Keystone State Park trail, spillway, scavengers spotlighted over Labor Day weekend

Butterflies, vultures and macroinvertebrates will be highlighted during free Labor Day weekend activities at Keystone State Park in Derry Township.

Advance registration is not required for these family-friendly programs, led by park naturalist Jean H. Keene.

Friday

On Friday, from 4 to 6 p.m., Keene will lead a hike to explore flora and fauna along the park’s Strawcutter Trail loop.

“It’s kind of out of the way, but it’s one of my favorite trails,” said Keene. “It starts out in a wildflower meadow, where you can find butterflies and other pollinators.”

Hikers then will progress through other types of wooded terrain, with deciduous trees that gradually are joined by coniferous species. Keene will help identify the flora and fauna found along the trail.

She advises participants to wear shoes that are comfortable for hiking up to two miles. The program will begin at the park’s Strawcutter Day Use Area along Strawcutter Road, also known as Barchesky Road.

Saturday

On Saturday, visitors can stop at the park beach house any time from 1 to 5 p.m. to help staff and volunteers celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day.

Vulture-themed games, crafts and activities will be featured as participants learn the importance of these scavenger birds in helping to keep their ecosystem clean.

Keystone and its environs are home to turkey vultures, one of two types of vultures found in Pennsylvania.

“I think vultures tend to get a bad rap,” said Keene. “In popular culture, they’re portrayed as harbingers of doom and even kind of gross. But they’re really cool animals. They have a pretty important ecological role: they’re our little clean-up crews.”

After dining on road kill, Keene noted, vultures will spread their wings – up to 6 feet in width, using the sun’s rays to kill any bacteria they may have picked up during their meal.

Keene advises motorists who may come upon a vulture in the road to take it slow.

“They’re pretty big, bulky birds, and they can be slow to take off,” she said.

While the vulture population is doing well in Pennsylvania, several species of the bird in Europe, Asia and Africa are endangered. Visit vultureday.org for more information.

Sunday

On Sunday, Keene will be on hand at the spillway of the park’s central lake to demonstrate techniques for sampling, viewing and identifying the macroinvertebrates that dwell in the water.

Demonstrations are planned for 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m.

Macroinvertebrates are animals – including insects — that lack a backbone and are large enough to view without a microscope.

Attendees are invited to use nets to collect the critters from the water and should wear foot gear that can withstand getting wet.

“It’s a way to collect specimens to test the health of the water,” Keene said of the technique.

For more information about Keystone, visit dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks and select “Find a Park.”