The Beat

Maple Sugar Tours at HHNM begin this weekend

Cornwall, NY -  Maple Sugaring Season is once again upon us in the Hudson Valley and the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum is ready with their Maple Sugar Tours! Learn how to identify and tap sugar maple trees, discover sugaring techniques used by Native Americans, pioneers, and modern-day farmers, and see an evaporator in action.

Maple Sugar Tours will take place at the Nature Museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center location, 120 Muser Drive, off of Angola Road in Cornwall. They’ll  kick off on Saturday Sunday, February 21 and 22 and will continue on February 27 and 28; March 6, 7, 13 and 14 where two types of tours are offered hourly from 11am-3pm.

Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY – After a very successful pilot program in the Fall, the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s new Homeschool Naturalist series for children ages 6-10 is offering a winter session. Located at the Nature Museum’s Wildlife Education Center (25 Boulevard, Cornwall-on-Hudson) this 9-week series, which begins Tuesday, January 5 and meets once a week from 9am-1pm provides children the opportunity to explore, play, and learn in the forest.

Albany, NY – The 2020 Pine Bush Perspectives juried photo exhibit is currently on display along the outdoor StoryWalk® path behind the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center located at 195 New Karner Road in Albany. “A StoryWalk® is usually a children's book that is deconstructed and the pages are laminated. The pages of the book are then posted along a trail so that people read the story as they are walking along the trail,” explained Jackie Citriniti, Lead Educator and show designer. “We’re using it a little differently this winter”, she continued. “Previous Pine Bush Perspectives exhibits have been inside the Discovery Center, but due to limited hours and capacity we decided to move the exhibit outside and online.”…

Grant from Matt & Kathryn Wilhelm Family Foundation (EKB Kitchens)

Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y. -- When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum to suspend educational programming in late March, the leadership and board looked to play to its strength of nature based outdoor learning and play to support its mission of creating future stakeholders of our shared community environment.

The first opportunity to do that came in July.  By scaling back the overall size and creating individual age group pods, the museum’s Director of Education Jenny Brinker successfully planned and ran a healthy (and infection free) eight week summer camp for children.  The response by their families was overwhelmingly positive with parents thankful their children could safely interact with other children after months of social isolation.

Watertown, N.Y. -- Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust is hosting an online auction December 3rd - December 10th.

All items in this auction are local to the Tug Hill region and donated by local businesses. To name a few: Sagamore and sail Luncheon Cruise in the Adirondack area, brunch at Tug Hill Vineyards, Ski lift tickets at Snow Ridge, Bed and Breakfast stays in Redfield and Sackets Harbor, gift cards to Tailwater Lodge, original artwork by local artists, and many more.

Albany, NY – The public is invited to a free online event being held by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. During this time of social distancing, Discover the Night is a virtual opportunity to experience nighttime in the globally-rare Albany Pine Bush.

The public is invited to visit www.AlbanyPineBush.org/discover-the-night now until December 31, 2020 to enjoy preserve staff and special guest videos featuring local wildlife, storytelling, night hiking and more! People can also play interactive games, download fun activities and nature craft instructions. The site includes something for all ages.

Remains open with Winter Wild Walk, Wild Lights and more

Tupper Lake, N.Y. - The Wild Center is excited to announce Wild Lights, presented by Merrill L. Thomas, Inc., a dazzling display that will transform The Wild Center's campus into a winter wonderland. Wild Lights offers a whole new way to celebrate the season, with thousands of enchanting lights that will illuminate the campus all winter long, with special nighttime viewing hours on Friday and Saturday evenings beginning Fri., Dec. 11. The Wild Center, which plans to remain open throughout the winter season, will also offer familiar activities, such as Winter Wild Walk and snowshoeing, as well as new ones like kicksledding and the outdoor winter otter play yard.

Annual Halloween Week Observance of Bat Week Raises Awareness to Reduce Human Disturbance to Threatened Bats

In observance of Bat Week, an internationally recognized weeklong focus to raise awareness about the important role bats play in our environment, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today urged outdoor adventurers to avoid visiting caves and mines that may serve as seasonal homes for hibernating bats. Human disturbance is especially harmful to the State's bat populations since the arrival of the disease known as white-nose syndrome, a fungus that has killed more than 90 percent of bats at hibernation sites in New York.

Ithaca, NY – The Finger Lakes Land Trust announced the addition of the Finger Lakes Museum and Ganondagan State Historic Site to its outdoor recreation web site, GoFingerLakes.org. Go Finger Lakes is offered as a free public service to help residents and visitors discover the best locations in the region for hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, canoeing, cross-country skiing, and other outdoor activities.

Both the Finger Lakes Museum and Ganondagan State Historic Site exemplify the unique natural and cultural history of the Finger Lakes region. The Finger Lakes Museum was added to highlight a unique paddling opportunity. Visitors can launch their canoe or kayak at no charge and explore wetlands and a stretch of Sugar Creek, paddling to the open waters of Keuka Lake. A limited amount of kayaks and canoes are available to rent. The museum also offers a variety of programs and exhibits about the Finger Lakes.

Tupper Lake, N.Y. - After five months of rehabilitation, The Wild Center released two female North American river otters in the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station, a 15,000-acre biological field research station in the Western Adirondacks, on Thursday, Oct. 8.

This otter rehabilitation, a first for The Wild Center, began in May after receiving phone calls from residents in two separate areas within the North Country that had each spotted a five-week-old abandoned pup in the wild. Wild Center curator, Leah Valerio, and the rest of the Animal Care staff worked hand-in-hand with local veterinarian Dr. Nina Schoch to retrieve the pups and transport them to the Center's facilities in Tupper Lake, N.Y. …