It's sure to be a hoot! 'An evening of owls' at Howell Farm

TRENTON, N.J. - Join Mercer County Naturalist Jenn Rogers and Wildlife Center Director Diane Nickerson on Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, as they present “An Evening of Owls,” an educational program hosted by Howell Living History Farm.

The presentation will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. inside the farm’s heated 19th-century barn. Visitors will learn about the special adaptations that make the owl a key player in New Jersey’s ecosystem and why owls are one of farmers’ best friends. “An Evening of Owls” is a family-oriented program that will include an interactive presentation and a demonstration featuring live owls from the Mercer County Wildlife Center. Following the indoor portion of the program, there will be a short excursion into a nearby pasture where participants will listen for night sounds heard on a farm, and try to call in a screech owl.

The program is the first of the “Naturally Friends” series offered in 2015, which features the owls, swallows, bats and beneficial insects that farmers have relied upon for centuries to maintain essential balances in their barns, crop fields and pastures.

Howell Farm is maintained and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission. It is located in Hopewell Township on Valley Road, just off Route 29, two miles south of Lambertville. (GPS address: 70 Woodens Lane, Lambertville, NJ 08530.) Parking and admission are free, but a $3 donation is suggested for Friday evening programs.

For more information, call the farm office at (609) 737-3299 or visit www.howellfarm.org orwww.mercercounty.org.