Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Join a park naturalist to learn the basics of animal tracking and try out your new skills on a short walk through the park. This will be a two-part program. The lesson will be different each of the two weeks, come for one session or both! All ages and abilities welcome.

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Want to become more of an outdoor person or improve your outdoor skills set? Our Winter Outdoor Skills Series is for you! Very beginner friendly, no outdoor or hiking experience is required! Come for one session or them all! This week we'll talk about the 10 essentials. Learn what to pack for maximum safety and fun on your outdoor adventure!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist to explore the nature trails and look for animal and plant life in the diverse habitats of the park. Then join us afterwards for a bonfire and s'mores! Length of walk will be approximately 2 miles on easy trials. All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

We all know that snow is that beautiful white stuff that falls from the sky this time of year. But how does it form? What are the different types? (Did you even know there were different types?) Come find out everything you never knew you wanted to know about snow AND try some snow science experiments too! All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Do you have a kid who loves nature and exploring outside? Do you have a kid who prefers the indoors, but you want to get them away from screens and playing outside more? Either way, the NEW PAR Kids Club is for you! This week we'll have some child-led free play at the Nature Center (kids always come up with the best stuff to do 😊). This program is geared towards ages 3-10 but all ages are always welcome. For more information, contact the Park Naturalist.

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Come for themed stories, songs, and art projects from 10-10:30, then stay for some outdoor playtime! This week the theme will be all about snow! This program is most appropriate for ages 0-5 but all ages are always welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

What are our pond creatures doing when the pond is frozen? Join a park naturalist to find out what life is like under the ice and take a short walk to visit the pond near the Nature Center and see what is going on there in the winter! All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Want to become more of an outdoor person or improve your outdoor skills set? Our Winter Outdoor Skills Series is for you! Very beginner friendly, no outdoor or hiking experience is required! Come for one session or them all! This week we'll talk about Leave No Trace Ethics and what that means for interacting with nature in a positive way.

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist to explore the nature trails and look for animal and plant life in the diverse habitats of the park. Length of walk will be 2-3 miles on easy trails. All ages welcome! If we have a lot of snow, this walk can become a snowshoe excursion! We have snowshoes to lend out and beginners are always welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist for a Valentine's Day themed Scavenger Hunt! How many heart shapes can we find as we walk through the park? All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Do you have a kid who loves nature and exploring outside? Do you have a kid who prefers the indoors, but you want to get them away from screens and playing outside more? Either way, the NEW PAR Kids Club is for you! This week we'll have some child-led free play at the Nature Center (kids always come up with the best stuff to do). This program is geared towards ages 3-10 but all ages are always welcome. For more information, contact the Park Naturalist.

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist for our nature-themed story and playtime for ages 0-5! Come for stories, songs, and art projects from 10-10:30, then stay for some outdoor playtime! Do animals fall in love? Just in time for Valentine's Day, explore this week's theme of love in the animal world!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a citizen science project sponsored every year by the National Audubon Society. Join a park naturalist on a short walk to search for some birds in the park. The sightings and data we gather will be submitted to the Great Backyard Bird Count to be used by real scientists researching bird populations! Please note you do not have to be an experienced birder to participate! The 9am outing will be for adults only and at 10am all ages are welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Want to become more of an outdoor person or improve your outdoor skills set? Our Winter Outdoor Skills Series is for you! Very beginner friendly, no outdoor or hiking experience is required! Come for one session or them all! This week at Outdoor Skills we'll be learning how to safely build a fire in the wilderness. Can you get yours lit with only one match? This is a good safety skill for hiking and it's fun too! This program is most appropriate for ages 10+ (Have a younger kid who is interested? Check out Kids Club on the 27th)

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist to explore the nature trails and look for animal and plant life in the diverse habitats of the park. Then join us afterwards for a bonfire and s'mores! Length of walk will be approximately 2 miles on easy trails. All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Meet at the Nature Center and join in for the next meeting of the Nature Book Club! This month we are reading Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty. Come join the discussion even if you haven't read the book! PLEASE NOTE: This program meets both in person at the Nature Center AND online! Please e-mail kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov by 2/23/22 if you'd like a link to join the discussion virtually.

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist for a special scavenger hunt on the trails around the Nature Center! Will you get BINGO and win a prize? All ages and abilities welcome!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Do you have a kid who loves nature and exploring outside? Do you have a kid who prefers the indoors, but you want to get them away from screens and playing outside more? Either way, the PAR Kids Club is for you! This week we'll meet at the Nature Center for some lessons on safe fire building! There will be age-appropriate jobs for everyone, plus s'mores for all! For more information, contact the Park Naturalist. 

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)

Join a park naturalist for our nature-themed story and playtime for ages 0-5! What was that whole business with the groundhog predicting the weather? What are wild groundhogs doing this time of year anyway? Come explore our region's most famous hibernator! Stories, songs, and art projects from 10-10:30, then stay for some outdoor playtime!

Have questions? Contact the Park Naturalist by e-mail at kristin.collins@parks.ny.gov or by phone at 518-563-0369 (Park Office) or 518-563-6444 (Nature Center)