From stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Nov 4 11:32:56 2009 From: stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us (stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us) Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:32:56 -0500 Subject: [Stonykillalmanac] WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS-Less than two weeks to register! Message-ID: <4AF16668020000B60004CA1D@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> Dear Friends: Only two weeks left to preregister for this unique program. Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop at Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center On Saturday, November 21, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center will present a special program on wilderness survival skills, for adults and children 12 years and older. The program will be conducted by Shane ?Whitefeather? Hobel of Mountain Scout Survival School. There is an instructor fee of $20.00 for this workshop. Registration is required; call 845-831-8780, ext. 300 by Wednesday, November 18. Participants will learn the basics of survival skills that have been honed for centuries by native people of this region in this special course. Shane ?Whitefeather? will teach primitive skills including how to start fires without matches, animal tracking, wilderness shelter building, making cordage from bark and other fibers, and more. An outdoor guide licensed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Shane developed his wilderness skills under the teaching of Tom Brown Jr. and Stalking Wolf. Shane applies his knowledge and experience to his work as an educator at the Mountain Scout Survival School and trains members of law enforcement and the military in tracking. He is also one of five members in the United States of Tom Brown Jr?s Tracker Search and Forensic Investigation (www.trackersfi.org) team. Shane was recently highlighted in The New Yorker and was involved in filming a segment for History Channel?s Monster Quest this past summer. Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center is located 2 miles north of the Beacon-Newburgh bridge (I-84) on State Route 9D in the Town of Wappingers Falls. For more information about this and other programs at Stony Kill, call 845-831-8780, ext. 300, or go to DEC's website at www.dec.ny.gov. From stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us Wed Nov 4 11:43:30 2009 From: stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us (stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us) Date: Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:43:30 -0500 Subject: [Stonykillalmanac] LAST NOTICE: GIS Mini-Workshop at Stony Kill November 7, 2009 Message-ID: <4AF168E2020000B60004CA2C@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> Dear Friends: If technology seems to be getting the best of you, we invite you to come to the GIS Mini-Workshop (indoors and outdoors) Saturday, November 7, 2:00 to 4:00 PM in the Learning Center at Stony Kill Farm. Join our guest presenter, Neil Curri, Senior GIS Resource Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County, as we celebrate the upcoming ?Geography Awareness Week? (November 15-21). During the workshop, we?ll investigate the grounds at Stony Kill Farm using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to collect coordinates of important features. We'll then map the coordinates on a computer using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to show patterns in the landscape and relationships among the features we've captured in the GPS. This technology has many applications, including use in scientific investigations and helping people find their way in the woods. For ages 12 and up. Registration is required. Call 845-831-8780, ext. 300. This program is FREE. For more information about Stony Kill Farm please call 845-831-8780, ext. 300. Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center is operated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and is located on Route 9D in Wappingers Falls, about 2 miles north of the Beacon-Newburgh bridge (I-84). Visit Stony Kill?s website at www.dec.ny.gov/education/1833.html for a listing of more programs and activities you and your family can take part in. From the website, you can also join a listserve and be among the first to learn about special programs and events at Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center. From stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us Mon Nov 16 10:56:44 2009 From: stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us (stonykillalmanac at lists.dec.state.ny.us) Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:56:44 -0500 Subject: [Stonykillalmanac] December Outdoor Nature Programs at Stony Kill Farm Message-ID: <4B012FEC020000B60004D194@gwsmtp.dec.state.ny.us> Dear Friends: Outdoor Nature Programs at Stony Kill Farm Winter is a fine time to observe nature. Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center invites you and your family to join us each Saturday in December at 2:00 PM for an outdoor experience in nature. In addition, Stony Kill is continuing the Thursday after-school programs, too. Meet at the Manor House Visitor Center unless otherwise noted. Dress for the weather, including indoor activities and outdoor exploring. All programs are approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes long, unless otherwise stated. Thursday, December 3, 4:00 - 5:00 PM Nature Discovery After-School Program For school-aged children and their caregivers. Discover and explore different aspects of nature at Stony Kill. It may be winter, but wildlife is still present and active. If we dress warmly, we can also enjoy the outdoors. Snowshoeing (providing there is snow), tracking and nature games are just some of the activities we?ll try. With a Stony Kill naturalist as your guide, there will be a different outdoor experience each week. Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 PM Barking Up the Wrong Tree? Put on your winter boots and warm thinking caps as we learn to identify native tree species by their unique bark. Please dress appropriately for the weather. Thursday, December 10, 4:00 - 5:00 PM Nature Discovery After-School Program For school-aged children and their caregivers. Discover and explore different aspects of nature at Stony Kill. It may be winter, but wildlife is still present and active. If we dress warmly, we can also enjoy the outdoors. Snowshoeing (providing there is snow), tracking and nature games are just some of the activities we?ll try. With a Stony Kill naturalist as your guide, there will be a different outdoor experience each week. Saturday, December 12, 2:00 - 4:00 PM Crafts for a Sustainable Holiday Join us while we learn about and create holiday crafts using recycled and reusable items. Appropriate for children and adults of all ages. Meet at the Learning Center. Saturday, December 19 at 2:00 PM Winter Wildlife Search Nuts with holes, scrapings on trees and scratched up leaves are a sample of the animal signs we will find on a winter trail walk. Saturday, December 26 at 2:00 PM Snowshoe Hike or Winter Walk Get outdoors to stretch your legs and burn off some holiday calories while you enjoy the wonders of the winter woods. If there is enough snow, snowshoes will be provided. Otherwise, we?ll hike the trails by foot. Call 845-831-8780, ext. 300, for meeting site. Tuesday, December 29, Noon - 4:00 PM Holiday Open House Bring the whole family for a festive day at Stony Kill. Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities. Search for animal signs during an outdoor walk, make a holiday craft from recycled materials or take a tour of the historic Manor House. Visit the animals down at the barn; some of them have even been known to get into the holiday spirit by sporting a red ribbon or two! Listen to live holiday music in the Manor House, and enjoy the refreshments and decorations by the Verplanck Garden Club. For more information about Stony Kill Farm please call 845-831-8780, ext. 300. Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center is operated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and is located on Route 9D in Wappingers Falls, about 2 miles north of the Beacon-Newburgh bridge (I-84). Visit Stony Kill?s website at www.dec.ny.gov/education/1833.html for a listing of more programs and activities you and your family can take part in. From the website, you can also join a listserve and be among the first to learn about special programs and events at Stony Kill Farm Environmental Education Center.