Friends of Hackmatack marks National Wildlife Refuge Week with free events

Friends of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate National Wildlife Refuge Week with an all-day birding event Sunday, Oct. 13, and a Walk for the Wild 5K community walk Saturday, Oct. 19. Both events are free and open to both adults and children. Registration is required for the 5K walk.

The Big Sit is an international birdwatching event in which birders tally the different birds identified from one spot. This is the 11th year that the Big Sit will be held at Glacial Park from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13, at the marsh overlook at the north end of the Lost Valley Visitor Center. Participants are asked to bring a lawn chair, binoculars, drinking water, hot drinks and snacks. Please dress for the weather.

Walk for the Wild will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, along the Prairie Trail in Richmond. The walk aims to introduce more people to the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge. The walk will begin at the north-end parking lot at Richmond-Burton Community High School, 8311 Route 31 in Richmond. Walkers will visit an oak savanna restored by volunteers and high school students and spread native seeds there. All 5K finishers will receive an official Walk for the Wild sticker and have an opportunity to help plant native flowers in the prairie north of the high school at the end of the walk.

For more on Friends of the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge events, visit hackmatacknwr.org/news-events-activities.