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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212;If you stopped mowing your lawn, Vinnie Cotrone told a group of Y Walk Wednesday walkers, you&#8217;d eventually grow a forest like the natural area of Kirby Park.</p><p>The city stopped cutting the grass on the acres closest to the Susquehanna River decades ago, and the result is a riparian zone filled with vegetation that helps keep the river clean.</p><p>&#8220;Feel this. The leaves of the American elm have a sandpapery kind of feel,&#8221; said Cotrone, who works for the Penn State Cooperative Extension.</p><p>&#8220;The black locust is a legume, and has a seed pod,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The jewel weed is also called touch-me-not. If you brush past it, it will spray seeds everywhere. Native Americans used it as a cure for poison ivy.&#8221;</p><p>As they examined leaves and vines, walkers marveled at the shady stillness of the natural area, so close to busy Market Street.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful,&#8221; said walker Louise Edwards, of Sweet Valley, who is a veteran of several Y Walk events. &#8220;I come for the information and the exercise.&#8221;</p><p>Some of Cotrone&#8217;s information was sobering. As the group paused by an ash tree, he talked about a beetle, the emerald ash borer, which likely arrived from Asia on packing crates. The ash borer is such a threat to ash trees the manufacturers of Louisville Sluggers are researching other types of wood they might use for baseball bats.</p><p>Insects aren&#8217;t the only invaders, Cotrone said. An invasive plant called knotweed grows along the river and in many other places, crowding out other vegetation. &#8220;Deer won&#8217;t eat it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Nothing eats it. It&#8217;s so tough it grows on lava flows.&#8221;</p><p>On a more cheerful note, Cotrone said the section of the river close to Wilkes-Barre is healthier than it was. &#8220;Have any of you crossed the bridge when the mayflies are out?&#8221; he asked. &#8220;That&#8217;s a sign the river is healthy enough to sustain them.&#8221;</p><p>Y Walk Wednesdays continue through Aug 17, with walkers meeting at the YMCA, 40 W. Northampton St., by 6 p.m. to take an informative walk for 90 minutes to 2 hours.</p><p>One exception is this week, when the walk takes place June 23. The topic is the levee system and flood protection.</p><p>Future walks include &#8220;A Journey Through King&#8217;s College&#8221; on June 29; &#8220;Beer, Peanuts and Coal,&#8221; about downtown mansions, July 6; &#8220;A Downtown D &amp; L Photo Safari&#8221; on July 13; &#8220;A Sidewalk View to Building a More Walkable Downtown&#8221; on July 20; &#8220;Native, Alien &amp; Medicinal Plants of the Kirby Natural Area&#8221; on July 27; &#8220;Walking Your Way to a Healthier You&#8221; on Aug. 3; &#8220;Explore the Wonders of the Y&#8221; on Aug. 10 and &#8220;America&#8217;s First Park: River Common&#8221; on Aug. 17.</p><p>The walks are connected to a larger program, which encourages people to download a Keystone Active Zone Passport at kazpassport.com and keep track of their progress as they explore the community through family fishing days, visits to parks and historic sites, etc.</p><p>&#8220;People tell me they never knew how many places there are to go in Luzerne County,&#8221; spokeswoman Carol Hussa said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Vinnie Cotrone from the Penn State Extension was the first of many experts who will share their knowledge as the Y Walk Wednesday series continues. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Vinnie Cotrone from the Penn State Extension was the first of many experts who will share their knowledge as the Y Walk Wednesday series continues. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Exercise and information are on the agenda for the Y Walk Wednesday walkers as they pause under the Market Street Bridge. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Exercise and information are on the agenda for the Y Walk Wednesday walkers as they pause under the Market Street Bridge. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Vinnie Cotrone from the Penn State Extension leads last Wednesday&#8217;s group of Y Walk Wednesday walkers across the Market Street Bridge to the Kirby Park Natural Area. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Vinnie Cotrone from the Penn State Extension leads last Wednesday&#8217;s group of Y Walk Wednesday walkers across the Market Street Bridge to the Kirby Park Natural Area. </caption2><photoCredit2>Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Ash, silver maple, black locust and many other trees and other plants grow in the Kirby Park Natural Area, where Vinnie Cotrone helped walkers identify them. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_walk3.jpg</photo3><caption3>Ash, silver maple, black locust and many other trees and other plants grow in the Kirby Park Natural Area, where Vinnie Cotrone helped walkers identify them. </caption3><photoCredit3>Clark Van Orden | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Y Walk Wednesday hikes offer exercise, information</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Y Walk Wednesday hikes offer exercise, info in Wilkes-Barre