UDC sponsors raft trip

NARROWSBURG, NY — Reservations for The Upper Delaware Council’s (UDC) 15th annual summer raft trip on Saturday, August 2 are due by July 25. The public is welcome to participate in this family activity that connects people with the river resource the UDC works daily to conserve.

Two choices of river trips lengths are being offered. The Pond Eddy, NY to Matamoras, PA trip is 10 miles, an estimated five-hour float. UDC check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. and the last shuttle bus will depart for the Pond Eddy Base at 9:30 a.m. The Staircase Access, NY to Matamoras, PA trip is six miles, an estimated three-hour float. UDC check-in begins at 10:00 a.m. and the last shuttle bus will depart for the Staircase Base at 11:00 a.m. The meeting place and parking for both trips is at Kittatinny Canoes’ Matamoras Base, located off Route 209 on Delaware Drive.

Kittatinny Canoes will outfit paddlers. For more information call 845/252-3022.

Expert fields clean water questions

MILANVILLE, PA — Day-to-day activities may inadvertently contribute to a community’s water contamination. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy’s Butterfly Barn nature center invites the public to bring questions to the attention of John Jose, education coordinator for the Pike County Conservation District on Saturday, July 26 at 10:00 a.m.

Jose will clarify responsible management of groundwater, which is often regarded with an “out of sight, out of mind” approach. Understanding how to preserve the quality and quantity of groundwater is the first step towards protection.

For more information call 570/226-3164.

PACD funds watershed education

HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts, Inc. (PACD) recently announced the grant recipients for the 2003-2004 mini-project program. Projects throughout the state were awarded up to $1,000 to promote water quality and pollution prevention following the theme, “We All Live Downstream.”

The Upper Delaware Watershed Alliance was awarded $1,000 for a watershed stewardship education project, an educational media campaign for stewardship in the tributary watersheds of the Upper Delaware River. Participants will include the Lackawaxen River Conservancy, Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District, Twin and Walker Creek Watershed Conservancy, Raymondskill Watershed Conservancy, Bushkill Watershed Conservancy, Milford Water Authority, and Pike, Wayne and Lackawanna Conservation Districts.

Wayne Conservation District also supported this project with a matching $1,000 contribution. For more information call 570/226-8220.

Children explore cycle of the monarch

LAKE WALLENPAUPACK, PA — Exploring nature teaches children to overcome many baseless fears.

On Tuesday, July 29 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., Lacawac Sanctuary will conduct Monarch Magic, an exploration of the lifecycle of butterflies for three- to five-year-old children and their caretakers. The children will get to make pom-pom caterpillars to take home. The fee is $3 per child.

Also, on Thursday, July 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, six- to nine-year-old children will discuss current environmental issues and make T-shirts that correspond to the issues discussed. The fee is $5 per child.

Old clothes, hats, sunscreen, and insect repellant are recommended. Pre-registration is required. For more information call 570/689-9494 or visit lacawac.org.

New national organic standards considered

HONESDALE, PA — Penn State Cooperative Extension in Wayne County will hold a discussion of what new national organic standards mean for producers and consumers on July 24 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Wayne County Visitors Center.

Organic agriculture has been expanding rapidly in the United States as consumer interest in organic products increases. Farmland in the U.S. under organic management has grown steadily for the last decade; acreage for major crops more than doubled between 1992 and 1997 and again between 1997 and 2001. In response to the growing interest in organic products, the USDA released new national organic standards that govern the labeling of organic food.

For more information call 570/253-5970, ext. 239.