Before the fall season ends and your impetus to go outdoors wanes with dropping temperatures, there are some great reasons to outfit yourself appropriately and enjoy Nature’s local glories. The seventh annual Catskill “Lark in the Park” offers a slew of opportunities to celebrate the 106th anniversary of outdoor recreation and conservation in Catskill Park. Created in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Catskill Park, the ten-day celebration is held each fall, focusing on a range of outdoor events in and around the Park. Co-sponsored by the Catskill Mountain Club and the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, this year’s Lark continues through the weekend with events scheduled throughout the region on October 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

On Thursday, from 6 to 8 p.m., New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regional director Willie Janeway and Marty Podskoch, author of Fire Towers of the Catskills: Their History and Lore, will be at the Catskill Center in Arkville to present a lecture covering the history of the Catskill Park and discuss the connections between the Park’s recreational resources and the regional economy, plus a slideshow on the region’s fire towers. Podskoch’s familiarity with the area and the many stories connected to the fire towers will make for a fascinating evening, and he will be available to sign his books after the program. Refreshments will be provided. For more information contact Jonathan Mogelever at the Catskill Center at (845) 586-2611 or jmogelever@catskillcenter.org.

A full description of all scheduled events can be found at www.catskillcenter.org, but for a hint of what’s been organized, check out these offerings: On Thursday, October 7 three outings are planned: a hike to Vly and Tunis Ponds off Beaverkill Road near Balsam Lake Mountain (contact Ralph Bressler at rbressler@hvc.rr.com), a hike at Section 2 of the Dry Brook Ridge Trail (contact Laura Battelani at 845-586-3101 or at bodyworx@catskill.net) and a paddle at the Cannonsville Reservoir with Ann Roberti and Jack “Tailgate” McShane (contact annroberti@yahoo.com or jackandnancy@catskill.net). On Friday, October 8, two hikes will challenge avid hoofers: one at the Neversink Unique Area with a new set of trails (e-mail Ralph Bressler at rbressler@hvc.rr.com) and one at Dry Brook Ridge, including German Hollow trail (contact Ann Roberti at annroberti@yahoo.com). Both of these outings welcome dogs.

The “Taste of the Catskills” Food, Wine, and Beer Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10 with a variety of vendors including local farmers and restaurants contributing to a Saturday evening dinner/bonfire/barn dance on the grounds of Maple Shade Farm in Delhi. And on Sunday, a Bocce Tournament and Pig Roast, featuring Maple Shade’s prize-winning Berkshires, are on the family fun agenda. Kids’ activities include a 4-H fair, a pick-a-pumpkin patch, a corn maze, farm animals to pet and live children’s music each day at noon. Tickets are $5. Contact info@tasteofthecatskills.com or visit www.tasteofthecatskills.com for ticketing and information.

Also on Saturday and Sunday, the Plattepalooza 2010 is your countdown to winter celebration at Ski Plattekill, with more fun for the whole family. Live music, bike races, face-painting, a bounce house, scavenger hunt, skicrow and a huge ski/bike swap sale are lined up, along with outdoor barbecue treats and beverages. And for anyone who buys a season pass, take a fall foliage skyride. Call (607) 326-3500 or visit www.plattekill.com for more information.

Six fabulous hikes and one train/bike ride are planned for Saturday, October 9. They include Fall Foliage on Slide Mountain, led by Frost Valley Natural Resources coordinator Reid Bauer (845-985-2291 or rbauer@frostvalley.org); Table Mountain and the East Branch of the Neversink River (contact Joe Herrod at 845-626-7451 or joeherrod@aol.com); Overlook Mountain Fire Tower Hike with Dawn Hamilton (dawnlh333@yahoo.com or contact Dick Voloshen at 845-926-6208); Wittenberg History Hike with the Catskill 4000 Club (contact Paul Misko at woodvalleybear@gmail.com); Windham High Peak and Burnt Knob with David and Carol White, authors of Catskill Day Hikes for All Seasons (315-853-6942 or ccswhite@juno.com); Huckleberry Point with Mark King of the Nature Conservancy and Alan White of the Catskill Center (914-255-3271 or mjones@tnc.org); and Ride the Rails and the Trails on the Delaware and Ulster Railroad/Catskill Scenic Trail excursion: an outstanding adventure from Arkville to the headwaters of the East Branch of the Delaware near Grand Gorge ($12 ticket for train ride; contact Peter Manning at 845-586-2611 or at pmanning@catskillcenter.org).

Join the Renegades Mountain Bike Club for a ride and barbecue at Lippman Park on Sunday, October 10 (contact Douglas Nikkila at nikkilad@earthlink.net); plus four great hikes that same day: Ashokan High Point Autumn Hike (contact Michael Rider at 845-434-0988 or at bkkayak@gmail.com); Palenville Overlook and Old Quarries with David and Carol White (315-853-6942 or ccswhite@juno.com); Neversink Headwaters Stream Tracking hike with Mark Vian, restoration ecologist with New York City Department of Environmental Protection Stream Management Program (contact Karen Rauter at 845-985-2581 or krauter@rondoutneversink.org); and a children’s Hike and Scavenger Hunt with Mary Garraffa, coinciding with Tan Bark Trail Hike and Artist Day (contact Heather Roberts at 845-688-7064 or at catskillmtnpt@hvc.rr.com).

And the weekend’s not over yet! On Columbus Day, three hikes are planned: Long Pond to Mongaup and Back, an arduous ten-mile loop with Ralph Bressler; Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower with scavenger hunt (contact Laurie and Tom Rankin at 845-926-2182 or laur090@yahoo.com); and an escarpment loop over Acra Point with the Whites. Be sure you check into the details with each group: length of hike, difficulty, recommended gear and food, dogs or not and trailheads and meeting points. Get out there and do it!