From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Feb 9 09:09:12 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2011 09:09:12 -0500 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] February 9 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4D5259B8.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery February 9, 2011 Eagles Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events 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) Eagles The national bird of the United States since 1782, the bald eagle symbolizes power and majesty. It can be found from the arctic tundra to sub-tropic mangroves. Eagles prefer undisturbed areas near large lakes, reservoirs, marshes and swamps, or stretches along rivers where they can find open water and their primary food, fish. Bald eagles can often be seen sitting near the top of trees scanning and waiting for fish or other prey. The bald eagle primarily feeds on fish and waterfowl. After locating prey, an eagle flies out toward it and drops into a gentle glide. Nearing the prey, the eagle throws its feet down and forward to hook the fish securely in its strong claws. Bald eagles are massive, measuring up to 35" long with a wingspan of up to 89". Juvenile bald eagles don't develop the characteristic white head until they are about four years old. The bird's life span in the wild is more than 30 years. The bald eagle nests in trees, on the ground or on cliffs, using the same nest year after year. One nest in Florida was 30 feet across and 20 feet deep and weighed more than 4,400 pounds! 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 Eagle Eye A great deal of a bird of prey's time is spent sitting and waiting. But they aren't lazy. They are on the lookout for food, and the longer they sit, the more prey they can see. Sit quietly alongside a creek, river or lake for 15 minutes and see how many animals you can see. If you can climb a tree or sit in a tree fort, you will be able to see even more animals?just like a bald eagle. Recycling for Eagles The bald eagle is a top predator and eats animals that have eaten other animals. The problem for eagles?one that caused them to almost become extinct in New York State?is called bio-accumulation. Bio-accumulation means that top predators build up dangerous levels of pesticides and heavy metals in their bodies from eating prey that consume contaminated food. Luckily, many years ago, the federal government banned the use of DDT, one pesticide that was hurting the eagles. To help bring back the bald eagle, New York State released more than 190 young eagles at several locations. When these birds grew up, they mated and produced more eagles. Thanks to these efforts, over the past thirty years, the bald eagle population has made a tremendous comeback in New York State and now there are almost 200 mated pairs. You can help protect our national symbol by recycling. Heavy metals like lead are dangerous to wildlife. Lead is used in fishing tackle and bullets?items that fish and birds sometimes mistakenly eat. Many heavy metals are found in household items like batteries, televisions, computer monitors and cell phones. These items aren't hazardous for people to use, but they can cause problems for wildlife when they are tossed in the garbage. Look for electronic recycling events in your area to make sure that these items are disposed of properly. Remind your parents not to use lead sinkers when fishing. (New York has banned the sale of lead sinkers weighing less than half of an ounce). The eagles will thank you for it. Read Conservationist for Kids (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/40248.html) for more information and activities! Back to top Upcoming DEC Events Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Watchable Wildlife: Winter Birdlife Saturday, February 12 at 9:00 AM Family Fun: Mammals for Kids Saturday, February 12 at 2:00 PM Parent(s) and child(ren) must accompany each other. Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, February 9 to register. Family Fun: Full Moon Walk Friday, February 18 at 7:00 PM Parent(s) and child(ren) must accompany each other. Watchable Wildlife: Great Backyard Bird Count Saturday, February 19 from 9:00 to 10:00 AM Family Fun: Birding for Kids Tuesday, February 22 at 10:00 Parent(s) and child(ren) must accompany each other. Space is limited. Please call Five Rivers at 518-475-0291 to register by Wednesday, February 16. Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#February) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Wildlife Tracking Saturday, February 12 from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM Call the NYS Museum at 518-473-7154 to register. More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.intelliclients.com/events/events.cfm?da=1&mo=2&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. After-School Escape Thursday, February 10 and 17 at 4:30 PM For children in grades K-5. No registration required. Snowshoeing 101 Thursday, February 10 and 17 at 6:00 PM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members Snow Tunnels Saturday, February 12 at 10:30 AM Cross-Country Ski Tour Saturday, February 12 at 1:00 PM Ski rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Full Moon Cross-Country Ski Tour Thursday, February 17 at 6:30 PM Bring your own skis, or rent a pair. Ski rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Full Snow Moon Snowshoe Walk Friday, February 18 at 6:30 PM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. George Washington Snowshoe Walk Saturday, February 19 at 10:00 AM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#February) 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... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: not available Type: image/jpg Size: 12351 bytes Desc: not available URL: From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Feb 16 09:08:24 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2011 09:08:24 -0500 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] February 23 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4D5B9408.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery February 23, 2011 Coyotes Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events 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) Coyotes Coyotes are highly adaptable animals that are found almost everywhere in New York State. This dog-like mammal prefers shrubby fields, forest edges and marshy areas, but it will move to wherever food is available. Coyotes are moving closer to neighborhoods and suburbs of large cities as human populations and development encroach upon coyote territory. Coyotes can vary in color, from strawberry blond to grizzled gray to nearly all-black. They weigh about 20-50 pounds and are four feet long. They usually eat rabbits, rodents, dead animals, fruit, birds and insects, but sometimes kill small deer and domestic animals. Coyotes use their excellent sense of smell to track down their prey, and are one of the fastest mammals in North America, reaching speeds up to forty miles per hour. In places where the food supply is limited, coyotes live alone or in breeding pairs. Where prey is abundant, coyotes live in packs of up to eight members. They are very territorial and protect their area from other coyotes. If you are out walking in the woods or fields this winter, look for coyote tracks. They are similar in size and shape to dog tracks. Coyote scat (or poop) is easy to tell from dog droppings since a larger proportion of it consists of hair and bone fragments. 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 Watch Out! Are you a good predator? Are you a careful prey animal? Get three or more friends or family members together to play this version of hide and seek. One person (the predator) closes his or her eyes and counts to twenty while the other players (the prey) hide. The prey must find their own individual hiding space where they can see the predator, but the predator cannot see them. When the predator finishes counting, he or she can look in all directions, but cannot step forward, backward or to the sides. If the predator spots a prey animal, the predator calls out the prey's name. The prey must come back to the starting spot and is out for that round of the game. Go Team! Coyotes often travel in packs, working as a team to hunt and protect their territory. Get some friends or family members to play this team game. Have a player hide 15 items in your yard or a park. Send one person out to find as many items as they can in two minutes. Call the player to come back with the collected items after the time is up. Record the number of items that were found. Hide those items again and send two players out to find them in the same two minutes. Call them back and record the number of items found. Increase the number of participants each time and record how many more items they can find while working as a team. Read Conservationist for Kids (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/40248.html) for more information and activities! Back to top Upcoming DEC Events Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Family Fun: Learn to Snowshoe Thursday, February 24 at 2:00 PM Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Tuesday, February 22 to reserve snowshoes and/or to register. How to Do It: Go Green at Home Saturday, February 26 at 10:00 AM How to Do It: Learn to Snowshoe Saturday, February 26 at 2:00 PM Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, February 23 to reserve snowshoes and/or to register. Family Fun: Dr. Seuss Read-A-Thon Saturday, March 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#February) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Snowshoe Adventure in the Pine Bush Saturday, February 26 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM Snowshoes provided. Call 518-456-0655 to register. Cost: $3.00/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=2&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. Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Walk Wednesday, February 23 at 2:00 PM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Outdoor Adventure Club Series: Winter Survival Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 AM Bring a shovel if you have one. For youth ages 12 to 16. After-School Escape Thursday, February 24 and March 3 at 4:30 PM For children in grades K-5. No registration required. Snowshoeing 101 Thursday, February 24 at 6:00 PM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Walk Friday, February 25 at 10:00 AM Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Animal Track and Scat Detectives Saturday, February 26 at 10:30 AM For children age 8 and older. Materials fee: $1.00/bandana; FORNP members free (limit one bandana per child). Cross-Country Ski Tour Saturday, February 26 at 1:00 PM Ski rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members. Tour Guide Training Saturday, March 5 from 9:00 AM to noon Be a Member for a Day Saturday, March 5 at 1:00 PM Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#February) 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... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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