Those interested in the natural world around them can learn about nighttime wildlife during a free program Saturday at Hendrickson Park in Poplar Bluff.
Starting at 7:30 p.m. near the pavilion on the south end of the park, wildlife biologist Bob Tarter, owner of Animal Animology, will present a show-and-tell program on nocturnal wildlife.
“It will be very interesting. He’s supposed to bring an Asian eagle owl, a red-tailed boa, a legless lizard, a straw-colored fruit bat and an African pygmy hedgehog,” said Parks and Recreation Department’s Chris Waite.
Other species likely will be presented as well, Waite said.
The program is the first this summer for the park department, but it won’t be the last, Waite said, because such events are part of the department’s mission.
“We feel it’s important to bring educational opportunities to our local community,” Waite said. “A lot of people only think of the parks as trails and playgrounds, but there’s so much more than that.”
During past events, Waite said, officials partnered with the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library for a children’s book reading and craft project before the main program began, and she’s hoping to do the same this time as well.
There is no charge to attend the program, Waite said, and those interested may bring their own lawn chairs.
“We are till trying to encourage social distancing,” she said.
The Parks and Recreation Department, Waite said, also has another wildlife program scheduled for July 25, also at Hendrickson Park.
Beginning at 5 p.m., staff from the Dickerson park Zoo in Springfield will present “The Eagles of North America” and demonstrate live bald and golden eagles.