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Protectors of Pine Oak Woods … What's New? … Events

Calendar

Free Nature Walks to Pond and Park
for Children and Parents
With Experienced Naturalists—All on Staten Island!

Saturday, January 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Restoration Workshop at LaTourette Bike Path, East – Meet at the LaTourette bike path entrance on the Old Mill Road next to St. Andrews Church (the old one). We will walk along the bike path to the T-junction and return by the Blue Trail above where we will cut invasive vines that strangle saplings along the trail. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (& refreshments). Call Don Recklies at (718)768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718)667-1393 for more information.

Saturday, January 16, 12 noon to 3 p.m.

• Snug Harbor Nature Wonderland Walk – Come and explore an exciting day out. We will look at the Norway Maples, Austrian Pines, Dogwoods, Azaleas, Rhododendrons and other trees. Bring camera, binoculars and tree guide books. Use the West entrance off Snug Harbor Road at 1000 Richmond Terrace. Go a very short distance and turn into the first parking lot. Registration is a must. Contact Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Sunday, January 17, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Clay Pit Pond State Park – Learn to identify common trees in winter by their leaf scars and bark. Enjoy a walk on the trail. Look for deer or signs of them. Bring water and dress appropriately. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Carlin Ave. off Sharrots Road in Rossville. For more information call Cathy at 1-917-596-4198.

Saturday, January 23, 9:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

• Annual Protectors’ famous Staten Island 10 mile Greenbelt Winter Walk, including a walk up Mt Moses after lunch for winter time panorama – The soft sounds and snows of winter should bring peace to a somber hike. Wear comfortable boots and warm clothes. Ten moderate miles, circular. We go in all weather but distance is shortened if snow levels are high. Park and meet at the end of Staten Island Boulevard, a block off Ocean Terrace, just above the Sunnyside campus of Petrides Complex. Bring lunch and adequate beverage. We often have four experienced naturalist leaders to interpret what we find, including Chuck, Dominick, Don and Sandra. For more information call Dominick at 917-478-7607.

Saturday January 23, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Reed’s Basket Willow Park – Discover this hidden natural park in Dongan Hills. We’ll visit the three bodies of water in the park and stroll through the woodlands. Although none of Reed’s basket willow still grow near the swamp from which the park gets its name, the woodlands and streams are still home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Meet at the Spring Street entrance in Dongan Hills. For more information phone Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Saturday January 30, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Long Pond Park – We will look for evidence of animal life, especially deer, raccoons and other mammals in the winter woodlands surrounding Long Pond. We’ll also look for the bird life, examine the geology of the area and observe evidence of past human use of the area during this unhurried stroll through about one and a half miles of the park. Meet at PS 6, on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue about 3 blocks NW of Hylan Blvd. For more information phone Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Saturday, January 30, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Full Moon after Yule: Sunset-Moon Rise Walk at Mt. Moses – Sunset is at 5:12 p.m. and moon rise is at 6:04 p.m. However, it takes the moon another 20 minutes to rise above the hills of High Rock. Meet at intersection of Rockland and Meisner Avenues. Flashlight is required for each person in your group. You may bring a light refreshment to share with others. The walk is barely twenty minutes each way. As we walk past the Rockland Avenue intersection, you will see hundreds of trees and shrubs. NYCDEP planted them to landscape the newly designed dam flood control system. Wear waterproof shoes, the trail gets muddy. Children have always enjoyed this brief walk for an astronomy event and the sharing of some refreshments at the top. The walk leader is Sandra Mechanic. For more information contact Sandra at 718-967-1037.

Sunday, January 31, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Owl Prowl at Kingfisher Pond Park – Meet Cliff Hagen at the corner of Fieldway and Katan Avenues for a tour of Kingfisher Pond Park at night. Follow Cliff Hagen along the trails, beside the pond, where he stops momentarily to produce repeatedly, the call of an Eastern Screech Owl, a tremulous whinny in high pitch. Repeated calls often result in distant responses. That responder may then fly to a branch overhead and continue responding to Cliff’s mimic call. For directions or more information call Cliff at (718)313-8591.

Saturday, February 6, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• High Rock Park – The winter may be a quiet time in the woodland; however, we will look for busy birds quietly fighting the cold in search of food. And if our feathered friends are in short supply, we can still enjoy the woods in their winter splendor. Our hike will bring us to the shores of Lake Ohrbach, the fresh water lake secluded in the Pouch Camp property. If the lake is open there may be some wintering Ring-necked Ducks. Dress for cold weather, a rugged hike and bring binoculars. Call Howie at 718-981-4002 for more information.

Saturday, February 6, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Ancient Trees of Wolfe’s Pond Park: Annual Bruce Kershner Winter Memorial Walk – In an easy two miles, large numbers of ancient trees, 200 to 300 years old, will be examined in Staten Island’s most ancient forest. Even with their leaves on, their wide girth and great height will be obvious. We’ll practice guessing their age using many clues. Our printed guide to ancient trees was prepared by the late Bruce Kershner, the northeast’s ancient tree expert. Walk up a short hill and view the broad flood plain forest of this major Bluebelt stream below us and discover an old, rare beech tree climax forest near the crest. We’ll have a few copies of his book for those who wish to purchase it. Meet at the far right corner of the parking lot at the end of Cornelia Avenue, near the rest rooms. Call Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Sunday, February 7, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• Mt Loretto Harbor Seal Watch below the Bluff – Dress warmly and please bring your cameras and binoculars to see this magnificent sea mammal and have a photo to treasure and exhibit. Be sure to bring binoculars for close up views. We will meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Mt Loretto parking lot on Hylan Blvd. opposite the CYO building across Hylan Blvd. For more information, phone Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, February 13, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Conference House Park and Beach – Past and present blend in the Conference House park where history stretches back thousands of years with the seasonal occupation of the Lenape and hundreds of years with the habitation of the Dutch and English. In addition to the local history we’ll observe the geology of the area and look for what the debris at the high tide line has to reveal. As the tide goes out we'll move into the intertidal zone to find out what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment in the winter. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Hylan Blvd. on the left. For more information phone Clay Wollney at (718)869-6327.

Saturday, February 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Forest Restoration Workshop at LaTourette Bike Path, North – Meet in the parking lot of the Greenbelt Nature Center at the junction of Rockland Avenue and Manor Road. We will walk to the bike path entrance at the junction of Rockland Avenue and Forest Hill Road where we will spend two hours removing invasive plants. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (& refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 164^th consecutive monthly workshop), we will take a short walk over nearby trails. For more information call Don Recklies at (718)768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718)667-1393.

Saturday, February 20, 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• Clay Pit Ponds State Park/Preserve: Trees and Wildlife in a mini Pine Barren – Find out why Protectors urged the preservation of this parkland and how we got our name in 1975. It has two rare pine species, two rare southern oak species, fence swift lizards, and a few rather unusual wildflowers, nothing like our Greenbelt forest. It’s one of the few parks on S.I. that have American Chestnut trees, one healthy, tall and 8-10 inches in diameter and just recently found, a second, though younger, large tree. The third is a spindly, sick, multi-trunk and diseased tree with the chestnut blight but it always seems to flower and set fruit. This is the only park known to have many deer with footprints galore and nibbled native wildflowers and shrubs. Wear waterproof shoes. We have a permit to enter the restricted natural area on the other side of Clay Pit Road. Meet at the park office at the end of Carlin Avenue, off Sharrott’s Road in Rossville. Contact Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Sunday, February 21, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• High Rock Park – Take a walk around Loosestrife Swamp and the nearby uplands. Search for remnants of plants and their fruits. Look at the leaf scars and bark of the trees for identification. Bring water and dress for the weather. For more information call Cathy at 1-917-596-4198.

Saturday February 27, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Old Mill Road – Park at the end of Old Mill Road, behind the church. We'll stroll along Old Mill Road , a newly designed multi-use trail, next to Fresh Kills, below the hills of Latourette Golf Course and return along the Blue Trail. This area has not been accessible for many years and is now open. We are surrounded by beautiful, old woodlands as well as newly grown stands of cottonwoods and other pioneer plants. We’ll see the flow of the famous Hessian Spring as it crosses the road and view Fresh Kills estuary. For more information phone Clay Wollney at (718)869-6327.

Sunday, February 28, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Full Snow or Hunger Moon: Sunset-Moon Rise Walk at Mt. Moses – Sunset is at 5:47 p.m. and moon rise is 6:09 p.m. However it takes the moon another 20 minutes to rise above the hills of High Rock. Meet at intersection of Rockland and Meisner Avenues. Flashlight is required for each person in your group. You may bring a light refreshment to share with others. The walk is barely twenty minutes each way. As we walk past the Rockland Avenue intersection, you will see hundreds of trees and shrubs. NYCDEP planted them to landscape the newly designed dam flood control system. Children have always enjoyed this brief walk for an astronomy event and the sharing of some refreshments at the top. The walk leader is Sandra Mechanic. For more information contact Sandra at 718-967-1037.

Sunday, February 28, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• Owl Prowl at Blue Heron Park – Meet owl enthusiast Cliff Hagen at the Blue Heron Park Nature Center for a night hike through the woodlands of South-East Annadale. The park is located between Hylan Blvd. and Amboy Road on Poillon Avenue. For directions or more information call Cliff Hagen at (718)313-8591.

Saturday March 6, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Reed’s Basket Willow Park – Discover this hidden natural park in Dongan Hills. We’ll visit the three bodies of water in the park and stroll through the woodlands. Although none of Reed’s basket willow still grow near the swamp from which the park gets its name, the woodlands and stream is still home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. Meet at the Spring Street entrance in Dongan Hills. For more information phone Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, March 7, 10 a.m. to 12 noon

• Mt Loretto Harbor Seal Watch below the Bluff – Dress warmly and please bring your cameras and binoculars to see this magnificent sea mammal and have a photo to treasure and exhibit. Be sure to bring binoculars for close up views. We will meet in the Mt Loretto parking lot on Hylan Blvd. opposite the CYO building across Hylan Blvd. For more information, phone Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, March, 13, 11 a.m. to 1p.m.

• Early Spring Coastal Plant Dune Walk at Gateway – Join Sandra Mechanic, naturalist and photographer, to explore the unique challenging beach habitats of both dry and salty conditions for plants. We will find mostly last year’s dried plants including Winged Pigweed, Common Lambs quarters, evergreen Prickly Pear Cactus (native to Staten Island), Seaside Goldenrod, Sickle leafed Golden Asters, Dune grass, Salt marsh grass, the evergreen False Heather, Earth Stars (a kind of puff ball) and loads of sprouting Pinweeds that few recognize even when they are mature and flowering, but they are all over this area. We may see some winter bird visitors such as the snow buntings and horned larks on the open lawns along with our typical residents and many shore birds if the tide is low. Meet at the Hylan Blvd parking lot to Great Kills Park, Gateway, opposite Buffalo St, a stop on the #78 bus line. Drivers pick up passengers there at 10 a.m. then drive into the park about a mile to the first parking lot and park at the beach side in the first near corner to your left. If time permits, we will walk over to the educational building in front of which the Ranger Jackie Duhon and Protectors planted a Wildflower Garden with several hundred plants of 9 wildflower species, 4/14/07, the day before the eight inch rain storm. Bring water and a light snack. For more information phone Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Forest Restoration Workshop at LaTourette Red Trail – Meet in the parking lot opposite the LaTourette Golf Club house at the top of the hill off Richmond Hill Road. We will remove invasive vines from trees on the steep portion of the co-joined Red and Blue Trails leading down to Historic Richmond Town. If you don’t have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (& refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 165^th consecutive monthly workshop), we will take a short walk over nearby trails. For more information call Don Recklies at (718)768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718)667-1393.

Sunday, March 21, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• High Rock Park – Check for early spring risers, especially Skunk Cabbage, whose flower can make its own heat for bloom to occur. We will listen to the Spring Peepers, our very own native tree frogs. If we find one it will be a treat, because they are tiny, as small as a fingernail. They do, though, have a big “peep.” We will walk around the swamp and then into the upland. We will check the buds of trees to see if they are starting to open yet. Bring water and dress for the weather. For more information call Cathy at 1-917-596-4198.

Sunday, March 21, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• American Woodcock Walk – Wander Great Kills Park at dusk with naturalist Cliff Hagen as he discusses and searches out the American Woodcock. This common, though seldom seen bird, nests on Staten Island and begins courtship on this first weekend of Spring. A clear night sky will be filled with the sights and sounds of the Woodcock courtship ritual. We will meet in the parking lot at the corner of Buffalo St. and Hylan Blvd. The long, flat walk will grow dark as the sun sets so a flashlight will be needed. For directions or information call Cliff Hagen at (718)313-8591.

Saturday, March 27, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• Mount Loretto – Meet Howie Fischer in the parking lot opposite the Mt. Loretto CYO building and walk the fields to find winter species among the grasses and waves. These sparrows and waterfowl spend the winter here on Staten Island. Hopefully, we will find a variety of ducks in the ponds and bay, as well as geese, gulls, loons and grebes. Binoculars are recommended as well as comfortable walking shoes. Hawks may also surprise us if they are hunting the fields. Call Howie at 718-981-4002 for more information.

Sunday, March 28, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Long Pond Park – We will look for evidence of the plants and animals of Spring as we survey the woodlands surrounding Long Pond. We’ll also observe migrating birds, examine the geology of the area and observe evidence of past human use during this unhurried stroll through about one and a half miles of the park. Meet at PS 6, on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue about 3 blocks NW of Hylan Blvd. For more information phone Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.

• Flowing Sap or Crow Full Moon: Sunset-Moon Rise Walk at Mt. Moses – Sunset is at 7:19 p.m. and moon rise is 8:27 p.m. However it takes the moon another 20 minutes to rise above the hills of High Rock. Meet at intersection of Rockland and Meisner Avenues. Flashlight is required for each person in your group. You may bring a light refreshment to share with others. The walk is barely twenty minutes each way. As we walk past the Rockland Avenue intersection, you will see hundreds of trees and shrubs. NYCDEP planted them to landscape the newly designed dam flood control system. Children have always enjoyed this brief walk for an astronomy event and the sharing of some refreshments at the top. The walk leader is Sandra Mechanic. For more information contact Sandra at 718-967-1037.

Saturday, April 3, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 11, 10 a.m. to 12 noon

• Disabilities Nature Walk – Stroll the paved pathways of Mount Loretto Unique Area with naturalist and Special Education teacher Cliff Hagen to explore the sights and sounds of a grassland ecology. Cliff encourages people with disabilities and their families to join in a slow walk around the park for discussion of wildlife and the ecology of this parkland. For more information call Cliff Hagen at 718-313-8591.

Sunday, April 11, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

• Protectors Semi-Annual Meeting- Join Protectors at the Zoo, for a joint program, focusing on the wildlife of our Island parks. Come learn more about how our habitats are uniquely suited to the furry, feathered and scaly creatures that share this small island with us. Come away with a better appreciation for the work that Protectors and the Staten Island Zoo does each and every day. Please call Hillel Lofaso at (718) 751-6629. The Staten Island Zoo is located at 614 Broadway.

Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

• High Rock Park and Greenbelt – Join naturalist and educator Howie Fischer to search out the early spring birds that frequent the parks woodlands this time of year. Listen to the early sounds of spring as migrant birds begin to sing for mates. If the weather conditions and wind direction blow in our favor, we may be able to identify some singing warblers, thrushes, sapsuckers, flickers, sparrows and other migratory specialties that are likely in mid-spring. Call Howie at 718-981-4002 for more information.

Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Restoration Workshop at Great Kills Wildflower Garden – Enter Great Kills Park by the Buffalo Road entrance from Hylan Boulevard and meet in the 2^nd Buffalo Road parking lot (across from the ranger station). From there we will go to the wildflower plot at the Education Center to prepare for this year’s planting. Protectors will supply gloves and tools (& refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 166^th consecutive monthly workshop), we will take a short walk over nearby trails. If there is demand we will walk to Crooke’s Point and return. For more information call Don Recklies at (718)768-9036 or Chuck Perry at (718)667-1393.

Sunday, April 18, 12 noon to 2 p.m.

• Miller Field Beach – We will walk the beach area looking for plants and animals. We might see some migrating ducks, geese and hawks. Bring water and dress for the weather. Meet at the new parking lot next to the picnic area and ranger station. Go to the end of New Dorp Lane and make a left into the park. Drive on the main road toward the administration building. We will meet in the new parking lot beside the building. For more information call Cathy at 1-917-596-4198.