Leader: Melanie Choukas-Bradley Usher in the merry month of May with a springtime nature stroll on the trails and boardwalk of DC’s Theodore Roosevelt Island! Join long-time field trip leader and author of the award-winning Finding Solace at Theodore Roosevelt Island, City of Trees, Wild Walking—A Guide to Forest Bathing Through the Seasons, and several other nature books, for a May Day exploration of this 90-acre island in the Potomac River. The scenic island serves as a fitting memorial to our conservationist and naturalist 26th President – and Nature Forward (then-Audubon Naturalist Society) member. This springtime tree walk will take you deep into the island, where swamp and tidal inlet can be explored by boardwalk as willow, bald cypresses, and cattails frame views of the city beyond it. We’ll see basswoods, sycamores, cottonwoods, silver maples, pawpaws and many other tree species decked out in their freshest greens as we look for herons, ospreys and songbirds. In addition to sharing her knowledge and love of the island’s trees, Melanie will share details of this National Park’s fascinating history. We’ll also do a bit of forest bathing next to a tidal inlet. Expect a flat walk of nearly two miles at a leisurely pace. Our circuit walk will traverse natural surface trails as well as boardwalk, both of which may be muddy and/or slippery. The island lies under the flight path of Reagan National Airport and so frequent planes passing may present challenges for those who are sound sensitive.