WHAT’S NEWS IN WEST COUNTY
2016 VETERANS
APPRECIATION DAY
This year will mark the Second Annual
Veterans Appreciation Day at Presque Isle
State Park in honor of our veterans as well as
current service members. The event will be
held at the Rotary Pavilion and begin with a
ceremonial salute, speakers, and a flag raising
ceremony from 10 to 11 a.m. Immediately
following, there will be various activities
for veterans and their families to enjoy,
including free fishing in East Waterworks
Pond provided by the S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie,
interaction with living history re-enactors, a
letter writing station and information booths
until 2 p.m. Light refreshments will also be
made available for veterans and their families
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., courtesy of the Sunset
Café and Petra Restaurant.
Also being provided for veterans and their
families will be an opportunity to view a
free showing of “D-Day: Normandy 1944”
at either noon or 4 p.m., in the Big Green
Screen Theatre located within the Tom
Ridge Environmental Center. Tickets will
be available at the Big Green Screen Theatre
the day of the event, beginning at 11 a.m., on
a first-come, first-served basis. Veterans will
also receive a 15 percent off coupon toward
a purchase at Presque Isle Gallery and Gifts
located in the Tom Ridge Environmental
Center.
In addition to the Veterans Day event,
the park will be honoring veterans through
a Wall of Heroes displayed in the TREC
lobby throughout the month of November.
For those interested in honoring a particular
veteran, you will be asked to fill out a form
describing your veteran and to submit a small
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photo (2″ x 2.5″ or smaller) to be posted on
the form and displayed in the TREC lobby.
You can submit your photos from Nov. 1
through Nov. 9 daily at the TREC visitor’s
desk from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Photos will not
be returned.
There will also be a collection of donated
items to send in care packages at a later
date. Call for a list of items acceptable for
donation. Individuals may drop donations
off at the main lobby in the Tom Ridge
Environmental Center from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m., daily. Donations will also be accepted
in the lobby of the Erie Maritime Museum
near the Museum Gift Shop Monday through
Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations will
be collected until Nov. 23.
For more information please contact the
park office, located on the second floor of the
Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) at
814.833.7424.
EVENTS AT THE TOM
RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL
CENTER
Tinker the T-Rex Comes to the TREC
The Tom Ridge Environmental Center
is pleased to host a dinosaur exhibit on
the second floor in conjunction with
Mercyhurst University. A cast of Tinker
the Tyrannosaurus – the teenage T-Rex
whose fossilized remains were unearthed
from northwest South Dakota in 1998–will
go on display for only the second time in
the Erie region, thanks to a grant from The
Friends of TREC to help facilitate its laborintensive assembly. The movie “Walking With
Dinosaurs” will be playing at select times on
the Big Green Screen. Check the website for
times and prices: http://biggreenscreen.com.
Daily through Feb. 24, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Outside the Window - Fox
Join a Park Naturalist for a fun program
about foxes! Children ages 3 to 5 with an
accompanying parent or adult are invited.
Meet in the Discovery Room at the TREC.
Activities will include a story, games, and
a craft! Registration is required by visiting:
http://events.dcnr.pa.gov/presque_isle_
state_park. Fee is $3 per child. Advance
payment is recommended by calling the park
office at 814.833.7424, Monday through
Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or you may pay at
the door with exact change or check. Nov. 16,
from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Thanksgiving on the Isle
Before you feast – walk! Join Park
Naturalists for a 2-mile nature hike focused
on wild turkey and the cranberry plant. Meet
at the Presque Isle Lighthouse parking area.
Dress for the weather. No fee or registration
required. Nov. 19, from noon to 2 p.m.
OBSERVING WILDLIFE
AT PRESQUE ISLE STATE
PARK
Nearly four million visitors each year enjoy
the natural beauty that Presque Isle has to
offer. With this many visitors, the challenge
of minimizing the impact to flora and fauna
is daunting. To ensure the safety of both
humans and wildlife, proper etiquette must
be observed. This includes watching from a
distance and not feeding the animals.
Feeding wild animals threatens not only the
safety of humans, but wildlife as well. Certain
species, such as coyote and geese, can become
reliant on humans for food. When this
happens, the wild animals don’t get a proper
diet, such as when people feed bread to
Canada Geese who require aquatic vegetation.
They simply fill up on non-nutritious things
and become weak even though they have
a full stomach. Even after a short period
of receiving handouts from well-meaning
visitors, these animals may alter their normal
routines in order to maximize their exposure
to humans to seek food rewards. This can lead
to unintended consequences such as chasing,
scratches, bites, disease and vehicle strikes.
Vehicle strikes have taken a heavy toll on our
resident foxes in recent years.