Manada Conservancy will offer a presentation on woodland vernal ponds on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Conservatory at Hershey Gardens, 170 Hotel Road, Hershey.

Dickinson College environmental science instructor Gene Wingert will speak about vernal ponds, small wetlands that typically fill with water during the fall and dry in late spring. The organisms that breed in these ponds are important to the forest ecosystem. Wingert will speak on the ecology of a vernal pond throughout the year and the migrations and breeding behaviors of amphibians that use these wetlands. Wingert is a longtime biology teacher with a special interest in woodland vernal ponds.

The program is free of charge. For more details and to register, visit http://www.manada.org/events/.