TRANSFER — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, in partnership with the Shenango River Watchers, will host the fifth annual Eagle Fest at Shenango River Lake on Saturday.
Community members are invited to attend the Chestnut Run Swim Beach at 5500 Saranac Drive (SR 846), Transfer. The event will start at 9 a.m. with a group welcome, followed by presentations by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Tamarack Wildlife Center with a Wings of Wonder program and other children’s activities.
For the first time, Eagle Fest will include a food truck on site with food and beverages available for purchase. Scheduled events will run until 2 p.m., but visitors can stay longer to spot and photograph eagles typically visible around the lake in January.
Eagle Fest is an opportunity to observe and learn about bald eagles, which have nested around Shenango River Lake, including on the river below the dam and throughout the wildlife areas.
When the lake freezes and ice forms, open water becomes prime fishing for bald eagles. Visitors have previously observed more than 90 juvenile and adult bald eagles near Chestnut Run Swim Beach and the Route 18 access area in one day.
Park rangers will be available to answer questions and help locate bald eagles.
During the presentations, lake staff will also announce winners of the first Eagle Fest Art Competition, which invited members of the public to submit photos and other artwork. Winners from three age groups will have their artwork displayed at Eagle Fest for the first time.
Shenango River Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District. The Shenango River Watchers is a nonprofit watershed group formed to restore and protect the environmental, scenic and recreational attributes of the Shenango River watershed. Bring your stamp books to collect an Eagle Fest stamp.