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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, August 7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Page Avenue Beach – We’ll begin with a look at local geology then move to examining the flotsam and jetsam accumulated at 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. We will return them to their natural homes. It’s going to be muddy so dress appropriately. Meet at the parking lot at the bottom of Page Avenue below Hylan Blvd. For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, August 8, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Coastal Summer Great Kills Park Walk—Join naturalist/photographer Sandra Mechanic in an exploration of life in the challenging beach dune habitat. We will see many bayberry plants, a shrub famous for the candles made from its wax coated berries. Other salt tolerant plants we will find are Beach Plums, Purple Love Grass, evergreen False Heather, Prickly Pear Cactus, Earth Stars and more. Meet at the Hylan Blvd auto entrance to Great Kills Park opposite Buffalo Street. Bus 78 stops there. For more information contact Sandra at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, August 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Old Mill Road – We’ll stroll along Old Mill Road, a newly designed multi-use trail, next to Freshkills, 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 Freshkills estuary. Park behind St. Andrew’s Church at the base of Snake Hill. For more information call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Saturday, August 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Mt. Loretto Butterfly Walk—Join naturalist/photographer Sandra Mechanic for an exciting day searching for Spicebush and Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Pearl Crescent and Monarch Butterflies and the many wildflowers they feed upon. Bring binoculars, field guides and camera if you wish. Meet at the Mt. Loretto Unique Area parking lot south of Sharrott Avenue off Hylan Blvd. We hope to see many children for this exciting pleasant rural scenic stroll. We will walk along the beach to the stone art statues created by Doug Schwartz.. For more information contact Sandra at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, August 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Forest Restoration at Egbertville Ravine - Meet at the entry road to the Eger Nursing Home close to the intersection of Manor Road and Rockland Avenue and walk to the entrance of the White Trail off London Road at its intersection with Meisner. We will attempt to finish removing the English Ivy groundcover between the trail and Meisner that we began 4 years ago. If you don't have your own, Protectors will supply gloves and pruners (& refreshments). After a two hour work session (our 170^thconsecutive 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, August 22, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Clay Pit 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 park permit, Sandra will lead the group 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 clones of the American Chestnut that has produced flowers and fruit the past few years and the unhealthy 7 to 8 inch diameter chestnut trees, now 20+ feet tall and 9 to 10 inches in diameter and diseased. The trunk-splitting at the base is indicative of chestnut blight. Meet at the old park office building at the end of Carlin Avenue, off Sharrotts Road in Rossville. Wear waterproof shoes. Call Sandra Mechanic at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, August 28, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

High Rock Park – The fall migration actually picks up steam during the Dog Days of Summer and High Rock Park is as good a place to tally new species of neo-tropical migrants as any other. The storied woodland offers good overlooks so warbler identification does not become neck wrenching work. The tanagers and orioles flit about at eye level and the flycatchers may even call out to be heard. Join Howie Fisher and enjoy some of the Northeast’s finest birding right here on Staten Island. Meet in the Nevada Avenue parking lot. For more information call Howie Fischer at 718-981-4002.

Sunday, September 12 , 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Blue Trail to Latourette Woods—Join naturalist Sandra Mechanic on a delightful walk through the Latourette woods. Admire the Frank Lloyd Wright house along the way and see an American Larch or Tamarack, a rare conifer that sheds its needles annually. Look at the DEP label on the street corner grating saying “no dumping, leads to Blue Belt”. The trail passes through a large forest of mixed age Tulip Trees as it winds down to Meisner Pond. Park near the end of Old Mill Road, near St. Andrews Church, off Arthur Kill Road. For more information, contact Sandra at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, September 18, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The Birds of Clove Lake Park – The topography of Staten Island has made for us a natural funnel through which thousands of birds pass as they migrate for winter safety. Clove Lake Park offers a rare opportunity for us to watch bathing birds preen or young birds chase their earliest meals. In Clove Lake Park a bird watcher can observe Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, our woodland jewels, nectar along the connecting watercourse at the flowers that tangle the banks. Join Howie Fisher as he helps us identify and learn aspects of bird migration right here on Staten Island. Meet atop the Martlings Avenue Bridge. For more information call Howie Fischer at 718-981-4002.

Saturday, September 18, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Reed’s Basket Willow Swamp – Discover the 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 Willows 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 call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, September 19, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Meisner Pond wildflower garden & Buck's Hollow—Join Sandra Mechanic in a stroll around this beautifully planted, landscaped retention pond which was constructed to protect downstream homes from flooding. NYCDEP planted hundreds of trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers, including orange Butterfly-weed, purple NY Ironweed, yellow Sneezeweed, Dogwood and Elderberry. We may hear and see Tree Frogs, an inch and half long, sitting on plant leaves. Then stroll along the shady cool White Trail past Buttonbush Pond to Buck's Hollow where the Persimmon trees grow. Sandra will show you the house foundation of the farmer who tried to grow grapes on the poisonous serpentine soil of this rocky hill slope. We will walk only a mile in and another back to see numerous habitats and dozens of wildflowers. Park at the intersection of Rockland with Meisner Avenue, at the base of the entry road. Contact Sandra at (718) 967-1037.

Saturday, September 25, 9 a.m. to 12 noon

Staten Island Beach Cleanup at Sharrott & Mt. Loretto Beaches - Meet in the NYC fishing pier parking lot opposite the intersection of Hylan Blvd. and Sharrott Avenue to take part in the International Coastal Cleanup. We will collect, separate, and record trash from the beach (and enjoy the view on the Raritan Bay!). Data from this clean-up will be used to monitor the cleanliness of the beaches and the health of our shoreline waters. Gloves and collection materials will be provided by the American Littoral Society with funding by the New York Environmental Fund, and Protectors will bring refreshments. This will be the sixth consecutive year that we have participated in removing hundreds of pounds of trash from our beach! For more information contact Dominick Durso at (718) 967-0379 or Chuck Perry at (718) 667-1393.

Saturday, September 25, 3 p.m. to 5 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 seasonal occupation of the Lenape and hundreds of years with the inhabitation 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 sort 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 call Clay Wollney at 718-869-6327.

Sunday, September 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Monarch Butterfly Walk, Great Kills – Join on our annual 6 mile walk to Crooke’s Point and count monarch butterflies feeding on the seaside goldenrod and asters. It is near this date in 1971, that Arthur Shapiro counted tens of thousands of Monarchs and other butterflies at this very beach. Bring lunch and beverage for the day and feel free to come and go as you please. We will lunch sitting along the sandy beach looking out on Great Kills Harbor, Sandy Hook and NY Lower Bay. Meet at the main entrance at Buffalo Street and Hylan Blvd. For more information call Cliff Hagen at 718-313-8591.