From fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us Mon Dec 5 09:49:45 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:49:45 -0500 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Family programs at Five Rivers, plus workshop for teachers, during December school break week Message-ID: <4EDC93B90200005A0005D152@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 PROGRAM ON WINTER WILDLIFE -- Saturday, December 24 at 10:00 a.m. A family-oriented field study of wildlife adaptations to winter will be conducted on Saturday, December 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. On this outdoor foray, Center naturalists will lead a search over the meadow and through the woods, looking for tracks, dens, chewed cones and other seasonal signs of wildlife use. The three common winter survival strategies will be discussed. The program is open to the public free of charge. Parents and children must accompany each other. 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 by Wednesday, December 21 to register or for more information. BIRDING FOR KIDS PROGRAM -- Tuesday, December 27 at 10:00 a.m. A children's introduction to birds and bird life will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Tuesday, December 27 at 10:00 a.m. At this indoor/outdoor program, Center naturalists will discuss concepts in bird anatomy, behavior, identification and conservation which parent and child can build upon in their own yard or park. Participants will study birds at the Centers feeders from indoors then venture out along Center trails for a little field work. Simple, but effective backyard bird conservation strategies will be discussed. This program is free of charge, but enrollment is limited. Parents and children must accompany each other. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. In the event of unfavorable weather, the entire workshop will be conducted indoors. Please call 518- 475-0291 by Friday, December 23 to register or for more information. FAMILY PROGRAM ON RIVER OTTERS -- Wednesday, December 28 at 2:00 p.m. A family-oriented study of river otters will be conducted at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Wednesday, December 28 at 2:00 p.m. On this indoor/outdoor investigation, Center naturalists will present an overview of the natural history of these fascinating animals through indoor games and craft projects, then lead participants outdoors to visit typical otter habitat. The program is free of charge, but space is limited. Parents and children must accompany each other. 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 by Friday, December 23 to register or for more information. PROJECT WILD TEACHER WORKSHOP -- Thursday, December 29 from 9:00 a.m. to noon A teacher workshop on the award-winning curriculum-enhancement program Project WILD will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Thursday, December 29 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. At this hands-on workshop, Center staff will lead a participatory training in Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design), an initiative which integrates wildlife themes into the core reading, writing and arithmetic disciplines. Participants will receive a free Project WILD curriculum guide full of stimulating activities, correlated to the NYS learning standards, for students in grades K-12. The workshop is open to teachers and youth leaders free of charge. Please call Five Rivers at 518-475-0291 by Friday, December 23 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 Thu Dec 8 09:30:56 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:30:56 -0500 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Get Outdoors this New Year's Weekend at Five Rivers Message-ID: <4EE083D00200005A0005D5E8@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 LEARN ABOUT WEASELS AT FIVE RIVERS -- December 31 at 10:00 a.m. A program on the natural history of weasels will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, December 31 at 10:00 a.m. Many fascinating weasel species live throughout the world. Some of them might be in your own backyard! At this indoor/outdoor study, Center naturalists will discuss the lifestyles of weasel species found in our area, such as otter, fisher and mink. Afterwards, weather permitting, staff and participants will venture out to visit likely weasel habitat to search for signs of these secretive creatures. This program is open to the public free of charge. Children must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of inclement weather, this program may be cancelled. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. LEARN ABOUT ENDANGERED SPECIES AT FIVE RIVERS -- Saturday, December 31 at 2:00 p.m. A program on endangered species will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, December 31 at 2:00 p.m. At this indoor/outdoor study, Center naturalists will provide an overview of various local species whose populations are in critical decline. Topics will include typical conservation challenges which endangered species face, and what you can do to help. Afterwards, staff will lead an outdoor interpretive tour to study what Five Rivers is doing to conserve at-risk species. This program is open to the public free of charge. Children must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of inclement weather, this program may be cancelled. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. COUNT BIRDS ON NEW YEAR'S DAY AT FIVE RIVERS -- Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. The 32nd Annual New Year's Day Bird Count will be conducted on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 9:00 a.m. at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center. During this outdoor program, bird experts from Five Rivers, the Audubon Society of the Capital Region and the Hudson Mohawk Bird Club will lead field parties along Center trails in search of resident species as well as late migrants. During the three decades that this program has taken place at Five Rivers, 70 different bird species have been recorded. Years of data from Five Rivers, added to that of other New Year's Day bird counts taking place across the continent, contribute to scientific research into ornithological trends related to climate change, habitat modification, disease and other environmental influences. The program, one of the Center's many ongoing citizen science projects, is geared for the birding novice and is free of charge. Participants are urged to bring binoculars and dress for outdoor activity. In the event of severe weather, this program may be canceled. 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 Mon Dec 19 15:02:48 2011 From: fiveriverstributary at lists.dec.state.ny.us (Newsletter and Program Schedule Update Email Notification) Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:02:48 -0500 Subject: [Fiveriverstributary] Upcoming Programs at Five Rivers, January 7 & 14, 2012 Message-ID: <4EEF52180200005A0005E194@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 EXHIBIT OPENING AND TALK AT FIVE RIVERS--Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 p.m. (photos on exhibit through Saturday, January 28) A presentation and Meet the Artists reception will celebrate the opening of a photography exhibition at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 p.m. At this indoor presentation, well-known Capital Region bird experts and avid shutterbugs Scott Stoner and Denise Hackert-Stoner will open an eye-popping pictorial entitled The Seasons of Five Rivers with a slide show about the habitats and inhabitants of Five Rivers. From the bewitching winter landscape to the colorful flowers of spring, to the raucous frogs of a summer pond, and the rich colors of autumn, Five Rivers offers a feast of nature throughout the year, and the exhibition lovingly captures them all. The photos will hang in the Visitor Center through Saturday, January 28. The presentation is open to the public free of charge. Light refreshments will be provided. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. WINTER BIRD STUDY AT FIVE RIVERS--Saturday, January 14 at 10:00 a.m. A field study of the winter survival strategies of birds will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center, on Saturday, January 14 at 10:00 a.m. On this outdoor investigation, center naturalists will lead a search along gentle center trails for juncos, tree sparrows and other species only seen in the winter months, plus nuthatches, jays and other usual suspects which are with us year-round. The impact of climate change on winter bird ranges will be discussed. This program is open to the public free of charge. Participants are urged to dress for outdoor activity. Binoculars are helpful, but not necessary. In the event of inclement weather, this program may be cancelled. Please call 518-475-0291 for more information. FAMILY SNOWSHOE OUTING AT FIVE RIVERS--Saturday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m. A family-oriented snowshoe outing for beginners will be conducted at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Saturday, January 14 at 5:30 p.m. At this try-it-out introduction, Center naturalists will present a brief indoor overview about snowshoe form and function, and how to walk and turn. Afterwards, staff will assist participants in putting on snowshoes and then lead a snowshoe hike over gentle terrain to experience the sights and sounds of a winters eve. Snowshoeing is nothing more than exaggerated walking and makes for excellent aerobic exercise at a time of year when people need it most. This program is open to the public free of charge but space is limited. Please call Five Rivers at 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, January 11 to reserve snowshoes and/or to register. Children must be accompanied by an adult. In the event of insufficient snow, the program will be conducted on foot. In the event of inclement weather, this program may be cancelled. 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: