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Welcome to the Nature Strollers official web site! For trip reports, please visit the Nature Strollers Blog. To receive email about future outings, please join the Nature Strollers Yahoo! Groups list. Visit the Nature Strollers Underground discussion forum to participate in our group online and to see what we are talking about. Email Kat and Laurel for more information about starting up your own family nature study group, or view the Nature Strollers startup guide here. To join our parent organization, the Orange County Audubon Society, send an email to OCAS President Lynn Barber.
Winter's Coming...
It's almost winter time... which means we will be slowing down for the season. There is still plenty to see outside however, both in autumn and in winter. Turn over logs to find creatures bedding down for the cold weather. Stroll along your favorite tree-lined path and take in the aroma of the fallen leaves. Visit lakes and ponds to watch and listen to rafts of winter water birds, sometimes numbering in the thousands. Go for a walk in a snowfall, and marvel at the silence. There is magic yet to share with your children! If the weather permits, as always, stay tuned to your email for spur-of-the-moment walks as we keep finding new things and new places to go.
Read our trip reports from our recent adventures, and share some of your own. Our emails will begin to quite down for the season, but stay informed and look again for our regular weekly outings (posted through the Yahoo! Groups list) in the nice weather. Subscribe to the email list and join us!
Looking for FREE programs in the fall and winter, and free holiday festivals? Want to take advantage of some programs offered by our local refuges, state parks, and preserves? Want to hear about other nature-related things happening in our area? We always have several activities we'll be participating in but not hosting, so we'll be posting them on our Nature Strollers Underground site. Don't forget to check out several other interesting nature-themed events hosted by places like the Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, High Point State Park, the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Hill-Hold Museum, and others. Keep checking the Underground site for these and other postings about fun activities in our area. Don't forget to add our yearly outings from our calendar onto yours. See the calendar below for more details and directions.
Congratulations to the members of the Rockland Audubon Society for beginning their own chapter of the Nature Strollers! They have been super active and I've gone on one of their outings, and it was a blast. Check their page out and join them if you can't make one of ours!
Have you been checking our trip reports on the blog? We've been seeing some great things! We'll be adding a number of scheduled walks in the upcoming weeks (please see the calendar below). Stay tuned!
Please do not forget that we have regular weekly "impromptu" walks in addition to the scheduled walks on our calendar below. Check this web page daily or sign up to receive email about these spontaneous outings by joining the Nature Strollers Yahoo! Groups list.
We regularly schedule many trips with the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, the Orange County Land Trust, the Glenmere Conservation Coalition, and with our parent organization, the Orange County Audubon Society, in addition to our regular spur-of-the-moment outings. Please join us!
| Tuesday March 31st, 2009 1:15 PM Glenmere Lake Come see the Wood Frog eggs! We can see them really easily in the ephemeral pool along the entrance on Mayor Harter Road. This is a once-a-year thing, so come and see! Meet in the parking area at the Glenmere Lake Florida Recreation Area on Mayer Harter Road. Take Rte 17 to exit 126 and then Rte 94 towards Florida. Make a left onto Golet (at the Chumley's BBQ sign) and a right onto Glenmere Avenue Extension. Turn left onto Mayor Harter and drive to the parking area and pavilion. We'll walk back to the ephemeral pool. Email Kat for more information. |
Friday April 24th, 2009 at 11:30 AM Fitzgerald Falls on the Appalachian Trail Lakes Road, Monroe. Come stream walk with us on this big-kid or accomplished-walker trek to the beautiful 25-foot Fitzgerald Falls right here in Monroe. the walk isn't long but there are streams to cross. Bring a change of clothes if you have a wader! Route 17M to the intersection of Lakes Road in Monroe. Take Lakes Road roughly 5.2 miles toward Greenwood Lake, past Round Lake and Walton Lake. Pass the Windridge complex and Lily Pond Lane(s) and shortly after you'll come to the trail. It is near a large power line right-of-way. There are tiny parking pull-offs on either side of the road. Just to the south of the one on the west side there is a 'Welcome to Warwick' sign. If you come to Ponderosa Lane you have gone too far. We hope to see you there, and please remember... this is a "big-time" hike, so come prepared! Email Kat for more information. Leaders: Kat and Laurel |
Thursday April 30th, 2009 10:00 AM Goose Pond Mountain Created Wetlands Come check on the American Toad eggs and see how many tadpoles we have. Maybe we'll hear the Gray Tree Frog today too! Meet in the parking area with large boulders on Rte 17M between Chester and Monroe. Email Kat for more information. Leaders: Kat and Laurel |
| Saturday May 9th, 2009 at 2:00 PM Fuller Mountain Brook Preserve Bowen Road, Warwick. Come on a Pre-Mother's Day walk at this beautiful Orange County Land Trust preserve for wildflowers and more. It is a pristine untouched (as in never developed or changed!) property with salamanders, frogs, wildflowers and more. There is also a lovely stream. This is a hidden gem. This outing is best for accomplished walkers two/three years and up or babies and toddlers in backpacks. From Rte 94 turn onto CR21/Warwick Turnpike at the ShopRite. Go 1.7 miles and turn left onto Bowen Road (at the sign for the summer camp). Pass the summer camp on the right then find parking area on the right at the bottom of the hill near the small bridge. There is a sign that looks like a "no trespassing" sign, but it isn't. Email Kat for more information. Leader: Laurel |
Thursday June 4th, 2009 4:00 PM Glenmere Lake Walk along the shore of the lake with us and listen to the ENDANGERED Northern Cricket Frog as we stroll through the woods. We might even catch a glimpse of Glenmere's resident Bald Eagle, or one of its showy Scarlet Tanagers. Meet in the parking area at the Glenmere Lake Florida Recreation Area on Mayer Harter Road. Take Rte 17 to exit 126 and then Rte 94 towards Florida. Make a left onto Golet (at the Chumley's BBQ sign) and a right onto Glenmere Avenue Extension. Turn left onto Mayor Harter and drive to the pavilion. Email Kat for more information. Leaders: Kat and Laurel |
Sunday June 7th, 2009 10:00 AM |
| Tuesday May 12th, 2009 at 10:00 AM Tuesday June 9th, 2009 at 10:00 AM Tuesday July 14th, 2009 at 9:00 AM Tuesday August 11th, 2009 at 9:00 AM Kenridge Farm - HHNM Outdoor Discovery Center Come take a one-hour hike at the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum’s Outdoor Discovery Center entrance on Muser Drive, across from 174 Angola Road, Cornwall. The popular Nature Stroller group will follow the gentle trails of the Outdoor Discovery Center and explore the field, pond and forest. Enjoy a hands-on fun nature lesson presented by an Environmental Educator before heading out on the trails. The trails are stroller and toddler friendly. Meet at the Visitors Center. Cost per adult/child pair: $5.00. Members are free. Registration is requested. If rain date is needed because of rain or cold, registered families will be called. For more information and pre-registration call 845-534-5506 ext. 204. Visit the HHNM website or call 845.534.5506 for directions. Leader: Debbie |
Saturday June 20th, 2009 2:00 PM Appalachian Trail Boardwalk and Pochuck River Bridge - Vernon, NJ Come join us on a Pre-Father's Day hike along the wonderfully serene and well-maintained boardwalk section of the Appalachian Trail near Vernon. The elevated boardwalk and swaying bridge were built as part of the reportedly largest single construction project (yet) on the AT. The Pochuck River Appalachian Trail relocation provides a means for us to walk through the wetlands world of herons, hawks, dragonflies, eagles, turtles, red-winged blackbirds, black bears, spiders, and the other creatures. Read about the Pochuck Project here. Directions to the Pochuck: Get yourself to the intersections of Rte 17A, Rte 94, and Pumpkin Swamp Road. This is at "the Big V" in Florida, NY, where the Dunkin Donuts is. Take Pumpkin Swamp Road... you'll be going so the front of Dunkin Donuts is on your left and the dry cleaner and Quick Check are on your right. - Continue on Pumpkin Swamp Road to the end. - Make a left (I think) onto Pulaski Highway South. - Go roughly 5.3 miles to the Pine Island Crossroads, at which the road changes its name to Glenwood (and is 517 South). - Continue over Pine Island Turnpike (Route 1) and you'll see the sign for the Jolly Onion on the right. - Go approximately 4.6 more miles to the trail access point on the left. You know you're getting close when you see the giant "Speed Limit 35, High Density Residential Area" sign and the smaller "Mile 53" and brown "AT hikers" signs on the right. - There will be guardrails on both sides at the trail access point (which is on the left). Parking is on the road between Carol Street and Meadowlark Street on the left. You'll want to pass Carol Street and turn around in Meadowlark Street, coming back on the road towards Carol Street. Park closer to Meadowlark for more space on the shoulder. - You've gone too far if you see the large parking lot for the lake on the right. Email Kat for more information. Leaders: Kat and Laurel |
   
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Nature Strollers
Orange County, New York (2005): Two outdoorsy Orange County mothers, Laurel Dodge, an environmental educator, and Kathleen Diamond, a Teacher of the Deaf, became acquainted through the Orange County Audubon Society. They love taking their children outdoors. They found it surprising, however, that on trail after trail their families hiked alone. Speculating that many parents longed for an easy-going stroll with their young children they decided to offer a nature strollers group under the wing of Orange County Audubon. The mission of the Nature Strollers is to support parents and grandparents in their role as primary interpreters of nature for their families; to provide opportunities for families to enjoy unstructured time outdoors; to familiarize families with local trails, refuges, sanctuaries and preserves; and to develop networks among families with a common interest in nature.
Flexibility is the hallmark of Nature Strollers. Weekly walks are planned to accommodate the schedules of the greatest number of group members. Trail difficulty is dependent on the ages and skills of the children, with toddler and stroller-friendly trails being the norm. The Nature Strollers have regular stroller outings in addition to jogging/all-terrain stroller days. Outing lengths are often under a mile and last about an hour. Kathleen and Laurel bring along various field guides, butterfly and pond nets, binoculars and cameras so participants can truly experience and learn about their natural surroundings. The walks provide the excitement of discovery and enjoyment of nature study to families that may not do so on their own.
Though Nature Strollers is in its infancy, it has generated excitement and interest in the communities of the Orange County Audubon Society. This fledgling group now boasts more than 100 member families. Please feel free to visit the Nature Strollers blog to read about and see pictures of Nature Strollers outings and email Laurel and Kathleen if you are interested in starting one of these in your own community. If you would like to join us on our outings, sign up here to join our Yahoo Groups distribution list and receive email about when and where we are planning to go.
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http://www.naturestrollers.org
http://naturestrollers.blogspot.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturestrollers/
http://www.orangecountynyaudubon.com/
http://www.audubon.org
http://www.childrenandnature.org
