Darke County Parks is offering a variety of family fun this month!
Winter Bird Walks
January 14th, 9am @ Shawnee Prairie Preserve
January 24th, 9am @ Routzong Preserve
Walk the trails of Shawnee Prairie and other Preserves in search of winter bird flocks. All levels of birdwatchers are invited. Registration required. FREE
Rock Talk & Swap
January 14th, 2pm
Shawnee Prairie Preserve
If you love rocks and have a large collection, then this is the program for you! Bring items from your collection as there will be a table to claim and swap rocks. Share the stories and memories of your special rocks during rock talk. No rock talk would be complete without rock themed snacks. Registration required. FREE
Walking on Sunshine: 1,100 miles Florida Trail
January 17th, 6:30pm
Shawnee Prairie Preserve
DCP welcomes local hiker-extraordinaire, Andy Niekamp, back the Nature Center to discuss his recent thru-hike of the Florida Trail. Where else can you see an alligator, bear, and panther all in one day? Take an 1,100-mile journey from the Everglades to Pensacola through the interior of Florida. Learn how Andy endured sun, heat, rain, wind, cold, floods, hurricane damage, alligators and venomous snakes to complete this 2.5-month hike. Registration required. FREE
Native Animal Encounter
January 21st, 10am
Shawnee Prairie Preserve
Raptors, reptiles, amphibians… oh my! Stop by the Nature Center to visit with our educational animal ambassadors. Why is a box turtle called a box turtle? Do salamanders really breathe through their skin? And will Pip the eastern screech-owl EVER get bigger?? Find out the answers to all of these questions and more during these Saturday morning encounters! FREE
Pawsport to DCP: A Dog Hiking Adventure
January 21st, 2pm
Alice Bish Park
Do you love exploring the outdoors with your canine friend? Join us each month as we discover one of Darke County Parks’ 13 preserves. From woodland to wetland to prairie we will trek to fill in our passports with stamps and pawprints from each park. Once you’ve collected at least 8 stamps in your booklet, receive a Darke County Parks bandana and toy!” Registration required. FREE
Intro to Beekeeping
January 28th, 10am
Shawnee Prairie Preserve
Join beekeeper and park volunteer Carol along with Naturalist Mandy as they share the basics of getting started with honeybee hives. This workshop is designed for beginners and will cover the life history of honeybees, starter equipment, tools, management and maintenance Registration required. FREE
For more information, or to register, visit www.darkecountyparks.org or call the Nature Center at 937-548-0165