Ornithologist and conservationist David Yeany II will present a program on Maryland’s Marsh Bird Survey April 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the  Seneca Rocks Audubon Society meeting in the Clarion Free Library, 644 Main St., Clarion.

The meeting is free and open to the public.

From a news release: “Atlantic tidal marshes have one of the highest rates of endemic vertebrate species, most of which are birds. In 2012, the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program coordinated Maryland’s portion of the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program to help determine status and distribution of saltmarsh birds across the northeast.”

Yeany, a Forest County native, is an ornithologist and conservation planning specialist for the PNHP in the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Pittsburgh office.

Spring migration brings countless birds to Presque Isle State Park, an Audubon Important Bird Area and a great site for birdwatching. Spring also is when Audubon staff and volunteers perform bird banding at the park as part of population, migration and health research.

The banding program for this spring remains only partially funded. Audubon PA and the Presque Isle Audubon Society are working together to raise necessary funds, including through donations and ”Adopt-a-Bird” certificates.

To contribute, you can send a check to Audubon PA Banding, 301 Chestnut St, Meadville, PA 16335, or to PIAS Banding, 301 Peninsula Drive, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Erie, PA, 16504.

Audubon Pennsylvania and the Presque Isle Audubon Society are accepting volunteers to help with a work day March 23 at Gull Point on Presque Isle State Park.

Volunteers must preregister by e-mail to Sarah Sargent at ssargent@audubon.org. Plan to meet at the Beach 10 parking lot, near the Gull Point trailhead, at 9 a.m., and to work until noon. Dress for the weather, and wear footwear suitable for the hike to the point.

New access trails to the relocated observation platform are being established. Posts and signs will be installled and rope strung between them from the boundary trail to the platform. “Area closed” posts will be placed around the point, facing Lake Erie, to alert boaters not to land. The Pennsylvania Game Commission also will provide signage.

Gull Point access is restricted each year between April 1 and Nov. 30 because of the area’s importance to birds during migration and nesting seasons.

The Northwest Pennsylvania chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will have its annual dinner and benefit auction March 16 at 3:30 p.m. at Cross Creek Resort, 3815 Route 8, Titusville.

Two of the four founding directors, Charlie Decker and Bob Munson, will be on hand to celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary during a reception at 2 p.m. for any current Life/Sponsor/Habitat members or anyone interested in upgrading their membership.

Ticket costs, which include an annual membership and a prime rib or chicken dinner, range from $75 for an individual to $380 for couple sponsor. Seating is limited to 275 people. Buy them online here.

A pre-banquet raffle will include a Ruger Hawkeye .270 with carved stock; Savage 30.06 with scope; Remington 870 Camo 12-gauge; Savage 93R 17XP Camo with scope. Raffle tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10.

For information, call Barb Tobin at (814) 425-7528 before 9 p.m.

Since 1984, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation says it has conserved more than 6 million acres of prime elk country, opened more than 650,000 acres of previously off-limits land to public access and helped restore elk to six states.

Cascade Creek through Frontier Park is getting a makeover. It’s a favorite hangout for young anglers during the first day of trout season and, nearer the mouth, for savvy steelhead anglers looking to slip away from the crowds after the big trout have made their way into Presque Isle Bay in the fall.

Penn State Behrend’s first Festival of Writing Sept. 8 will put those interested in writing about the natural world in touch with authors whose works examine just that.

Participants will be able to do field work on Presque Isle State Park and in Behrend’s arboretum. There will be panel discussions on issues involved in writing in and on the natural world, a lecture by Scott Russell Sanders and readings by Sanders and faculty members of Behrend’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing.

Sanders “A Conservationist Manifesto” was published on Earth Day 2009.

Other readings will be done by Kim Todd, George Looney, Tom Noyes and Aimee Pogson.

The $36 registration fee also includes transportation, lunch and dinner. Register online.

You can help make one of the natural jewels of northwestern Pennsylvania sparkle.

The French Creek Valley Conservancy‘s 20^th annual French Creek Cleanup is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. A weigh-in and picnic reception will take place at the Sprague Farm and Brew Works in Venango from noon to 6 p.m. All items must be brought in and weighed by 4 p.m. The picnic will feature live music, food, drinks and fun.

Cash prizes will be awarded, including $1,000 to the educational institution with the most participants and $500 each for the most trash by weight, the most unusual item, and for the community group with the most participants.

Sign up to take part here.

Two American bald eagles were released into the wild Wednesday in Crawford County after rehabilitation from injuries at the Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission oversaw release of the female eagles at the Pymatuning Wildlife Management Area, State Game Lands 214. Pymatuning was selected as the release site because of its abundant eagle habitat.

A 20-year-old mature eagle, first banded in 1992 near Vernon, Ohio, was captured April 16, 2011, near Union City by Erie County Wildlife Conservation Offcer Larry Smith. The eagle showed wing injures, missing tail feathers, emaciation and dehydration. It had suffered pellet wounds from a gunshot. Recurring infections required a long healing period at Tamarack.

Smith also picked up the immature eagle July 17, 2011, near Six Mile Creek east of Erie. The bird is believed to have suffered from West Nile Virus, which caused its feathers to become deformed during development, prohibiting flight. Rehab workers waited and watched as the eagle’s feathers were naturally restored during molting.

“Tamarack is an excellent facility that we have worked with on numerous occasions, and they have proven themselves to be especially skilled when dealing with raptors including bald eagles,” said Keith Harbaugh, Game Commission Northwest Region director. “Sue DeArment and her team at Tamarack are to be commended for their caring and compassionate work rehabilitating these eagles. We would not be here today to return these birds back to the wild if it were not for their investment of time, skill, energy, and money.”

The Game Commission said the mature female eagle was not returned to the Union City area, where she was an established breeder, because her mate successfully paired up with another eagle during her rehabilitation.

Margaret C. Brittingham, Ph.D., a professor wildlife resources at Penn State, is looking for several people to carry out bird surveys in northcentral Pennsylvania as part of a study on the effects of Marcellus development on forest birds, mammals and amphibians. The job description:

We are seeking several full-time, temporary wildlife technicians to assist in data collection for projects evaluating the potential impacts of shale gas development on wildlife. Technicians will be part of a larger team of graduate students and researchers collecting avian point count data, mammal tracking (using track plates and camera traps), frog call surveys, terrestrial salamander surveys and vegetation data. Placement with a specific project will be related to experience with the specific techniques and skill levels for each project. There is an opportunity to work on more than one project over the course of the summer.

For participation in avian studies, identification of neo-tropical migrants by sight and sound is mandatory. A strong working knowledge of Pennsylvania trees and shrubs is preferred for vegetation collection projects. Experience identifying frogs, toads and salamanders is desired for participation in the amphibian study. Some technicians would start part-time in April and will begin full-time after the spring semester ends. Employment on these projects will continue through July. Position pays $9-10/hr and provides transportation, housing and travel expenses within north-central PA. Technicians must have a valid driver’s license.

To Apply: Please send a resume, and cover letter including availability and three references to Sarah Hurteau at srh20@psu.edu by April 20, 2012.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has filed for $187,500 in fines and penalties against a company it says fouled Yeager Brook in Allegany State Park through its drilling activities in the Allegheny National Forest.

The New York park and the forest, which is solely in Pennsylvania, are separated only by the states’ shared border.

“This enforcement action should provide a strong deterrent to other oil and gas well operators in New York and neighboring states whose operations impact New York’s natural resources,” Steven Russo, the DEC deputy commissioner and general counsel, said in a prepared statement. “We will not allow U.S. Energy‘s actions in Pennsylvania to negatively impact New York’s waters. U.S. Energy must ensure that proper stormwater controls are put in place to prevent future violations.”