Saturday stroll to discuss native wildlife

A guided nature walk on Saturday at Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville will be led by zoological coordinator Berkeley Boone and program specialist Clint Murphy, both of Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail at Memorial Park in Athens.

The walk is part of the "Saturday Strolls at Harris Shoals" series organized by the Oconee Democrats.

The stroll begins at 9 a.m., and participants are asked to meet near the rocky shoals.

Murphy and Berkeley will lead a mile-or-so walk around the park while discussing native wildlife. Both men have years of experience in the woods - especially in the South - and experience teaching others about nature.

Boone grew up in Tucker, fascinated by wildlife, especially amphibians and reptiles. He served as a volunteer at Sandy Creek Nature Center while attending the University of Georgia, where he received a degree in recreation and leisure services. After graduation, he worked as a naturalist at the Blue Ridge Outdoor Education Center in Toccoa.

Boone then went to work at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, S.C., where he cared for the animals and taught in the center's outreach programs. When the lab's funding ran out, he spent time working with the Delaware Nature Society and later returned to Athens to work as a naturalist at Sa