STATE PARKS: Spring into the great outdoors

By Don Glynn/glynnd@gnnewspaper.com
Niagara Gazette

March 30, 2008 07:48 pm

— More than a dozen outdoor activities — ranging from hikes and strolls along the lake front to adventure walks around Goat Island and an evening exploring Artpark — are planned this spring in the area state parks.
The schedule starts April 11 with the “Call of the Frogs,” from 7 to 9 p.m. at Evangola State Park, off Route 5.
It’s a chance to visit wetlands where frogs and salamanders migrate to their ancestral breeding pools, a parks spokesman said.
The Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora, will be host to “Migration Diaries,” from 10 a.m. to noon on April 12. On a hike through the parklands, owned for many years by the Knox family, visitors are invited to learn what drives the migration urge and to take home the entire experience in a nature journal.
Woodlawn Beach State Park, near Hamburg, has two major events set for the following weekend.
On April 19, the annual Earth Day Beach Clean-up is slated from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park. Participants will spend the morning cleaning up winter’s debris of golf balls, plastic bottles and other items. On April 20, the “Behemoths of the Great Lakes” will offer visitors an opportunity to learn about sturgeons and other large fish native to the Buffalo-Niagara area.
Pre-registration is required for all activities and information concerning the sign-up is available by calling 826-8895 (for Erie County events) and 745-7848 (for Niagara County).
A “Spring Sunset Wildflower Stroll” is planned for May 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Wilson Tuscarora State Park, Wilson. The park entrance is just north of Roosevelt Beach.
Among other events scheduled:
• May 3: Evangola State Park, the Beaver Pond Probe, from 1 to 3 p.m., with a chance to learn about the engineered landscape that creates habitat for fish and wildlife.
• May 4: “They’re Back — Swallows Return to Knox,” at Knox Farm State Park, from 10 a.m. to noon. The birds make a regular spring visit to the farm.
• May 10: “Blossom Beach State Park,” at Woodlawn State Park, from 10 a.m. to noon. Visitors will proceed along the beach and boardwalk to discover why the birds synchronize their arrival with spring blossoms.
• May 24: “Seeing Through the Pond’s Mirror,” at the Knox Farm State Park, from 10 a.m. to noon, a hike to spot to find out why certain creatures call it home.
Angela Berti, marketing and communications director for the regional state parks, said June events will be announced soon.