When Moysies Beltram saw a rattlesnake rattle up close, he didn’t hide his enthusiasm.

“This is sooo fascinating!” the Tamaqua Area School District fifth grader said of the rattle, which was preserved inside a small box. “I only saw pictures of them — never in person.”

Beltram, 11, loves all things nature — making his experience at the Schuylkill County Conservancy’s annual Outdoor Learning Day an enjoyable one.

He and other Tamaqua Area fifth graders visited Locust Lake State Park in Barnesville on Thursday to learn about stream life, hibernation, trees, critters that live in leaves — and snakes.

Audrey Wells, a conservancy naturalist, led the program on snakes, and even brought her pet corn snake, Elsie, along.

Students held the bright orange snake — even those who were initially hesitant.

“There were a few students who didn’t want to hold her at first, but then they changed their minds,” Wells said.

Seeing the students warm up to nature, she said, is what the event is all about.

Of course, Beltram didn’t need to warm up — he stepped right up to hold the snake.

“I’m very good with snakes. I study them over the summer,” Beltram said. “I know their patterns. I know their eyes. I know snakes with diamond-shaped heads are venomous, while oval shapes are actually nonvenomous.”

He admitted that he didn’t like snakes when he was younger, but he’s fascinated by them now. Although his mother won’t let him keep a pet snake, one day he hopes to oversee a reptile zoo.

The program on snakes was held from a campsite picnic table, but students also trekked into the forest, poked around in leaf litter and dipped their hands into a stream.

Robin Tracy, naturalist for Locust Lake and Tuscarora state parks, distributed containers to the students and encouraged them to spot macroinvertibrates in shallow waters of Locust Creek.

“They found some mayflies and stoneflies, which are both indicators of good water quality,” Tracy said.

Just off the walking trail that surrounds Locust Lake, Will Thomas, a service forester with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, set up a table with different kinds of leaves, acorns and cones from conifer trees.

Thomas explained shapes of tree leaves, and asked the youths to identify trees based on their observations.

“I think this is a tulip tree,” one student correctly determined.

Another group of students met with Sue Reier, a master naturalist with the conservancy.

“Certain types of butterflies and moths lay their eggs on tree leaves,” she said. “The leaves fall to the ground, and some of the caterpillars will hatch while some will overwinter by finding a place in the leaves to sleep.”

Reier passed out tweezers and magnifying glasses and asked students to rifle through the fallen leaves to see what they could find.

Student Raelynn Trevorah crouched on the ground, pushing away leaves as she searched.

“I found a couple of worms,” she said.

“Hemlock” Hannah Kulbitsky, conservancy educator, talked about how native species overwinter. She talked about bears, frogs, bats and squirrels.

Additional Tamaqua fifth grade classes will visit the park today for the annual event.

“For many years, the Schuylkill County Conservancy has proudly coordinated this youth program to provide students with meaningful outdoor experiences right here in our local environment,” said Julia Sophy, president of the conservancy, “Our goal is to spark curiosity and appreciation for nature in young minds.

“We hope that by engaging with the natural world, students not only enjoy themselves but also develop a deeper understanding of wildlife and conservation. These experiences can shape how they think about nature-not just today but as they grow into adults making decisions that impact our planet.”