TRAIL OF TEARS OFFERS PROGRAMS THIS WEEKEND

Five nature programs will be presented at Trail of Tears State Park this weekend.

The programs will be presented free of charge by naturalists with the park.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, a program called "Junior Naturalist Time: Nature Study for the Family" will be held.

"We are doing a nature hike," said Dana Fritsche, seasonal naturalist at the park. "We'll pick up trash and identify plants and animals along the way."

Participants can earn credit as part of a five-part Junior Naturalist program.

At 2 p.m., a slide show will be presented about bats. The presentation at the Visitors Center is entitled "Bats: Nature's Insecticide."

At 4 p.m. Saturday, a presentation will focus on spiders.

Wild flowers will be the topic of a program scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at the Visitors Center. At 4 p.m., a program called "Snakes Alive!" will be presented. It will consist of a video tape presentation and live snakes, Fritsche said.