With the start of summer, comes many new beginnings for animals in the park.

My name is Nicholas Corcoran and I am currently a senior at SUNY Cobleskill. By the end of this next school year, I will have obtained a Bachelors of Technology in Wildlife Management. I am the oldest of three boys and the first in my family to attend college. Some of my hobbies include hunting, fishing, hiking, and I recently have gotten into birding. I have also been playing the electric guitar for nine years. I chose to work at the Genesee County Park as an AmeriCorps Volunteer because I grew up just down the road from the park and love what the park has to offer people. As a child, I was blessed with the ability to wander through woods and natural places around my home. I know that there are others who are not as fortunate and do not have places like that to go to. Places such as the County Park are very important so that these people have a chance to experience everything nature has to offer. By working here, I hope to teach people things about the environment that they may have not known be-fore. I also would like to gain experiences that I have not yet had by conducting differ-ent programs during my time here. Once I obtain my Bachelors degree, I hope to have a job as a field technician in the wildlife field in order to gain more experience. Later on in life, I hope to become a Wildlife Biologist or work somehow in the Environmental Education field. We have been very busy at the park monitoring our Bluebird boxes each week. So far we have had four Bluebird young that were fledged from the nest and currently have five more eggs waiting to be hatched. We also have had many Tree Swallows and House Wrens who have had babies already leave the nest this season. While you’re vis-iting the park, keep an eye out for the Bluebirds as well as the many other species that can be seen flying around overhead.

July 24, 2012

11095 Bethany Center Road East Bethany, NY 14054

Volume 5, Issue 3

Genesee County Park And Forest Interpretive Nature Center

Inside this issue:

Upcoming Events 2

Children’s Activity 3

ACORNS/Park News 4

Tidbits 5

ACORNS Adventures 6

Inside this issue:

Park Hours:

Winter: 9am-5pm Summer: 9am-9pm

Nature Center Hours:

(Summer) Mon. – Weds.: By Appointment Only

Thurs.– Sat.: 10am-4pm Sun.: 12pm-4pm

Summer is Here!Summer is Here!Summer is Here!Summer is Here!

Geocaching for Families Saturday, September 22, 2012 10:00AM - 12:30PM Cost: $10/family Pre-registration Required. Geocaching is a treasure hunt using handheld GPS units. Learn to use a GPS unit and try your hand at finding hidden caches placed throughout the Park.

The Secret World of Spiders Saturday, October 27, 2012 10:00 AM -11:00AM Cost: $5/Person, $10/Family Pre-registration Required. Liz Thompson likes spiders! She will be bringing live specimens and talking about their behaviors, habitats, and problems.

Create A Critter Saturday, December 8, 2012 10:00AM – 12:00PM Cost: $5/One adult and one child ($3/ additional child) Pre-registration Required. Make creatures out of pinecones, nuts, seeds, etc. Snowshoeing Workshop Saturday, January 12, 2013 10:00AM –12:00PM or 1:00PM - 3:00PM (Choose one session) Cost: $8/Person Pre-registration Required Learn how to snowshoe.

Upcoming Events

Page 2 Genesee County Park And Forest

Pre-registration required. Call (585) 344-1122 to register.

Make a Difference!

We are helping to keep the earth clean while earning new equipment and cash. You can help by saving used cartridges and cell phones! Just come by the Genesee County Park Interpretive Center and drop them off!

Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 3

Word List: barbeque, bicycle, bumblebee, butterfly, fishing, hamburgers, hike, lemonade, sunglasses, warm, watermelon, weeds

Below are some favorite poems and prose shared by ACORNS members:

New Seating areas At DeWitt Recreation Area! Come take a look and enjoy the new trail around the pond and take in the scenery at one of the new bench locations!!

SUMMER FLOWERS

Every spring we greet anew, flowers of the deepest hue; Perfumed blossoms of romance, where the summer breezes dance. Daisies pure and white as snow, wink their eyes when summer winds blow, Flirting to the bluebell tune… products of eternal June. All these signs which summer brings, touch our hearts as treasured things, Giving gracefulness and show, like a rainbow’s afterglow.

Lea Palmer

A MIXTURE OF THINGS

Life can be a mixture of things – A garden of tulips, freshwater springs. Fluffy white clouds, stars in blue sky, a sunrise at dawn, a mountain so high. A rugged rail fence, a soft, gentle breeze. A trellis of roses, a child on his knees. A cat with her kittens, a butterfly’s wings – Life can be a mixture of things.

Mabel Ielene Rathmann

Meet the ACORNS (Association for Conservation Of Recreational and Natural Spaces, Inc.)

The ACORNS is the volunteer group formed to support the Genesee County Parks by assisting with environmental programs and park maintenance, offering recreational opportunities and promoting the parks.

Members Norm Argulsky Charlie Augrom Nancy Baker Sarah Balduf Peggy Benedict Matt Britt Sue & Bart Dambra Barbara & Mike Easton Marjorie & Jim Fulmer David & Marcia Gann Julia Garver & Joe Ruh Peggy Grayson Betty Gugino Janis & Stuart Hempel Paul & Sheila Hess Beth & Brian Kemp Daisy Klein Hans Kunze Sam & Esther Leadley Tami Loftus Suzanne & Richard Long Gordon Meek Bill & Connie Moon Terri & Michael Muehlig Mary Jane Pearce Mari Runfola Jim Schmitt Clare & Ron Sloat George Squires Sandy Steele Diane & Dana Stringham Virginia & Don Tiede Jack & Alice Weather Kathie Woika Dennis Wood & Jennifer Myers Mary Yunker

WELCOME to new members: *Peggy Benedict *David & Marcia Gann

ACORNS Board of Directors: Julia Garver, President Mary Jane Pearce, Vice-President Diane Stringham, Treasurer Ginny Tiede, Secretary Charlie Augrom Daisy Klein Jim Schmitt Dennis Wood Mary Yunker

Join us for ACORNS volunteer days every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 10am-12pm. ACORNS meetings are held every 4th Tuesday evening of the month at 5pm. ACORNS website: http://acorns.shutterfly.com

Summer Tidbits: Did you know? * The spacesuit is designed after the dragonfly. *A duck’s quack doesn't echo and no one knows why. *It would take 1,120,000 mosquito bites to drain the average human of blood. *A honeybee must visit 4000 flowers to make one tablespoon of honey.

11095 Bethany Center Rd. East Bethany, NY 14054

11095 Bet ha ny Cent er Roa d E ast B etha ny , N Y 1 4054

Phone: 585-344-1122 Fax: 585-343-6611

Geocaching for Families Sat., September 22 10:00AM - 12:30PM Learn to use a GPS unit and try your hand at finding hidden caches placed throughout the Park. Call the Nature Center at #344-1122 to register. $10/family.

We’re on the web!

www.geneseeny.org

ACORNS’ Adventures

Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center

On June 2, six ACORNS and one AMERICORPS volunteer ventured out into the rain to tour the Kenneglenn Preserve. Julia Garver, Judy Spring, Nick Corcoran, Sam Leadley, George Squires, Marcia and David Gann attended. The Kenneglenn Preserve is owned by the Western New York Land Conservancy. The 130 acres includes wetlands and forest lands. One side of the Preserve runs along Hunter’s Creek gorge. We turned into the Preserve and drove down a narrow private road to the lodge. The Conservancy development officer met us there and oriented us to the land and creek gorge. Fortunately, the rain ended by the time she led our group down through the meadow into the wooded area. Following a blazed trail through the woods, we arrived at the creek gorge. We were treated to a spectacular view down to the creek bed. The woods at the top and down into the glen include both evergreens and deciduous trees. The development officer took time to explain the mission of the Western New York Land Conservancy which was formed just 16 years ago. In that short time, the group has protected over 4,000 acres of farmland, wetland, and forest from development by means of conservation easement or outright purchase. More information about the Preserve is available at http://www.wnylc.org/kenneglenn.html. Many thanks to the Conservancy for hosting our tour.