16
Allegany Nature Pilgrimage 59th Annual Gathering of Nature Enthusiasts Friday - Sunday, June 2, 3, and 4, 2017 The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is planned and executed by volunteers from: Audubon Community Nature Center hp://auduboncnc.org/ 1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown, New York 14701 Buffalo Audubon Society hp://buffaloaudubon.org/ 1610 Welch Road, North Java, New York 14113 Presque Isle Audubon Society hp://www.presqueisleaudubon.org/ 301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 8, Erie, PA 16505 Burroughs Audubon Nature Club hp://www.bancny.org/ 301 Railroad Mills Road, Victor, NY 14564 Always the weekend aſter Memorial DayMark your calendars for the 60th annual: June 1, 2, 3, 2018

Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Allegany Nature Pilgrimage 59th Annual Gathering of Nature Enthusiasts

Friday - Sunday, June 2, 3, and 4, 2017

The Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is planned and executed by volunteers from:

Audubon Community Nature Center

http://auduboncnc.org/

1600 Riverside Road, Jamestown, New York 14701

Buffalo Audubon Society

http://buffaloaudubon.org/

1610 Welch Road, North Java, New York 14113

Presque Isle Audubon Society

http://www.presqueisleaudubon.org/ 301 Peninsula Drive, Suite 8, Erie, PA 16505

Burroughs Audubon Nature Club

http://www.bancny.org/

301 Railroad Mills Road, Victor, NY 14564

Always the weekend after Memorial Day…

Mark your calendars for the 60th annual: June 1, 2, 3, 2018

Page 2: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Welcome

We’re glad you’re here! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

How does this schedule work? Programs are listed in order of appearance. Each program lasts between 1½ and 2 hours unless otherwise

noted. Program descriptions and Leader Bios are included in this booklet. Remember, you can’t do every-

thing! Pick what programs you want to attend, and then plan to stay for the whole program.

All programs start in the field behind the registration building near the Big Tent unless otherwise noted.

History Attendance at the first Allegany Nature Pilgrimage in 1959 was approximately 70 people. The first event

was organized by the Jamestown Audubon Society under the leadership of O. Gilbert Burgeson who

conceived the idea while attending the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smokey Mountains.

Over the years, attendance soared and the number of sponsoring organizations increased to four.

Volunteers from the Audubon Societies of Jamestown, Buffalo, and Presque Isle, and the Burroughs

Audubon Nature Center organize the annual event.

Feedback We want to know what you think about the Pilgrimage. When you get home, please email your comments

to [email protected] or go to our website using this address:

http://www.alleganynaturepilgrimage.com/feedback.html where you can make your comments

anonymously. Your honest feedback helps us improve the event each year.

Spread the Word We hope you’ll visit our website where you can click over to our Facebook Page. “Like” the page, and

share your pictures and memories!

Page 3: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Program Descriptions

Page 1

— 1:00 pm Friday —

Five Mile Hike: Start the pilgrimage with an invigorating hike. We will alternate periods of very moderate hiking with stops to study late spring wildflowers, migratory birds, and whatever other delights nature may present. 3 hours

Teresa & Peter Corrigan Blacksnake Mountain-Wildflowers, Ferns,

Birds and more: A leisurely stroll along this 3 mile trail runs through some excep-tional areas for some special Allegany plants - including seeps lush with wild-flowers, ferns, and great plant diversity. Although the focus will be on the plants, we won't overlook whatever else happens to come our way - birds, butterflies, drag-onflies, fungi. This will be a double session - allow 3-4 hours for a leisurely stroll. Bring water, binoculars, and camera. Meet at trailhead on ASP3 at 1 pm Steve Daniel

History of Red House: We will stop at the Administration Building and talk with the Park police. We will cover topics including Native people, the Olympic Ski Jump, Red House Lake, CCC Camps & the Park Zoo. Tour requires some driving and mild walk-ing. Harold Stock

History of Allegany State Park: Learn about

the beginning of the park. Drive & Stop

tour. Andy Maliki

Create a Nature Greeting Card Explore the outdoors to collect natural items from the ground and then create a greeting card for a loved one. A fun nature craft activity for all ages! Lauren Makeyenko & Lois Donovan

Shades of Green II: A leisurely walk with a focus on identification of wild plants.

Some are edible and beneficial, others in-vasive. Highlights of some extraordinary qualities of "ordinary" weeds and wood-land medicinals. Wildcrafting tips and basic phytochemistry of medicinal constit-uents. Nancy Jager & Sara Sorci.

Amphibians of Allegany: Did you know Al-legany State Park is home to over 20 spe-cies of amphibians? Learn more about their ecology, behaviors and fun facts while splashing through the creek in search of some of Allegany's resident frogs, salamanders and toads with Roger Tory Peterson Institute biologists! At-tendees are encouraged to bring boots and nets as we venture down the stream. Chil-dren 9+ w/adult. Elyse Henshaw & Twan Leenders

Observe Nature with iNaturalist: Have you ever stumbled upon an organism you couldn’t identify and had no one to ask for help? What if you had a team of 200,000 naturalists in your pocket? With iNat-uralist.org or the app on your smartphone, you can simply send a picture of an organ-ism and the community of naturalists reply with proper identification. Come on a walk and explore iNaturalist, the online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to learn and educate others about nature! Children 9+ w/adult.

Marcus Rosten

— 2:30 pm Friday —

Geologic History of ASP: Visit Thunder Rocks & learn the geologic history of Alle-

Page 4: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 2

gany State Park. Not for young Children. Valerie Jill Podet

Beginning Birding: An introductory look at bird watching, including: focusing your binoculars, using a field guide, and easy bird identification. Please bring binoculars. Easy walk, suitable for all ages. Kids welcome if accompanied by an adult.

Garner Light Underwater Monsters of Science Lake:

Participants will catch live aquatic crea-tures, observe their identifying characteris-tics and behavior, and discuss their natural history. Meet at dam at Science Lake in Quaker Area, approx. 25 min drive from Camp Allegany. Wayne Gall

Native Plants in the Garden: Habitat loss from destruction, fragmentation and deg-radation is a threat the native flora and fauna. Gardeners in urban, suburban and rural residential communities are uniquely suited to providing pockets of biodiversity to provide long term environmental sus-tainability. Native varietals of plants, bushes and trees -locally sourced – pro-vides the best chances for success. Short hike after presentation. Geared for adults. Kathleen Contrino

Nature Photography Enjoyment: Not a “how-do-I-work my camera” or “Photoshop 101” program but one that helps participants use the camera that is located between their ears. The first day will introduce concepts and techniques. Participants will then take photos on their own and put selected images on a jump drive or other viewable method. These

images will be seen and discussed the next day during the second class. Take either or both classes. 16+ yrs. David Gordon

Amphibians of Allegany: see Fri. 1:00pm Mushroom Walk: Walk around nearby woods

to find what is fruiting nearby. Off trail, so good shoes and pants suggested, but not necessary. Garret Taylor

Mammal Study: Explore Mammal habitat and learn to look for signs of mammals. We will study skulls, pelts, and adventure into the woods in search of tracks, bed-ding, foraging, and scat. We will learn how to make plaster casts and record our observations. Children 9+ w/adult.

Kristen DiGioia Invasive Species: Learn some basics about

invasive species: what are they, why they are a concern, and what can we do to pre-vent them. We will walk and drive around Camp Allegany and Red House Lake to learn to identify some of the most com-mon invasive species in the area.

Angie Driscoll Great Downhill Bird Hike: The group will

drive up to the Summit area, and then hike down the Patterson Trail to Camp Alle-gany, focusing on birding by ear as we go. (Drivers will then get driven to retrieve the cars from the Summit area.) Frank Gardner

— 6:00 pm Friday —

Beaver Walk: Learn about the traits that make the beaver suited to its aquatic lifestyle, and visit an active beaver colony to ob-serve them. Meet at tent, short drive to location. Kristen Rosenburg

Early Evening Salamander Walk: Bring the whole family and learn about the salaman-ders of Allegany. Then take a wet walk to

Program Descriptions

Page 5: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 3

locate and count some resident salaman-ders. Bring nets! Wear boots! Kid-friendly, suitable for all ages. Meet at creek side of Registration Building at Camp Allegany. Mitchell Light & Andrew Burroughs

— 8:00 pm Friday (In the Big Tent) —

The World of Timber Rattlesnakes with Chris Howey

— 9:30pm-ish Friday —

Bugs by Nightlight: Participants will observe live insects (moths, beetles, flies, mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, etc.) attracted to mer-cury vapor light at white sheet. The identify-ing characteristics and natural history of these insects will be discussed. After tent program at Camp Allegany behind lower barracks. Wayne Gall & Steve Daniel

Owl Prowl: Your leader will imi-tate owl calls in an effort to lure in these secretive noctur-nal raptors. Meet at tent, car pool Chuck Rosenburg

Early Summer Sky Tour: Enjoy sharing the dark and getting to the wild places. We’ll see star clusters, nebulas and maybe even a galaxy or two through two telescopes. Jupi-ter is a treat to see. Very casual, so come take a look. Dave Wymer

Night Hike: Explore nature from dusk to dark-ness. We will do a bit of everything – Star gazing, calling owls, listening for night nois-es, and looking at some amazing rocks that “glow in the dark”. Lon Myers

— 6:00 am Saturday —

Bird Walk: A short drive to the lake for a

quick survey of all the amazing avian wildlife we can find. Rick Bacher

— 7:00 am Saturday —

Bird Banding: Get a close view of warblers and other birds as our bird banders catch birds in nets and demonstrate how to band them. Camp Allegany parking lot (across from Registration Building). Linda Ordiway with Jack Skinner

— 9:00 am Saturday —

Dragons & Damsels at Allenberg Bog (All Day): All day bog slog to experience the flora and fauna typical of a northern peat bog, with special attention to identifying dragonflies and damselflies. Will get wet and mucky so wear old sneakers and pants. Bring lunch and water. Participants should have good mobility for walking on unstable substrates, and be in good health for a stren-uous walk. Adults only. Wayne Gall & Steve Daniel

All Day Birding (5-6 hours): We will car-pool to several different bird habitats within Alle-gany State Park. Bring a lunch. Rest stops will be available. 12+ yrs. Tim Baird

Plant Lore: Once we’ve identified a plant, is there something interesting about it? Did you hear the story about the Libyan boy who sang? What plants have been around since the dino-saurs? Hey, come along and find out. Mild walking.

Kim Alexander-Thomson Wild Edibles: Learn to identify

and taste some of the edible plants we have in our own back yards and woods. Suitable for all ages. Adele Wellman

Program Descriptions

Page 6: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 4

Kids are Creatures!: If you’ve ever wanted to be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience about your place in nature. Get ready to ham it up and have fun! Mark Carra

Nature Games and Activities: Participate in a variety of fun activities that will deepen our understanding of the natural world. Perfect for families, children and those who work with children. Teresa Corrigan

History of Red House: See Fri 1:00pm Observe Nature with iNaturalist : See Fr 1:00 Shades of Green II: See Fri 1:00pm Nature for Kids by Kids: Young naturalists lead

a general nature hike for younger kids about nature and what we find outdoors: birds, butterflies, and whatever else turns up. Kid friendly, short hike, hands on. Alyson Dalton

Spiders: Samuel, a 9 year old spider enthusiast, will talk about some of the common spiders found in the park and then take participants on a walk where they can try to find and identify various species. Following the walk will be an easy spider related craft for kids. Jeremy Martin

Mammal Study: see Fri. 2:30pm

Invasive Species: see Fri. 2:30pm

Wetland Wonders Walk: Experi-ence the wonders of wetlands and learn the benefits of these important ecosystems. Meet at the tent, then car pool to the new wetland boardwalk near Red House maintenance area. Chuck Rosenburg

— 10:30 am Saturday—

Bova Area Birding: The group will walk up into the Bova area from Camp Allegany to observe birds in the various habitats that

this area offers. The total distance walked will be approximately 2 miles. Frank Gardner

General Nature: Go for a short nature hike through the area to see what is happening. Jeff Tome

Fern Walk: Mostly a medium-easy fun walk where we learn taxonomy, how to use a dichotomous key, and how to identify our common regional ferns. Amaze your friends and stupefy your enemies. Meet behind Administration Bldg at flag-pole. Allen Podet

Benefits of Wild Herbs: Learn about identi-fying, harvesting & using wild herbs. Culi-nary & medicinal uses will be covered. Barbara Winner

Dragonfly & Damselfly Walk: We will re-view the life cycle of these fascinating creatures and then attempt to get up close and personal with a few resident species in the park. Kids will love trying to catch the adults flying around and dipping for the nymphs in the water. Most years we have been lucky enough to find them emerging as well. I will have some nets, but feel free to bring your own. Jeremy Martin

Watercolor Birds: Capture beautiful birds with paint. This course for both beginners and advanced artists will have you painting your own watercolor masterpiece using basic shapes and reference material on how to paint birds. We will supply water-color paper, paint and brushes for you to use. You are invited to bring your own printed bird photos or to use ours. Incor-porating John James Audubon’s ‘natural state’ methodology, we will reference pho-tographs of birds in their natural state, while using John James' Audubon's paint-

Program Descriptions

Page 7: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 5

ings as a relevant reference. Appropriate for youth and adults. Liz Farrel

Nature Photography Enjoyment: see Fri. 2:30pm

Lasagna Gardening: No dig gardening in line with permaculture. David Winner

Live Birds of Prey: What is a raptor? Why and how are they different from other birds? The audience will be introduced to different families of raptors. Learn the natural history, biology and physical adap-tations of birds of prey. With many hands-on items we explore size, feathers, flying, hunting styles, beaks, feet and talons. In-side the big tent. EagleDreams Rehabili-tation Center. Mark Baker

Nature Play Pop-Up!: Kids of all ages will enjoy working with loose parts, branches, rocks and other natural items to stack, build and play with. Join us for the fun! Fairy house and toad abode materials will also be available for those who would like to build on a smaller scale. Lauren Makeyenko

Beginner Tree ID: We will take a small hike in the area around Camp Allegany learning to identify trees typically found in Allegany State Park. Marie Erck

Butterflies of Allegany State Park: Partici-pants will learn a variety of butterflies that make Allegany State Park their home Af-ter a brief discussion, we will go out with nets and be given the opportunity to catch, identify, and release the previously dis-cussed butterflies. Tom LeBlanc

— 12:00 pm Saturday—

Boy Scout Hot Dog Sale

— 1:00 pm Saturday —

Wild Edibles: See Saturday 9:00am Nature Tangles: Collect patterns in nature on

a brief walk using a sketch or digital media. Create a a unique design based on these observed patterns. Stress free! No draw-ing experience necessary! All ages wel-come. Children under 12 with an adult. Judy Light & Patty Brown

History of Red House: See Fri 1:00pm Animal Signs: Use our senses to spot evi-

dence of animals on an easy walk. Valerie Jill Podet

Nature for Kids by Kids: See Sat 9:00am

History of Allegany State Park: See Fri 1:00

Native Plants in the Garden: See Fri 2:30

Lasagna Gardening: See Sat 10:30

Insect Investigation: Discover the hidden world of insect ecology and what it takes to be an insect and not just a "bug." We will discuss the anatomy of insects- do they have blood? Do they have organs inside their bodies? Why do cicadas have to keep everyone awake at night? We will also go out and try to capture some insects to investigate more closely and discuss their differences and what makes each unique. Emily Malley

Stream Adventure (16 years old and older): We will explore the ecology of the Red House stream. This challenging nature walk will head directly up a stream talking about the nature of the stream itself and riparian zone along the way. Bring study water shoes – no flip flops or bare feet. Prepare to get wet. Lon Myers

Butterflies of Allegany: See Sat 10:30am

Program Descriptions

Page 8: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 6

— 2:30 pm Saturday —

Science Lake Pond Study: Get in the water and search for amphibians, aquatic insects, and other creatures in a Pond Study pro-gram for Kids! Nets and magnifying glass-es are provided. Tom Kerr

Natures Classroom: There is a whole lot of nature going on, and sometimes we miss most of it by walking. This program will explore one small area of forest from the ground to the tree canopy, exploring every bit of nature in between. Bring a chair and be prepared to boldly explore one small spot of the forest. Adults on-ly. Jeff Tome

Dragonfly & Damselfly Walk: See Sat 10:30

Splash Hike: Ecology of Red House Creek Bova Area. Come prepared to get wet. Beavers, Crayfish, Salaman-ders, water. Did I mention you will get wet? Bring water shoes. Family fun activi-ty. Lon Myers

Digital Wildlife Photography: Learn some tips for taking great wildlife photos. Bring your own camera, or camera enabled phone, as we head out on a trail to practice taking pictures. Together, we will share photos and questions. Children 9+ w/adult. Heather Rutherford

Bird Card Collage: Celebrate your connec-tion to birds by creating 2 soul collage cards. Each card you create tells a story of your passion for nature! No special art ability necessary! Materials provided. For all ages, under 12 with an adult. Patty Brown & Judy Light

Benefits of Wild Herbs: See Sat 10:30am

Tree ID: See Sat. 10:30am Habitat Walk (Walking among Rep-

tiles and Amphibians): Amphibi-ans alone make up the most bio-mass of any group of animals within our forests; however, we hardly ever see them! Just as secretive are rep-tiles. We’ll go on a hike through the woods and search for amphibians and reptiles. At the very least, we’ll explore different types of habitat where we would expect to find these se-cretive creatures. Chris Howey

Old Growth Forest: A fascinating look at Allegany’s old growth forest Carpool. Frank Crombe

Watercolor Birds: See Sat 9:00am

— 5:00 to 6:30pm Saturday —

Chicken BBQ/Vegetarian Meal: Tickets for this need to be purchased in advance when registering. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to listen to the music during/after.

— 5:30 pm Saturday —

Folk Concert with Nan Hoffman: Enjoy the music during and after your chicken or vegetarian dinner.

— 6:00 pm Saturday —

6:00pm Beaver Walk: See Friday 6:00pm 6:00pm Early Evening Salamander Walk:

See Friday 6:00pm

— 8:00 pm Saturday (In the Big Tent) —

French Creek: A National Treasure with Judith Acker

Program Descriptions

Page 9: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 7

— 9:30-ish pm Saturday —

Bugs by Nightlight: See Fri late

Owl Prowl: See Fri late Early Summer Sky Tour:

See Fri late Night Hike: See Fri l0ate

— 6:00 am Sunday —

Bird Walk: See Saturday 6:00am

— 7:00 am Sunday —

Bird Banding: See Saturday 7:00am

— 8:00 am Sunday —

Wolf Run Road Birding: Sunday morning (8- 11am) An uncommon birding destination near Quaker Lake. The road less traveled. Please bring binoculars, dress for weath-er. Kid friendly when accompanied by an adult. We will meet at the Quaker Lake dam parking area at 8:00am (NOTE: This program may go to 11:00)

Garner Light

— 9:00 am Sunday —

Exploration Near Quaker Lake: This excur-sion will be an exploration of natural areas near Quaker Lake and a look at the impact of the Wisconsin Glaciation on the region nearby. Start at 9 AM at the tent and car-pool to the Quaker Lake area. Appropriate for adults and older children (12+). Partic-ipants can expect some moderate walking. Tim Baird

XXX Adults Only: We will talk about things that are uncomfortable around younger ears. Myths, Mating, Drug Culture. Aph-

rodisiacs will be provided. Lon Myers Kids are Creatures: See Sat 9:00am Wolf Run Road Nature Walk: We will ride

to Wolf Run Road in the southwestern part of Allegany State Park. Our walk will look at this natural area of open fields, conifer stands, and different stages of suc-cession. Tim Baird

— 10:30 am Sunday —

Fern Walk: See Sat 10:30am Old Growth Forest: See Sat

2:30 pm Digital Wildlife Photog-

raphy: See Sat. 2:30 Mushroom Walk: After a

short ride (<10 min) to a different habitat we’ll hike mostly off-trail about 1.5 to 2 miles to see what we find. Garret Taylor

Program Descriptions

Page 10: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Program Leader Bios

Page 8

Alexander-Thomson, Kim – Snyder, NY – B.A. Environmental Studies, SUNY-Buffalo, , has taught at Pilgrimage over 25 years. She focuses on plants and their relationship to us whether in prac-tical use or folklore.

Bacher, Rick – Buffalo, NY – Local wildlife pho-tographer, birder and raptor banding understudy.

Baird, Tim - Salamanca, NY - retired science teacher with degrees in biology & education; bird knowledge through formal education and life ex-perience. Nature study a life-long pursuit, also in-terested in nature photography.

Baker, Mark – Olean, NY – Runs Eagle Dream Rehabilitation Center.

Brown, Patty – Ithaca, NY - Visual Artist, Art Educator, Soul Collage Facilitator, have recently become bird crazy under the influence of Garner and Judy Light

Burroughs, Andrew - Waterport, NY – Associate Degree in Sports Recreation Finger Lakes Com-munity college; High school graduate Albion Cen-tral; Pilgrimage attendee since 1998; Salamander Walk leader since 2014; Special Olympics volun-teer.

Carra, Mark – North Java, NY – I started as a wildlife educator in 1989, and have spoken to more than 500,000 people since then. I am the naturalist in residence for Beaver Meadow Audu-bon Center in North Java, NY. I have also worked as a representative and presenter for Animal Plan-et, National Geographic Channel, and Public Tele-vision and handled animals for many of their ce-lebrities. My passion for learning, and obsession to communicate what I have learned has kept me going all these years and loving the entire journey.

Contrino, Dr. Kathleen – Akron, NY, a graduate of University at Buffalo with a J.D and Phd in So-

ciology,. Dr. Contrino participates in the Cornell Cooperative FeederWatch program, volunteers at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge and the Buffalo Audubon Society leading tours as well as lectures on native plants in residential communities.

Corrigan, Teresa and Peter - Buffalo, NY - Te-resa and Peter Corrigan are avid hikers and Adi-rondack 46ers. They are longtime ANP attendees, Buffalo Audubon members, and are active in the local Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) chapter. Teresa is a primary school educator and a volun-teer tour guide at NYSDEC’s Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. As amateur naturalists, the Cor-rigans relish opportunities to study and enjoy wild-life all year round

Crombe, Frank - Scottsville, NY - Frank’s exten-sive knowledge of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, etc., comes from his hobby interest working outdoors and gardening, growing native plants, membership in various conservation organizations

Dalton, Alyson - Alyson was born in Australia she has a great love for nature and the great out-doors, as a family we love to spend as much time outdoors just walking through the woods, playing in the creek, or going to our local Audubon. Aly-son is in the 4th grade at southwestern Elementary school, in Jamestown NY and this is her 7th year at the pilgrimage in which she has learned so much from others. Alyson wants all kids to love the na-ture and earth as much as she does. Her favorite talk was always Nature for kids by kids as it is very hands on introduction to nature she was very sad to see that go and someone gave her the idea may-be to lead that talk the following year. Alyson’s mother will be accompanying her on her walks.

Daniel, Steven - A lifelong naturalist, Steven teaches natural history at Monroe Community Col-lege, and has led nature outings for decades. He is

Page 11: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 10

a founder and popular trip leader for Nature Dis-coveries, a company that runs nature tours world-wide. His expertise spans all aspects of nature - plants, birds, butterflies and moths, mushrooms, aquatic organisms.

DiGioia, Kristen – Phoenixville, PA - I have worked for the past 4 years as the Naturalist/Camp Counselor, Great Valley Nature Center in Charlestown, Pennsylvania. I have a life long inter-est in environmental issues and education.

Driscoll, Angie –West Seneca, NY - Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies from SUNY Geneseo masters in Botany at Miami University of Ohio, conducting spatial stud-ies on invasive plants for my thesis. While at Mi-ami, I taught a field botany course. After grad school, I worked at WNY Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management, primarily conduct-ing surveys and managing invasive plants. I also taught a Great Lakes Education Program through Cradle Beach in various Buffalo schools. I current-ly work as a Wetland Technician at the NYS De-partment of Environmental Conservation, focusing on wetland permit compliance and conducting wetland delineations.

Duckett, Christopher - Jamestown, NY - From a young age I always loved being outside looking for frogs, worms, insects and any other creature that I would come across. As the years went on my love and interest for nature and animals grew as well. I began working with animals on a daily basis by getting a job at a local pet shop where I could help others learn and take care of their own animals. I then decided to start taking in animals that people no longer wanted after someone offered me a cou-ple of aquatic turtles. And for about the past 8 years I have been rescuing exotic animals and pro-moting proper pet ownership and conservation through education with the help of my rescued

animals!

Erck, Marie – Lockport, NY- Went to school for Horticulture, and am a Master Gardener.

Farrel, Liz - an avid birder since her first effort to put salt on a robin's tail as a toddler. Originally a journalist, writer and editor by training and trade, Ms. Urbanski-Farrell holds a minor concentration in fine art from Buffalo State College and enjoys trying new ways of involving children and adults in art and the natural world, has participated in the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage with her family for 17 years. She has been a Cub Scout leader and is cur-rently a member of the parent committee for Boy Scout Troop 5 and Sea Scout Ship 1 in Buffalo, NY and is director of member services and gov-ernment relations for the Western New York Healthcare Association.

Gall, Wayne - Lancaster, NY - MS Entomology, Univ. Wisconsin-Madison; Ph.D. Zoology, Univer-sity of Toronto; Administrator, Tifft Nature Pre-serve, & Curator of Entomology Buffalo Museum of Science, 1983-2001; Regional Entomologist, NYS Dept of Health, Buffalo, 2001-present. This is his 33rd year as leader at Pilgrimage

Gardner, Frank - Bedford, MA - Amateur birder for 35 years, Christmas Bird Count coordinator; breeding bird atlas projects; field trip leader at ANP for 29 years

Gordon, David - .Buffalo, NY - Buffalo area pho-tographer with both commercial business and per-sonal/artistic interests. David Gordon Photog-raphy has operated continuously since 1979 serving corporate, architectural, and legal clients. David holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and taught pho-tography at SUNY Buffalo for 31 years. His per-sonal work includes social documentary topics, nature, and temporal/memory issues. He has shown widely and has been a presenter, panel

Program Leader Bios

Page 12: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 11

member, and judge at local and national photog-raphy events.

Henshaw, Elyse – Jamestown, NY - Associate’s Degree in Science from Jamestown CC and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology with an Environmen-tal Emphasis from Houghton College. Since taking her current position with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in 2013, she has been able to study vari-ous species and share her passion with others through RTPI’s many outreach initiatives.

Jager, Nancy – Dunkirk, NY - Nature enthusiast, enjoys nature photography. Five-year participant of the ANP. Taken Jamestown Community College courses on plants and insect sketching with Mark Baldwin. M.S. Education State University of New York at Fredonia. NYS Certified teacher K-12. Traveled and lived in South America. Bilingual: English/Spanish.

Kerr, Tom – Tonawanda, NY - Graduate of SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, For-mer NYC Urban Park Ranger, and currently one of the Naturalists at Beaver Meadow and the Buffalo Audubon Society.

Leenders, Twan – Jamestown, NY - Twan is a biologist from The Netherlands interested in ani-mal ecology and conservation management. For more than twenty years his work with birds, mam-mals, plants and especially tropical amphibians and reptiles has taken him to various places on the planet. As a former researcher at Yale University’s Peabody Museum and other institutions he partici-pated in many international expeditions that helped gather data to better understand and protect bio-logically important areas and their unique species and habitats. Before coming to western NY, Twan taught biology at Sacred Heart University in Fair-field, CT, and went back into the ‘trenches’ of hands-on conservation research and education

while leading the Science and Conservation Office of the Connecticut Audubon Society. As President of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History, he now applies his experience to our re-gion and develops new conservation research and education initiatives that aim to spark increased interest in the area’s exceptional natural assets while providing economic incentives to promote good environmental stewardship.

Light, Garner - Gasport, NY - Buffalo Audubon member, former Program Coordinator Iroquois Observations nature programs @ INWR, Compil-er for Wilson-Lake Plains Christmas Bird Count, Coordinator for the Clarence Bluebird Trail. See more information on Facebook.

Light, Judy - Gasport, NY - art educator in Medi-na NY; pilgrimage attendee/leader for many years; origami artist; stampin up demonstrator; obsessed nature tangler!

Light, Mitchell - Gasport, NY – Freshman at SUNY Cobleskill in Fisheries and Wildlife appreci-ate them from observations I’ve made while study-ing them my whole life.; High School Graduate-Royalton Hartland; 2 yrs. Conservation Sanborn BOCES; Beaver Meadows, Iroquois Observations volunteer; Lake Plains Christmas Bird Count vol-unteer; Pilgrimage attendee since age 2; Salamander Walk leader since 2014.

Makeyenko, Lauren - Buffalo, NY - grew up in the village of Hamburg exploring natural areas around the Eighteen Mile Creek. She is the Direc-tor of Education for the Buffalo Audubon Society and previously held education positions with Tifft Nature Preserve and at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the natural areas of Western NY with her family throughout the year.

Malicki, Andy – Red House, NY - Lifelong affili-

Program Leader Bios

Page 13: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 12

ation with Allegany State Park and current Park Employee.

Malley, Emily – LeRoy, NY - I have always been fascinated with insects and they are a special inter-est of mine while I complete my B.S. of Environ-mental Science. , I’ve learned how to identify them and appreciate them from observations I’ve made while studying them my whole life.

Martin, Jeremy - Lockport, NY - Jeremy has had an interest in nature for as long as he can remem-ber. His very patient mother tolerated pans of pond water in his bedroom and encouraged his early butterfly collections by making (and then fre-quently repairing) a butterfly net. While that early interest in ponds and entomology never became a career, Jeremy is lucky enough to now be able to relive those early days of discovery with his two boys. Through photography he enjoys docu-menting nature all over western NY including wild-flowers, dragonflies, moths and butterflies, and various other insects. He also participates in vari-ous citizen science projects including the New York Dragonfly and Damselfly survey where from 2005 to 2009 Jeremy volunteered as citizen scien-tist on discovering numerous county/species rec-ords in western New York.

Myers, Lon - West Chester, PA - I have had a life-long passion for nature. I have been leading hikes at the ANP for 43 years covering a variety of top-ics. Join me on my Night Hike, Splash Hike and Adults Only hikes. He is also a past ANP chairman

Ordiway, Linda – Bradford PA - Dr. Ordiway is Mid-Atlantic/Appalachian Regional Biologist with the Ruffed Grouse Society. She has also worked as a wildlife biologist for the US Forest Service and has taught environmental and biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, Bradford PA.

Podet, Dr. Allen - Williamsville, NY - Ph.D. &

DHL & DD; learned about ferns through classes, clinics & experience. Has been leading field trips at Pilgrimage for 20+ years

Podet, Valerie Jill - Williamsville, NY - Holds a Master’s degree in zoology and is almost (all but dissertation) a geologist. Has been leading field trips at Pilgrimage for 20+ years.

Rosenburg, Chuck - Elma, NY – Chuck has a B.S. degree in wildlife management from Purdue University and an M.S. degree in biology from the College of William and Mary. His master’s thesis focused on barn owl habitat use, as determined using radio-telemetry. For the first 15 years of his professional career, Chuck worked as a private en-vironmental consultant completing a broad variety of ecological studies. Since 2006, he has served as a wetlands ecologist with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, where he also leads the NYS DEC’s winter raptor study in Region 9. Chuck is an avid birder and has led numerous Owl Prowls for Buffalo Audubon Society.

Rosenburg, Kristen - Elma, NY – M.S. -SUNY-ESF, field research on beavers, NYSDEC Envi-ronmental Educator at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve for past 10 years.

Rosten, Marcus – Cheektowaga, NY - Graduated SUNY-ESF with a degree in Environmental Edu-cation and Interpretation. Since then, he has worked as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Grand Canyon National Park, Minute Man National His-torical Park in Boston, the Tongass National For-est in Juneau, Alaska, and was a Naturalist Intern at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve. Currently, Mar-cus is a Fisheries Technician with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and monitors the lower Great Lakes for any new invasive species.

Rutherford, Heather - Medina, NY - currently a

Program Leader Bios

Page 14: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Page 13

Naturalist Intern at Five Rivers Environmental Edu-cation Center in Delmar, NY as she works to switch careers from elementary education with a focus in science to becoming a full time environmental edu-cator. She enjoys using wildlife photography to get closer to nature and observe animal behavior.

Sorci, Sara – Buffalo, NY- Community Herbalist, Sarah Sorci, is a native of Buffalo, NY, and a 2014 graduate of the Holistic Herbalism program at the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine. For Sarah, herbalism is the perfect combination of natural gar-dening and permaculture, forest ecology, counseling skills, anatomy/physiology, nutrition, world culture and history, botany and chemistry, art, writing, and connecting with nature. She has been offering con-sultations since 2014, and was excited to incorporate the CSA model (Community Supported Agriculture) into her work in 2015. She also has a certificate in horticultural therapy, and loves using gardening as a venue to support healing and wellness.

Stock, Harold - Fairport, NY - Harold has worked in three museums in the past 12 years.

Taylor, Garret – Ellicottville, NY – Self-taught through Mushrooms of Northeastern North Ameri-ca, but I now have a full library and am a member of the North American Mycological Association, the Rochester Area Mycological Association, and most recently the Mycological Society of Toronto.

Tome, Jeff – Warren PA – He has been a profes-sional naturalist since 1994 when he started working & volunteering at nature centers. He has been a naturalist for the Jamestown Audubon Society since 1996. He loves all aspects of nature and knows a ton about wildflowers and herps and a little about a lot of things.

Wellman, Adele - Salamanca, NY - BS Biology, minor in Horticulture, Tennessee Tech Univ; I am happiest in the woods, on skis or my bike or on

foot. I have a BS in Biology and minored in Horti-culture. I started working as a naturalist for Allegany State Park in 2000.During the winter I teach skiing and snowboarding at HoliMont ski area.” Every season her students teach her something new about edibles. She enjoys sharing her knowledge.

Wilson, Dennis – Forestville, NY – BS in Forestry, ESF; 49 yrs. Professional forester

Winner, Barbara – Lakewood NY – Has an AA in Biology & lifelong herbal studies. Owns “Love Your Weeds” a center for teaching healthy life and forgot-ten skills to help people live a more self-sufficiently.

Winner, David – Lakewood NY – A former Penn State Master Gardener. Owns “Love Your Weeds” with his wife (see above)

Wopperer, Jay - Williamsville NY - Graduate of Intermediate Birding, Buffalo Museum of Science. Longtime member of Buffalo Audubon and East Aurora Birding Club & has led many field trips.

Wymer, Dave – Portville, NY - Has been involved in astronomy for over 20 years; astrophotography became a way to really explore the dark skies we can still find in this part of the country. I tell people that actually doing the photography is only half of the experience; the rest is simply being outside in a dark remote quiet place.

2017 Allegany Nature Pilgrimage Committee

Kim Alexander-Thomson, Jim Backlas, Peter Chris-tensen, Dean Clayton, Julie Clayton, Barbara Conklin, Frank Crombe, Lisa Danko (co-chair), Steve Danko, Dan Farrell, Kathy Henrie, Judy Long, Andy Malicki, Lon Myers, Marcia Nixonn (co-chair), Robert Reeves, Jack Skinner, Rob Thomson, Dawn Townsend, Elizabeth Urbanski-Farrell

Program Leader Bios

Page 15: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Program Design

In addition to a wide variety of topics, you will find a mixture of program styles from sit-down discussion or classroom lectures, to walks—short or long, to field trips requiring carpooling. Check both the program description in this booklet and the program grid if you’re not sure about your program start location.

You will notice that we have two morning time slots and two after-noon time slots. If you select programs that are near Camp Allegany, you might be able to make it to two morning and two afternoon programs. However, we recommend that if you are interest-ed in the field trips, pick only one or the other, because you will not be back in time for the very next program!

Displays

When the Classroom space is not in use for a program, please feel free to browse the displays and demonstrations on tables around the room. You will find information from our sponsor organizations, and from other friends and supporters.

Camp Chairs and/or Cushions

There are park benches in the Big Tent for our Fri-day and Saturday night programs. You may be more comfortable if you bring a cushion or your own camp chair!

Food

Participants are responsible for their own food, but the event does offer these options:

Saturday Hot Dog Lunch – a fundraiser offered by a Boy Scout troop. Hot dogs, chips, soda, and bottled water are available for sale in a tent behind the Registration Building.

Saturday Dinner – 5-6:30pm Chicken BBQ and Vegetarian Dinners can be pre-ordered when you register. There’s a place on the registration form for Saturday dinners. If you didn't pre-order before your arrival, check in at the registration table to see if dinners are still available. NOTE: The Chicken BBQ will be served in the Big Tent. Vegetarian Dinners will be served in the Dining Hall and can be carried to the Big Tent to eat.

Nearby Restaurants: There is a restaurant at the Park Administration Building near Red House Lake. There are also places in nearby Salamanca, NY and Bradford, PA.

Coffee

Coffee is provided in the program center. In our effort to be as green as possible there will be no cups provided. Pilgrimage travel mugs are available for a small fee.

T-Shirts

There are Pilgrimage T-shirts for sale in the same room as registration.

Emergencies

Call the Park Police at 716-354-9111

Additional Information

Page 16: Allegany Nature Pilgrimage · 2019-11-26 · be like an animal here is your chance. Volun-teers will dress up with animal adaptations to become the creature and teach to audience

Feedback Requested Your feedback is important to us—be it compliments or suggestions for improvement. You can send your comments via email to [email protected], or use the feedback form on our website anonymously.

http://alleganynaturepilgrimage.com/feedback

Where is My Program? Unless noted, programs will start in the field between the registration building and the Big

Tent. Some programs will require car-pooling.

Pavilion