September 22,29-30

Join Kenton County Parks & Recreation for three free nature programs as we help celebrate nature as part of the Great Outdoor Weekend. The Great Outdoor Weekend was designed by a group of environmental education organizations and outdoor recreation specialists to provide a diverse sampling of the best nature activities in Greater Cincinnati.

We will kick off the Great Outdoor Weekend one weekend early (our dates were already set when the new dates for this year's G.O.W. came out SO) on Saturday, September 22, join KCP&R for two separate events in the area of Doe Run Lake on Saturday, September 22. Beginning at 9:00 am, Peggy Kelly, local flora expert will lead the Doe Run Nature Trail Hike. Peggy will point out many of the awesome display of wildflowers which may be found at Doe Run Lake. Meet in the boat launch area of the parking lot. For all ages 11 years and up.  Bring H20 and wear comfortable shoes. The hike is free but group size must be limited to enhance the overall quality of the experience.

A second and separate event will begin at 10:00 am on September 22 when Vikki Rawe of KY Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Resources will present Critters in the Crick, a streamside hike beginning in the headwaters of the creek which begins at the overflow drain below the dam at Doe Run Lake. You might get a bit wet so wear old shoes, or waterproof shoes, boots, or waders. Vikki will lead a hike that will have participants investigating stream bed and stream banks and everything in between. All aquatic life will be examined! Meet at the parking lot on the left before you head up the hill. If the creek there is dry, we'll caravan to Pioneer Park and Banklick Creek.

On Saturday, September 29, join KCP&R and OKI Geocachers for an introduction to the growing outdoor hobby of Geocaching at Doe Run Lake. Geocaching is a combination of treasure hunting and hiking – sort of, anyway. Caches are hidden in various locations and cachers use GPS (Global Positioning Systems) equipment and physical coordinates (longitude and latitude) posted on the World Wide Web to pinpoint caches.

Dress for a walk in the park, as we will split up with seasoned cachers and hit the trail!  Cache In, Trash Out – that's the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Geocachers motto – we'll do a litter cleanup as we go!  For all ages 11 years and up.  Bring drinking water and wear comfortable shoes or boots.  No pre-registration is needed for Geocaching.  Be there by 10:00 am.  We'll meet at the boat ramp and be back around 12:00 noon.

Doe Run Lake is easy to find! Take I-275 to Exit 80 (Covington/Independence). Go south on KY 17 to Old KY 17. Turn right onto Old 17 and follow to the end of the road. Call (859) 525-PLAY for more information!

The Doe Run Nature Trail Hike, Critters in the Crick, and Geocaching with the OKI Cachers are all part of the Great Outdoor Weekend.  Visit http://CincyGreatOutdoorWeekend.org for details on many more free programs!

Call Kenton County Recreation at (859) 525-PLAY (7529) to see how you can help – we are always in need of volunteers and funding sponsors for our programs!

Remember, for news of upcoming programs, activities, and events to be held in Kenton County's parks, call the Parks & Recreation office at (859) 525-PLAY (7529).  Or visit our website at www.kentoncounty.org, scroll down and click on County Services, and then on Recreation.