Program to study rare bird
A program on the white-breasted thrasher will be a feature of the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area visitor center.
Jennifer Mortensen will give the presentation. The white-breasted thrasher is a rare bird that Mortensen has been studying as a doctoral candidate at Tufts University near Boston. She will describe the birds’ natural history, her research and a conservation plan for the species.
All are welcome. Membership in Audubon is not required.
Association
sets tournament
Beaver Lake Crappie Association will hold a tournament Saturday from 6 a.m.to noon out of Hickory Creek Marina. Registration is from 5:20 to 5:50 a.m.
Entry fee is $60 per boat plus a $40 membership fee into the crappie association. Tournament limit is seven crappie.
Call Payton Usrey at 479-387-6153 for details.
Park to offer
snorkeling classes
Beginner snorkeling classes are offered by Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area at Beaver Lake.
Classes are July 27, Aug. 11 and Aug. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. Cost is $10 for children 12 and under and $20 for adults. Life jackets, masks and snorkels are provided. Students may keep the snorkel.
Meet at Rocky Branch Marina to set out on the lake aboard the park’s 20-passenger pontoon boat.
Class size is limited. To register call the visitor center, 479-789-5000.
Youth aquathlon set
The second annual Splash and Dash aquathlon for youths will begin at 6 p.m. Aug. 12 held at the Wilson Park pool and trail in Fayetteville. Aquathlons combine swimming and running.
The race, sponsored by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, is open to youths from 7 to 18 years old. Participants will be assigned to a starting wave based on age; waves will start every 10 minutes. Age groups and corresponding race distances are as follows:
For more information, call Tiffany Gaulke, recreation program manager, at 479-444-3463 or [email protected].
Biathlon set
for Buffalo River
Buffalo National River is the site of a running and canoeing biathlon set for 9 a.m. Oct. 16 at Dillard’s Ferry.
The biathlon will be a 6.8-mile run on the Buffalo River Trail from Arkansas 14 to Dillard’s Ferry. Contestants then paddle 4.8 miles down the Buffalo River. There is also a trail-run-only race of 13.6 miles.
For more infor mation, maps, and to register visit www.dltmutlisport.com or call the Buffalo Point ranger station, 870-449-4311.
Hobbs to host kayak
classes
Kayak classes at Beaver Lake are offered by Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area through August.
Classes are set for July 31 and Aug. 5, 7, 16 and 31. They are held at a quiet cove on the lake.
Cost is $50 and includes a kayak and all equipment.
Jay Schneider, assistant park superintendent and a certified instructor, teaches the classes. Call the visitor center, 479-789-5000, to register.