REGION
REGION
Rifle seminar
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Rifle & amp; Pistol Club will hold a high-power rifle seminar at 8 a.m. April 8 at the club grounds. Safety, proper use of the sling, rules, sight alignment and shooting positions will be some of the subjects covered. Rifles and ammunition will be supplied and participants are asked to bring a spotting scope or binoculars, shooting mat and ear protection. Eye protection is also highly recommended. The cost of the clinic is $30 for adults and $10 for juniors (ages 18 and under). Preregistration is required. The club will also host the John C. Garand Match on April 9. The competition is open to club members and members of any CMP club, NRA or USA shooting groups. Ammunition will be provided to all competitors. For more information in either event, call Mike Policy at (330) 534-5697, e-mail him at mpolicy@earthlink.net, or visit www.yrpc.org.
Spring banquet
HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Neshannock Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its 28th annual spring banquet at 5 p.m. April 8 at the Hermitage VFW on Route 62. International fly tier Kiern Frye will be the special guest. More than $3,000 in prizes will be raffled off. Tickets are $25, which includes a buffet dinner and a chance at the door prize. Discounts are available for couples and children. The banquet benefits the conservation efforts for cold water resources. For more information, call (330) 638-2982 or (724) 588-4378.
OHIO
River race in Vermillion
VERMILLION -- The Keel-Haulers Canoe Club is sponsoring the 38th annual Vermillion River Race on April 2. The race covers an eight-mile course from the Schoepfle Gardens in Lorain County to the Vermillion River Reservation. Race starting times are from 10 a.m. to noon. The race is sanctioned by the U.S. Canoe Association. Entry fee is $12 if pre-registered and $15 on race day (from 9-11:30 a.m.). Call Hank at (440) 775-4953 or Rob at (216) 292-5618 to pre-register or for more information.
Osprey heads to Ohio
COLUMBUS -- A male osprey, whose yearly migration patterns are being monitored by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, began flying north from his South American wintering grounds last week. The bird is half of a pair that successfully raised three chicks in a nest at Alum Creek Reservoir in Delaware County last summer. On March 7, the male osprey began flying north from an area along the Amazon River, about 50 miles northwest of Tefe, Brazil. He has covered nearly 700 miles since then, passing near the city of Coronadena, Venezuela, on Sunday. To date, the female of this monitored pair remains at her wintering area 19 miles east of Tabatinga, Brazil. In summer 2005, biologists with the Division of Wildlife attached satellite transmitters to the two adult osprey. The transmitters have allowed the biologists to track the birds' movements. After leaving the Alum Creek area in September, the birds covered more than 3,500 miles over the course of one month, both ending their migration for the winter in Brazil. Although they left Central Ohio nearly a week apart in the fall, at the end of their migration they were within 300 miles of each other along the Amazon River. The Division of Wildlife began reintroducing osprey to the state in 1996, releasing 32 birds that year. Before reintroduction efforts, the last ospreys known to have hatched in the state were in a nest at Grand Lake St. Marys in 1913. The last known nest in the state, which did not produce any young, was in 1941 at Buckeye Lake. In 2005, a record 37 osprey pairs produced 62 chicks in Ohio. Ospreys are an endangered species in the state. Osprey restoration is funded by sales of the cardinal license plates, which can be bought through a deputy registrar license outlet, on the Internet at oplates.com or by calling the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles at (888) PLATES3.
PENNSYLVANIA
Muzzleloading gun show
BEDFORD, Pa. -- The sixth annual Muzzleloading Gun Show will be held April 1-2 at the Old Bedford Village visitor's center. Admission is $5 with children under 12 admitted free. The show hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Old Bedford Village is located one mile from exit 146 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Call (814) 623-1156 for more information.
One day powerboat course
ESPYVILLE, Pa. -- A one-day course for powerboaters will be offered by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary on May 13 at the North Shenango Community Center, state Route 285 between Pymatuning Lake and Conneaut Lake. Mandatory boater education is required for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1982, who will operate a powerboat greater than 10 horsepower in Ohio and 25 horsepower in Pennsylvania. Registration closes April 15, and preregistration is required. The class will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. For more information, call Brooks Wright at (440) 645-3567; Ed Straub at (330) 727-3005; Ray Calzo at (330) 799-8744; Jerry Crowe at (330) 534-1123; or George Davis at (330) 337-7742.