Feb 10 Friday
Plants and animals meet the challenges of winter in some surprisingly weird ways. Let’s take a spin around the Valley Trail in search of winter spiders, stoneflies, and small mammals to discover how embracing weird solutions can be quite wonderful.
This program is designed for adults.Please dress for the weather. Snowshoes will be provided if necessary.
Feb 17 Friday
Corvids such as crows, ravens, and jays are known for their intelligence, adaptability, and social nature. On this walk around the preserve, we will search for corvids, learn about their behavior, and discover how they are similar to us humans.
This program is designed for teens and adults.Please dress for the weather. Bring binoculars if you have them; snowshoes will be provided if necessary.This program will involve a brief hike on moderately hilly terrain.
Feb 18 Saturday
Water’s uniqueness defines winter. Through hands-on activities, we will learn about how water’s special properties create the beautiful, crystalline snowflakes of this season, and we will explore how the difference of only a few degrees in temperature can mean the difference between manageable rain and an unwieldy foot of snow. Join us for this family program as we discover the science behind one of the most important substances on Earth.
This program is designed for ages 7 and up.Please dress for the weather. Snowshoes will be provided if necessary.
Feb 25 Saturday
Tracking uses the skills of observation and deduction to tell the story of life in the woods. In this program, we’ll learn how to identify and interpret signs of animals. Then, we’ll put our skills into practice to get to know the daily lives of animals at Baltimore Woods.
This program is designed for adults.Please dress for the weather. Snowshoes are available to use during the program.This program will involve a hike with moderate hills.
Mar 10 Friday
Join us for a wild goose chase during one of the most exciting periods of waterfowl migration at Montezuma! Possible sightings include large numbers of Snow Geese, along with a variety of other goose, duck, and swan species.
This program is designed for teens and adults.Please meet us at the Montezuma visitor center.Bring binoculars if you have them and dress warmly. Extra binoculars and spotting scopes will be available.
Mar 18 Saturday
Woodcocks are among the first birds to help us welcome the spring season. These well-camouflaged, rotund shorebirds are known for their dramatic dance across the sky at sunrise and sunset. On a special field trip to the Central New York Land Trust’s Pleasant Valley Preserve, which provides ideal woodcock habitat including fields and brushy areas, we will learn about how these resourceful birds survive and thrive.
We hope to observe the male’s elaborate skydance courtship display, and we will also play some games to help us learn about how woodcocks catch their prey and hide from predators.
This program is designed for ages 5 and up.Please meet us at Pleasant Valley Preserve and carpool, if possible, due to limited parking.
Mar 25 Saturday
Want a hands-on way to connect with nature right in your backyard? Early spring is the perfect time to start planning and planting for a vegetable garden! In this program, we’ll cover tips and tools to help you plan your home vegetable garden. Then, we’ll start seeds in containers to be planted outside later in the spring. Seeds and planting materials will be provided.
This program is designed for adults.Please dress for the weather.