Eagle cruises set sail
Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area will resume eagle-viewing cruises on Beaver Lake this fall. Cruises were canceled last year.
Trips are limited to 12 passengers who prepay for reservations by calling the visitor center at 479-789-5000 or stopping by the center. Cost is $15 plus tax for passengers 13 and older, or $7.50 plus tax for youngsters age 6 to 12.
Trips leave at 3 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday from November through February on the park's pontoon boat docked at Rocky Branch Marina. The first cruise is Nov. 6. Some weekday trips are scheduled over the holidays.
Trips last 90 minutes to two hours. There is no restroom on the boat. Cruises visit parts of the lake where bald eagles are commonly seen. A guide is aboard each cruise to answer questions about bald eagles and the wildlife at Beaver Lake.
For details call the visitor center at 479-789-5000.
Muzzle-loader season to open
Muzzle-loader deer season opens Saturday and runs through Oct. 24 in most of Arkansas. A second muzzle-loader season will be Dec. 11-13.
Modern gun deer season in most of the state will be Nov. 13-Dec. 5 and Dec. 26-28. Archery deer season is open statewide and runs through Feb. 28.
Hikers trek at Buffalo
Hill 'N Dale Hiking Club will hike Wednesday to three waterfalls in the Buffalo National River area. The 5-mile hike will visit Paige, Broadwater and Thunder Canyon falls near Compton.
It's an out-and-back hike with three creek crossings. Meet at Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca at 8:45 a.m. Two miles of gravel road are required to reach the trailhead so high clearance vehicles are recommended.
All hikers are welcome. Those interested should contact Bev Munstermann, 479-721-2193, munster@olemac.net. Visit bvhikingclub.com for club information.
Range offers archery basics
The Quiver archery range at Osage Park in Bentonville will host a "Bow Basics" event from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. Cost is $100. For details visit thequiverarchery.com.
Grants benefit tree planting
The Arkansas Department of Agriculture's Forestry Division has awarded Urban and Community Forestry Grants to four communities for projects that will develop, improve, and promote urban and community trees and forests.
The four selected communities and projects are: City of Goshen, trees and parks projects; Eureka Springs, open space assessment and glade restoration; the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, green parking lot demonstrations in Mountain Home and Searcy; and City of Walnut Ridge, Stewart Park improvement project.
Effort recycles fishing line
The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service aims to keep fishing line out of the environment with its fishing line recycling effort, adopt-a-bin.
Volunteers are needed to maintain fishing line recycling bins installed around the region by removing waste fishing line and sending it for recycling. People may also build bins and install them with guidance from the extension service.
Fishing line is extremely harmful to wildlife that can become tangled in discarded line. It is also harmful to the lower units of outboard motors and propellers.
Information is available at www.uaex.uada.edu/fishingline. For more details contact Meghan Post, mpost@uada.edu.