From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Sep 7 09:03:49 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2011 09:03:49 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] September 7 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4E673375.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery September 7, 2011 Adopt a Tree Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley - Norrie Point Environmental 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) Adopt a Tree New York State is home to hundreds of species of trees, and each one tells a different story. Their leaves and bark are different from other trees. They grow to different heights and sizes. Different animals prefer different types of trees. Pick a tree in your yard or park, and "adopt" it for a year. This will mean keeping close watch over your tree during each of the four seasons and recording any changes to it. If you don't know what kind of tree you have, use the online tree identification guide on the Arbor Day website. Do some research about your tree (using the Internet or library), and write the information in a special notebook or on this Adopt a Tree worksheet: ?Scientific name ?Where does it grow? ?How long does the tree usually live? ?How tall does it get? ?Are there specific animals that prefer your tree? Now that you know the basics, head outside and start getting to know your tree. ?Shape of a tree: Draw a picture of the tree, and photograph it if you have a camera. ?Bark: Hold a sheet of paper against the bark, and rub the side of a crayon on the paper until a pattern emerges. ?Leaves: Pick leaves in the spring, summer and fall, and press and tape them into your book. ?Twigs: How are the twigs on each branch aligned? Are they across from each other, or do they alternate? ?Flowers and seeds: Does your tree have showy flowers or flowers for which you have to look closely to find? As the growing season progresses, watch at the flower sites for seeds to form. Are the seeds inside a "package," such as a fruit, cone or nutshell? ?Animal and plant life: Look for birds, insects, squirrels, fungus, moss or human activity on, in or around your tree. ?Environment: What does the tree need to survive? Is it in the shade or the sun? What other plants are nearby? ?Condition: Is it healthy; is there any evidence of injury or decay? ?Measurement: Measure the circumference, and estimate the height of the tree. Visit your tree every season, and record the changes. Review each of the above categories to see whether anything is different from one season to the next. We must protect trees from disease and insects like the Asian long-horned beetle and the emerald ash borer. These insects kill specific types of trees, such as maple and ash, and can be easily spread by people moving firewood from one location to another. So when planning your next camping trip, remember, DON'T MOVE FIREWOOD; buy your firewood when you get there! Please call 1-866-640-0652 for more information. 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 That Makes Scents All leaves have a distinctive scent?even tree leaves. Pick a leaf from your tree, and crush it with your hand. What does it smell like? Try this with some other trees and plants in your yard or park (except poisonous ones of course!). Do they smell different? Have someone crush leaves from different trees and let you try to guess which leaf belongs to which tree. Tree ID How do scientists identify and categorize trees? They may look at leaves from a number of trees and sort them into types. One group of trees may contain leaves with toothed edges, while the other group has leaves with smooth edges. Scientists divide these two groups into smaller groups based on another characteristic and so on, until there is only one leaf left in each group. Scientists record the characteristics for each group to create an identification key. Try creating your own identification key using your family and friends. Start by separating males and females, then move on to straight hair and curly hair, hair color, eye color and so on. Keep going until there is only one person in each category. If you create an identification guide and give it to someone who doesn't know anyone in the group, they should be able to name people based on the characteristics that you listed. 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 Norrie Point Environmental Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/33037.html) Norrie Point Open House: Science on the River Saturday, September 17 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) Predators of the Night Friday, September 9 at 7:00 PM Family Fun: Sensational Observations Saturday, September 10 at 10:00 AM Parent(s) and child(ren) must accompany each other. Call 518-475-0291 to register by Wednesday, September 7. Watchable Wildlife: Turtles Saturday, September 10 at 2:00 PM Annual Fall Festival Saturday, September 17 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM Join us for a family-oriented environmental celebration featuring hands-on educational activities, interactive exhibits, interpretive walks and more. Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#September) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Seeds: Nature's Bounty Saturday, September 10 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 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=9&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, September 8 and 15 at 4:30 PM For children in grades K-5. No registration required. Wildlife in Disguise Saturday, September 10 at 10:30 AM Full Harvest Moon Walk Monday, September 12 at 7:30 PM 11th Annual Fall Festival Saturday, September 17 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Enjoy crafts for kids, live animals, guided nature walks, hands-on activities, food and more. No registration required for this event. Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#September) 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: 7833 bytes Desc: not available URL: From decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Sep 21 08:56:48 2011 From: decoutdoordiscovery at lists.dec.state.ny.us (DEC Outdoor Discovery Bi-weekly Newsletter) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:56:48 -0400 Subject: [Decoutdoordiscovery] September 21 Outdoor Discovery Message-ID: <4E79A6D0.D567.00BD.1@gw.dec.state.ny.us> DEC Outdoor Discovery September 21, 2011 Galls Family Fun Upcoming DEC Events Hudson Valley - Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center and Norrie Point Environmental 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) Galls Have you ever been on a walk in the woods, a park or through a field of weeds and wildflowers and noticed strange bumps on tree twigs and leaves or plant stems? These are called galls, abnormal growths triggered by an injury or irritation to the plant, often caused by a living organism like an insect. Galls provide food and shelter for developing larvae. When some insects or mites feed on certain plants or lay eggs on plant tissue, galls begin to form. There are more than 1,500 species of gall producers; plant mites, aphids and plant lice, gall midges and gall wasps are a few. Each kind of gall producer causes its own type of gall to form. No one is really sure what makes galls form, but it may be that insects or mites inject or secrete a chemical substance onto a plant when laying eggs in or on it. Galls can be as simple as bumps on a leaf or complicated structures that are as hard as rock. While there are many gall producers, only a few plants grow galls, including willows, oaks, goldenrod and asters. If gall producers don't choose the correct species of plant, a gall will not form. Insect or mite eggs hatch inside a gall in spring or early summer, safe from predators and harsh weather. In the fall, the larva makes an exit tunnel to use the next spring when it enters the world as an adult. After the insect or mite leaves, the gall remains on the plant, often providing shelter or food for other insects like beetles or caterpillars. 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 Going on a Gall Hunt Galls come in many shapes, sizes and textures. Some galls are fluffy, while others are scaly and bumpy. Most often, they grow on oak trees but can be found on other plants like aster flower stems, blackberries and goldenrods. You can find galls on nearly all the parts of oak trees?leaves, buds, branches and roots. For other plants, look on the leaves, stems and ends of twigs. What's Inside? Those strange lumps, bumps and balls are actually habitats for some insects and mites. After you have found a gall (preferably a goldenrod ball gall), inspect the outside carefully. Is there an exit hole? Is it soft like a pom-pom or hard like a rock? With the help of an adult, cut the gall in half. Look inside for an insect, an exit route and how much of the inside of the gall has been eaten. 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) A Fall Day on the Farm Saturday, October 1 from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Norrie Point Environmental Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/33037.html#Norrie) Discover Norrie Ramble Saturday, September 24 from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Join us on a family-friendly 2.5 mile hike along the scenic banks of the Hudson River. Capital Region Five Rivers Environmental Education Center (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835.html) History Happened Here: CCC Camp S-72 Saturday, September 24 at 2:00 PM Family Fun: Squirrels and Their Kin Saturday, October 1 at 10:00 AM Parents and children must accompany each other. Call 518-475-0291 to register by Wednesday, September October 28. Watchable Wildlife: Reptiles and Amphibians Saturday, October 1 at 2:00 PM Event Descriptions at Five Rivers (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1980.html#September) Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center (http://albanypinebush.org/discovery_center/directions_hours_admission.htm) Brilliant and Bristly Buckmoths Saturday, September 24 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 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=9&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, September 22 and 29 at 4:30 PM For children in grades K-5. No registration required. Mushrooms and Fungi: A Monarchy of Their Own Saturday, September 24 at 10:00 AM For adults and children age 8 and older. Fall Bird Walk Sunday, September 25 at 9:00 AM Habitat Hunt Sunday, September 25 at 2:00 PM For children under age 12. Alien Investigation Hike Thursday, September 29 at 7:00 PM Busy Beavers Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30 PM Event Descriptions at Reinstein (http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1977.html#September) 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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