Training For Devil’s Den Program Guides

WESTON — Daffodils are blooming, and spring is making its presence obvious to all onlookers in other ways as well. What better way to celebrate this time of regeneration and plenty than by becoming a trained program guide for The Nature Conservancy’s Devil’s Den Preserve, the largest nature preserve in the southwestern part of Connecticut, and then sharing that information with others?

Depending upon whether a volunteer has weekday or weekend time available, one or another of three different, free training sessions will be recommended. The training sessions by Den staff are run two to three hours long, take place on the trails of the preserve, and only require that the volunteer has read a short training packet prior to training.

Training is held on two different dates every spring and fall, with one session in the morning and another in the afternoon in order to give volunteers a choice of times.

The spring training sessions are as follows: “American History,” Tuesday, April 11, 9:30 to 11:30 am or Wednesday, April 12, 1 to 3 pm; “Natural History,” Tuesday, May 16, 1 to 3 pm or Wednesday, May 17, 9:30 to 11:30 am or Saturday, May 20, 1 to 3 pm; “Trees,” Friday, May 19, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, or Tuesday, May 23, 12:30 to 3:30 pm. Call Lillian Willis, program and volunteer coordinator at The Den, at 203/226-4991, to make a reservation or to receive more information about the guiding program. Devil’s Den is on the Weston/Redding border, between routes 57 and 53 at 33 Pent Road.