From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Aug 10 08:58:24 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:58:24 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] August 10 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4E424830.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery August 10, 2011 Marine Mammals Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley - Stony Kill Environmental Education Center Capital Region - Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Albany Pine Bush Discovery 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) Marine Life We usually think of mammals as land creatures, but there are mammals that make their home in the waters (mostly the ocean) of New York State and get their food from the sea. But, like all mammals, marine mammals must breathe air. Whales and dolphins use their blowholes, and seals use their noses and mouths. Marine mammals can stay underwater for long periods. In the wild, whales and dolphins communicate with a variety of low sounds that humans can't hear. They also generate echolocation-sound waves, which travel through the water, bounce off objects and return. Echolocation helps whales and dolphins determine the shape, size and distance of objects in the water around them. Whales Humpback whales are often seen along New York's coast in the summer. This whale is dark gray to black on the upper body, with white patterns on its underside. There are knob-like bumps on the head and snout. Humpbacks like to perform a variety of acrobatics, including breaching (jumping out of the water), slapping their tail and waving their flippers in the air. The humpback weighs 30-40 tons and reaches about 30-60 feet in length. Dolphins Bottlenose dolphins are so named because of their short and stubby snout. Usually, this dolphin is light gray to slate gray on the upper part of the body, and pale, pinkish gray on the belly. Bottlenose dolphins grow to 8-12 feet long. Harbor Porpoises Harbor porpoises are small, with a blunt and rounded snout. Its back is very dark gray or dark brown, and its belly is white. Its flippers are also dark, and a dark stripe extends from the flippers to the eyes. Harbor porpoises can be 6 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds. Harbor Seals Harbor seals are the most abundant seals found in New York State and are usually seen in the winter and early spring. They have a rounded body with a spotted coat that can range from silver-gray to black or dark brown. Their large eyes, excellent hearing and sensitive whiskers help them hunt. They have no tears, but mucus continuously washes over their eyes to protect them from saltwater. When on land, this makes harbor seals look as though they are crying. Male harbor seals average 5-5? feet long and weigh 200-250 pounds. To learn more, please see the article in the August 2010 issue of Conservationist magazine (http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/67279.html) about common whales in New York and where to go for whale watching. 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! Subscribe to Conservationist magazine (http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/65514.html)?New York's award-winning publication with astonishingly beautiful photography and captivating articles. Learn the best places to view wildlife at DEC's Watchable Wildlife (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/55423.html) pages. Back to top Family Fun Tide-Pool Trek Whether you live near the ocean or plan to visit the seashore during summer vacation, exploring tide pools is a great activity for the whole family. A tide pool is formed when the ocean's tide retreats, leaving seawater behind in low areas around rocks. These shallow pools are often filled with animals and plants. To visit tide pools, get a local tide table for the area. Sit near a tide pool at low tide (with an adult), and look for some of the species listed below. Remember?safety first! While exploring tide pools, be aware of the nearby ocean, and watch for waves and incoming tides that may wash over the rocks where you're standing. It's safest to explore tide pools when the tide is going out, not coming in. Animals Found in Tide Pools Sea anemones: Use tentacles around their mouths to trap food Sea stars: Have tube feet for moving slowly across rocks Sea urchins: Hide in holes near rocks Crabs: Use their claws to scavenge for food You can also spot barnacles, blue mussels and tube worms in the tide pools. The wrack line (the line of seaweed found on the beach after the tide recedes) contains many small creatures too. Marine Mammal Watching In the early morning, head out with an adult to the shoreline, and bring binoculars, extra clothing and snacks. Watch the horizon for blows of spouting whales; they look like puffs of smoke at the surface of the water. Use your binoculars to look for the fluke (tail) coming out of the water as the whale dives deep into the ocean. If you are lucky, you may see a whale leap out of the water and come down with a splash; this is called breaching. Dolphins can be seen leaping in the air or riding behind the wakes of boats. Harbor porpoises can be easily detected by the loud puffing sound they make as they surface to breathe. Locations to See Marine Mammals in New York State Fire Island(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/55661.html) Jones Beach State Park(http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/66660.html) Robert Moses State Park, Long Island (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/71171.html) Read 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) (currently closed due to fiscal constraints, but the Stony Kill Foundation is sponsoring events) Butterfly Festival Saturday, August 13 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Skull Session for Kids Wednesday, August 17 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM For youngsters entering grade 3 to 5 Old-Fashioned Family Sing-a-Long with Chris Ruhe Friday, August 19 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Family Fun: Life Underground Saturday, August 13 at 10:00 AM Parent(s) and child(ren) must accompany each other. Citizen Science: Annual Dragonfly Census Saturday, August 13 at 2:00 PM Watchable Wildlife: The Great Egret Tuesday, August 16 at 7:00 PM A Bluffer's Guide to Pond Ecology Saturday, August 20 at 9:00 AM History Happened Here: A Walk through Time Saturday, August 20 at 2:00 PM Watchable Wildlife: Bug Eaters Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00 PM Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#August) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Where Have All the Bats Gone? Friday, August 19 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Call 518-456-0655 to register. Cost: $2.00/person, $5.00/family, children under 5 free More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.intelliclients.com/events/events.cfm?da=1&mo=8&ye=2011&eventTypeID=2) Western New York Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html) Advance registration is required. Call 716-683-5959. Full Moon Walk Saturday, August 13 at 7:30 PM Senior Stroll Thursday, August 18 at 9:30 AM For youth age 12 and older Outdoor Adventure Club: Forests of the Future Thursday, August 18 at 10:30 AM Insects of the Night Wednesday, August 24 at 7:30 PM Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#August) Events at other Nature Centers throughout the State (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1826.html) Visit DEC's website for more information and programs (http://www.dec.ny.gov) 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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Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 48862 bytes Desc: not available URL: From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Aug 24 09:04:18 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 09:04:18 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] August 24 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4E54BE92.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery August 24, 2011 What's Living in our Water? Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley - Stony Kill Environmental Education Center Capital Region - Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Albany Pine Bush Discovery 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) What's Living in Our Water? When we think of creatures that live in a stream, river or pond, we think of fish, frogs, turtles and beavers. But there are also creatures called macroinvertebrates?small animals that lack backbones and are large enough to be seen without the aid of a magnifying lens, including insects?that also live there. Studying these creatures can help scientists understand how healthy a water body is. What does it mean for a water body to be healthy? A healthy environment can support life. About 40 percent of the rivers, lakes and estuaries in the United States aren't fishable, swimmable or drinkable because of pollution. There are several types of water pollution. Point-source pollution includes things like a sewage treatment plant that flows directly into a stream, where you can trace the pollution back to its source. Non-point source pollution comes from a variety of different places and happens when water flows across land and picks up natural and human-made pollutants, including: ?Fertilizer from residential areas and farms ?Oil and gas from roads ?Sediment from eroding banks Water pollution can be caused by several things: ?Chemical pollution: caused by toxic substances washing into the water ?Organic pollution: caused when too many nutrients?like fertilizer?enter a water body ?Ecological pollution: occurs when natural processes become extreme (e.g., excess salt water from tides, more aquatic plants) ?Thermal pollution: happens when the temperature is above or below normal (e.g., heated water being discharged from a manufacturing facility or power plant into a water body) How do macroinvertebrates give scientists an early idea that water is becoming polluted or returning to health? Aquatic macroinvertebrates, which include aquatic insects, clams, snails and crustaceans and flatworms, are sensitive to the condition of their environment. Some species are recognized as "indicator species." Their presence in or absence from water indicates whether or not the water is healthy. The variety of organisms is more important than the number in determining water quality. Water that has a wide range of aquatic creatures is usually a healthy environment. Sometimes, a pond or stream will have a lot of only a few species of macroinvertebrates and can be unhealthy. 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! Subscribe to Conservationist magazine (http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/65514.html)?New York's award-winning publication with astonishingly beautiful photography and captivating articles. Learn the best places to view wildlife at DEC's Watchable Wildlife (http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/55423.html) pages. Back to top Family Fun pH Perfection pH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is, on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being the most acidic, 14 being the most basic and 7 being neutral. The pH of a stream affects organisms living in the water. A pH that is changing can indicate increasing pollution or some other environmental factor. Most living organisms need a neutral pH in the middle between acidic and basic (6.5 to 7.5). Learn how to test pH at home with this easy experiment. Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes colors according to the acidity of the solution. Have an adult cut a red cabbage into pieces, and boil the cabbage for about 20 minutes. Cool the colored cabbage water in the refrigerator. Fill a glass with lemon-lime soda. Fill a second glass with water and gently stir in three tablespoons of baking soda. Using an eye dropper, add the cabbage water to the lemon-lime soda one drop at a time until the liquid changes color. Do the same thing with the baking soda water. If the water in either glass turned red, the liquid was acidic. If it turned green, the liquid was basic. Try different liquids to determine their pH ranges. Catching Water Canaries Canaries are very sensitive to dangerous gases. Years ago, they were taken into coal mine shafts to determine whether the air was safe for humans to breathe. If the canary died, the air was unsafe. This practice isn't done anymore, but the term "water canaries" refers to indicator species that help scientists determine water quality. Learn more with an interactive macroinvertebrate identification program, "Bridging the Watershed," (BTW) an outreach program of the Alice Ferguson Foundation (AFF) in partnership with the National Park Service. Once you know how to identify the different types of organisms, head to a stream with a net and several white containers (and an adult, of course), and try to catch some "water canaries." Be sure to return them to the stream unharmed when you are done looking at them. Read 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) (currently closed due to fiscal constraints, but the Stony Kill Foundation is sponsoring events) Wildlife Forensics for Kids Wednesday, August 31 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM For youngsters entering grades 6 through 8 Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Watchable Wildlife: Roger Tory Peterson's Birds Saturday, August 27 at 9:00 AM Watchable Wildlife: The Monarch Butterfly Saturday, August 27 at 2:00 PM Watchable Wildlife: The "Common" Nighthawk Tuesday, August 30 at 7:00 PM Family Fun: Outstanding in the Field Saturday, September 3 at 10:00 AM Parents and children must accompany each other. This program is free of charge, but space is limited. Call 518-475-0291 to register by Wednesday, August 31. Family Fun: Give a Hoot Saturday, September 3 at 2:00 PM This program is free of charge, but space is limited. Call 518-475-0291 to register by Wednesday, August 31. Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#August) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Beginning Bird Watching Thursday, August 25 from 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM Call 518-456-0655 to register. Cost: $2.00/person, $5.00/family, children under 5 free More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.intelliclients.com/events/events.cfm?da=1&mo=8&ye=2011&eventTypeID=2) Western New York Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html) Advance registration is required. Call 716-683-5959. Senior Stroll Saturday, August 27 at 9:30 AM Soak Up the Sun Saturday, August 27 at 10:30 AM After-School Escape Thursday, September 1 at 4:30 PM For children in grades K-5. No registration required. Fall Fruits and Flowers Saturday, September 3 at 10:30 AM Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#August) Events at other Nature Centers throughout the State (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1826.html) Visit DEC's website for more information and programs (http://www.dec.ny.gov) 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... 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