MITCHELL – Spring Mill State Park invites the public to celebrate World Conservation Day with a special Conservation Weekend on Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27. The weekend offers a variety of engaging programs designed to highlight environmental stewardship and connect visitors with nature.
Saturday’s activities begin at 9 a.m. with a “Summer Saunter,” a relaxed one-hour walk on Trail 5 around Spring Mill Lake, starting from the Lakeview Activity Center front patio. At 11 a.m. at the Lakeview Activity Center, the “Hellbender Craft” program will teach participants about the endangered Eastern Hellbender, Indiana’s largest amphibian, and include a craft. The afternoon features a “Weedeater’s Hike” at 1 p.m., starting at the Tulip Poplar Shelter. This program focuses on removing invasive plants, with participants learning to identify and help pull them to restore native wild areas. Guests are encouraged to bring gloves or use those provided for this easy one-mile hike with vigorous invasive plant removal.
On Sunday, the “Time in Nature Hike” kicks off at 9 a.m. from the Swimming Pool parking lot. This moderate, 90-minute hike explores the park’s mountain bike trail. The weekend concludes at 1 p.m. with “Seed Dumplings” at the Lakeview Activity Center, where participants can make milkweed seed dumplings to take home and plant, promoting pollinator habitats. More information about Spring Mill State Park and its programs is available at on.IN.gov/springmillsp.
