The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area recently released its 2024 event guide, brimming with opportunities for locals to learn about and explore the nature around them.
This year’s speaker series will kick off on Valentine’s Day with “Dam Removal: A River Love Story.” Starting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 14, attendees will hear from the nonprofit American Rivers about how removing dams that have outlived their usefulness can restore waterways and their aquatic life as well as prevent catastrophic flooding.
Get outdoors starting at 10 a.m. Feb. 24 with “On the Search for Silk Moth Cocoons,” the first of almost a dozen events in the 2024 outdoor explorer series. Participants will meet for a brief conversation about local silk moth species before embarking on a group hike to identify the time of day, geography, host plant, habitat, and moth — and possibly find one!
Starting at 6:30 p.m. March 13, the 2024 speaker series will continue with “Past, Present, and Wilderness Ways of the Lenape.” Chief Adam Waterbear will bring to light the history of the Lenape people and their modern efforts to revive their culture and care for the natural environment.
A field near the Visitors Center will be lit on fire for the third year in a row starting at 10 a.m. March 16 (with a rain date of March 23). The “Public Prescribed Fire Demonstration,” part of the outdoor explorer series, will allow locals to see prescribed fire and the equipment used for the natural management of fields and forests firsthand and ask habitat workers and foresters questions.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. April 10, attendees of “Taking the Pulse: How We Study Arctic Raptors” will hear about the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary research program’s most recent findings, with a special focus on rough-legged hawks and snowy owls. This speaker series event will feature a slideshow presentation on how the organization conducts its fieldwork.
The 2024 outdoor explorer series will continue with “Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) – An Up-Close Look at Bird Banding Research,” a weather-dependent event, starting at 10 a.m. April 20. Game Commission staff will talk about the process of bird banding and how it can be used to conserve the species and their habitats, followed by a live demonstration.
On May 8 starting at 6:30 p.m., attendees will learn about common wildlife health issues and their connection to our pets and our own health. “Wildlife Health in Pennsylvania: Why it’s Important and How You Can Help,” part of the 2024 speaker series, will cover what to do when you find a sick, injured, or dead wild animal and why it is important.
Start your Saturday off with a group walk through Middle Creek’s wetlands at 10:30 a.m. May 18. As part of the outdoor explorer series event entitled “Wetland Wander,” participants should come dressed appropriately for wetlands and in rubber boots or shoes to observe wetland soils, wetland plants, and potential signs of wildlife in the area.
The outdoor explorer series will continue with “Birds, Blooms, and Butterflies,” starting at 8 a.m. June 8. Participants will learn about what is in bloom and what birds and insects are flying by while enjoying the views of early summer. The hike, guided by the Quittapahilla Audubon Society, will begin at the Visitors Center.
Starting at 6:30 p.m. June 12, the 2024 speaker series will continue with “Old Field Restoration and the Return of the Northern Bobwhite Quail.” The Game Commission will present on the historic field habitat and their native species, with a special highlight on the northern bobwhite quail.
Other topics the speaker and outdoor explorer series will touch on in the second half of 2024 include fly fishing, trout stocking, incredible edible mushrooms, traveling with Towhees, habitat hayride, fall migration bird walk and big sit, borders for birds, nesting, saving birds from windows, winter animal tracking, and more.
For more information on upcoming events, visit the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area website.
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