Even more in store at Point au Roche State Park

BEEKMANTOWN | Point Au Roche State Park is gearing up for spring with a variety of outdoor programs for all ages and abilities. With forested areas, open spaces, a protected sandy beach and a nature center, the park facilitates recreational activities year-round. Hiking, walking, swimming, boating, kayaking and biking are popular in the summer and snowshoeing and skiing in the winter. PANDEMIC PUSH TO GET OUTDOORS Kristin Collins, a park naturalist at Point Au Roche State Park, said the park gets more people from out of town visiting in the summer, but in the winter it is mostly locals. Collins does educational presentations and activities for public programs, field trips and scout troops. She also deals with "weird animal sightings" and is helping out on a couple invasive species research projects. During the pandemic, Point Au Roche State Park was able to do most of their regular programming, with limited group sizes, because they are outdoors. "I think more people were coming to the park overall during COVID just because they needed something to do," Collins said. "I got interest from people who maybe wouldn't have normally come to nature programs." WEEKLY EVENTS The park holds weekly events like an all-ages family-friendly program every Saturday. The program changes week to week, but it is usually related to the season. Last Saturday, they had a five senses walk. Participants met up at 10 a.m. and went for a short walk, learning how to use all five of their senses to take in their environment, allowing them to relax in nature and possibly see some wildlife. There is a program on Mondays for preschoolers and toddlers, called Little Explorers. The children enjoy stories, songs and art projects, focusing on a certain theme, for example, on Valentine's Day it was "animals in love." Afterward, they have time for outdoor playtime. PAR Kids Club is another program that aims to get kids outside and connected with nature. Their next meeting on Sunday, March 20, will center around map reading. They will explore the Middle Point trails, have a short map reading lesson and then the kids will lead the group, putting those skills to use and navigating their way around the park. GUIDED HIKES AND MORE They also host "Nature Book Club," which gives readers the option to meet in person at the park's Nature Center, or virtually through Zoom. Each month a new nature-related book is chosen and they meet to discuss it. This month's book isn't actually a book, but a webinar series provided by the Aldo Leopold Foundation for Leopold week. Leopold was a conservationist, educator, writer and outdoor enthusiast. Many consider him to be the father of wildlife ecology in the U.S. wilderness system, according to the Aldo Leopold Foundation website. In-person participants will watch one of the videos together March 24, and discuss it. Another recurring event is their guided hike and bonfire. "You wouldn't think you'd have to have a program for that, but it provides an opportunity that people might not always think they have time to take for themselves," Collins said. Coming up on March 19, Point Au Roche State Park will host a leprechaun hunt. Participants will get a map and a list of clues to find treasure, hidden on the trails by a leprechaun. At the end, the gold can be exchanged for prizes. A calendar of upcoming events at Point Au Roche State Park can be found on their website and Facebook page. "It's important for people to get outside," Collins said. "I think it's important for people to see the nature and wildlife that's around them, to know what's happening with the seasons and to have community in nature."

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Even more in store at Point au Roche State Park

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