2013 Field Trips
       

APRIL 6, 2013 (SATURDAY) 9:30 AM

William Cullen Bryant Preserve (home of Nassau County Museum of Art), Roslyn Harbor, Nassau County, NY

Trip leaders: Rich Kelly Cell: (516) 509-1094, and Nassau County Museum of Art Senior Educator Jean Henning

 

This is the time to be on the lookout for early flowering spring wildflowers.  We will explore the Ravine Trail and the Pinetum. Bring water, snacks and sturdy boots. The terrain is locally steep and slippery so a walking stick / hiking pole may be a good thing to bring.

Directions: The entrance to the Museum is on Northern Boulevard less than half a mile west of Glen Cove Road. Meet at the mansion parking lot, near the sunken garden.

 

APRIL 27, 2013 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Suffolk County Environmental Center, Islip, Suffolk County, NY

Trip leader: Rich Kelly  Cell: (516) 509-1094

 

We will be surveying the 70-acre Seatuck Environmental Association property.  There are oak woods, a transitional woodland with Tupelo and Red Maple, and a disturbed tidal estuary with a pond and salt marsh.  A LIBS trip here approximately 6 years ago revealed a predominance of native species compared to invasives.  

Directions: From Montauk Highway (Rte. 27A) in Islip, take South Bay Avenue south.  After a blinking light, you will enter a wooded area, then watch for the entrance driveway on the right.  There will be a sign for the Suffolk County Environmental Center, and the street address is 550 South Bay Avenue.  This is the former Scully Estate.

 

MAY 13, 2013 (MONDAY) 10AM Please note that this trip is on a weekday

Forest Park, Queens Co., NY
Trip leader: Michael Feder

(In conjunction with New York Wildflower Week) Botany for beginners - Participants will be shown how to use field guides to identify wildflowers. We will also talk about some of the commonly encountered plants whether in bloom or not. If you own a copy, please bring your Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. 

Directions: We will meet at 10AM at Wallenberg Square which is located at the southwest corner of Park Lane South and Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens. Take the Grand Central Parkway or Van Wyck Expressway to the Jackie Robinson Parkway. Get off at exit 6, Metropolitan Avenue. Make a left onto Metropolitan Avenue. Wallenberg Square will be about 1/4 mile down the road on your right at the intersection with Park Lane South. The walk will last approximately two hours.

 

JUNE 1, 2013 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Oyster Pond, Suffolk County, Montauk , NY

Trip leader: Victoria Bustamante and Larry Penny

 

"Oyster Pond is probably the best example of a brackish and coastal salt pond with an undeveloped watershed in New York. The wetlands around the pond support blue-spotted salamander and southern leopard frog, as well as nesting and feeding by a variety of waterfowl and waterbirds. Rare plants along the shoreline include Mitchell's sedge and the only known population of seabeach purslane in New York." The walk will be approximately 2 miles total but will be leisurely. Bring water, snacks and bug repellent. Be prepared for possible wet walking.

Directions: Take 27 east through Montauk village east towards the lighthouse. Turn right onto Camp Hero Road, follow straight ahead about 300 yards and park on the right shoulder of the road.

 

August 17, 2013 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Calverton Ponds Preserve, Calverton, Suffolk County, NY

Trip leader: Diana Van Buren

 

This 350-acre oak-pine forest contains coastal plain ponds, which represent one of the rarest wetland types in North America. Calverton Ponds hosts more than 30 rare plants, several rare amphibians and fish and a number of rare dragonflies, butterflies and moths. Bring water, snacks and bug repellent (be prepared for ticks).

Directions: Please e-mail Mike Feder to register for this trip and for directions to our meeting location.

 

AUGUST 25, 2013 (SUNDAY) 10 AM

Edgewood Preserve, Deer Park, Suffolk County, NY

Trip leader: Michael Feder

The Edgewood Preserve is one of the largest remnant pitch-pine scrub oak habitats in New York and is the  largest natural wildlife corridor in Western Suffolk County. We will be exploring a power-line cut that runs through the preserve. Be prepared for possible wet walking. We can expect to see some uncommon plants and a wide variety of Cyperus species growing syntopically. Bring plenty of water, bug repellent and snacks.

Directions: Please contact trip leader by e-mail for meeting location and directions. Note that a permit is required from the DEC in order to access the preserve and rangers are sometimes present to check for them. The permit is free and easy to obtain through e-mail by visiting http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7815.html and clicking on the Region 1 State Land Access Permit link in the upper right hand corner.

 

AUGUST 31, 2013 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO), Bridgehampton, Suffolk Co., NY

Trip Leader: Eric Lamont

 

(Co-listed with SOFO) We will explore a pond that supports Hypericum adpressum, Stachys hyssopifolia, Rhexia virginica, et al.; fields covered with goldenrods, asters, and other herbs; and other plant communities.  If the water table is low and it’s a “drawdown year” and if there’s interest, we can also visit nearby coastal plain ponds (eg. Long Pond, Crooked Pond, Round Pond) in the afternoon.  The am walk will last about 2 hrs.  Bring water, lunch, and insect/tick repellent.

 Directions: Meet at South Fork Natural History Museum (SOFO), Bridgehampton, on the South Fork of Long Island .  Take Sunrise Hwy. (Rte. 27) east across Shinnecock Canal .  The 4-lane highway narrows to 2-lanes; continue east past Southampton and turn east onto Montauk Hwy and continue to the town of Bridgehampton .  At the east end of town, turn north onto the Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike (Co. Road 79).  Cross the railroad tracks and SOFO will be just ahead on the right (east). Please plan for potential Labor Day weekend traffic.  

 

 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2013 (SATURDAY) 10 AM

Hempstead Plains, Nassau Co., NY

Trip leaders: Betsy Gulotta, Conservation Project Manager, and Scott Emmons, Friends of Hempstead Plains. Call 516-572-7575-x26531 or Email info@friendsofhp.org. (Co-listed with the Torrey Botanical Society)

Over 200 species of native and non-native flowering plants have been identified at the 19-acre Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College.  The native grasses characterizing the tall grass prairie are particularly beautiful this time of year.  The walk takes about an hour.  Bring water and sturdy shoes.

Directions: From either Meadowbrook Parkway Exit M4 or Merrick Ave. north of Rt. 24 Hempstead Turnpike, take Charles Lindbergh Blvd. west.  Turn at first right into East Parking of NCC.  Go to first intersection.  See parking along fence and sign for Hempstead Plains.

 

OCTOBER 5, 2013 (SATURDAY) 9:30 AM

Brentwood, Suffolk Co., NY

Trip leader: John Turner

Atlantic white cedar trees grow slowly and may live for more than 1000 years. In New York they are a threatened species with approximately two dozen populations. We'll make four to five stops to look at representative cedar groves, heading as far east as Southampton. The trip will run until approximately 4-4:30. Bring water, lunch, and insect repellent.

Directions: We will meet at the northeast corner of the Wicks Road Park and Ride of the LI Expressway at 9:30 a.m. The address of the Park and Ride is 500 Wicks Rd. Brentwood, NY 11717-1132.