Events
-- The Wampum Chapter of the North Country Trail Association will participate in the "Great American Cleanup of PA" event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday by cleaning trash and removing tired from state game land 85 and the historic Watt's Mill area near Cannelton in Beaver County. A picnic lunch will be served to all participants. Volunteers should wear waterproof boots and dress for the weather. To register or for directions, contact Dave Brewer at wam@northcountrytrail.org or 330-531-1623.
-- An AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps team, Raven 5, is seeking youth volunteers to help clean up Raccoon Creek State Park from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Participants will need to bring water, warm clothes, gloves and a snack.
-- Ryerson Station State Park will host a "mushrooms of spring" program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 23. Participants should meet at the park office at 9:45 for a walk to look for morels and oysters. Dress for the weather. Call 724-428-4254.
-- Keystone State Park will be the site of a youth and family outdoor show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 1. Sportsmen's clubs, organizations, exhibitors and the Pennsylvania Game Commission will be on hand. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Call 724-668-2939.
Birding
-- Three Rivers Birding Club and the Todd Bird Club will co-host a trip to Yellow Creek State Park to look for waterfowl and other species at 8 a.m. Saturday. Call Margaret Higbee at 724-354-3493.
-- Cook Forest State Park will host a "brew and birding" program at 9:30 a.m. April 23, beginning at the park office. The event will include a morning interpretive hike listening for warblers, thrushes and goshawks in old growth forest. Participants will then car-pool to birding hotspots along the Clarion River. Afterward, birders can sample a free cup of Birds and Beans shade grown coffee, which helps to protect important habitats that migratory birds rely on in the winter. Shade grown coffee is produced using the traditional technique of leaving the upper canopy of the forest and growing coffee in the shade below, thereby saving habitat for wildlife, preventing soil erosion, reducing the use of agrochemicals, and sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Call 814-744-8407.
Fishing
-- Raccoon Creek State Park will host a family fishing program from noon to 4 p.m. April 30. Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission instructors will teach basic fishing skills, then participants will get to fish. It's free, but adults must bring a child and children must bring an adult. The commission will stock the lake during the event, so participants can help stock fish, too. Pre-registration is required by calling Mandy Smith at 814-443-9841.
