Photos by Philip Casper.

The first photo ever of the total solar eclipse was taken by Johann Julius Friedrich Berkowski in Russia on July 28, 1851.  Almost 200 years later, photographers throughout parts of the United States, including Western New York will have their own opportunity to capture their own picture of the rare astronomical event.

The rest of us will be content to slip on ISO 12312-2-rated sunglasses and take in the perhaps once-in-a-lifetime scene. (Be advised, your camera also needs a special filter to get photos of the eclipse, or you risk damaging the censor.)

One place eclipse gazers can go to enjoy the event is the Genesee County Park and Forest, which has prepared for many activities on Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  A partial eclipse starts at 2:06 p.m., with totality lasting from  3:19 to 3:23 p.m. The partial eclipse will then last until 4:30 p.m.

Claudia Nusstein, conservation education program coordinator, said memory lane will be one-way, and the public will have to enter off Bethany Center Road.

She suggested visitors start at the interpretive center, where some activities indoor and outdoor activities.

Pinhole viewers, a telescope to look through, slide shows, different clay and paper models to create, along with sundial, corona eclipse hat, bookmarks, and chalk art are to name some of the many activities throughout the day. 

As you follow the trail around, there are six stations between the center and end at the Raymond Road exit. The parking fee is cash only and is $10.00 per vehicle; however, solar eclipse glasses will be available for free. 

Areas Fleming, A, and B will also host events. There is a map and directions to follow at the gate, and staff will direct people.

Come enjoy the spring season at the Genesee County Park and Forest! Join us this March, April, and May for a variety of walks, hikes, and environmental education programs.

Programs include:

• Saturday, March 23 - Amphibian Adventure
• Saturday, April 6 - Eclipse Stories, Myths, and Science Walk
• Sunday, April 7 - GeneSEEtheEclipse Story Time and Craft
• Sunday, April 7 - Springtime Woods Walk
• Monday, April 8 - Exploring the Eclipse at the Genesee County Park
• Saturday, April 13 and May 4 - Guided Dog Walks
• Saturday, April 13 - Indoor Lecture: Stewardship at Home
• Wednesday, April 17, April 24 and May 8 - Migration Morning Walks
• Saturday, April 20 - Earth Day Spring Sweep Cleanup at DeWitt Recreation Area (Free)
• Saturday, May 18 - Genesee Valley Birding Cup (Free)
• Saturday, May 25 - Full Moon Owl Prowl

Walks are led by a guide who takes you through forest, meadow, and wetland habitats. Each will explore a different topic. Walks are approximately 1 - 2 miles long over easy terrain and are family-friendly. 

Cost is $5 per person or $10 per family (unless otherwise noted). Please pre-register to receive the exact meeting location and full details! Please pre-register by visiting https://bit.ly/GenCoParkRegistration or by calling 585-344-1122.

For more information visit our website at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/parks/, or contact Claudia Nusstein at Claudia.Nusstein@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.

If you’re planning to visit Genesee County Park  to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, you might want to take some refreshments, a blanket, and for certain — Alexander Hamilton.

County Highway officials have suggested charging $10 per vehicle for parking that day due to the expected surge in visitors and the need for additional staffing, overtime, traffic control, and related additional expenses. 

Come enjoy the winter season at the Genesee County Park and Forest! Join us this January and February for a variety of walks, hikes, and environmental education programs. 

Programs include: 

• Saturday, Jan. 20 - Morning Bird Walk
• Wednesday, Jan. 24 - Winter Woods Walk
• Saturday, Jan. 27 - Moonlight Snowshoe Hike
• Saturday, Feb. 3 - Groundhog Day Walk
• Saturday, Feb. 17 - Great Backyard Bird Count
• Saturday, Feb. 24 - Moonlight Snowshoe Hike

Walks are led by a guide who takes you through forest, meadow, and wetland habitats. Each will explore a different topic. Walks are approximately 1 - 2 miles long over easy terrain and all are family-friendly. Cost is $5 per person and $10 per family. 

Snowshoe Hikes include snowshoe rental, cost is $5 per person and $15 per family. Please pre-register to receive the exact meeting location and other details!

Please pre-register by visiting https://bit.ly/GenCoParkRegistration or by calling 585-344-1122 For more information visit our website at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/parks/, or contact Claudia Nusstein at Claudia.Nusstein@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122. Like us on Facebook at: Genesee County Parks, Recreation & Forestry.

What better way to greet the New Year than with a hike in the forest? 

On New Year’s Day 2024, ACORNS (Association for the Conservation of Recreational and Natural Spaces) is offering a First Day Hike at the Genesee County Park & Forest! Hike starts at 10 a.m. at Pavilion B on Raymond Road at the Genesee County Park & Forest. This FREE guided hike is for you and friends of all ages to welcome the coming year in the outdoors while getting healthy exercise and connecting with nature.

This casual recreational event offers 2 hiking options! Hike 1 is approximately 3 miles over rolling hills with moderate terrain. Hike 2 is approximately 1.5 miles over easy terrain. Both hikes begin and end at Pavilion B and feature time in the forest, beautiful natural scenery and snacks by a fire in an enclosed pavilion. 

Trails are not stroller-friendly and may have tree branches overhead. All ages are welcome, dogs are also welcome and must be on a leash at all times. 

Seize the day and enjoy the natural beauty of the Genesee County Park & Forest! We hope you’ll make hiking a habit for a healthy 2024! Please pre-register by FB message @GeneseeCountyACORNS or by email geneseeacorns@gmail.com. Walk-ins are also welcome.

While a gathering of bees and woodpeckers have been welcomed visitors by Mother Nature at the Interpretive Center at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany, they weren't so appreciated by county highway staff once they saw the damage.

The woodland creatures ate their way through the Center’s natural siding, and the price for the replacement of that and a new roof left County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens with a bit of shopper’s discomfort.  

“I was a little shocked at the price of the project, to be honest with you, but the low bid we received was $248,350. I think with the original, volunteers did it, and the original siding was cedar lap siding … and the bees and the woodpeckers have just literally destroyed that. I mean, there’s physical holes in the roof. It needs to be done,” Hens said during the county’s Public Service Committee meeting Monday. “The problem from a municipal standpoint is it’s too small of a project for your general construction people to get involved because they have to suck everything out, and they don’t make any money on it. And it’s the subs that would do the work and don’t want to be the (general contractor) because they don’t want to have to take up the bonds, and the insurance is required to be the person in charge. So it’s kind of in this purgatory gray zone area between a big project and a small project.”

The cedar siding would be replaced with a fiber cement siding, which is appropriate for the building, he said. Vinyl could be used, but it wouldn’t really look appropriate on that building, and “you’d lose a lot of the character,” Hens said. Using vinyl would have saved about $10,000, and everyone involved is comfortable spending the extra money “to do it right,” he said.

“It will make it so that it’s maintenance-free for the next hopefully 30 or 40 years,” Hens said.

And the bees and birds should leave it alone since it’s almost like concrete, similar to what’s used at the airport terminal. 

“It’s not prone to bugs and insects and woodpeckers,” he said.  “It’ll be architectural shingles on the roof. They’re going to be rewrapping some of the soffits and aluminum, and then the main part of the building will be shake fiber cement siding, and then the higher part in the center will be a false stone application. It’d be really sharp when it’s done. It’s just the pricing sometimes, in a municipal sense, blows my mind. I saw $240,000. We had $205,000 originally for the budget. I thought we were gonna be great, but this is what it is.”

“We’ve used metal on some of the pavilions and whatnot, but we didn't consider it in this place, just again from the cost standpoint, it's a bigger building, bigger roof, and then Paul wants to keep it kind of a cabin in the woods type of a setting,” he said. “It was put together almost 100 percent by volunteers and by county staff, so it's 25 years old.”

He has recommended Kircher Construction Inc. of Mount Morris for the job and expects it to be completed by this fall. 

Press Release:

Camp Hard Hat, a week-long day camp that provides local students ages 12-15 the opportunity to learn and participate in community-based construction projects has expanded from two to seven locations for the 2023 summer and has space available at each location in Genesee, Wyoming, Livingston, and Monroe counties.

As a result of the success of the program over the past decade, 400 students have participated have completed over 10,000 hours of training and learning, organizers decided to expand into Monroe and Livingston Counties and are already working on expanding to even more locations throughout the Western New York region for 2024.

Camp Hard Hat is a collaboration between the Genesee County Business Education Alliance (BEA) and Livingston Associates, a business consulting firm that offers a unique range of specialized business infrastructure solutions. Courses are taught by BOCES Building Trades instructors and past Camp Hard Hat graduates. 

Campers are taught the principles of design and construction, project safety, and the power of teamwork. These skills and hands-on construction practice will propel the campers into future careers. 

“Livingston Associates is an active partner in construction-related workforce opportunities throughout our community and Genesee and Wyoming County officials have built an effective youth workforce model that others want to be a part of,” said Anthony DiTucci President and CEO of Livingston Associates. “Camp Hard Hat provides an opportunity for area youth to learn about the many career path opportunities available in the construction and skilled trades industry.”

The camps run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily on the following dates and locations:

• July 10 – 14 at the Wyoming County BEC at Perry Park (Warsaw, NY)
• July 17 – 21 at the Lollypop Farm (Fairport, NY)
• July 24 – 28 at the Genesee Country Village and Museum (Mumford, NY)
• July 31 – August 4 at Genesee County Park (East Bethany, NY)
• August 7 – 11 at Monroe Community College FWD Center (Rochester, NY)
• August 14 – 18 at Monroe 2 BOCES (Spencerport, NY)
• August 21 – 25 at Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp (Rush, NY)

The program was originally created by the Genesee County Business Education Alliance in 2013. 

“Our goal as workforce leaders is to introduce students to as many careers and workforce opportunities that they may not even be aware of as a majority of the skills offered through Camp Hard Hat are not available within our local school districts,” said Genesee County BEA Director Karyn Winters.

“Not only are we providing students career exploration opportunities, but also instilling practical life skills that they will take with them whether or not they decide to take on a career in construction or skilled trades.”

Sponsorships opportunities are still available for Camp Hard Hat, which help cover the cost of tools, equipment, instructors, transportation, lunch, and full camp scholarships for individuals that qualify.

There are sponsorship opportunities for the Toolbox ($5,000), Toolbelt ($2,500), Hammer ($1,000) Saw ($500), Flashlight ($250), and Nail ($100) levels. Businesses and individuals may also sponsor a camper.

Registration is open for all seven locations and is offered at $95/camper with full scholarships available to low-to-moderate families that qualify. Visit https://www.camphardhat.org/about-1-1 to learn more or register today!

Spots are still open for Environmental Science Camp at the Genesee County Park & Forest! This hands-on outdoor camp is for students entering 7th - 10th grade. Camp meets Monday through Friday, July 17 - 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at the Genesee County Park & Forest. 

This week-long adventure includes wildlife surveys, field and stream studies, outdoor recreation, a field trip, and more! The cost is $95/camper for the entire week. All materials and a camp T-shirt are provided. 

Transportation is provided from Batavia High School to and from camp each day. Maximum 20 campers. The registration deadline is Wednesday, July 5.

To register, download the registration form. Return completed forms with payment to:

Main Office  
Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center  
153 Cedar St.  
Batavia, NY 14020

Maximum 20 Campers  
Registration ends Wednesday, July 5th.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/parks/, or  
contact Shannon Lyaski at Shannon.Lyaski@co.genesee.ny.us or (585) 344-1122.

"Tomorrow's Birding Walk and Spring is Here Hike at the Genesee County Park & Forest have both been POSTPONED due to high winds and will take place on Saturday March 25th.  The Birding Walk is FREE and will take place from 7 am to 10 am and meet at the pavilion A parking lot.  The Spring is Here Hike will take place from 10 am to 12 pm and meet at the Interpretive Nature Center, $5/person, $10/family.  Call 585-344-1122 to register!"