Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center

Join us this Saturday at 1pm for an Earth Day Scavenger Hunt! Meet in the parking lot at Kettle Creek where clue sheets will be distributed and then head out on the trails to solve the clues and take photos of your answers. Prizes will be awarded upon completion and one lucky family will get to take home a pint of maple syrup! Cost is $10 per family/group. Preregistration is required by calling 570-629-3061. #EarthDay

Have you put up your hummingbird feeders yet? Now is the time! We spotted our first hummingbird Kettle Creek this past Wednesday. Let us know if you’ve seen any at your feeders yet! #hummingbird

Check out the calendar on our website for some upcoming spring programs! There are a few Saturday events planned as well as a Kettle Creek for Preschoolers series of programs. https://www.mcconservation.org/calendar.html

Congratulations to the Reece’s Pieces team of Pleasant Valley High School for taking first place in the 2021 Monroe County Envirothon! They will be taking this coveted Enviro-owl trophy back to their school to display proudly! This year’s event was virtual and we had ten teams from four Monroe County High schools participate. The students and their advisors worked so hard and we are so proud of them all! Taking second place was the Eastern Milkshakes, also of Pleasant Valley and The Backstreet Buds of Pocono Mountain East High School came in third. Great job everyone!

We are now accepting applications for our Get in Touch with Nature Day Camp for children ages 7-13 from August 2nd through 13th. Spend one week or two learning about plants and animals while exploring nature and making new friends along the way! Other activities may include creek snorkeling, tie-dying, bird banding and more! https://www.mcconservation.org//broch_get_in_touch_with_na #daycamp #summercamp

Happy #EarthDay! The theme for this year’s Earth Day is Restore Our Earth, which focuses on how we can work to keep the Earth healthy for future generations. At Kettle Creek, we are so grateful for this planet and its resources and we will continue our efforts to educate people of all ages about the environment around us and what we can do to protect it. Since Earth Day celebrations are looking a little different this year, Earth.org has provided a great resource for some things you can do to celebrate: https://earth.org/earth-day-2021/ Celebrate in your own special way and whatever you choose to do, just remember that the giant rock beneath our feet never stops doing her part so we should pitch in and do ours as often as possible. #earthday2021

Join us this Saturday, April 17th, at 8:30am for an early morning bird walk! We will visit several different habitats throughout the Kettle Creek property to see some of our early Spring migrants and our usual residents courting and nesting. Call 570-629-3061 to register as spaces are limited. Get all of the details here: https://localendar.com/event #phoebe

Join us on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 for a 6-mile paddle through the Tunkhannock Creek and Long Pond wetland system. This rare and diverse protected habitat-the Pocono Barrens-is home to many special species of plants and animals, which can be difficult to see-except from the water! Participants should bring their own kayaks/canoes. Cost:$15/non-member, $10/EE Center member and children under 12. Pre-registration is required and limited. Please call 570-629-3061 for more information and to register. #kayak #canoe

Have a question about the plants or wildlife in your backyard? Check out the Question Corner at Kettle Creek! It’s a place for locals to ask and learn about the all things nature that we run into while living in the Poconos. Just upload your question along with some contact info and a member of our staff will get back to you. We hope to help you learn a little more about the environment in the Poconos by focusing right in your backyard! https://www.mcconservation.org/question-corner-at-kc.html

A huge shout out to the fabulous ladies in our office who keep everything running so smoothly! Our administrative staff rocks! Thank you ladies and happy administrative professionals day!

Learn how to manage your property to protect our waterways and how to apply to have your property officially certified during this free webinar provided by Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/watershed-friendly-property-certi

The Earth Speaks is an annual art show by the Pocono Arts Council revolving around Earth Day. This year, the gallery went virtual and the work is outstanding. Be sure to check it out here: https://poconoarts.org/gallery/

Its official! The 2021 Maple Sugaring season has come to an end for us at the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center. Check out some of the highlights!

Our Annual Conservation Camp is scheduled for July 17th through 24th. Campers ages 14 through 2021 high school graduates will spend a week at Stony Acres’ residential facility in Marshalls Creek where they will experience fun, adventure and memories that will last a lifetime! Campers will take a two day canoe trip on the Delaware River, explore the Stony Acres Ropes Course, try their hand at trapshooting, archery and much more! Applications can be found on our website and scholarships are available. Spaces are limited! https://www.mcconservation.org/conservation-camp.html

Happy Easter! Did you know the Eastern Cottontail can run (or hop) up to 18 miles per hour! That's a pretty fast bunny! Good thing too, there's lots of eggs to hide! Photo by Aaron J Hill from Pexels

Our offices will be closed today in observance of Good Friday.Our offices will be closed today in observance of Good Friday.

Tomorrow is the deadline for the Becker Scholarship! If you are a high school senior pursuing a degree in an environmental science related field don’t miss out on this opportunity for some free money honey! https://www.mcconservation.org/becker-scholarship.html

Conservation starts in your yard! Check out this video from the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts before you fertilize your lawn this spring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61z-kz0qKS8

It’s #NationalBirdDay which makes today a wonderful day for birdwatching! With the recent bought of winter weather we’ve had, the birds at the feeders here at Kettle Creek have been very active and a pleasure to watch. Have you seen any interesting birds at your feeders lately? Let us know in the comments below.

The Monroe County Conservation District and the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center are seeking input from the community via a short survey. Responses from the survey will be used in helping shape the District and the EE Center's plans for the future. We hope you have a few minutes to provide your feedback! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PBZ7YZX

Still need a calendar for the New Year? You can grab one of our 2021 calendars featuring the winners of our annual photo contest by giving us a call at 570-629-3061 for curbside pickup. Calendars are $7.99 plus tax.

The Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward Program is currently accepting applications for the Spring 2021 training program! The program is a collaborative effort between Penn State Extension, MCCD and local conservation groups and is designed to train people about the basics of water resource stewardship and create an energized group of citizen volunteers. Learn more here: https://extension.psu.edu/master-watershed-steward-open-hou