Worried about fulfilling that one nagging New Year’s resolution?

Starved Rock Foundation wants to help.The nonprofit group is sponsoring a New Year’s Day hike beginning 1 p.m. Tuesday. Participants can meet at Fort St. Louis de Illinois Visitor Center for a 1- to 1 1/2-hour walk inside Starved Rock State Park near Utica.”It will be a nice outing,” said Pam Grivetti, of Peru, foundation president. “Everyone has an exercise routine they want to get into (in 2013), and this is a good way to start off.”The walk will be led by John Muir, of Oglesby, who coordinates hikes at the state park. Grivetti said the hike could be to the top of Starved Rock as well as a nearby canyon.

All across the United States, walks will take place Tuesday in the First Day Hikes program sponsored by the America’s State Park organization. More than 600 events will be staged Tuesday in all 50 states to encourage Americans to take a healthy hike and connect with the outdoors.

Although held Tuesday, the Starved Rock hike will kick off the foundation’s free 2013 “Sunday” programs that usually will begin 2 p.m. weekly at the visitor center. They will include lectures, demonstrations and sessions with live animals, and will conclude April 28.

“We’re happy to give people the opportunity to learn about the park and its flora and fauna. And it’s all free,” Grivetti said.

More information about Starved Rock Foundation is available at the desk in the visitor center, or online at starvedrockfoundation.org. The following programs will begin 2 p.m. Sundays unless noted. They will include:

• Feb. 3: “Being and Saving Green.” Lisa Sons will show fun, simple and easy ways to simplify life, home and garden while being green for the health of our planet and saving green for the well-being of finances.
• Feb. 10: “The Geologic History of La Salle County.” Geologist Joe Jakupcak will explore the when and how the geological resources being mined in the county were deposited. It all started 425,000,000 years ago.
• Feb. 17: “Jesuits in the 1600s.” Starved Rock Foundation historian and author Mark Walczynski will explore the Jesuit missionaries in the western Great Lakes and the Illinois Country (part I).
• Feb. 24: “Animals Near and Far.” Debra Moreland will bring a collection of her furry friends so you can learn about them; where they live, what they eat and what they need to survive. Good listeners will have an opportunity to interact with the animals at the conclusion of the program.
• March 3: “Nocturnal Animals,” 1 p.m. Discover the dark side when animals from Wildlife Prairie Park will be on hand to teach how they adapt to the night life.
• March 10: “Zyg and Anis: The Odd Couple.” John McKee will review the natural history and diversity of the fascinating dragonflies and damselflies of the area using Cindy McKee’s photos.
• March 17: “Pontiac: Ottawa War Chief.” Many people have been to Pontiac, or may have driven a Pontiac automobile, but few know who Pontiac was or did. Mark Walczynski, foundation historian and author, will present a program chronicling the life of this famous Ottawa war chief and the historical impact he had on this area.
• March 24: “A Poet’s Starved Rock journey: 1970 to 2013.” James Ballowe, of Ottawa, distinguished Professor of English emeritus at Bradley University, will discuss his personal experiences visiting and writing poetry about Starved Rock for more than 40 years. He has taught environmental writing, literature and ethics at the Morton Arboretum as well as classes at the Field Museum in Chicago.
• April 7: Reptiles and Amphibians of Illinois,” 1 p.m. Naturalists from Wildlife Prairie Park will bring live snakes, turtles, frogs, toads and salamanders to point out their characteristics, and will teach how to classify them.
• April 14: “All About Beekeeping.” Merlin and Susan, of Starved Rock Honey Company, will take you into a glimpse of the honeybee and beekeeping and how truly amazing these tiny creatures are.
• April 21: “Spring Wildflowers.” Jane Kunkle will give you a class in “Wildflowers 101″ with her collection of slides she has taken throughout the area.
• Saturday and Sunday, April 27 and 28: Spring Wildflower Weekend. Guided hikes will leave the visitor center 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days to go in search of the numerous flowers found in the park. It also should be a good time for waterfalls.