• Saturday,
August 16, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Meisner Pond
wildflower garden — Join
Sandra Mechanic, naturalist and photographer, in a stroll around this
beautifully planted and landscaped retention pond which was constructed to
protect downstream homes from flooding. Then NYCDEP planted hundreds of
trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers including the orange butterfly milkweed,
purple NY ironweed, yellow sneezeweed, dogwood and elderberry. We may see
tiny tree frogs, an inch and a half long sitting on plant leaves. Then stroll
along the shady, cool, White trail past woodduck, buttonbush pond to Buck's
Hollow where the Persimmon trees grow. Sandra may show you the house
foundation of the farmer who tried to grow grapes on the poisonous serpentine
soil of this rocky hill slope. Walk only a mile in and back to see numerous
habitats and dozens of wildflowers. Park near the intersection of Meisner and
Rockland. For
information, phone Dick at (718)761-7496.
• Saturday,
August 16, 7:15 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Sturgeon or Grain Full Moon: Sunset-Moonrise Walk at Mt
Moses — Sunset is
at 7:52 p.m. and moonrise is 3 minutes earlier at 7:49 p.m. However, It takes
the moon another 20 minutes to rise above the hills of High Rock so we should
see moonrise fifteen to twenty minutes after the sun has set. Back in June,
they occurred at the same time. That rarely happens. Meet at the base of
entry road to Eger Home 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 fifteen minutes each way. As we walk
past the Rockland Avenue intersection, you will see the hundreds of trees,
shrubs, wildflowers and grasses that NYCDEP planted in this newly designed
flood control system that has worked well so far in heavy flood rains to
protect the homes further downstream. We may see some summer and fall
wildflowers and grasses in bloom today. Children have always enjoyed this
briefer walk for an astronomy event and the sharing of refreshments. For more
information phone Dick Buegler (718)761-7496.
• Saturday,
August 23, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Migrating swallows, kingbirds and other early migrants — Join Howie Fischer at Mt. Loretto
to look for migrating birds, local bird residents and waterfowl on the ponds.
Some of the Goldenrod species should be in full bloom. We may find shorebirds
if the ponds have adequate water levels. Birds will be our focus and anything
is possible as far as early departing species is concerned. Ask Howie to see
the rediscovered orchids and the 2500 tree plantation on your tour. Meet at
the Mt Loretto parking lot opposite the CYO on Hylan Blvd. For more information phone
Dick Buegler at (718) 761-7496 or Howie at (718) 981-4002
• Saturday,
August 23, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Second trip to Staten
Island’s Largest Tree Plantation — They are only five months old but the
2500 trees that DEC planted behind the bluff at Mt Loretto Unique Area seem
to be thriving. We think most of them will make it through the hot, dry
summer. DEC planted an excess of trees to account for high mortality which is
often expected when transplanting. By now, DEC has planted a shrub layer. For
each tree, how many shrubs would you suggest planting? Walk a woodland with a healthy understory and estimate the
shrub to tree ratio, Is it 1 to 1 or 3 to 1? On the way up, we hope to check
on the growth of the rare orchid rediscovered there two years ago. Meet in
the Mt Loretto parking lot, opposite the CYO on Hylan Blvd. For more information, phone
Dick Buegler at (718) 761-7496.
• Saturday,
August 30, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Page Avenue Beach at low tide — We will begin with a look at the local geology
in the beach sands, then move to examining the flotsam and jetsam accumulated
at the high tide lines to see what nature's debris has to tell us. As the
water recedes with the tide we'll move into the intertidal zone to find out
what sorts of living things survive in this challenging environment. A
variety of crabs, snails, clams, worms and small fish are likely to be
discovered. It's going to be muddy so dress appropriately. Meet at the
parking lot at the bottom of Page
Avenue below Hylan Blvd. Be sure to bring the
children for this fun activity. For more information phone Dick Buegler (718)
761-7496 or Clay Wollney at (718)869-6327.
• Sunday,
August 31, 1 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Clay Pit Ponds State
Park/Preserve: Pine barren trees and wildlife — Find out why Protectors
urged the preservation of this parkland and how we got our name in 1975. It
has rare southern “pine and oak” trees, nothing like our Greenbelt forest. With a
permit, Sandra and Dick will lead us into the restricted area where few have
trod. We will check in the sand or mud for deer prints throughout the park.
We’ll find the diseased clone of the American Chestnut that has
produced flowers and fruit the past few years and the healthy 7 to 8 inch
diameter chestnut tree, now 20+ feet tall and 9 inches in diameter and still
disease free. The normal trunk-splitting at the base is not indicative of
chestnut blight unless a fungus growth is observed. Meet at the park office
building at the end of Carlin
Avenue, off Sharrott’s Road in Rossville.
Call Dick Buegler (718) 761-7496 for more information.
• Saturday,
September 6, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Migrating birds at Clove Lakes Park. — Meet Howie Fischer at the Martling Avenue Bridge
overlooking the dam overflow to look for migrant birds along the stream and in
the wooded areas of the park. Bring binoculars and field guides. For more
information phone Dick Buegler at 718-761- 7496 or Howie at 718-981-4002.
• Saturday, September 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
An adventure woodland stroll near
Latourette golf course
— Join Sandra Mechanic, naturalist and photographer, starting at Forest Hill Road for a delightful
stroll of several miles through the mature forest on the winding yellow trail
near the golf course perimeter. Sandy
hopes to see some new faces among you. Check out this easy walk. Wear sturdy
shoes and pants to protect your legs and bring a cool beverage. Discover this
trail that Dick found to be wonderfully forested with majestic trees. Meet at
the corner of Platinum Avenue
and Forest Hill Road,
parking on Platinum. For information, phone Dick at (718)761-7496.
• Sunday, September 7, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Atlantic Seaboard, Todt Hill Vista Walk — Walk the blue trail from little Clove Road to top
of Todt Hill. Meet Sandra at the end of Northern Blvd by the hole in the fence
on Little Clove Road, where the blue trail enters. Wear sturdy shoes and
bring a walking stick. We’ll see Moses’ Folly, the built but
unused section of a major highway intersection for Richmond Parkway. This is the area
where Staten Island once had a ski jump
facility. Sandra will introduce you to a few streets of the Todt Hill
community and take the blue trail back to the hole in the fence. For more
information phone Dick Buegler at 718-761-7496
• Saturday, September 13, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Mount Loretto birds of meadows and wetlands. — Meet Howie Fischer in the parking
lot off Hylan Blvd
below Sharrotts Avenue
to look for birds in the meadows and wetlands of this Unique Area. There may
be a variety of warblers along with vireos, orioles (orchard and/or northern)
and other southbound neotropical migrants. Bring binoculars and field guides.
For more information phone Dick Buegler at 718-761- 7496 or Howie at
718-981-4002
• Saturday,
September 13, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
Buck’s
Hollow, Heyerdahl Haunting Hill Walk — This is one of the more remote sections of the Greenbelt that has
wildflowers, persimmon trees, which should have fruit on today, and ghostly
legends. Join Sandra Mechanic, naturalist and photographer for a walk through
Buck’s Hollow where you may see the apparition of a young woman in a
petticoat, riding a horse. Park at the intersection of Rockland with Meisner Avenue, at the base of the
entry road. Note the steel beam reinforcement in the Heyerdahl foundation. We
will follow the blue trail to Travis
Avenue and return from that point.
For information, phone Dick Buegler at (718)761-7496.
• Saturday,
September 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Forest Restoration Workshop:
Egbertville Ravine in the Greenbelt — Meet
near the intersection of Rockland
and Meisner Avenues, at the foot of the entry road to Eger Home. We walk to
the entrance of the white trail off London
Road to continue our removal of the English Ivy
Ground Cover. There is a new patch a couple of hundred feet west of the
original site that needs eradication. We could also do a hunt for the young
seedlings of the black walnuts we planted last year to see if any of them
survived the squirrels and germinated in pairs as we planted them. We may
have gotten some black walnut potted seedlings to plant. Gloves, plants,
tools and refreshments provided. Bring a friend who likes to work outdoors.
Call Dick Buegler (718) 761-7496 for more information.
• Sunday, September 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Hike from Woods to Water — Join NYC Parks & Recreation
Dept/Greenbelt Educators, National Park Service and Protectors of Pine Oak
Woods for this journey from Greenbelt
Nature Center
to Great Kills Park Blue Dot Trail. Moderate hiking terrain, one and a half
hours each way. Bring water, snack and appropriate footwear (a quick stop en
route, to Oakwood Plaza-Clarke
Ave. for restroom and/or lunch). The hike ends
at Great Kills Park’s
salt marsh . Please make arrangements for personal
pickup at first parking lot, one mile in if walking one way. Registration
required. Call Greenbelt Nature
Center for more
details: (718) 351-3450 or Chuck Perry 347 254-3911. (He'll be representing
Protectors on this walk.)
• Sunday, September 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Conference House
Beach: Life in the Intertidal Zone
—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. It's going to
be muddy so dress appropriately. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Hylan Blvd. on
the left. For more information phone Dick Buegler (718) 761-7496 or Clay
Wollney at (718)869-6327
• Monday,
September 15, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sturgeon or Grain Full Moon:
Sunset Moonrise Walk at Mt Moses — Sunset is at 7:05 p.m. and moonrise is 4 minutes earlier
at 7:01 p.m. It would appear that we would see them occur at the same time.
However, It takes the moon another 20 minutes to rise above the hills of High
Rock so we should see moonrise fifteen to twenty minutes after the sun has
set. Back in June, they occurred for us at the same time. That rarely
happens. Meet at the base of entry road to Eger Home 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 fifteen minutes
each way. As we walk past the Rockland Avenue intersection, you will see the
hundreds of trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses that NYCDEP planted in
this newly designed flood control system that has worked well so far in heavy
flood rains to protect the homes further downstream. We may see some fall
colors beginning, a bit early. Look for summer/fall wildflowers still in
bloom today. Children have always enjoyed this briefer walk for an astronomy
event as well as the sharing of refreshments. For more information phone Dick
Buegler (718) 761-7496.
• Saturday, September 20. 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Conference House
Park with Howie Fischer.
— Meet at the
Conference House Parking lot at the end of Hylan Blvd in Tottenville to search for
the migrating birds that may be very numerous at this time. Sometimes we
refer to Conference House Park
as the "Cape May" of Staten Island, given its geographical position
as a stop-over for migrant birds and Monarch Butterflies flying south to New Jersey. They seem
to take a long pause and pile up before attempting the flight over lower New
York Bay. Bring binoculars and field guides. For more information phone Dick
Buegler at 718-761-7496 or Howie at 718-981-4002.
• Saturday, September 20, 9 a.m. to 12 noon
Staten Island Beach Cleanup at
Sharrott & Mt Loretto Beaches — Protectors of Pine Oak Woods has volunteered again to
participate in this international coastal clean up effort by
assuming responsibility for the beach below the Mt Loretto bluff from
Sharrott Avenue south past the bluff. Gloves, tools, bags and light
refreshments will be provided. Last year we removed over 400 pounds of beach
litter. It should be less of a chore this year. However, most of our beaches
see an increase each year in litter drifting ashore .The cleanup is funded by
the NY Environmental Fund. We have the full support of New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), purchaser of the Mt
Loretto Unique Area. Meet at the NYC beach parking lot at the end of Sharrott Ave. For
more information, phone Dick Buegler at (718) 761-7496 or Dominick Durso at
(718) 967-0379.
• Sunday,
September 21, 10 a.m. to 12 noon
William T. Davis Wildlife Refuge in Travis — Join naturalist and photographer
Sandra Mechanic at this gem of a nature preserve that boasts of its planted
dawn redwood prehistoric trees. Actually all our forest trees were
prehistoric, but this species predated the leafed, flowering, fruiting trees,
some 50 million years ago. It is called a living fossil because until 1941
when it was found alive in Japan,
it was known only from the fossil record. It grows to 50 feet in 20 years and
may reach 120 feet, more than any tree I know of except for the tuliptree
which soars up to 150 feet. It was found growing in central China after
that. This park has extensive wetland growth areas as well as planted
gardens. The park entrance is on Travis
Avenue, a short distance from the Richmond Avenue
end. If the lot is filled, park across the street on Freedom Avenue. Be prepared for some
wet walking. For information, phone Dick Buegler at (718)761-7496.
• Saturday,
September 27, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Third Arthur Kill Endangered Wetlands Tour—By popular demand. A beautiful
stroll along the Kill van Kull and study of tidal wetlands. This is a salt
marsh wetland that Protectors wants saved in its entirety. Meet at the
dead-end of Androvette Street
(two blocks south of Sharrotts
Road on Arthur Kill Road), close to the Arthur
Kill. We will walk through a portion of the shore land that the NYSDEC is
attempting to conserve to the place where Tappan's Creek, which originates in
Clay Pit Ponds
State Park, empties
into the Kill. We will observe salt mash and sand beach plants, possibly
foraging shore birds, fiddler crabs and the remnants of former salvage
operations beside a sand spit in the Kill. Although
the tide will be low, we may have to pass through a marshy area to enter the
site. For more information phone Dick Buegler (718) 761-7496 or Don Recklies
(718) 768-9036.
• Sunday,
September 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
A Panorama
Greenbelt Walk — A four mile walk from St. Andrew's Church to Meisner Pond
and back. Join walker, naturalist and photographer Sandra Mechanic on Old Mill Road,
then across a few hills into the Greenbelt
and back. Walk through a tuliptree forest that never seems to end along a
serene bucolic trail. You skirt between Lighthouse Hill and the Golf course
along the red trail to end up at Meisner Pond. Carry several beverages. Meet
at St. Andrews church at the north end of Arthur Kill Road
where it meets Richmond Road.
For information and registration, phone Dick Buegler at (718)761-7496.
• Sunday, September
28, 10 am to 12 noon
Long Pond, Tottenville’s
newest Pond Park—Evidence of animal life, especially
reptiles and amphibians as well the geologic history and human influence will
be observed as we take unhurried stroll on a one and a half mile hike through
the park. Meet at PS 6, on Page Avenue and Academy Avenue
about 3 blocks NW of Hylan Blvd. For more information phone Dick Buegler
(718) 761-7496 or Clay Wollney at (718)869-6327.
• Saturday, November 22, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Clay
Pit Ponds State Park/Preserve: Pine barren trees and wildlife — Find out why Protectors urged
the preservation of this parkland and how we got our name in 1975. It has
rare southern “pine and oak” trees, nothing like our Greenbelt forest. With
a permit, Sandra and Dick will lead us into the restricted area where few
have trod. We will check in the sand or mud for deer prints throughout the
park. We’ll find the diseased clone of the American Chestnut that has
produced flowers and fruit the past few years and the healthy 7 to 8 inch
diameter chestnut tree, now 20+ feet tall and 9 inches in diameter and still
disease free. The normal trunk-splitting at the base is not indicative of
chestnut blight unless a fungus growth is observed. Meet at the park office
building at the end of Carlin
Avenue, off Sharrott’s Road in Rossville.
Call Dick Buegler (718) 761-7496 for more information.
