Set aside three hours March 23 to join a group search for bald eagles along the Clarion River.

Pack along your binoculars and spotting scopes to the Cook Forest State Park office from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for a driving tour to eagle hotspots along the National Wild & Scenic Clarion River. The park staff says this is the prime time of the year to view bald eagles on their nests and find new nesting sites.

The carpool is likely to be long, and the hiking “aggressive” to get to better viewing areas. Hot chocolate and coffee will be available at the office.

For information, call (814) 744-8407.

Is there any creature cuter than a river otter?

CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE/Erie Times-News file photo

Decide for yourself Feb. 16 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. during a free Otter Watch at Cook Forest State Park.

Pack your binoculars and spotting scopes and get to the park office for the start of a driving tour to otter hotspots along the National Wild & Scenic Clarion River. Cook Forest staff says this is the best time of the year to witness otter activity. Chances are good to observe otter sign such as slides, tracks, and carp kills along the banks of the river.

Hot chocolate will be available at the park office.

For information, call (814) 744-8407.

Feb. 9 is Snowman in the Forest Day at Cook Forest State Park.

Join in the snowman-building contest if you like, but plan for a day of other winter activities at the Sawmill Center for the Arts complex on Forest Road:

11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.: Horse-drawn carriage rides, sledding, snowman-building contest, K-9 rescue demos, face painting, box hockey.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Snowshoe interpretive hike in the old-growth forest along Black Bear Trail; meet at the firepit.

1 p.m.: Happy dog contest.

1-2 p.m.: Wildlife presentation by park ranger Steve Mazik in Sawmill Classroom.

1-2 p.m.: Snowshoe interpretive hike within the old-growth forest along Black Bear Trail; meet at the firepit.

2 p.m.: Door prize awards.

Try samples during the Free Chili Cook-Off. Hot chocolate, coffee, fire, and heated Sawmill Classroom will help take the chill off. The event is sponsored by Cook Forest Vacation Bureau.

Explore Cook Forest State Park Jan. 12 with two programs that will get you out into the winter weather.

Pack your cross country skis and meet at 9 a.m. at the Log Cabin Inn Environmental Learning Center for a two-hour interpretive cross country ski trip through Toms Run Valley. You’ll learn how to identify animal tracks in the snow as you ski through an old-growth forest at the base of the Forest Cathedral. If the snow conditions don’t cooperate, a hike or snowshoe will take place instead.

At noon, meet at the Log Cabin Inn Environmental Learning Classroom for a two-hour interpretive snowshoe program into the old-growth Seneca Forest, in the vicinity of Ridge Trail. Eastern hemlocks some 300 years old and tall black cherry dot the trail, including the tallest known black cherry north of the Smoky Mountains. If the snow conditions aren’t good, this will be a hike instead.

For information, call (814) 744-8407.

The Clarion Chapter of the North Country Trail Association will have its monthly hike and a picnic Oct. 13.

Meet at 9 a.m. at the Uni-Mart at the intersection of routes 66 and 36 in Leeper. The hike will go from the trailhead on Route 66 to the north end of Forest Drive in Cook Forest State Park, approximately 4.5 miles. Halfway through the hike will stop at the North Country Trail’s newest overnight hiking shelter in the Maple Creek area for a picnic. Clarion Chapter will supply hot dogs, beverages and other light picnic food.

If you plan to attend, contact Devin Callihan at (814) 319-5058 or cla@northcountrytrail.org.

National Public Lands Day isn’t until Sept. 29, but in its observance the The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting volunteers to help perform work at Shenango River Lake Sept. 8.

Volunteers will paint traffic control symbols and lines on boat launches; install new grills at pavilions; clear vegetation from facility fencing; weed and mulch flower planters; and pick up litter. Lunch will be provided, and there will be free camping for workers over the weekend.

The work day will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information, contact Rich Egger at richard.j.egger@usace.army.mil or (724) 646-1124.

That’s not the only opportunity to volunteer in northwestern Pennsylvania:

Help clean up the Allegheny River in and around Warren Sept. 29 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Maintain trails and beautify gardens at Chapman State Park, Warren County, from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 29.

Improve trails Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jennings Environmental Educational Center, Butler County. Lunch will be provided.

Remove invasive plants, maintain trails, clean up litter and paint facilities Oct. 20 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Cook Forest State Park. There will be free camping Oct. 19 and 20 for volunteers.

Get in on National Trails Day June 2 with the help of the Clarion Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and the Clarion County Trails Association.

The organizations will host a hike from the Cook Forest Fire Tower in Cook Forest State Park to the trail head on Highland Drive. Meet at the Cook Forest Fire Tower/Seneca Point parking lot in Cook Forest State Park at 9 a.m.for the 6 1/2-mile hike over varied terrain.

Want to attend? Call Devin Callihan at (814) 319-5058 or call him at cla@northcountrytrail.org.

Pymatuning State Park in Crawford County, Chapman State Park in Warren County and Cook Forest and Clear Creek state parks in Clarion and Jefferson counties are among 19 parks in the Pennsylvania system offering cut-rate camping to first-time campers.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Gander Mountain are teaming up to offer gear and a reservation for two nights at a participating state park for just $20. The program runs from Memorial Day weekend through the summer.

“You can’t beat this offer as far as the cost; the opportunity to enjoy many other activities at our state parks such as hiking and fishing; and a park staffer will even help you set up camp,” DCNR secretary Richard Allan said.

Other participating parks are Black Moshannon, Centre County; Caledonia, Franklin County; Colonel Denning, Cumberland County; Gifford Pinchot, York County; Hills Creek, Tioga County; Keystone, Westmoreland County; Lackawanna, Lackawanna County; Laurel Hill, Somerset County; Little Pine, Lycoming County; Locust Lake, Schuylkill County; Ole Bull, Potter County; Parker Dam, Clearfield County; Promised Land, Pike County; R.B. Winter, Union County; Ryerson Station, Greene County; and Sinnemahoning, Cameron and Potter counties.

Make reservations by calling a park office directly.

The gear provided for use by Gander Mountain and DCNR is a four-person tent; rain tarp; four sleeping pads; four camp chairs; flashlight; lantern; camp stove; and four hot dog/marshmallow sticks. The gear must be returned upon departure.

Participants will need to bring their own food, cooking utensils and bedding. Suggested packing lists will be provided.

In 2011, the program’s first year, the DCNR said there were 180 reservations made, and more than half of those who took a survey saying they had never before visited a Pennsylvania state park.

The Clarion County Chapter of the North Country Trail Association will put on a hike for National Trails Day June 4.

Meet at the Cook Forest State Park Fire Tower parking lot at 10 a.m. The hike on a portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail will go to the Highland Drive trailhead. Transportation will be provided back to the starting point.

Interested in attending? Contact Devin Callihan at (814) 319-5058 or cla@northcountrytrail.org.

Events and activities that might interest outdoorspeople this week:

1. S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie monthly meeting. Executive director Jon Arway and District 1 commissioner Edward Mascharka III of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will speak and take questions Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Polish Falcons Club, 431 E. Third St. New members and the general public are invited to the free event.

2. Cathedral by Candlelight. See the Forest Cathedral in Cook Forest State Park in a whole new light during this guided evening walk. Candy and hot chocolate will be served at the Log Cabin Inn. Bring a flashlight. Meet at the inn Friday by 7 p.m. for the 2-hour program. For information, call (814) 744-8407.

3. Break out the neoprene waders. The best of the year’s weather has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean fishing season is over. Aside from the ample opportunities to chase steelhead in the tributaries, fall stockings this month delivered highly catchable trout throughout northwestern Pennsylvania. Justus Lake and Chapman Dam Reservoir will get the first of their winter stockings Nov. 3.