Learn about salvage forestry
At 1:30 p.m. today, the Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association will sponsor a program titled "Salvage Forestry: Making the Best of a Bad Situation" at the Zenzel Stewardship Forest, in the Benton/Red Rock area of Columbia County.
Forest landowners often are confronted with circumstances that negatively affect the health, viability and aesthetics of their woods - a disease or pest outbreak, a blowdown or storm, or the purchase of a degraded piece of woodlands. The program will address some of the challenges landowners face and help them determine the appropriate course of action to take.
Mike Zenzel and his family have owned a parcel of forest land in Columbia County since the 1950s and have faced some of these challenges. He has been very active in dealing with the effects of hemlock wooly adelgid and elongate scale, coupled with competing vegetation and deer impacts.
For more information and directions, call Henry Williams at 458-0157. Utility vehicles will be available to provide transportation during the tour.
The Central Susquehanna Woodland Owners Association is open to anyone interested in sound woodland management. The program is open to the public.
Experience 'Zoo-mba' at ZooAmerica
HERSHEY - Visitors to ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, 201 Park Ave., can experience a fun, animal-themed workout during the zoo's first "Zoo-mba" event at 2 and 3 p.m. today.
Participants ages 3 and older will enjoy a half-hour dance session. Kids and adults alike can slither like a snake and flap their "wings" to the music on the zoo's Woodlands Patio.
ZooAmerica will feature animal encounters to view select species up-close before each workout, and participants are encouraged to cool off as they explore the exhibits throughout the 11-acre zoo.
"Zoo-mba" is free with regular admission to the zoo. Advance registration is required by calling 717-534-3123 or visiting www.ZooAmerica.com.
Take a hike with regional group
The Otzinachson Regional Group of the Sierra Club and the Edward Abbey Hiking Society will hold a number of hikes throughout the region in the fall.
They are open to the public, but hikers must contact the hike leader prior to the event. Participants are advised to bring lunch and water on every hike.
Hikes will be held:
Today - R.B. Winter State Park, Union County, 10 miles, moderate to strenuous. Meet at the parking lot at the breast of the dam along Route 192 at 8:30 a.m. Leader: Joe Rebar, 259-0134.
Oct. 20 - Rider Park and Loyalsock State Forest, Lycoming County, 10 miles, strenuous. Hikers looking for an easy-to-moderate hike can exit the hike after 2.5 or 3.5 miles. At Rider Park, we will walk the Katy Jane, Francis X. Kennedy and Cheryl's Trails onto adjoining trails on the Loyalsock State Forest before returning to Rider Park. Meet at the large pull-out on Warrensville Road next to Loyalsock Creek just beyond the Interstate 180 overpass over Warrensville Road at 8:30 a.m. or at 8:45 a.m. at the Rider Park parking lot 1.6 miles up Calebs Creek Road. The entire hike should take between five to six hours. Leader: Tom Schmick, 435-5539.
Oct. 21 - 1,000 Steps: Standing Stone Trail Hike, Huntingdon County, nine miles, strenuous. A great scenic hike with views and much historical interest, ending with the descent down the 1,000 Steps near Mt. Union. The steps were created for quarry workers who had to climb and descend Jack's Mountain every day. Meet at 9 a.m. at the K-Mart parking lot on Route 15 in Shamokin Dam or 10:30 a.m. at the 1,000 Steps parking area on Route 522 between Mt. Union and Mapleton. Leader: Paul Shaw, 717-215-8339 or pshaw@ptd.net.
Annual harvest festival planned
PENNS CREEK - Shade Mountain Winery's annual Harvest Festival continues today with carriage rides through the vineyards from noon until 4 p.m. and guided tours of the facility by the winemakers at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
The vintner's pig roast and special bean soup will be available for a fee.
For more information, call 837-3644.
Take a fall foliage hike at Riverlands
BERWICK - Enjoy the beauty of fall at PPL's Council Cup from 1 to 3 p.m. today.
Join Riverlands program assistant Joshua Miller for a scenic walk along Council Cup. Participants will identify trees and wildflowers.
Meet at the PPL Susquehanna Energy Information Center to carpool to Council Cup.
For more information, call 1-866-832-3312 or email pplpreserves@pplweb.com. For directions, visit www.pplpreserves.com, click on "Susquehanna Riverlands," then select "Contact Us and Directions."
Ramble through the woods
The Slate Run Ramble will be held at 10 a.m. today. The 10-mile hike is open to the public and will begin at the Clark Farm/Utceter Station Parking Area located between the villages of Cammal and Slate Run on Route 414.
Hikers will travel on and near the Golden Eagle Trail near Slate Run. The hike, considered strenuous, will be led by local naturalist and historian Bob Webber and will take five to eight hours to complete. Bring water, sturdy footwear and lunch. Well-behaved, sociable dogs are welcome.
For more information, call Ben Sands at 753-5409 or visit the Tiadaghton State Forest Facebook page.
Natural gas vehicle seminar planned this week
The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a Natural Gas Vehicle seminar on Wednesday at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport to help municipal and commercial fleet owners make informed decisions about converting their fleets to compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas.
The seminar will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1 College Ave. Vendors interested in setting up an exhibit at this or future seminars may sign up through DEP's website.
In addition, half-day seminars will be held Oct. 30 at the Lackawanna County Center for Public Safety in Jessup and Nov. 1 at the Towanda Fire Hall in Bradford County.
To see a complete list of seminar dates and confirmed locations, and to register for any of the events as an attendee or vendor, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click on the Natural Gas Vehicle Grant Program button.
American Legion Post 617 plans gun raffle
The Royal P. Steinbacher, American Legion Post 617, will hold a gun raffle at the post home, 901 S. Market St., South Williamsport, from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday.
Tickets may be purchased at the post and will be available at the door.
The event includes DJ Steve Hunter, food, door prizes and raffles.
Five guns will be raffled and winners need not be present to win.
For more information, or directions, call 327-0255.
Learn about photography at Audubon meeting
Montgomery County birds Paul and Anita Guris will discuss photography at the Oct. 24 meeting of the Lycoming Audubon Society.
The presentation, titled "Reflections on Our First Year (or so) in Bird Photography: Going from Photography Illiterate to Semi-literate," will explore the Guris photographic journey when they purchased their first digital single-lens reflex cameras in October 2009. They will review photography basics, explains what people can and can't expect when starting out, discuss modern gear and show what can be accomplished by beginners using consumer-level equipment if they're willing to put forth a little bit of effort.
The free public program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Lowry Room at the James V. Brown Library.
For more information, visit www.lycoming.org/audubon.
Trout Unlimited chapter plans annual banquet
LOGANTON - The Lloyd Wilson Chapter No. 224 of Trout Unlimited will hold its annual family banquet at 6 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Southern Clinton County Sportsmen's Association Clubhouse.
The menu is a family-style ham and turkey dinner. The guest speaker will be John Arway, executive director of the state Fish and Boat Commission. Door prizes and a raffle will be held. A fee applies.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, call Bill Bailey at 748-6120.
Club offers free snowmobile course
HANEYVILLE - Registrations are being accepted now for a free snowmobile safety course planned for Nov. 17 at the Hyner Mountain Snowmobile Club lodge, along Route 44, about six miles north of here in Clinton County.
State law requires that children ages 10 to 15 earn a safety certificate before lawfully operating a snowmobile, except upon lands owned or leased by their parents or legal guardians.
The goal of the course, which was developed by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is to develop safe attitudes in all Keystone State snowmobilers. Student manuals and workbooks will illustrate the sport's basic principles and safety concepts. Course content will cover winter clothing, machine safety and snowmobile laws and regulations. Class participants qualify for a certificate by completing their workbooks and achieving a score of 80 percent or better on the final examination.
Course instructors will be Henry Hartman, of Hanover, and Harrison Langley Jr., of Palmyra.
Parents must accompany their children to registration so required forms may be completed. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Class starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. The club will provide lunch.
Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 30 students. Registration priority will be given to those between the ages of 10 to 15.
Students who register in advance will be guaranteed a seat until 8 a.m. Walk-in students, including adults, only will be accepted if the class is not completely filled or if the registered students do not arrive by 8.
To register, contact Louise Davidson at 368-2288 or tomkat1952@verizon.net.
Outdoor events sought
Do you have a meeting or outdoor event you'd like to publicize in the Sun-Gazette?
Announcements must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the date of the event, preferably earlier.
Information and news releases may be:
Mailed to Outdoor editor, Williamsport Sun-Gazette, 252 W. Fourth St., Williamsport PA 17701
Emailed to outdoors@sungazette.com
Dropped off at the Sun-Gazette office, 252 W. Fourth St., Williamsport
Submitted through the Outdoor section of the Virtual Newsroom on the paper's website, www.sungazette.com.
All submissions must contain the name, telephone number and, if available, email address of a contact person.
Photographs by area residents of trophy fish or game animals or other interesting outdoor occurrences also will be considered. Digital photos may be sent by email.
Hard-copy glossy prints, negatives or slides may be dropped off or mailed. Polaroid prints typically cannot be reprinted in the newspaper.
Only photos sent with a stamped, self-addressed envelope will be returned.
Announcements published in the "Outdoor Briefs" section will print in chronological order as space permits.
The Outdoors section is published weekly on Sundays, but it goes to print early on Wednesday mornings.
Therefore, all information for publication on any given Sunday must be submitted by noon on the Monday prior.
For more help, call 326-1551, ext. 3116.
