Five things to do outdoors (or close to it) this weekend
Only nine weeks left in winter 2010-11. The time will just fly by..yeah, sure.
Don't succumb to cabin fever. Don't give into the blahs. Take two of these and call me Monday:
1) The Fishing Expo and Boat Show at the state fairgrounds in Timonium is like spring training for anglers. Plenty of new toys, big toys and like-minded folks to take your mind on the weather outside. Sharpen your skills at seminars by local guides and experts. The show runs from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for kids ages 10-14. Get details and a $2 off admission coupon on the expo website.
2) Before the Ravens game Saturday afternoon, take a look at Simkins Dam--or where Simkins Dam used to be on the Patapsco River just outside Ellicott City--on Dam Cam and then learn how you can help restore the river's health as a volunteer monitor after storms. The training session, sponsored by the Howard County chapter of the Sierra Club and American Rivers, will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Benjamin Banneker Museum in Oella. For details, contact Ken Clark at 443-280-4050 or kenclark7@live.com.
3) Stock up on ideas for getting outside with your kids as the weather warms at the Greater Baltimore Children and Nature Conference Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will feature more than 20 workshops filled with advice on how to get kids to connect with nature and get the most out of the experience. It is being held at the Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School, 1600 Guilford Ave. The conference is free, but you have to register so that organizers can get a head count for lunch. You can do so at the event website or by calling 410-448-5663, ext. 127.
4) On Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., sharpen your bird photography skills at the Anita C. Leight Estuary Center, 700 Otter Point Road, Abingdon. You'll learn how to select a feeder and food to bring them in close and identify what you're shooting. The fee is $10 and the event is suitable for budding photographers 15 and older. Call 410-612-1688.
5) Before you turn in Sunday night, turkey hunters, fill out this permit application for the lottery for the Patuxent Research Refuge's spring season. Youth hunts will be on several Saturdays in April and May; adults, disabled and mobility impaired hunters will be allowed to hunt on certain Mondays in those months. Permits are $60 for adults and $30 for hunters under 17. The hunt on the Laurel North Tract is being sponsored by the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Meade Natural Heritage Association. The hunting rules are on the association's website or by calling 301-317-3819.
