2/28/2007

February 28, 2007
Volume 37, Number 59
Division of Parks and Recreation

Contact: Barbara Woodford, Brandywine Creek State Park Nature Center Manager, phone: (302) 655-5740
or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, phone: (302) 739-9902

Brandywine Creek State Park Announces Spring Events

This spring the staff of Brandywine Creek State Park invites visitors to discover the beauty of its rolling landscape in a series of indoor/outdoor events and programs devoted to bird watching, canoeing, frogs, family activities, children’s activities and more.

Brandywine Creek State Park, 933 acres of trails, woods and rolling fields, is located at 41 Adams Road in Wilmington. Advance registration is required for all programs unless otherwise noted. To register, please call the Nature Center at 302-655-5740.

Here’s a closer look at what’s coming up:

Children’s Programs
Pre-registration is encouraged for these programs but walk-ins are welcome if space is available.

• Terrific Toddlers – 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., Thursdays and Fridays, for children ages 2-3, $5 per child
March 22 and 23 – Movin’ & Groovin’ answers questions such as “How do animals get from place to place?” Put on your movin’ shoes and be ready to jump, fly and run as we pretend to be our favorite animal and play animal games.
April 19 and April 20 – Welcome Spring! After a long winter nap, let’s go on an adventure to look for the colors, sights and sounds of spring. After our adventure, we’ll have a snack and fun craft activity to welcome this colorful season.
May 17 and 18 – Nature Babies invites you to bring your special someone to learn about how animal mommies take care of their babies. We’ll take a walk outside and look for baby animals and their mommies and then make a lovely gift for your special someone.

• Nature Explorers – 1:30 to 2:15 p.m., Thursdays, for children ages 4-6, $5 per child
March 22 – In Animals on the Move, we’ll learn how our native animals get around and why they move the way they do. We’ll swim, jump, run and fly as we pretend to be our favorite animal.
April 19 – Changes are Springing! Weather, animals, plants and even you are changing as the weather gets warmer. In this program, we’ll explore outside to find some wonderful changes that spring is bringing, followed by a snack and colorful craft.
May 17 – Oh Baby, How You Are Growing! Animal babies are all around us and growing. We’ll talk about how animal mothers protect and care for their young and take a walk outside to look for mothers and babies. We’ll finish with a lovely craft.

Educational Programs for All Ages – Meet at the Nature Center unless otherwise noted.

• What in the World is a Woodcock? – 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14
Learn about the exciting breeding ritual of the American Woodcock from park staff. Then, we’ll head out to try to find a woodcock performing its breeding display. This program will last approximately 90 minutes, with pre-registration is required. Cost is $5 per person.

• Bird Walk Series – 8 a.m. Saturdays, March 31, April 28, and May 26
Birders from the Delmarva Ornithological Society will lead these advanced birding trips and offer tips and advice to birdwatchers. The program is free, with light refreshments provided by the Friends of Brandywine Creek State Park.

• Frogs and Toads at Dusk: Family Fun During Spring Break! – 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12
We will learn some neat tricks to help you identify our local frogs and toads. Then we’ll head out into the park in search of these wild wonders. Please, no flashlights. Cost is $4 per person, with pre-registration required.

• Mysteries of the Night: Family Fun During Spring Break! – 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 13
How good is your night vision? Bring your family and friends and explore nature at night. We will listen and look for a variety of nighttime delights. Please, no flashlights. Cost is $4 per person, with pre-registration required.

• Owl Prowl – 7:30 to 9p.m. Saturdays, May 19 and June 2
Following a presentation about the owls of northern Delaware, participants will head outside to search for signs of the park’s resident owls. Cost is $4 per person. No flashlights please.

• Birding Basics and Breakfast – 9:30 a.m. Continental breakfast, 10 to 11 a.m. Birding for Beginners, Saturday, May 26
Start the day with a hot cup of coffee and a cool look at some of Brandywine Creek’s beautiful birds in this family friendly birding program. First, participants will see and hear some examples and then head out with binoculars on a half-hour hike. Breakfast will be provided by the Friends of Brandywine Creek State Park. Program is free of charge, with donations accepted for the park’s bird feeder project.

Family Events

• Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day at Brandywine Creek State Park – 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22
In honor of Earth Day on Sunday, April 22, and Arbor Day on Friday, April 27, we head out to Brandywine Creek State Park’s exclusive Flint Woods Nature Preserve. Learn to appreciate trees in a whole new way during this guided excursion. Take home tips on selecting trees for your own backyard that are beneficial to wildlife and a tree seedling. Participation is limited to 14, with pre-registration required. Cost is $4 per person.

• Kite Day – 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 21
Celebrate Earth Day at this once-a-year event by trying your hand at making your own kite. Join us for a day of fun and learning and soar to new heights in the great outdoors. The program fee is $2 per kite.

• Gary Lasako Memorial Special Populations Fishing Derby – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 28
Join us for the 27th Annual Special Population Fishing Derby, presented by the Delaware Trout Association, Brandywine Creek State Park and the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. Program is free of charge, with pre-registration is required. For further information, please call the Nature Center.

• National Trails Day, Saturday, June 2 – 9:30 a.m.-10 a.m. Beginners Intro to Geocaching with a GPS unit; 10 a.m. to noon, Cache-in, Trash-out
Have fun, learn something new and take care of the park at the same time. Work in teams to located a specially placed geocache (a treasure trove of small rewards) using a GPS unit. While you are searching for the cache, pick up any trash you spy along the way, with gloves and bags provided. For the official Delaware State Parks geocaching policies, please visit http://www.destateparks.com/geocache/index.asp. A limited number of GPS Units are available, but bring your own if you have one. Program is free of charge. Advance registration is required to participate in the Beginners Intro to Geocaching.

Flint Woods Nature Preserve
Travel to the Flint Woods Nature Preserve, a satellite area of the park with a mature stand of hardwood trees and rolling terrain, for these special programs. Cost includes transportation from the park’s Nature Center. Pre-registration is required for all programs.

• GPS Scavenger Hunt – 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11
Do you like the outdoors but feel daunted by GPS technology? This introductory program will teach you all of the basics using park-provided GPS units. Then, you will try your hand at our specially designed scavenger hunt using your new GPS skills to guide you. Cost is $4.

• Owl Prowl – 7 p.m. Saturday, April 14
Following a presentation about the owls of northern Delaware, participants will head outside to search for signs of the park’s resident owls. No flashlights please. Cost is $4 per person.

• Celebrate Arbor Day at Brandywine Creek State Park – 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22
In honor of Arbor Day on Friday, April 27, we head out to the park’s exclusive Flint Woods Nature Preserve. Learn to appreciate trees in a whole new way during this guided excursion. Take home tips on selecting trees that are beneficial to wildlife for your own backyard. Cost is $4 per person.

• Mysteries of the Night - 7:30 p.m Friday, May 18
How good is your night vision? Bring your family and friends and explore nature at night. In this two-hour program, we will listen and look for a variety of nighttime delights in our exclusive Flint Woods Nature Preserve. Please, no flashlights. Cost is $4 per person.

• Animal Communication: How Did Doctor Doolittle Do It? – 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20
Learn how animals communicate and what they might be ‘saying.’ We will explore bird song, frog calls, squirrel tails, and more. This program will last approximately 2 hours. The program fee is $4 per person and pre-registration is required.

Guided Canoe Trips
Each trip includes an American Red Cross canoe certified trip leader and a Brandywine Creek State Park naturalist. Participants ages 15 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Some snacks will be provided, but bring plenty of water. The fee for each trip is $45 per canoe with a minimum of two people and a maximum of three people per canoe. These trips have limited participation and advance registration is required. For more information, please call the Nature Center.

• Canoeing Basics - 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 29
An American Red Cross canoe certified instructor will teach you all of the basics to get you started on your first canoe trip on the Brandywine. Get up to speed on safety and basic strokes on dry land before a calm two-hour paddle on the river. A park naturalist will help identify the turtles, frogs, birds and wildflowers along the way. Shoes and clothes may get wet. Meet at the Nature Center.

• Wildflowers in Bloom Canoe Trip– 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 5
Join our park naturalist and an American Red Cross canoe certified trip leader on this guided canoe excursion and enjoy the calm beauty of spring as we search for Virginia Bluebells and other spring wildflowers that appear along the banks of the Brandywine. Some canoeing experience is recommended, such as attending our canoeing basics program. Meet at the Thompson’s Bridge parking lot.

• Birds on the Brandywine Canoe Trip – 3 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19
Spend a late spring afternoon paddling the calm Brandywine while listening and looking for all the beautiful birds that can be found along the way. We will stop partway for a light snack before continuing down the river and listening for the sounds of evening birds. Some canoeing experience is recommended, such as attending our canoeing basics program. Meet at the Thompson’s Bridge parking lot.

• Amphibians & Reptiles of the Brandywine Canoe Trip – 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 9
This trip is a surefire way to see a lot of great turtles and perhaps some other amphibians and reptiles while enjoying the beautiful Brandywine Valley scenery. We will stop along the way and enjoy a snack. Some canoeing experience is recommended, such as attending our canoeing basics program. Meet at the Thompson’s Bridge parking lot.

For more information about Brandywine Creek State Park, please visit www.destateparks.com/bcsp/bcsp.asp.
 

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