April 26

DINNER: Sat., April 26, Chicken and Biscuit Dinner, 4:00 – 7:00 pm, St. John’s Parish Hall, Susquehanna. There is a cost for the dinner.

April 30

MEETING: Lanesboro Cemetary Association is holding a meeting at the Lanesboro Community Hall, 7:00 pm. Important: all members attend if possible.

May 1 – 2

RUMMAGE/BAKE SALE: Thurs., May 1, 4:00 – 7:00 pm, Friday May 2, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Spring Rummage and Bake Sale, Franklin Forks UM Church.

May 2

BUFFET: Fri., May 2, Ham and Baked Potato Buffet, First Presbyterian Church, Montrose, 4:30 – 6:30 pm, Takeouts available, Tickets can be purchased at Lees Furniture and Little and Nelson Insurance, also available at church office from 9:00 am to Noon.

May 3

CLEAN-UP: Sat., May 3, Spring Clean-Up Day at Lakeview Cemetery in Jackson. Please remove items you wish to reuse.

Mon., April 28: bbq chicken, confetti coleslaw, vegetable bean chili, ww bread, orange.

Tues., April 29: honey mustard chicken, oven roasted potatoes, green and wax beans, ww roll, strawberry shortcake.

Wed., April 30: stuffed pepper, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, ww roll, chocolate mousse.

Thurs., May 1: thyme baked chicken, creamy potatoes, peas and pearl onions, ww roll, mixed berry crisp.

Fri., May 2: roast beef w/gravy, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, ww roll, spiced pears.

The winter of 2013-14 has been long, hard, and relentless in northeastern Pennsylvania. Robins and blackbirds arrived only to be met by blizzards. Even in mid-April, the ground is still largely frozen. Finally, however, spring is finally beginning to emerge, and once again Florence Shelly Wetlands Preserve in Thompson, PA will host its two annual bird walks. In the company of our expert birders, walk participants—both experienced birdwatchers and amateurs alike—will enjoy exploring the woods, fields, and wetlands of the 400-acre preserve as they identify birds by sight and song.

On Saturday, May 3 at 6:00 AM, Ron Milliken will present his twenty-seventh annual walk in the preserve. Ron’s walk focuses on migratory birds and often lasts the entire morning, covering a wide area of the preserve. It is not uncommon for participants to spot between 60 and 65 species in Ron’s expert company. (You are invited to stay as long as you wish.)

Two weeks later, Saturday, May 18 at 7:00 AM Evan Mann, a local birder and amateur naturalist, will conduct a leisurely, in-depth walk around a smaller area of the preserve. Besides identifying birds that are nesting in the preserve’s diverse ecological niches, Mr. Mann will discuss the habits of the various species spotted.

Diversity is the key to the Shelly Preserve’s beauty and value and also the reason it hosts so many species. The brushy meadows are home to tree swallows, wrens and sparrows, while the deep boreal bog attracts eastern bluebirds nesting in dead snags, swamp sparrows, and belted kingfishers. Hawks can be spied hunting in open areas, while the preserve’s pristine brook and dense woodlands provide habitats for the northern waterthrush, Baltimore orioles, scarlet tanagers and least flycatchers. Plews Swamp is the preferred habitat for families of wood ducks, mallards and red-winged blackbirds. Participants can expect to see both familiar species and some surprises.

The two bird walks launch our season of monthly guided walks with local naturalists. Join us at 2:00 PM during the rest of the summer to discover wildflowers (Sunday, June 8), dragonflies (Saturday, July 28), and trees (Sunday, September 14).

The two bird walks, like all our walks, begin at the preserve parking lot one mile north of Thompson on Route 171, where Stack Road intersects. The trails are uneven and may be wet, so wear warm, protective footwear. Don’t forget your binoculars, and come prepared to spend a morning—or mornings—exploring the fascinating world of birds. For further information, contact Andy Gardner at 570-727-3362.

Dr. William Bush, Superintendent of Elk Lake School District and Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center, was recently named as the Susquehanna County, Boy Scouts of America 2014 Distinguished Citizen Award honoree for his numerous years of dedication to the education of youth and adults in Susquehanna County.  Dr. Bush’s dedication to education in the community is something that we all can be thankful for.

The Distinguished Citizen Award is an annual award presented by the Delahanna District which is part of the Baden-Powell Council in Binghamton, NY.  The Delahanna District serves most of Susquehanna County, consisting of 507 registered youth in 19 scouting units.  The choice of Dr. Bush for this year’s honor will also coincide with his retirement from the Elk Lake School District and Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center.

A dinner in Dr. Bush’s honor will be held on Saturday May 17, 2014 at the Elk Lake High School Gym with doors opening at 5:00pm and dinner beginning a 5:30pm. There is a cost for tickets. Co-Chairs for Dr. Bush’s Distinguished Citizen Award are Tom Chamberlain of Hallstead and Dr. Alice Davis, Administrative Director of the Susquehanna County Career and Technology Center.  All proceeds from the dinner will go to support local scouting.  For more information please contact Adam Kovalchick at the Baden-Powell Council at 607-648-7888.

The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania will hold its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, April 24th at the Rail-Trail office in Union Dale.

Cables Deli will prepare a roast beef dinner at 6:00 PM with the meeting following at 7:00 PM. All are welcome.  Please call the office to RSVP for the dinner buffet. 

Discussed will be trail and bridge improvement plans and the list of upcoming trail programs and activities.  A trail cleanup will be held on Saturday May 3rd, 9 AM, Forest City Trailhead.   Call the office for details or questions 679-9300.

The Rail-Trail Council will conduct a trail cleanup as part of the Great American Cleanup on Saturday, May 3rd, at 9:00 AM. Meeting at the Forest City Trailhead, off SR 247. 

Plans are to cleanup the Heritage Bike Tour route and the D&H Distance Run route (Simpson to Union Dale).

You can bike or hike the route, bag the trash & leave for pick-up.  Call or e-mail office the office at 570-679-9300 or trails@nep.net.

The Susquehanna County Cooperative Extension Board is seeking nominations for the “Friend of Extension” Award. The Friend of Extension Award recognizes a volunteer or organization that has made a worthy contribution to the mission of Penn State Extension in Susquehanna County. Extension’s mission focuses on extending education in agriculture, natural resources and horticulture, family and consumer sciences, youth development and economic and community development to county residents, businesses and communities.

Nominations must be submitted to the Penn State Extension Office by Monday, June 2nd and should contain enough information for the committee to evaluate the nominee's contributions to Penn State Extension's mission. Nominations may be for an individual or an organization. If specific staff within an organization played a critical role in their organization's contributions toward extension's mission please indicate this on the nomination application. Nominations may be submitted to our office at 88 Chenango Street, Montrose, PA 18801 or via email to susquehannaext@psu.edu. For more information call 570-278-1158.

The Susquehanna County Cooperative Extension Board is seeking nominations for membership on its Board of Directors. Board members provide oversight of Extension office operations, promote and advocate for Extension programs and serve as advisors to the County Extension staff. The full board usually meets four times per year and board committees meet as needed. Board members serve a three year term with the option of a second consecutive term.

Nominations must be submitted to the Extension Board President, Matt Fearnley or the Penn State Extension Office by Monday, June 2nd. Nominations should contain enough information for the nominating committee to evaluate the candidate regarding their representation of the geographic, demographic and programmatic diversity of the county. The nominating committee will review submitted materials, contact prospective candidates and recommend a slate of candidates for approval at the County’s Extension annual meeting in November. Please contact the office or Matt Fearnley, Board President at mkfearnley@gmail.com or 570-278-4302, with any questions.