Final Activity: Austin's Glen

Our final activity took place in Austin's Glen. We are
thankful to the owners of the Astoria Motor Lodge
for granting us acess to such a beautiful spot.

We first hikes the trails. Josh, an alumni of
this program helped us out. We were supervised
by Mr. Carrozza and Mrs. Leibowitz shown above.

There were several great swimming holes along the way.
Recent rains made the water fast and chilly.

Zack caught a frog. Kelsey didn't care when he
shook it at her!

Emily tried to turn him back into a prince.

Thank you to Mr. Carrozza, Mrs. Leibowitz,
Ms. Payne, and Mr. Federman. Also thanks to the
Bank of Greene County and the Rotary Club
for funding the program.

Hike and Swim at North Lake

The group set out to hike north on the Escarpment Trail.
We noted the yellow and blue trail markers.
The few down into the valley was misty but tremendous
just the same.
The drop off is 2-3000 feet!

We stopped to enjoy the view and eat lunch at Sunset Rock.
Notice the great view of North/South Lake!

We met some artists there. The artists told us they
came from all over the world...Australia, Germany!
They were part of a multiyear symposium on the
Hudson River School of Art. Mr. Carrozza explained
that the first real American Art movement happened
here! Famous paintings by famous artists such as
Thomas Cole of Catskill and Frederic Church (Olana was
his house) were done right from this spot just like the
artists were doing today.

To get to Sunset Rock you could take a longer trail
or climb through this rock fissure!



After the hike we enjoyed the beach at North Lake.
We swam and played with the sand. We also relaxed
and talked.

Kayaks, Odes, and Dubois

We first paddled North and West on the Catskill Creek.




After a few minutes, everyone was comfortable steering their kayak.

The group takes a break for a picture and for lunch.


We made stonepiles at Mookwa Beach.


We studied a damselfly that Sam caught. Mr. Federman told us that damselflies have eyes on either side of their head. We learned how to tell the males from the females. There were other characteristics to look at too.

Later we turned around and paddled to the Dubois Creek.

Off to the Hudson River and the Ramshorn Creek

When we started the water was at low tide.
But first we took a group picture.
Besides Mr. Carrozza we were led by Mrs. Liebowitz and
her husband who was recently installed as a board of education member.

We paddled past the Dubois Creek because it had no water in it.
We went on to the Hudson heading south until
we came to the Ramshorn Creek.

Ryan helped Olivia with her Kayak when we got to
dock at the end of the Ramshorn.

After lunch we took another picture and headed back to the school.

A Great Day Canoeing and Catching "Odos"

We had a great day canoeing North and West on the Catskill Creek.
We left from the CMS launch site.

We stopped at a gravel island. It kept shrinking as the tide came in! While there we ate lunch, made "Mookwa" stonepiles to remember Mr. Hopkins. Mr. Carrozza told us how he helped start the Greater Sense of Place Program..
Next, we learned how to capture and identify damsalflies.
The ones we caught were a pretty blue or green.

Mr. Federman, from the Audubon Society,
told us they were some variety of "Bluette."

We'll be out on the water again this Wednesday, July 2.

Schedule Summer 2008

Here is the schedule for this summer. Please check here often for schedule changes or updates. I will also post pictures and a summary of each outing. Besides the original sign-up form (please get them in ASAP or I will have to recruit other participants), I will need a standard emergency form for each child. I will try to send you this in pdf format via e-mail in a couple of weeks.

Date & Time Activity

Mon, June 30
9:00 A.M.- 2:30 P.M.
Real Science
Dragonfly Project

We will meet at the Middle School parking lot. We will walk to
the Livingston Marsh Sanctuary where Mr. Larry Federman will
teach us how to capture dragonflies and gather scientific data for
state-wide study. After lunch we will canoe or kayak on the Ramshorn
Creek. Bring a bag lunch.

Wed, July 2
9:00 A.M.- 2:30 P.M.
Park Clean-Up
& Canoeing and
Kayaking Expedition

We will meet at the middle school parking lot. We will spend
some time working on the “Pocket Park.” Bring a bag lunch.
After lunch we will canoe or kayak on the Catskill Creek, and
either the DuBois Creek, Hudson River, and the Ramshorn Creek.

Mon, July 14
9:00 A.M.- 2:30 P.M.
Real Science
Dragonflies & Kayaking

We will meet at the Middle School parking lot. In the morning, we
will walk to the Livingston Marsh Sanctuary where Mr. Larry
Federman will teach us how to capture dragonflies and gather scientific
data for state-wide study. After lunch we will canoe or kayak
on the Ramshorn Creek. Bring a bag lunch.

Tues, July 22
9:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
A Day of Hiking and
Swimming at North Lake

Please provide your own transportation or carpool.
We will meet at the gate of North/South Lake we will enjoy the
day at the beach with a picnic lunch and hike the Escarpment Trail.
Parents are invited to spend the day as well. We will leave North
Lake at 2pm

Thurs, July 24
9:00 A.M.- 2:30 P.M.
Swim and Hike at
“Second Bridge”

We will meet at the Astoria Motel just off of old Rt. 23 near Leeds.
Please make your own arrangements for transportation. Wear your bathing
suit. Bring a towel, sun screen, insect repellant, and a water bottle.
You bring a lunch and we’ll provide some snacks. We will be hiking
this beautiful area and learn about its flora and natural history. We’ll
allow time to wade in the peaceful swimming holes along the creek.
Make sure you have a 2:30 pickup arranged from the same location!