Put on your walking shoes, pack a hearty lunch and prepare to ramble around the Catawba River with an expert historian, biologist and geologist by your side.

River Ramblers is a series of day trips around the Catawba River presented by the Museum of York County. The program began May 10 with a trip to the Rocky Mount and Lando areas of the Catawba River.

The day trips will be offered from May until November and will cover areas including the Broad River area of the Catawba, the future site of the Museum of Life and the Environment in Fort Mill, and Landsford Canal.

Geologist Irene Boland, naturalist Steve Fields and historian Michael Scoggins will accompany the "Ramblers" on each trip and offer information about the Catawba related to their area of expertise.

"We're taking an interdisciplinary approach to the river," said Nancy Crane, the director of education for the Museum of York County. "People can get multiple perspectives and how they fit together. We're trying to give comprehensive stories and get people thinking a little differently, about the interconnectedness of history and nature."

This is the first of many Catawba River-related programs the museum is sponsoring as they prepare for their newest museum, the Museum of Life and the Environment, planned for construction along a mile of riverfront on the Catawba River.

Right now, the Museum of York County is showing River Docs, a documentary photography exhibit that details the Catawba River from the fall of 2006 until the summer of 2007. The museum is also starting new camps for children this summer that focus on the Catawba. Students will learn about water testing and the wildlife of the Catawba River.

Crane is also planning an environment-themed book club that will meet at the Fort Mill Library.

Crane said she hopes the River Ramblers program will attract both newcomers to the area and lifelong residents, but said that newcomers in some of the new developments along the Catawba, like Sun City Carolina Lakes, may be particularly interested in River Ramblers.

"River Ramblers or any of our programs will give them an intro to the area and the importance of the Catawba River," Crane said. "We're all connected to the river. Every time we turn on a light switch or open the fridge, we are connected to the Catawba. That's part of our quest, to help them realize it's vital to our lives."

For more information, call 329-2121.