The third in a series of occasional profiles of birdwatchers who are from or spend a lot of time in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Michele Rundquist-Franz

Presque Isle Audubon Society President Michele Franz watches a cardinal feeding near the former Stull Interpretive Center at Presque Isle State Park in Erie on Jan. 25. GREG WOHLFORD/Erie Times-News

Age: 49

Family: married to Jim Franz; daughter, Tami, and 2 grandchildren, Emory, 5 and Kayleigh, 2

Lives in: Harborcreek Township

College: Bachelor of Arts in English, Mercyhurst; Master of Arts in Speech Language Pathology, Edinboro

Profession: Speech therapist with Aegis Therapies at Golden Living Center-Walnut Creek

Originally from: Erie

How I got into birding: I was primarily a backyard birder until I moved to Harborcreek and started seeing birds that were new and interesting to me. A friend of mine, Julie Leonard, introduced me to Jerry McWilliams, birding guru/mentor, and his bird identification classes and from there my interest took off.

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The Outdoors show season opens this week with the Ohio RV Supershow in Cleveland. A look at the full calendar:

Jan. 9-13: Ohio RV Supershow, I-X Center, Cleveland.

Jan. 12: Northern Ohio Fly-Tying Expo, Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, Ohio.

Jan. 12-13: Warren County Outdoor & Travel Show, 308 Market St., Warren.

Jan. 17-20: Cleveland Outdoor Adventure Show, I-X Center, Cleveland.

Jan. 17-21: Mid-America Boat Show, I-X Center, Cleveland.

Jan. 24-27: Pittsburgh Boat Show, Monroeville Convention Center.

Feb. 2-10: Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show, State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg.

Feb. 7-10: Erie RV, Camping & Powersports Spectacular, Bayfront Convention Center.

Feb. 16-17: Butler Fishing Show, Butler Area Senior High School.

March 1-3: Erie Sport & Travel Expo, Bayfront Convention Center.

March 7-10: Western New York Sport & Travel Expo, The Fairgrounds, Hamburg, N.Y.

April 6: Linesville State Fish Hatchery Open House.

Take a free tour of the Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Jamestown, N.Y., on Jan. 19.

Free admission hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the center, 1600 Riverside Road
Jamestown, NY 14701, as part of Doors Open Jamestown. Reservations are not required.

The center features hands-on exhibits, live animals, a nature store, plus 5 miles of maintained trails for hiking or cross country skiing. Another big draw is Liberty, the center’s resident and non-releasable bald eagle.

For information, call (716) 569-2345 or visit the center’s website.

FYI: If you’re thinking about combining a trip to Audubon with a stop at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute, sorry — RTPI is closed until Jan. 22 for computer and exhibit upgrades.

Set out on a First Day Hike Jan. 1 at one of 18 Pennsylvania state parks including Pymatuning, Moraine and Kinzua Bridge.

The Pymatuning event for hikers 5 and older is 2 miles. Register by calling (724) 932-2142. Meet at the park visitor center at 10 a.m.

The Moraine hike is along a 4.6-mile stretch of the North Country Scenic Trail. It’s rated moderate to difficult and is for hikers 8 and older. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at the bike rental building on the north shore. Registration is not required.

The Kinzua Bridge hike will cover 1.5 miles and is for participants 5 and older. Meet at 1 p.m. at the park pavilion. Registration is not required.

Dress for the weather and pack water. The programs will be canceled in the event of severe weather.

Other parks that are participating.

The Antlers & Anglers Sportsman’s Showcase is scheduled for Oct. 6-7 at the Crawford County Fairgrounds.

The event is put on by Armstrong Cable with sponsorship by Outdoor Channel, which will send Neal Rohrbach as its representative. Rohrbach is host of the TV shows “Outdoor Channel Outfitters” and “Ultimate Outdoors.”

Rohrbach will meet fans throughout the event and will give Q&A sessions Oct. 6 from 12:45-1:15 p.m. and 3:45-4:15 p.m. and Oct. 7 from 12:45-1:15 p.m.

Proceeds benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania, which assists in hunger-relief initiatives. Admission is free with the donation of a non-perishable food item.

The showcase opens at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 6 and again at 11:15 a.m. Oct. 7. Check out the other vendors and presenters and the event schedule.

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.

Erie County Youth Field Day will take place Aug. 18 at Gem City Outdoorsmen Club, 6701 Van Camp Road, Fairview.

All youths are welcome free of charge, but must preregister by calling (814) 323-5115 or (814) 838-1744. Equipment will be provided, including coaching for .22 and shotgun, archery, fishing and muzzleloader.

Free T-shirts will be distributed. There will be door prizes, lunch and demonstrations as well.

Other youth field days will take place July 28 in Clarion County and Warren County (814-726-1222) and Aug. 4 in Forest County (814-755-3450).

Even on an overcast day the view of the town of Tidioute and the Allegheny River from the Tidioute Overlook is worth the drive. Pack a lunch and spread out on one of the two picnic tables.

The Erie PA Sport Fishing Association’s first Fish Fry is Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. at Paderewski Park on Wattsburg Road.

The public is invited to the BYOB event. Refreshments and food are available for $12 per adult ticket, $20 for couples and $6 for children ages 6-12. Children under 6 will be admitted free of charge. Tickets can be purchased from any EPSFA board member or at the door.

Proceeds fund the Kids Memorial Day Perch Tournament and perch trips for inner-city youth.

The fish fry will follow a perch tournament for 25 children aboard the Edward John. The EPSFA and other clubs will each mentor and assist the participants.