chat presentation. This will give participants a better understanding of the unique characteristics of the owls in our area.”

Torlina has been with Conserving Carolina (formerly Pacolet Area Conservancy) for 16 years. She has more than 25 years experience as a field biologist, naturalist, and outdoor educator. During her career she has worked with the South Carolina State Park Service, the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation – Youth Bureau, the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve in Canada.

Founded in 2017, Conserving Carolina works to “protect, restore and inspire appreciation of the natural world.” The organization is creating new parks, trails and greenways while restoring woods, meadows and wetlands. In addition, it’s protecting mountains, foothills, rivers and farms — more than 47,000 acres so far.

Chatting About Owls

The presentation by Torlina is the third “Church Chat” this year hosted by Mills River Presbyterian Church. Each session is held in the Fellowship Hall for about one hour and is open to the public. The series has been added to provide stimulating conversations of interest for church and community members.

“I’m excited to bring my experiences with owls to share with everyone attending this session,” says Torlina. “I’ve worked on migratory and breeding bird surveys, surveys on nocturnal owls, hawks and woodpeckers, and conducted nest searches. The information I’ll be sharing will be both fun and educational!”

Mills River Presbyterian Church is located at 10 Presbyterian Church Road in Mills River off School House Road and accessible from Haywood Road or Highway 280. For more information, call 828-891-7101 or visit www.millsriverpresbyterian.org.

Image of Great Horned Owl by Jon David Nelson is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0