Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A Celebration of Camellias at Planting Fields, Mar. 8th

Planting Fields Foundation invites you to A Celebration of Camellias, hosted by Henry B. Joyce, Executive Director, Planting Fields Foundation, and Vincent Simeone, Director, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park.

Come see the camellias and learn about their history and cultivation.

Camellia Greenhouse, Sunday, March 8th, 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

FREE admission for Members, $15 Admission for Non-Members. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP by February 27th, Tracy Potavin (516) 922-8676, tpotavin@plantingfields.org.

Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay, NY, www.plantingfields.org

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center March & April Programs Announced

Sundays, March 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2009 - Project Feeder Watch Workshop
1:00-2:00pm, All ages.
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Become a part of a nationwide research project! Project Feeder Watch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders all over North America. Join Sanctuary staff to help scientists learn about winter bird movements and trends in bird populations. Bring the whole family for a relaxing and fun afternoon bird count. Feeder Watch is a drop-in program, join us for the afternoon, or just a half-hour!
FREE PROGRAM

Fridays, March 6 & 20, 2009 – Owl Prowl at Hoffman Center
7:00-9:00pm
Held at the Hoffman Center
6000 Route 25A, Muttontown, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Owls, the stealth, silent hunters of the night, have become an integral part of myths, legends, and even popular entertainment. Unfortunately, they are often portrayed as bad omens, creepy haunters of old buildings and cemeteries, or evil denizens of the dark. However, they are actually fascinating creatures. Join us for a live owl presentation to discover the lives of owls in your neighborhood. Then venture outside to hear the calls of Great Horned and Eastern Screech Owls. This is a popular program, so register early!
$7 members / $10 nonmembers

Saturday, March 7, 2009 - Building for Bats
1:00- 2:30pm - Families
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Become a Bat Realtor! Learn about bats’ benefits to humanity by blasting bugs, and build your own bat box to banish bugs from your backyard.
45-minute presentation and 45-minute building workshop.
FREE PROGRAM for members / $3 non-members
$15 materials fee per batbox

Sunday, March 8, 2009 – Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge
9:00-11:00am, All ages.
Held at Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge (NWR)
12 Target Rock Road, Huntington, NY
For more information and directions: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
A part of the Long Island NWR Complex, this 80-acre refuge supports a variety of wildlife and their habitats. We will explore the 1-mile Warbler’s Loop Trail leading down to the beach. During this time of year we will observe overwintering songbirds in the wooded habitat, as well as sea ducks on Huntington Bay. Spotting harbor seals offshore is always a possibility.
FREE PROGRAM

Saturday, March 14, 2009 – Crafty Critters
1:00-2:00pm, All ages.
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Our animals are feeling a bit crafty lately. Come to the Sanctuary to find out some of the strange habits animals have, and make a cool critter craft! Take your craft home to amaze your family and friends.
FREE PROGRAM for members / $3 non-members

Saturday, March 21, 2009 - Red-tails in Love: The Story of Pale Male and Lola
1:00-2:00pm, All ages.
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Stop by to learn more about an avian love story happening on 5th Avenue in New York City. Pale Male, the world’s most famous Red-tailed Hawk, has been a resident overlooking Central Park for over 15 years. Along with his mate Lola, they have helped raised dozens of hawks that now fly through all five boroughs. The Pale Male video will be shown and everyone will get to meet a live Red-tailed Hawk in person.
FREE PROGRAM for members / $3 non-members


Saturday, March 28, 2009 – Let’s Take a Hike Series: Jaynes Hill, West Hills Co. Park
1:00-3:00pm, All ages.
Held at West Hills County Park
Meet at the picnic area from Sweet Hollow Road, adjacent to the Sweet Hills Riding Center
For more information and directions: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
At 401 feet above sea level, Jaynes Hill is the highest point on Long Island. Located along a wooded section of the Ronkonkoma moraine and within earshot from Walt Whitman’s birthplace, this hike will be a nice mix of geology, poetry, history, botany, birding, and of course exercise. Hiking shoes, a water bottle, and trail snacks are recommended.
FREE PROGRAM

Sunday, March 29, 2009 – Sanctuary Trio: Shu Swamp, TR Sanctuary and Sagamore Hill
8:30-11:00am, All ages.
Held at various locations
For more information and directions: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
An early spring walk in three sanctuaries, but different habitats of close proximity in northern Oyster Bay. Starting at Shu Swamp we will search for wood ducks and rusty blackbirds, while encountering skunk cabbage and early blooming spring ephemerals. Our next stop will be at the TR Sanctuary to view the bird feeders and look for early spring migrants. Finally at Sagamore Hill we’ll walk down to Cold Spring Harbor to sneak peeks at remaining winter ducks and early shorebirds.
FREE PROGRAM

Saturday, April 4, 2009 – Woodcock Walk
6:30-8:00pm, All ages.
Held at the Hoffman Center
6000 Route 25A, Muttontown, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
The wondrous Woodcock may be found running through the meadow at the Hoffman Center. Join staff as we search for the woodcock and hope to see him show his courtship ritual.
$3 members / $5 non-members

Sunday, April 5, 2009 – Spring Awakening
1:00-2:00pm, All ages.
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
The Sanctuary is coming alive after a long winter sleep. Let’s take a walk on the trails, and see signs of spring.
FREE PROGRAM for members / $3 non-members


Saturday, April 11, 2009 – Egg-stravaganza!
1:00-2:00pm, Children ages 2 ½ to 10 years old with their parents
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
The Birds are acting odd this year… Our feathered friends are laying eggs in all the wrong places. We need your help to collect these strange eggs- as the saying goes “Finders, Keepers” you take home whatever is inside.
Registration required.
$5.00 members/$8.00 nonmembers per child

Saturday, April 18, 2009 – Celebrating Earth Day!
1:00-2:00pm, Families
Visit the Sanctuary to celebrate Earth Day. We’ll have the trails freshly groomed, animal crafts available all day, and live animal demonstrations periodically throughout the day. We’ll showcase Hawks, Owls & Falcons at 1:00pm, followed by snakes, turtles and lizards at 3:00pm. Join us for an hour, or join us for the day. We’ll see you on Earth Day!
FREE PROGRAM

Sunday, April 19, 2009 – Birding in Brooklyn: Prospect Park & Greenwood Cemetery
9:00am – 12:00pm
Held at Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery
Brooklyn, NY
For more information and directions: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
We will visit the birdy borough of Brooklyn for early spring migrants. A visit to the first urban Audubon Center, Prospect Park Boathouse, will be part of this walk along wooded trails along ponds, waterfalls, and a large freshwater lake. The park is an Important Bird Area with over 240 species of birds annually reported. Next we will head to historic Greenwood Cemetery, a wonderful combination of monuments and scenery, with some of the best birding in the city! One of the attractions is the Monk Parakeets, a colorful naturalized escapee that can be found in large numbers.
This is a joint birding adventure with Huntington Audubon Society.
FREE PROGRAM

Saturday, April 25, 2009 – Shu Swamp is for the Birds!
8:00-10:00am
Held at Shu Swamp (aka Charles T. Church Nature Preserve)
Frost Mill Road
Mill Neck, NY
For more information and directions: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Come out for a visit to one of the North Shore’s magical and lesser known preserves. Shu, which is an old Dutch word for cascading waters, Swamp is a wooded wetland featuring towering Tulip trees, Red Maples, and Black Gum or Tupelo. Woods ducks and several species of woodpeckers can be found, as well as countless songbird species, such as thrushes, warblers, wrens and more! This bird walk is always a favorite for birder’s of all types.
FREE PROGRAM for members / $3 non-members


Sunday, April 26, 2009 - Spring into the Sanctuary!
1:00-2:00pm, School aged children and parents
Held at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
134 Cove Road, Oyster Bay, NY
For more information: (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org
Spring is in the air, birds are singing and flowers are blooming. Join us for a live animal presentation to find out what animal do in spring and where they come back from. We’ll even make a great spring craft.
FREE PROGRAM FOR MEMBERS / $3 non-members

Friday, February 13, 2009

Oyster Bay Project Featured in National Main Streets Conference

Excerpt from the 2009 Main Street Live Blog (http://www.mainstreetlive09.blogspot.com/) of the National Main Streets Conference follows...


To whet your appetite for great uses of social media for your program, I have a great example to share with you.

When the Oyster Bay Main Street Association in N.Y. realized that another big community meeting was scheduled for the same night as its annual meeting, the group decided to create a video of its meeting so it could expand the audience virtually. Using a hand-held voice recorder, they created an audio MP3 file of the presentations and then used Windows Movie Maker to coordinate the audio with the PowerPoint slides. In just a half hour, a video came together and was posted on YouTube and their blog. Almost 100 people checked out the video, which is more than the number of attendees at the actual meeting. All they used was the software that came with their computer and a hand-held voice recorder. They created the video and posted it and 100 people who couldn’t attend the meeting got to catch up on what they missed out on. How cool is that?!

Want to know exactly how they did it? Oyster Bay Main Street Association’s Executive Director Isaac Kremer created a quick tutorial video just for you.