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May 2010
Dear Friends:
It’s a beautiful time to be outdoors! We have a number of activities planned this month and next, beginning with this weekend. Our “Natural and Human History Walk” will take place on Saturday, May 15 at 10 am at Fuller Mountain Preserve in Warwick. Led by naturalist Gary Keeton, there’s still time to register for this moderate 1 ¾ mile hike that focuses on the unique and diverse plant and animal life found on Fuller Mountain, and provides a historical overview of human life on the mountain. Call us at (845) 343-0840, x12 or visit our website at www.oclt.org for information and directions.
Save the Date: OCLT Annual Benefit Reception and Silent Auction, Friday, June 4!
Tickets are still available for our Annual Benefit Reception and Silent Auction on Friday, June 4 beginning at 5:30 at Falkirk Estate and Country Club, Central Valley. This year’s benefit reception honors the Family Foundations and Funds that have provided significant support to OCLT, helping us preserve and protect important natural areas and working farms throughout the county. For more information and tickets, visit www.oclt.org or call Nicole at (845) 343-0840, x11.
Community Gardens Take Root in Newburgh, Middletown and Port Jervis!
Our urban community gardens will open soon with many families ready to start planting! Community gardens provide urban residents with fresh, healthy and inexpensive produce, bringing neighbors together while helping to revitalize and beautify vacant lands in our cities. The Land Trust is appreciative of the support of our many partners in our community gardens project: Healthy Orange and Orange County Department of Health, Land Trust Alliance and NYS DEC Conservation Partnership Program, Port Jervis Community Development Agency, Middletown Industrial Development Agency, Orange County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, Master Gardeners.
We’d also like to thank Middletown Boy Scout Troop #300 for volunteering to build raised beds, and Botanical Interests, Inc of Broomfield, Colorado and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company of Mansfield, Missouri for their donation of thousands of dollars worth of seeds!
Volunteers Needed: Please visit our website for a list of upcoming volunteer days! Help us build trails, plant shrubs in riparian buffer zones, or remove invasive plants. Next date is Saturday, May 22 when we will meet at Lower Bashakill Preserve to plant trees and shrubs. Call Karin at (845) 343-0840, x16 or e-mail Karin@oclt.org.
Please join us for these other upcoming events in May and June:
- Visit us at Orange County’s 3rd Annual Earth and Water Festival on Saturday, May 22 from 11-5 pm at Thomas Bull Memorial Park in Montgomery- featuring music and entertainment, a green expo and farmers market!
- Join us for “Letterboxing at Moonbeams Preserve” on Sunday, May 23 at 1 pm. Learn all about this popular outdoor activity with our friends from the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum. Then, take a hike and uncover clues that lead to our hidden letterbox while learning about the natural history and unique habitats found at Moonbeams Preserve! Letterboxing is a fun and educational outdoor activity for people of all ages. Materials are provided for participants to make their own individual stamp and start their letterboxing journey! Registration is required as space is limited. A donation of $5 per person or $10 per family is suggested and appreciated.
- Visit our booth at RiverFest on Saturday, June 5 from 11-6 pm at Donahue Park, Cornwall-on-Hudson!
- If you can’t attend our opening letterboxing event, you can visit the preserve on your own on Sunday, June 13 in celebration of “Orange County Day”. Visit Moonbeams Preserve for a fun, self-guided letterboxing journey. Go to www.oclt.org or www.atlasquest.com to download our letterboxing quest and add Moonbeams’ unique stamp to your letterboxing journal!
Hope to see you at our Annual Reception and Silent Auction or at one of our outdoor events!
For the Land,
Your friends at Orange County Land Trust
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