From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Mar 11 09:12:37 2009 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us) Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:12:37 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] March 11 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <49B78085.D567.00BD.0@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery March 11, 2009 New York's Wild Side Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley - Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center and Tivoli Bays Visitors Center Capital Region - Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center Adirondacks - Adirondack Park Agency Visitors Interpretive Centers at Newcomb and Paul Smiths Central New York - Rogers Environmental Education Center Western New York - Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center Subscribe to Outdoor Discovery or change your subscription options (http://lists.dec.state.ny.us/mailman/listinfo/decoutdoordiscovery) New York's Wild Side When many people think of New York State, images of skyscrapers, busy neighborhoods and highways come to mind. But most probably don't know that less than six percent of the land in New York is taken up by houses and commercial buildings! One-quarter of the land is farmland, while a vast majority is forest (nearly 63 percent at last count). And that doesn't even include the lakes, wetlands and streams. New York has a much wilder side?millions of acres of land, numerous habitats and a wide variety of plant and animal life. A habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives, such as a forest, wetland or stream. Some animals can only live in one type of habitat, while others can survive in a variety of environments. Many urban areas have public parks that provide habitats for plants and wildlife. Some wildlife, like peregrine falcons, have adapted to living in the cities. New York State has other habitats, such as pine barrens, evergreen forests and the sand dunes of the Great Lakes. This rich environment means that several threatened or endangered species call New York home, including humpback whales, Karner blue butterflies, golden eagles and bog turtles. The more we learn about New York's diverse habitats, the more we appreciate it?so get outside and take a walk on the wild side. Check out DEC's website for additional photos. Send us an e-mail and tell us what you think about Outdoor Discovery. Let your friends know about Outdoor Discovery - forward this e-mail! Back to top Family Fun Tree of Life The trees in your backyard, city parks and forests are all habitats to a variety of animals. To get a better look at the animals that call a tree home, find an old paper towel or toilet paper tube to turn into a telescope. Decorate the outside with whatever materials you want: tissue paper, paint, glitter. Head outside with your telescope and look at a tree through one end of the tube. Look for signs or clues such as chewed leaves, holes in the bark, and seeds or nuts on the ground near the tree. What animals do you think call the tree home? Don't forget to get a close look at the bark for signs of insects, and the tree trunk for moss or lichens. Start a nature journal to keep track of what you see. Keep your nature journal handy to use for other Outdoor Discovery activities. Feathering the Nest Spring is just around the corner and birds will soon be laying eggs. Help them "feather" their nests to make a cozy home for the baby birds. Next time you clean out your hairbrush, weave the hair into the branches of a tree. Pull apart some cotton balls or dryer lint and hook them onto tree branches as well. If you have scraps of yarn, drape them over a bush, or loosely weave them through a mesh bag (like the kind used for oranges) and hang the bag from a tree. It won't be long before the birds take advantage of your generosity and use these to "feather" their nests. Check out Conservationist for Kids (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/40248.html) for more information and activities! Back to top Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1833.html) Winter Wildlife Tracks and Traces Saturday, March 14 at 2:00 PM Find out which animals are active in the winter and hunt for evidence of their presence. We'll make our own tracks with snowshoes (available for loan). Call 845-831-8780, ext. 300 to register. Spring is Here! Saturday, March 21 at 2:00 PM It's official! Come along on a leisurely ramble along Stony Kill's wooded trails to look for the first signs of spring, on the day after the vernal equinox. More events at Stony Kill (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/2001.html#march) Tivoli Bays Visitors Center(http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/33037.html) Things that Go Bump in the Night! Wednesday, March 18 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM While we sleep some animals come out to creep! Find out how these animals thrive in the moonlight. Children under 10 should be accompanied by an adult. Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Outdoors After School 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM every Thursday February 26 to June 18 A nature walk for grade-school children and their caregivers. Each week will feature a different theme and habitat. Is It Spring? Friday, March 20 at 7:00 PM Join us on an outdoor search for geese, peepers, woodcock and other sounds of a spring evening. I Love Trees: Family Forest Fun Saturdays, March 21, 28, April 4 at 10:00 AM A series of family programs on trees, with outdoor participatory games and activities. Maple Sugaring Open Houses Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22 from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM Watch sap drip from the tapped trees, and smell the syrup boiling in the evaporator. Learn to twirl a drill and pound a spile. Groups must call 518-475-0291 to register. More events at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#March) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Call 518-456-0655 to preregister for all events. Cost: $2.00/person, $5.00/family, children under 5 free. Discover the Pine Bush Sunday, March 15 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Discover the Albany Pine Bush, the best example of an inland pine barrens left in the world. Cunning Coyotes Friday, March 20 from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM Did you ever hear a coyote howl? Do you wonder where they are going or what they might be doing? More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/events/events.cfm?da=20&mo=3&ye=2009&eventTypeID=2) Adirondacks Adirondack Park Agency Newcomb Visitors Center (http://www.adkvic.org/calendar_ncal.html) From Medicine to Mothballs Saturday, March 21 from 11:00 AM to Noon Plants are amazing things. Without plants, people would not be here. Come discover some of the things we get from plants today. Call 518-582-2000 to register. Adirondack Park Agency Paul Smiths Visitors Center (http://www.adkvic.org/calendar_pscal.html) Advance registration is required. Call 518-327-3000. Tracking on the Trails Saturday, March 14 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Join guest naturalist Peter O?Shea on this walk/snowshoe to discover the tracks that are visible along the trails. Snowshoes are provided. Bluebird Nestbox Workshop Saturday, March 21 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Build a nestbox to take home. Cost: $7.50 per box. Central New York Rogers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1831.html) Search for the Pot O'Gold Saturday, March 14 from 10:00 AM to Noon Search along several marked trails using a GPS, map and compass, or rebus. Call 607-674-4017 to register. Children?s Program: Tales of Trout " Other Fish Saturday, March 21 at 11:00 AM Learn about trout and other fish through games, observations and crafts. Play a game, make a trout and enjoy a visit by a "bigger-than-life" brook trout. Signs of Spring Walk Saturdays during the spring at 1:30 PM Look for plants coming out of winter dormancy, migratory birds returning to the area, and other signs of spring. More events at Rogers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/2006.html#March) Western New York Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html) Advance registration is required. Call 716-683-5959. Stories in the Woods Tuesday, March 17 at 10:30 AM Listen to a nature story and then take a short walk in the woods. For children ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Spring Equinox Walk Friday, March 20 at 7:00 PM Take a walk on the first night of spring, the day when we will have equal hours of dark and light. March Migrations Saturday, March 21 at 10:00 AM Join us as we look for migrating ducks, geese and salamanders on this guided walk. For adults and children age 10 and older. More events at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#March) Events at other Nature Centers throughout the State Visit DEC's website for more information and programs Back to top This email was sent by: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233 We respect your right to privacy - view our policy (http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/27720.html). Having problems viewing this newsletter? View it on the DEC website (http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/43355.html). To unsubscribe (http://lists.dec.state.ny.us/mailman/listinfo/decoutdoordiscovery) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 61277 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 44677 bytes Desc: not available URL: From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Mar 25 09:27:18 2009 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:27:18 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] March 25 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <49C9F8F6.D567.00BD.0@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery March 25, 2009 Maple Sugaring Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Long Island Hudson Valley - Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center and Tivoli Bays Visitors Center Capital Region - Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center Adirondacks - Adirondack Park Agency Visitors Interpretive Centers at Newcomb and Paul Smiths Central New York - Rogers Environmental Education Center Western New York - Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center Subscribe to Outdoor Discovery or change your subscription options (http://lists.dec.state.ny.us/mailman/listinfo/decoutdoordiscovery) Maple Sugaring As the days become warmer and sunnier in late spring, maple trees begin to release sap from their trunks. This time of year is known as the "sugaring off" season. Maple producers generally collect sap from trees through a network of plastic tubing. Depending on the size of the tree, as many as four taps can be placed in it, each yielding up to ten gallons of sap per season. As the sap runs, it is collected in vats or pumped directly into the "sugar house," where the process of transforming sap into syrup takes place. The sap begins as mostly water. As the water is boiled and evaporated, the sap is converted to maple syrup. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Visit a Sugarbush and Eat Locally A grove of maples trees tapped for maple syrup production is called a "sugar bush." There are more than 1,500 commercial syrup producers in New York State, and many of them are open for tours and even sell their products?like maple syrup, maple candy and maple cream?directly from their farms. Purchasing these products right from the source helps the environment because they aren't transported across long distances. Send us an e-mail and tell us what you think about Outdoor Discovery. Let your friends know about Outdoor Discovery - forward this e-mail! Back to top Family Fun Be a Weather Forecaster Weather is extremely important to the production of maple syrup. A tree needs freezing nights of about 20 degrees and sunny days of about 45 degrees for sap to run. Record the temperature during the day and at night, and predict whether it will be a good time for the "running of the sap." Tappity Tap Tap If you are lucky enough to have a sugar maple in your yard, you can try collecting some sap. You will need a drill, a spout and a plastic bottle with a cap or a bucket with a lid. Drill a 7/16" hole in the tree about 2 inches deep 4-5 feet above the ground. If moisture collects along the edges of the hole, the sap is running. Insert the spout, hook on the bottle or pail and let the sap run. Make sure that you have some maple syrup on hand, because a single tap will yield only one quart of sap?not enough to make your own syrup. When the weather gets warmer, don't forget to remove the spout from the trunk so the tree can heal. Looking for an adventure this summer for your teenager? Check out DEC's Environmental Education Camps! Check out Conservationist for Kids (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/40248.html) for more information and activities! Back to top Upcoming DEC Events Long Island Day of Fishing at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Through an interactive game and original fish creations, I FISH NY staff present a hands-on look at fish biology and local species identification. Cost: $5 adults, $3 children (age 3-12), $3 seniors. Adult programs will be offered earlier in the day. Visit the DEC website for more information and directions to the fish hatchery. Hudson Valley Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1833.html) Mind Your Own Beeswax! Saturday, March 28 at 2:00 PM Join us for an introduction to beekeeping and to the vital role that bees and other pollinators play in producing our food and in natural ecosystems. Introduction to Fly Tying Saturday, April 4 at 2:00 PM Join Pat Crisci, trout angler and fly-tying instructor, to learn why and how trout anglers create their own "flies." Observe a brief demonstration of materials and techniques; then try your hand at creating your own fly to take home. More events at Stony Kill (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/2001.html#March) Tivoli Bays Visitors Center(http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/33037.html) In Like a Lion, Out like a Lamb! Wednesday, March 25 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM March can be a wild weather month, so let's welcome the beginning of spring by looking at a newborn lamb! Wildlife Ecology - How a Food Chain Works! Wednesday, April 1 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM It's a fox-eat-hare world out there. Join us in playing some fun and active food chain games to discover the amazing food web! Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Outdoors After School 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM every Thursday- February 26 to June 18 A nature walk for grade school children and their caregivers. Each week will feature a different theme and habitat. Maple Sugaring Open Houses Saturdays and Sundays, March 28 and 29, April 4 and 5 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM At our maple sugar open houses, watch sap drip from the tapped trees, and smell the syrup boiling in the evaporator. You'll learn to twirl a drill and pound a spile. Organized groups must register by calling 518-475-0291. I Love Trees Saturday, April 4 at 10:00 AM A family program about trees, with outdoor, participatory games and activities. More events at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#March) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Call 518-456-0655 to register for all events. Cost: $2.00/person, $5.00/family, children under 5 free. Discover the Pine Bush Sunday, March 29 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Come join us on a journey to discover the Albany Pine Bush, the best example of an inland pine barrens left in the world. Wild, Wacky Woodcock Watch Friday, April 3 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM Join us for our annual walk through the Albany Pine Bush to watch the elaborate flight displays of the American woodcock. More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.intelliclients.com/events/events.cfm?da=1&mo=2&ye=2009&eventTypeID=2) Adirondacks Adirondack Park Agency Paul Smiths Visitors Center (http://www.adkvic.org/calendar_pscal.html) Sugarhouse Program Saturday, April 4 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM The Paul Smith?s College Sugarhouse will present fun activities for the whole family, including tours of the sugarbush and traditional maple activities. Please dress for the weather. Call 518-327-3000 to register. Central New York Rogers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1831.html) Star Search Saturday, March 28 at 7:00 PM Dave Terrazas will bring out his powerful telescope for you to view stars you have never seen before. Indoor and outdoor activities. Come even if it?s cloudy. Signs of Spring Walk Saturdays during the spring at 1:30 PM Look for plants coming out of winter dormancy, migratory birds returning to the area and other signs of spring. More events at Rogers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/2006.html#March) Western New York Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html) After School Escape Thursday, April 2 at 4:00 PM Join us every Thursday afternoon for a fun outdoor experience to encourage children to play and interact with the natural world. For kids in kindergarten through fifth grade and their caregivers. Events at other Nature Centers throughout the State Visit DEC's website for more information and programs Back to top This email was sent by: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 625 Broadway Albany, NY 12233 We respect your right to privacy?view our policy (http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/27720.html) Having problems viewing this newsletter? View it on the DEC website (http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/43355.html). 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