Winter Trail Report 12/18/2019
We got about four beautiful fluffy inches with this past storm. The snow from the last storm had pretty much disappeared, but there is a little ice under there, so be cautious!
Our volunteer stewardship agreement with NYS DEC allows us to start grooming after hunting season and once we have eight inches of snow on the trails, so we are looking forward to getting grooming soon! We need another good storm and we should be able to start.
We plan to start our snowshoe and cross country ski rental program after New Years, on Saturday, January 4th. As long as conditions allow, we will be open for rentals on Saturdays and Sundays through mid-March. We will also be renting on Martin Luther King Day and for Presidents' Day and February Vacation Week. Rentals are $5.00 per person, or free for our members.
Registration Now Open! Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe Scheduled for January 11, 2020
Last year we initiated a registration system for our free annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe. We are doing this because of the overwhelming interest that has occurred in the past and our concern that everyone participating will be able to have a safe and enjoyable experience.
We are issuing free parking passes to make sure that our parking lots and trails are not overburdened. If you wish to attend please only register for one free parking pass for you and your guests. Each person does not need a ticket. If you have more than will fit in one car, you should register for two passes. Please be respectful of others who wish to attend and only register for the passes that you need.
Here is the link to eventbrite where you can register!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/annual-moonlight-ski-snowshoe-tickets-82987504861
Join us at the popular and highly anticipated Annual Moonlight Ski and Snowshoe at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road. Luminaries will glow along 2.5 miles of groomed trails. Along the way you will find fields and forests, warming bonfires, and plenty of hot chocolate! There will be a bake sale of homemade goodies in the Winter Lodge, so stop in for some treats and to warm up.
The terrain is suitable for all levels and ages and includes a smaller one-mile loop.
Snowshoes will be available on a first-come first-served basis in the I.P. Winter Lodge off of Parking Lot #2. The rental fee is $5/person.
Parking will be directed by volunteers who will collect people's registration ticket.
This event is weather permitting.
Please call or email for more information or if you are interested in volunteering for this event.
Call for Entries for Photography Show: Deadline is November 4
Forphotographers who enjoy taking pictures of nature or of people enjoying nature,entries for a photography show that will be highlighting the beauty and themission of Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park are being sought. All entries to the show must be photographsthat have been taken somewhere at the Preserve & Park. The entry deadline is November 4, 2019 and upto four entries will be accepted per person. There will be prizes awarded for the following categories; Best in Show,Best Nature in Winter, Best featuring Conservation, Best featuring Education,Best featuring Recreation, Best Nature in Autumn, Best Animal Shot, Best Karnerblue butterfly, and Best under-13.
Entriesshould be submitted via email to info@wiltonpreserve.org with the followinginformation; attached photograph files saved as jpeg, name, address, phonenumber, email, title of each submission, age if under 13. Only photographs that are mounted andready-to-hang will be hung in the show. All work should be original and have been taken at the Wilton WildlifePreserve & Park. Selections from theentries will be done the week of November 4 and notifications made by November 15. Once notified, all photographs for the showmust be delivered, ready-to-hang by December 6.
The selected photographswill be on display from December 16, 2019 to April 1, 2020 at the WiltonWildlife Preserve & Park Office located at 80 Scout Road in Wilton. There will be an Opening Reception at theannual Holiday Gathering which takes place after the Annual Meeting on Monday,December 16 at 7:00 pm.
For more information, please callthe Preserve & Park office at 518-450-0321 or via email at info@wiltonpreserve.org. For up-to-date trail conditions orprogram information, please visit the Preserve & Park’s website at www.wiltonpreserve.org The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is anon-profit organization that conserves ecological systems and natural settingswhile providing opportunities for environmental education and outdoorrecreation.
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Wild About Blue - our annual fundraiser - will be held on October 20 from 4:00 - 7:00
Sunday, October 20, 4:00 to 7:00 pm
Our Fall Fundraiser takes place at the Saratoga National Golf Club. We will be honoring Town of Wilton Supervisor, Art Johnson, with the Metamorphosis Award. Funds raised support our year-round environmental education programs.
Cost is $75.00 and registration is required by October 11.
For more information call518-450-0321.
You can register on-line using this link!
Volunteer Potluck and New Volunteer Meet-up Scheduled for September 18
New Volunteer Meet-Up
Wednesday, September 18 at 5:30 pm at the ParkOffice at 80 Scout Road
If you have been thinking ofvolunteering at Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, then this meeting is foryou! There will be a brief presentation on the history of the organization andwork that we do in the areas of conservation, environmental education, andoutdoor recreation. There will be aquestion and answer time followed by our Volunteer Potluck and Meeting! Registrationis appreciated.
Volunteer Potluckand Meeting
Wednesday, September 18at 6:15 pm at the Park Office at 80 Scout Road
Enjoy catching up after thelong summer. Meet some some volunteers and reconnect with your friends! Pleasecall the office at 518-450-0321 to let us know you are coming and what you willbe bringing. After dinner, we will talkabout what has been going on and what volunteer opportunities are coming up atthe Preserve & Park.
Monday Wellness Walks Begin September 9th
Wellness Walks
Mondays at 11:00 am
September 9 at Old Gick
September 23 at Neilmann
October 7 at Edie Road
October 21 at Fox
Come enjoy nature with others looking to get outside every month! The walk is geared towards gentle exercise and is for participants at basic fitness levels. The walk will be canceled if there is rain at the time the walk is scheduled. Call 518-450-0321 for more information or to register.
Registration is appreciated so we know how many people to expect.
Weekly Thursday Morning Pond Exploration: Begins July 11, ends August 15
The Open Pond Hours at Delegan Pond at Camp Saratoga begin on Thursday, July 11.
Everyone is welcome to drop in anytime between 10:00 and noon to discover the aquatic wildlife found at Delegan Pond. Participants can use the dip nets that are provided to search for pond life, including frogs, salamanders, tadpoles, crayfish, and aquatic insects. Please park in Parking Lot # 1 located on Scout Road, directly across from the pond. This free program takes place on Thursday mornings during the summer and continues through August 15.
Registrationin not required for drop-in events like the Open Pond Hours. For more information, please call thePreserve & Park office at 518-450-0321 or via email at info@wiltonpreserve.org. For up-to-date trail conditions or programinformation, please visit the Preserve & Park’s website at www.wiltonpreserve.org The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is anon-profit organization that conserves ecological systems and natural settingswhile providing opportunities for environmental education and outdoorrecreation.
Tuesday Summer Arts Hours Begin July 9
Join us under the pavilion each Tuesday for a new creative nature arts project. Please use Parking Lot #1 located on Scout Road directly across from Delegan Pond. Registration is suggested so we can have enough supplies.
July9– Natural Paint Brushes: Join us for a walk to collect materials to make our owntextured paint brushes. We will use them to paint abstract pictures.
July16 – No Workshop
July23 - Pretty Pots for Pollinators: Plant more flowers for the pollinators! We will paint pots and then plant flowers.
July30– Natural Dyes: Learn how to use plants to make dye. We’ll experiment withfruits, vegetables, roots, and leaves to make some awesome natural dyes. Pleasebring white cotton clothing to dye.
August6– Leaf Creatures: Join us for a walk to collect materials with interestingshapes and colors. We will then them todesign your own leaf creatures.
August 13 – Natural Wall Hanging: We will collect sticks, rocks, leaves, and flowers and press them into clay to create beautiful clay pieces for your home.
July 8: Invasive Species Lecture and Woodswalk
Monday, July 8 at 5:00 pm
Come join Capital Mohawk Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management to learn about invasive plants and how to identify these culprits in the wild. The program will include an easy training on how to report invasive species as a citizen scientist using iMap Invasive mobile phone application.
The training will take place at the park office at 80 Scout Road and the walk will be at Camp Saratoga.
The event is part of the NY State Invasive Species Awareness Week. All are welcome for this free lecture and training. Registration is required by contacting Kristopher Williams kbw44@cornell.edu
July 7: Free Blues Concert at Camp Saratoga
Blues for the KarnerBlues
Sunday July 7 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at Camp Saratoga
Take a walk to see the Karner blues and then enjoy some great blues music with the band the Resonators!
This special event is brought as a joint project with the Saratoga Acoustic Blues Society. It will take place rain or shine, either outdoors at the Pavilion on the Parade Ground at Camp Saratoga or in the Dining Hall of Camp Saratoga if there is inclement weather. Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket for a great afternoon!
Saratoga Arts made this program possible with a Community Arts Grant funded by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
First Karner blue butterflies of the Year Emerge at Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park
On Memorial DayWeekend, the first Karner blue butterflies of the year were observed at WiltonWildlife Preserve & Park. The wildblue lupine is also in bloom, covering the meadows in a carpet of lavenderflowers. There are several trails in thePreserve & Park where you can observe the flowers and the small bluebutterflies. The most accessible are at Camp Saratoga where the trail leavesfrom parking lot #1 on Scout Road. Theother trails are Old Gick Farm and Fox which are accessed from parking areasoff of Route 50, just north of King Road.
There are many opportunitiesfor guided nature walks to look for the butterflies. These walks will take place on Wednesdaysstarting on June 5 and continuing through June 26. The walks will be offered twice a day, at11:00 am and again at 4:00 pm. The walksleave from the parking area for the Old Gick Farm on Route 50 which is justunder 4 miles past Wilton Mall. The walks should last about an hour and cover amile of gently rolling terrain. There isalso a walk scheduled on Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 pm but that walk will takeplace at Camp Saratoga and will leave from Parking Lot #1 on Scout Road. The June 9th walk is in conjunction with thefree Bluegrass for the Karner Blues concert which is scheduled to take place atCamp Saratoga on June 9th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm with the Schroon River StringBand.
The next few weekswill be ideal for seeing many of the newly emerged butterflies as they searchfor nectar and mates in the open pine/oak savannah that is their habitat in theSaratoga Sandplains. The walks will nottake place if there is rain. Pleasedress appropriately for weather and insects.
The endangered Karnerblue butterflies spend the winter as an egg, hatch into their larval stage tofeed on the wild blue lupine, and have just now emerged from their chrysalises.This first brood of adult butterflies will mate and lay eggs on the wild bluelupine. Those eggs will hatch and formthe second brood, with those butterflies appearing usually in early July.
There will also beKarner blue butterfly walks at the Annual Wildlife Festival that is scheduledfor Sunday, June 2nd at Camp Saratoga on Scout Road in Gansevoort. At the festival, there will be hourlybutterfly walks starting at 11:15. Atthe festival there will also be live raptor programs, pond exploration, naturecrafts and other hands-on activities. The festival runs from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm and is free of charge.
For moreinformation about the walk and to pre-register, please contact the Park Officeat 518-450-0321 or email info@wiltonpreserve.org. For up to date program trail and programinformation, visit the website at www.wiltonpreserve.org. The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park is anon-profit organization that conserves ecological systems and natural settingswhile providing opportunities for environmental education and outdoorrecreation.
Blog Post Title One
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Two
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
June 9: Bluegrass for the Karner Blues A Free Concert at Camp Saratoga
Sunday June 9 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm Enjoy some great bluegrass music with the band Schroon River String Band! The concert will take place rain or shine, either outdoors at the Pavilion on the Parade Ground or in the Dining Hall of Camp Saratoga if there is inclement weather. Bring a picnic blanket or chairs to enjoy the festivities.There will be a barbeque with food and drink available for purchase.Saratoga Arts made this program possible with a Community Arts Grant funded by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.Before the concert there will be a Karner Blue Butterfly and Wildflower Walk at 1:00 pm at Camp Saratoga Join us on a hike to see the many wildflowers blooming at the preserve as well as the endangered Karner Blue butterfly! We will talk about why wildflowers are important to this ecosystem. Program is for all ages. Registration is strongly encouraged.After the concert there will be a Photography Walk at 4:30 at Camp Saratoga. The wild blue lupine are in bloom so bring your walking shoes and camera! Join photographer Eric Avery as he shares his tips for photographing nature. We will stop frequently to capture the natural beauty that surrounds us. Remember, you can enter your pictures in the annual Photography Show! Registration is required.
Free Painting in Nature Workshops: Capture the Beauty of the Wild Blue Lupine in Bloom
Thursday, June 6 from 9:00 am to noon with Catherine Wagner Minnery Saturday, June 8 from 9:00 am to noon with Page DarrowMade famous by the French impressionists, the idea of painting outdoors and capturing the landscape is growing in popularity. If you want to get outside, get some pointers from an artist, and combine your love of art and nature, this is the workshop for you! This program is appropriate for participants older than 13. All supplies will be provided but if you prefer to use your own supplies, you can bring them.Registration is required by June 4.We will be holding an exhibition of the work created during the workshops during our Bluegrass for the Karner Blues event on Sunday, June 9 at Camp Saratoga.Saratoga Arts made this program possible with a Community Arts Grant funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Support an Eagle Scout Project on May 19
Applebee’s Flapjack FundraiserSunday, May 19 from 8:00 am - 10:00 amSupport a Boy Scout Eagle Project to build a storage shed at Camp Saratoga for our winter grooming equipment. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $6.00 a person.
May 6th is a busy day: Preschool Hour, Wellness Walk, and Fungi Talk at Volunteer Meeting
We have you covered with lots of options for Monday May 6th!Preschool Nature Hour at 10:30 at Camp Saratoga Reptiles and AmphibiansThis monthly program is for our youngest explorers (ages 3-6 years old) where we use children’s love of nature to teach simple concepts. Adults are expected to attend. This is an outdoor program so please come dressed for the weather. We will go on a short walk, do a simple nature craft, and have a healthy snack! Registration is required but we can take walk-ins if there is room. Wellness Walk at 11:00 at the Old Gick FarmTrailheadCome enjoy nature with others looking to get outside. The walk is geared towards gentle exercise and is for participants at basic fitness levels. The walk will not take place in bad weather so registration is appreciated.Volunteer Meeting with Fungi Program at 7:00 pm at the Park Office at 80 Scout RoadJeff Barnes will be kicking off our volunteer meeting this month with an informative program on native mushrooms. Then get caught up on the latest events and learn about upcoming programs and projects. Everyone is welcome from people who are interested in learning more about volunteering, to our long-term regulars! Refreshments are served starting at 6:45 pm. Registration is greatly appreciated.