Presque Isle State Park and S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie will offer a free day of fishing for children April 13 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the floating platform in the East Basin near Waterworks Pavilion.

Bait and equipment will be provided by the DCNR, S.O.N.S. and BAC Bait & Tackle for the event taking place on the opening day of the statewide trout season

The platform will be available only to children, their non-fishing adult supervisors and individuals with handicaps. Children 16 and older must have a valid fishing license.

Registration is not required. Call the park office at 833-7424 for information.

Find an outdoors-oriented event taking place at Presque Isle State Park in April:

April 13, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.: First day of trout fishing. The state park and S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie will offer a free day of fishing for children at the floating platform in the East Basin at Waterworks. Bait and equipment will be provided by the DCNR, S.O.N.S. and BAC Bait & Tackle. The platform will be available only to children, their non-fishing adult supervisors and individuals with handicaps. Children 16 and older must have a valid fishing license. Registration is not required. Call the park office at 833-7424 for information.

April 13, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Hawk Watch Day. Learn about hawks and other birds of prey during the free presentation at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center. There will be table displays, hands-on activities and talks. Tamarack Wildlife Rehabiliation will be on hand with live birds. Registration is not required. For information, call 833-7424.

April 20, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., 57th annual Presque Isle spring clean-up. Meet at the Rotary Pavilion between 9 and 11 to register and receive materials. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Prizes will be awared for most unusual trash found. Groups larger than 20 may preregister by April 5 by e-mailing Brian Gula at bgula@pa.gov or calling him at 833-7424.

April 26, 7:30-9 p.m., Presque Isle After Dark: Long Pond Trail. Join a park naturalist for 1.5-mile night hike. Meet at the East Pier parking lot; flashlights are not necessary. No fees or registration. For information, call 833-7424.

For a full event calendar, click here.

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.

Help Presque Isle State Park turn the corner toward spring and summer by taking part in the 57th annual Spring Clean-Up April 20 from 9 a.m. t0 1 p.m.

Volunteers will register at the Rotary Pavilion from 9-11 a.m. They’ll join volunteers from the Presque Isle Environmental Education staff, the United Way of Erie, S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie and the Great Pennsylvania Cleanup to clean up stormswept beaches.

Lunch will be served for all registered participants from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for the most unusual piece of trash found.

This event is appropriate for all ages and organizations. Service hours are available.

Groups with 20 or more participants only may preregister by April 5 by e-mailing Brian Gula at bgula@pa.gov. No phone calls, please.

For information about this or other programs, contact the park office on the second floor of Tom Ridge Environmental Center at (814) 833-7424.

Find an event to take part in at Presque Isle State Park in March:

March 9, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Presque Isle Light House climb. Join park staff for a chance to climb the 78 spiral iron steps to the top of the tower. There’s no fee, but registration is required and space is limited. Participants must be at least 44 inches tall to climb the stairs. For information and registration, call Brian Gula at (814) 217-9632.

March 10, 2-5 p.m.: Presque Isle trolley tour. Board a Bayliner Trolley and take a tour of Presque Isle to learn about the peninsula’s history and its importance during the War of 1812. Registration is required for the free event. Call Emily Hauser at (814) 217-9638.

March 13, 6:30 p.m., and March 16, 1 p.m.: Adopt a Beach. The park is looking for volunteers to participate in monthly 3-hour data collection clean-ups of beaches from April through September. Attend one of these training sessions to get involved. Materials and service hours will be provided. Registration is required. For information, call John Laskos at (814) 838-2454.

March 20, 7-8:30 p.m.: PI After Dark, Graveyard Pond Trail. Hike this interior trail and look for owls, coyotes and nighttime activity by beavers. There is no fee or registration required, and all ages are invited. Meet at the Perry Monument. Flashlights are not necessary.

March 27, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: DiscoverE Beach Bash. Children ages 6-12 are invited to learn about the unique features of the beaches in a free event. Hands-on, outdoor sessions include beach plants, animals and beachcombing finds. Registration is required by March 25. Call Emily Hauser at (814) 217-9638.

Here’s a full calendar of events.

The Festival of the Birds won’t go off this year as organizers decide where to take the event next, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a major birding event around Erie this spring.

Birds and Vines, based out of Pymatuning State Park, is scheduled for April 16-18. Participants will tour four state parks –  Pymatuning, Goddard, Oil Creek and Presque Isle – in a search for newly arrived migratory songbirds, waterfowl and raptors, and also will visit regional wineries, where there’s not only wine to be sampled but prime birding habitat to be explored.

All of the parks are Audubon Important Bird Areas. Tours will start at 6 a.m. each day, with stops at two parks and nearby wineries. Conneaut Cellars Winery, Wilhelm Winery and one or two Erie-area wineries to be determined are on the agenda.

Cost for the program is $65 per person or $120 per couple; it’s designed for adults only. Transportation and some meals are provided. Reservations are required and are limited; registration deadline is April 10.

Cabins at Pymatuning State Park will be available. Organizers recommend staying in cabins since the program will start so early each day. Cabin reservation costs are separate from registration fees. Cabins sleep 6-8 people each.

For information about the program, or to register, call the Pymatuning park office at (724) 932-3142.

Cabin reservations can be made by calling 888-727-2757.

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.

Pymatuning State Park’s annual Eagle Weekend is scheduled for March 22-24.

Register to be part of a guided tour of the greater Pymatuning area to see American bald eagles, eagle nests and other birds. Transportation and some meals are included. Cost is $65 per person or $120 per couple.

Events start March 22 at 6 p.m. and end March 24 at 1 p.m.

For information and to preregister, call the park office at (724) 932-3142.

Overnight accommodations are available in the Jamestown cabins for an extra fee; call 888-727-2757 to make reservations.

If you can’t find an outdoors-related event to take part in at Presque Isle State Park in February, you’re not trying:

Feb. 8 — Presque Isle After Dark. Hike 1.5 miles on Long Pond Trail with a naturalist. Meet at the East Pier parking lot at 7 p.m. for the 90-minute hike. All ages are invited; there is no fee or registration. For information, call Ray Bierbower at (814) 833-0793.

Feb. 12 – After Dark Ski. Bring your own cross country skiing equipment and explore the trails from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Meet at the lighthouse parking area. There is no fee, but registration is required. Call the park office at (814) 833-7424.

Feb. 16 — Winter Recreation Day. Try a variety of winter recreational activities, depending on the weather. A snowshoe hike and cross country ski are on the agenda, as is ice fishing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Equipment will be available to borrow, or rent ski equipment. Registration is not required. Meet at the Rotary Pavilion for all activities. For information, call Bierbower at (814) 833-7424.

Feb. 22 — Evening Campfire Talk: Fish. Meet inside the Rotary Pavilion for an indoor campfire and a talk about the history of Lake Erie fishing. Cost is $2 per person, hot beverages included. Registration is required; call Emily Hauser at (814) 217-9638.

Feb. 23 — All Washed Up. Learn about mysterious items found on Presque Isle’s beaches from 10 a.m. to noon and have your finds evaluated by Scott McKenzie of the Mercyhurst University Archaeological Institute. At 1 p.m., join in a 90-minute fossil ID walk. There is no fee or registration; attend one or both parts of the program. For information, call Brian Gula at (814) 217-9632.

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.