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Outdoors

Outdoors community calendar for week of May 19

AUDUBON EVENT: ROBERT PORTER ALLEN BIRD WALK WHERE: 721 E. Mountain Avenue in Williamsport WHEN: Friday, May 22 at 10 a.m. NOTES: Please join us for a co-sponsored event with the James V. Brown Library. Registration is available through the library: program titled “Exploring Spring Birds and Wildflowers.” It will be a leisurely stroll ideal for children ages 5 through 12. Please register at jvbrown.libcal.com/event/15846080. TERRIFIC TREES WHERE: Little Pine State Park and Hyner Run State Park WHEN: Friday, May 22 at 3:30 p.m. (Hyner Run) and 7:30 p.m. (Little Pine) ...

LHU student revolutionizing stream restoration with rock-powered science

Natalie Brown kneels beside a humming wet lab setup at Commonwealth University-Lock Haven, calipers in hand, measuring the promise of Pennsylvania’s streams. The master’s candidate in biology regularly tests how everyday rocks could supercharge freshwater mussel recovery in the West ...

Hearing protection is not just for the range

Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, far too many hunters risk permanent hearing loss season after season. Are you doing everything you can to protect your future health, or are you paying a higher price for your next trophy than you realize? There was a time not too long ago when shooters would flood the range with all the latest firearms, best ammunition and best optics money could buy, but leave one critical piece of equipment behind — hearing protection. These were not soldiers training for war, police officers completing a qualification or even new shooters ...

First four Floating Classrooms are announced for year

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeping Association’s annual summer and early fall Floating Classroom series is gearing up for the 2026 season with a new lineup of programs and presenters. The first four programs, covering July and August, have been selected and include: • July 7 — Geological history of the Susquehanna: Interactive, hands-on program looking at rocks and rock formations of the Susquehanna River basin and historical impacts on the flow. The program is with Andrew Rockhound and friends. • July 14 — Plastics and the Susquehanna: This program will provide a deep ...

Vernal school day camps coming up for registration this summer

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeping Association’s annual summer day camp programs for young learners are open for registration. With limited spaces available and growing popularity over the past couple summers, we anticipate they will fill quickly. • Habitat Helpers, our preschool-aged program, is scheduled for four dates, each focusing on a different habitat. Activities, take-home projects and even the snacks are themed around the day’s habitat offering. Sessions include June 3 (woodland), June 4 (grassland), June 10 (wetland) and June 11 (soils). Targeted age range for this ...

Reflections in Nature: Carpenter bees are out and about this time of the year, boring holes

I saw my first carpenter bee of the season and I’m ready to continue the battle. Many years ago Mary Alice had a garden shed built in our back yard. Several years later a few carpenter bees found the shed to be an excellent place to build nests. At first I was not alarmed and did nothing. A few years later, however, Mary Alice told me that the carpenter bees were boring lots of holes in her garden shed. That was when the big bee battle began. The carpenter bee found in our area resembles the common bumblebee. However, the carpenter bee has a shiny, bluish-black abdomen whereas the ...