Two Wild Resource Festivals are set for May 12 at Moraine State Park and June 9 at French Creek State Park to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Wild Resource Conservation Fund.

“We will have more than 30 presenters at each festival this year highlighting their work on everything from raptors to invasive plants to flying squirrels and crayfish. Hands-on demonstrations, guided walks and exhibits as well as informal presentations make the one-day festivals a great experience for kids of all ages,” said WRCP Director Sara Nicholas.

“These festivals, now in their third year, feature the best Pennsylvania research and conservation work on wild plants and non-game wildlife,” said Nicholas.

Fittingly, WRCP marks its 25th year in 2007 making the Pennsylvania program one of the longest-running, non-game wildlife funding programs in the United States. In addition, 2007 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, whose seminal research and writing have done so much for raptor and wildlife conservation in Pennsylvania and across the U.S.

WRCP officials have also officially have proclaimed 2007 the “Year of the Northern Flying Squirrel” in an attempt to focus public attention on a reclusive resident of the hardwoods is a candidate species for protective listing.

“We bid farewell to the Year of the Fungus, which we celebrated with our 2006 patches, our colorful fungi of Pennsylvania poster, and a new full-length, soon-to-be-released video on the amazing world of fungi and their many uses in the forest ecosystem and in commerce here in Pennsylvania,” said Nicholas. “We now look forward to learning with others about the elusive flying squirrel, another denizen of the northern forests of Pennsylvania.

“The WRCP will be issuing new patches and educational materials to highlight this charismatic species and its habitat. We’ll also be coming out with a new video on invasive plant species, and a poster of Pennsylvania’s colorful crayfish species.”

For more information on the upcoming festivals and other events, visit the Wild Resource Conservation Fund webpage.

3/2/2007