MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Lockerly Arboretum in Milledgeville has started a series of online educational videos that are posted every Friday.
The series of videos, titled 'Science Friday,' feature assistant director Greg Eilers talking about everything nature.
Executive Director Jennifer Pollard says when the pandemic started, Lockerly staff needed to come up with a way to connect with their audience without physically being together.
"The mission of Lockerly is to inspire an understanding and appreciation of horticulture, nature and heritage, and anything we can do to further that mission we'll give it a shot," she said.
Pollard came up with the idea after looking into what other arboretums were doing nationwide.
Lockerly sees about 5,000 schoolchildren each year, according to Pollard. But this year, that looks much different.
"At our core, Lockerly is all about education, so we started Science Friday as a way to stay true to our mission and to engage with our core audience, which is students of all ages," Pollard said.
Pollard says when they reopened, they wanted to make sure people had the option of staying home but still learn from the arboretum.
Eilers is the star of the show, providing the information in the videos by showing people what he is talking about.
"It was kind of challenging at first," he said. "But I've gotten to where I really enjoy them, and enjoy picking what we're going to do next."
Pollard says Eilers is a "pro" and doesn't let anything take away from the video. Even getting stung by a scorpion in the middle of filming didn't stop him from doing his job.
Both Pollard and Eilers say they would like to see the videos continue, even when the pandemic is over.
"I hope we're able to keep doing them for a long, long time," Eilers said.
If you want to check out the videos, or want more information, you can go to their Facebook page.
Lockerly Arboretum hours are Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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