From fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us Thu Apr 7 16:02:57 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:02:57 -0400 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Earth Day and more at Five Rivers Message-ID: <4D9DE0310200005A0004F770@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, New York 12054 Phone: 518-475-0291 FAX: 518-439-8044 Website: www.dec.ny.gov EARTH DAY FESTIVAL -- Saturday, April 23, 1:00 to 4:00 PM An afternoon of environmental activities in celebration of Earth Day will be conducted on Saturday, April 23 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. This indoor/outdoor open house will feature a variety of on-going educational exhibits, hands-on activities and guided trail walks with NYSDEC staff and local conservation partners. Participants can study live (captive) snakes and turtles up close, meet Smokey Bear, check out a hybrid plug-in vehicle, take a short nature hike and much more. The event, which marks the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, is open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. In the event of inclement weather, exhibits will be staged indoors. Please call the Center at 518-475-0291 for more information. MORNING BIRD WALKS -- Thursdays, May 5, 12, 19 and 26, 7:00 AM A series of four early morning bird walks will be conducted each Thursday in May, beginning May 5 and continuing May 12, 19 and 26. On these outdoor surveys of spring migration, Center naturalists will help identify bird feeder visitors beginning at 7:00 AM over coffee and bagels indoors, then lead participants outdoors along Center trails at 7:30 AM to look for spring specialties, as well as year round avian residents. The programs are open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. This program may be cancelled in the event of severe weather. Please call the Center at 518-475-0291 for more information. SEARCH FOR SNIPE -- Thursday, May 5, 7:30 PM An outdoor search for the common snipe will be conducted on Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 PM. The courtship flight of the snipe is one of the most elusive and eerie spectacles of spring, and the snipe hunt one of Americas most celebrated forays into futility. So to many, the name common snipe is a contradiction in terms. On this tour through twilight, Center naturalists will scour field and fen for a rumor of snipe, a whisper of woodcock and other things that go bump in the night. The program is open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity and bring your own snipe trap. In the event of inclement weather, this program may be cancelled. Please call the Center at 518-475-0291 for more information. Five Rivers Environmental Education Center is a designated New York State Watchable Wildlife site, where wildlife viewing opportunities abound. Learn more by visiting Watchable Wildlife at www.dec.ny.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us Thu Apr 14 11:45:59 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:45:59 -0400 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Upcoming Programs at Five Rivers, May 7 & 14 Message-ID: <4DA6DE770200005A0004FEB8@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, New York 12054 Phone: 518-475-0291 FAX: 518-439-8044 Website: www.dec.ny.gov Along with beautiful weather, May brings many wonderful opportunities to explore outdoors at NYSDEC's Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. Whether it's gardening for wildlife, a day-long bird festival, or a training workshop for teachers and youth leaders, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Please call the center at 518-475-0291 for more information about upcoming programs. TEACHER WORKSHOP ON WIND POWER May 7, 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon A Kid Wind Teacher Workshop will be conducted on Saturday, May 7 from 9:00 AM - 12:00 noon. This workshop will introduce the basic principles behind wind energy in an engaging, hands-on manner, and show how to use the WindWise curriculum to bring wind energy science into your classroom through standards-based activities. Participants will receive free materials and resources that will enable them to replicate these lessons in their classrooms. This workshop is open to teachers and youth leaders free of charge, but space is limited. Please call the center at 518-475-0291 by Friday, April 22 to register or for more information. GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE May 7, 2:00 PM A program on attracting hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden will be conducted on Saturday, May 7 at 2:00 PM. During this indoor/outdoor study, Center naturalists will lead a tour of the Center's wildlife garden, illustrating how proper site assessment, materials selection and arrangement can attract songbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies. The program is open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. In the event of severe weather, this program may be cancelled. Please call the Center at 518-475-0291 for more information. BIRD FESTIVAL May 14 The NYSDEC Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, in partnership with the Audubon Society of the Capital Region, will conduct a day-long series of educational events in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 14 at the Environmental Education Center, 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar. At 9:00 AM, Center naturalists will conduct an outdoor introduction to bird-watching for beginners. This bluffers' guide to birding will discuss the six Ss of bird identification and share handy birding tips on diagnostic field marks, the general utility of various field guides and optics, and winning strategies for finding birds. Binoculars and bird guides are helpful but not necessary. In the event of inclement weather, this activity may be cancelled. >From 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon, representatives of the Audubon Society of the Capital Region will staff an exhibit table providing information on neo-tropical migratory birds and the ecological benefits of shade-grown coffee --- what makes it bird-friendly. >From 1:00 to 2:00 PM, storyteller Leben Moon Hawk will lead "Messengers from the Sky," interactive stories, songs, and poetry based on traditions from around the world, to be followed by "Shapes in Nature," a creative drawing session led by artist/educator Armando Soto, in which children will draw birds and their environments using basic shapes. >From 2:15 to 3:15 PM, local wildlife rehabilitator Wendy Hall will conduct an indoor presentation on birds of prey, featuring live (non-releasable) specimens. All programs are open to the public free of charge. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. TEACHER WORKSHOP: Project Learning Tree--Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood May 14, 1:00 to 4:00 PM A teacher workshop for early childhood educators on the award-winning curriculum-enhancement program Project Learning Tree (PLT) will be conducted on Saturday, May 14 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. At this interactive workshop, Center staff will lead a participatory training in PLT's Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, which integrates forest-related themes into the curriculum through reading, writing, music and movement, math, art, and sensory experiences. Participants will receive a free Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood curriculum guide full of stimulating forest-oriented activities for students in pre-K and lower elementary grades. The workshop, in celebration of the U.N.s International Year of Forests, is open to teachers and youth leaders free of charge. Please call Five Rivers at 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, May 11 to register for the workshop. Five Rivers Environmental Education Center is a designated New York State Watchable Wildlife site, where wildlife viewing opportunities abound. Learn more by visiting Watchable Wildlife at www.dec.ny.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us Tue Apr 26 11:34:31 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:34:31 -0400 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Learn about moths and turtles at Five Rivers Message-ID: <4DB6ADC70200005A000508EB@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, New York 12054 Phone: 518-475-0291 FAX: 518-439-8044 Website: www.dec.ny.gov MOTH STUDY -- Friday, May 20 at 8:00 PM An indoor/outdoor study of moths will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Friday, May 20 at 8:00 PM. On this citizen science survey, Center naturalists will provide a brief overview of the natural history and ecological importance of moths, then lead participants outdoors to census moth species at prepared bait stations. This program is open to the public free of charge. In the event of inclement weather, this program will be cancelled. Flashlights helpful but not necessary. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. TURTLE PROGRAM FOR WORLD TURTLE DAY -- Saturday, May 21 at 10:00 AM An indoor/outdoor program in celebration of World Turtle Day will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, May 21 at 10:00 AM. At this informal study, local reptile specialist Dee Strnisa will provide a brief overview of the natural history and ecological importance of turtles, featuring live (captive) specimens, then lead participants outdoors along gentle Center trails to search the ponds for turtles basking in the sun and foraging in the shallows. The program is open to the public free of charge. In the event of inclement weather, the outdoor portion of the program will be cancelled. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. Five Rivers Environmental Education Center is a designated New York State Watchable Wildlife site, where wildlife viewing opportunities abound. Learn more by visiting Watchable Wildlife at www.dec.ny.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Apr 27 09:27:06 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:27:06 -0400 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Honey bees and worm composting at Five Rivers, May 28 Message-ID: <4DB7E16A0200005A000509E0@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Five Rivers Environmental Education Center 56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, New York 12054 Phone: 518-475-0291 FAX: 518-439-8044 Website: www.dec.ny.gov Join us as we learn about honey bees and worm composting during two different programs at the NYSDEC Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, May 28. In the event of inclement weather, the outdoor portions of the presentations may be canceled. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. HONEY BEE PROGRAM -- Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 AM A program on the ecological and economic importance of the honey bee will be conducted on Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 AM. At this indoor/outdoor program, Center naturalists will provide an overview of the natural history of honey bees, then lead a tour of the Center's outdoor bee hive and orchard. Participants will then return to the Visitor Center for a beeswax craft. The impact of colony collapse disorder will be discussed. There is a nominal materials fee of $1 for members of Friends of Five Rivers, $3 for non-members. Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, May 25 to register or for more information. WORM COMPOSTING PROGRAM -- Saturday, May 28 at 2:00 PM A how-to program on composting with worms will be conducted on Saturday, May 28 at 2:00 PM. During this indoor/outdoor study, Center naturalists will present an interactive exploration of the Centers worm bin and lead a tour of the Center's wildlife garden to demonstrate the benefits of composting. Participants will learn how to start and maintain their own worm composting bin at home. Five Rivers Environmental Education Center is a designated New York State Watchable Wildlife site, where wildlife viewing opportunities abound. Learn more by visiting Watchable Wildlife at www.dec.ny.gov. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: