Lake Hope State Park Hosts Weekend Naturalist Events for Residents

Lake Hope State Park staged a slate of naturalist-led activities over the weekend of Jan. 8–10, 2026, drawing attention to winter wildlife and outdoor education opportunities for Vinton County residents. The series included an Owl Pellet Dissection on Thursday, Jan. 8, with registration required via kaylin.callander@dnr.ohio.gov, and a set of Saturday programs on Jan. 10 focused on birds of prey, animal tracking, and beaver habitat.

The Owl Pellet Dissection took place Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and offered participants a chance to examine regurgitated pellets to learn about raptor diets and local food webs. On Saturday, the park scheduled a birds-of-prey identification session titled “What’s That Big Bird?” from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by a “Keep Track” animal-tracks program from 1 to 2 p.m. The weekend concluded with an easy, quarter-mile Beaver “Built by Beaver” walk from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Most programs met at the park’s Nature Center or Shelter House, and materials and activities were provided free of charge.

These events serve several practical roles for the community. They provide affordable hands-on environmental education for children and families, create low-barrier opportunities for new visitors to learn park trails and resources, and can encourage repeat visitation that supports local businesses in nearby Zaleski and across Vinton County. Free, naturalist-led programming helps the park fulfill public recreation and conservation education goals while making wildlife science accessible to residents who might otherwise face cost or transportation barriers.

For residents seeking to participate in similar offerings, the park’s Nature Center and Shelter House remain central gathering points for interpretive programs. Registration was required for the Owl Pellet Dissection via kaylin.callander@dnr.ohio.gov; other Saturday activities did not list advance registration and were open to attendees arriving at the scheduled start times. Materials and participation for all listed programs were provided at no charge, reflecting the park’s emphasis on community access to outdoor learning and recreation.