Sunday, May 19, 1 pm: Slippery, Slimy Salamander Exploration at Fuller Mountain Preserve, Town of Warwick. Join outdoor educator and noted local naturalist Laurel Dodge for this very popular family friendly nature walk. Learn about the habits and habitats of these hard to find creatures that live in and around Fuller’s Brook. Wear mud boots and prepare to get a little wet!

Saturday, June 1, 8:15 pm: Sunset Walk at Hunter Farm Preserve, Slate Hill. Join us for this early evening trail walk through the meadows and around the two ponds at this 60-acre nature preserve. Enjoy the change in light as the sun sets, and listen as the preserve comes alive with the sounds of a summer evening. Easy walk. Great for all ages.

May/June Wild Edible and Medicinal Plant Walk Site to be determined. Our knowledgeable foraging guide will identify summer greens, nuts, berries, fruits, wild flowers, herbs and other plants that grow in the wild and are edible, have medicinal value, are decorative and/or poisonous.

Friday, June 7, 6:00 pm- 9:00 pm: Orange County Land Trust 20 Year Anniversary Benefit Reception “From the Hudson to the Delaware….A Legacy of Land” at the historic Bear Mountain Inn. Join us at this beautifully restored turn of the century Adirondack-style inn for cocktail-style dining, music, a silent auction and special raffle, and help celebrate two decades of land preservation and farmland protection in Orange County. Featuring special recognition to our partners in land preservation with a tribute to our Founder, Louis V. Mills. Sponsorships are available for this event and include table seating and journal advertising. Please read our Land Patron Reservation Form for more information. Invitations will be mailed in late April with individual ticket prices at $150 each. To be placed on our mailing list, or to inquire about journal advertising or becoming a land patron for this event, please call us at (845) 469-0951, x14 or e-mail caroline@oclt.org .

Saturday, June 15, 10 am: Kids Exploration and Nature Walk at Hunter Farm Preserve 65 Jared Court, Slate Hill, NY 10973. Join us for this walk along The Tadpole Trail, the land trust’s nature trail for children ages 3-14, then our guide will go off trail, through the meadows and around the two ponds at this 60-acre nature preserve. The preserve has an abundance of wildlife- birds, ducks, turtles, frogs, beaver, deer, rabbit and butterflies!

June- October: Full Moon Paddles on the Hudson River Join OCLT board member Herb Stein for one or more of these paddles under the light of the full moon. Leaves Cold Spring on any one of these full moon evenings this summer and fall: June 21-23, July 20-22, August 19-21, September 17-19 and October 16-18. Participants must contact Herb directly at birderherb@gmail.com or (845)496-7896.Kayaks can be rented on site for $20.

Wednesdays in July and August, 9 am: Guided Kayaking Trips on the Hudson River Join OCLT board member Herb Stein for a two hour paddle out of Cold Spring. Bring your own kayak or rent one on site for $20. Paddle routes include a close up of Bannerman's Castle, through Constitution Marsh, or to an impressive waterfall. Participants must contact Herb directly at birderherb@gmail.com or (845)496-7896.

Saturday, July 20 and Saturday, August 10, 10 am – 12 noon: A Poet’s View of Nature at Moonbeams Preserve (July 20) and Fuller Mountain Preserve (August 10). Join author and poet Janet Hamill for this generative workshop occurring on two occasions during the summer. In each workshop, participants will have an opportunity to generate their own nature poem.  Each workshop will feature the reading of a selection of well-known English-language nature poets, including Wordsworth, Longfellow, Thoreau and Dickinson. Participants will also be introduced to the two most common forms of Japanese nature poetry, the haiku and tanka. Participants are asked to bring their own paper, something to write with, and a playful imagination. As this workshop takes place outdoors, participants might like to bring a chair, blanket or pillow. Limited to ten participants. $20 per workshop.

Sunday, July 21, 8:15 pm: Full Moon Walk at Hunter Farm Preserve, 65 Jared Court, Slate Hill, NY 10973. Join us for this evening trail walk through the meadows and around the two ponds at this 60-acre nature preserve. Listen as the preserve comes alive with the sounds of a summer evening.

Friday, Sept 6, 6-9 pm: Cocktail Reception at Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery, 114 Little York Road, Warwick. Help celebrate the release of WVW&D's newest distilled local product- apple jack! An evening of inspired cocktails, food and music on the outdoor patio. Tickets are $50 per person and can be ordered online at the Warwick Valley Winery website or by calling the land trust at 469-0951, x12. More details to come. To read last year's press release, click here.

Ongoing, self-guided outings:

• Seven OCLT nature preserves are open to the public, free of charge, every day from dawn to dusk for hiking, birding and nature study. Visit www.oclt.org for a listing of our preserves and directions.
   
• Visit The Tadpole Trail, the Land Trust’s exploratory nature trail for children at Hunter Farm Preserve in Wawayanda.  Go to www.oclt.org for directions and a downloadable audio version of The Tadpole Trail (also available on our homepage).  A great outing for summer camps, school groups and scouts, as well as families looking to spend the day together outdoors.
   
• Go on an outdoor quest to find the OCLT’s hidden letterbox at Moonbeams Preserve.  Visit www.atlasquest.com and download clues to “Walking on the Moon 1”, our outdoor treasure hunt.  Great for families! CLOSED FOR WINTER- Available again early Summer 2013!