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Hudson Highlands Land Trust

August 2013

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Links to Articles
River of Words Poetry Trail
Native Invasives
DEC Citizen Science Survey
Corn Festival
Fascinating Fossils



Coming Events



  Aug 23-Sept 15
HHLT's River of Words Poetry Trail
Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary
Cold Spring, NY



Aug 11
Corn Festival
Riverfront Park
Beacon, NY


Aug 17
Fascinating Fossils 
Hudson Highlands Nature Museum
Cornwall, NY
 
  
 

 

Hudson Highlands Land Trust
P.O. Box 226
20 Nazareth Way
Garrison, NY  10524
845/424-3358

[email protected]

HHLT and Constitution Marsh Partner to Celebrate Children's Nature-Inspired Poetry, Aug. 23 to Sept. 15
Hudson Highlands Nature Museum to Host Poetry Trail in October
Following the success of last year's inaugural River of Words Poetry Trail, the Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is pleased to announce partnerships with the Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Cold Spring and the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall to bring trails to both sides of the Hudson River.  The River of Words Poetry Trail is a series of  unique, temporary installations celebrating the nature-inspired poetry of local students winding through beautiful, natural settings. 
  
Sixteen works were selected by award-winning poet and HHLT educator Irene O'Garden to represent the hundreds of poems created by students from public schools in the Land Trust's mission area during HHLT's free Regional River of Words (ROW) environmental education workshops throughout the 2012-13 school year.  Each Poetry Trail will feature a different set of eight poems, written by children from both sides of the river.
  
The self-guided tour of the HHLT Poetry Trail at Constitution Marsh is free and open to the public, and will be available to explore from dawn to dusk, August 23 to September 15, 2013.  Details on the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum's Poetry Trail installation will be available closer to its opening in October.
  
The Poetry Trails have been made available through a generous grant from Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation.

Highlands' Natives are Invasive Elsewhere
 
HHLT Stewardship Coordinator Matt Decker's recent article in the Poughkeepsie Journal discusses how species familiar to us in the northeast have wreaked havoc in other locations. Matt looks at the introduction of two animal species, but plants and insects can also be dangerous to new environments. While we commonly think of birds and other wildlife as the main spreader of seeds, humans also travel great distances and the things we take with us can have negative impacts, as well.

 

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DEC Asks Pool Owners to Participate in Citizen Science Survey

If you own a pool and a digital camera, and have the ability to upload and send photos via email, you can help protect local trees and forests from the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB). 

 

ALBs have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of trees across the nation, particularly maple trees in New York City, on Long Island, in New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts and Ohio.  With citizens involved in the tracking of this pest, there is a better chance of finding new infestations early, which will help the DEC and other state and federal agencies focus their efforts to eliminate infestations.

 

Just follow these simple steps to join the citizen science survey: 1) Look for the ALB at least once a week when you clean your pool by checking the debris collected in the filter and skimmers. 2) Take a photo of any insect you think is an ALB.  3) Once a week send a photo of the insect that looks most like the ALB to [email protected].  The DEC would like to hear from you once a week; if you don't see an ALB during any particular week, report that to the DEC, as well.  4)  Freeze the insect in a plastic container until a DEC staff member responds (generally within a week).  Staff will advise you to discard the insect, give instructions for mailing it, or arrange for a pickup.

 

To sign up for the survey, contact Jessica Cancelliere at 518/810-1609 or [email protected].

 

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Beacon Sloop Club Hosts Annual Corn Festival, Sun., Aug. 11

Visit Beacon's Riverfront Park on Sunday, August 11, from noon to 5:00pm to celebrate one of the joys of summer--fresh, sweet corn.  In addition to enjoying culinary corn treats, festival goers can sail on the Sloop Woody Guthrie, explore the children's area, visit food and craft vendors, and browse environmental displays.

 

Music will be provided by Vinnie and Mary Ellen Cerniglia, Spook Handy, Caroline Doctorow, Ingrid Heldt and others.  Free admission.  Visit the sloop club's website for more information.
 

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Learn about Fossils at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Sun., Aug. 17 

Join environmental educator Lisa Mechaley at the Outdoor Discovery Center on Muser Dr. (across from 174 Angola Rd.) in Cornwall on Sunday, August 17, at 10:00am to learn about Fascinating Fossils.  Budding paleontologists will view a collection of fossils, learn about their formation, find out what scientists learn from them and how to collect them.

 

"Many of the fossils that are found in New York are marine animals that once lived in an ancient ocean that existed here 400 million years ago," said Mechaley.

 

Participants will create their own fossil replicas to take home.  The program is geared for adults with or without children, and children ages 5 and up.  Admission: $7/adult, $5/child (members $5/adult, $3/child).  For more information visit hhnaturemuseum.org or call 845/534-5506 x 204.

 

Photo by Judy Onufer.

 

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Plan a family day at one of the area's outdoor destinations.

The kids will going back to school soon.  Take advantage of these last days of summer vacation to plan an outdoor family adventure.  Explore Bear Mountain State Park, cross the Walkway over the Hudson, or pack a picnic and visit a riverside park.  And show us your photos.  Upload your pictures to HHLT's facebook page and tell us about your family adventure.  We'd love to hear about it!

The Hudson Highlands Land Trust is a community-based, accredited, non-profit land conservation organization dedicated to the protection of the natural resources, rural character and scenic beauty of the Hudson Highlands.