Genesee County Park & Forest

Genesee County Park & Forest is back at it with yet another awesome educational event.

Hear the stories behind summer’s celestial constellations and watch for fireballs in the sky far away from city lights. On Friday, Aug. 12th, Genesee County Park & Forest will host an amazing program called “Meteor Shower in the Meadow” from 9:30 to 11 p.m.

Cost of the event is $5 for individuals and $10 for a family. Pre-registration is requested by calling (585) 344-1122.

Attendees will learn about astronomy inside the park’s Interpretive Nature Center and then walk out to a forest meadow where they will watch nature’s fireworks. Feel free to bring a blanker or folding chair to enjoy the show.

The Perseid Meteor Shower is an annual event that occurs in late July and early August – with Aug. 11-12th being the height of the showers. There is speculation that the 2016 Perseids could be a peak year, with more than 200 meteors spotted an hour. The characteristics of a Perseid meteor are that it is fast and bright, often leaving a trail behind it.

“Meteor Shower in the Meadow” is a great example of the types of programming offered at Genesee County Park & Forest. The family-friendly events combine elements of education and experience – making it a fantastic opportunity for everyone. From snowshoe hikes in the winter to wading in ponds looking for signs of life in the summer, Genesee County Park & Forest is a wonderful place to explore and learn. For more information, visit the Park’s website and Facebook page.

Making the deck.

Directly supervised, precision cutting of boards.

All of the campers of the 2016 Camp Hard Hat, along with instructors.

 

Submitted photos and press release:

Fourteen rising eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders are building a bridge this week at Genesee County Park & Forest.

They are using math, process thinking skills, battery power tools, directly supervised use of cutting tools, and using all necessary safety equipment and the power of teamwork to do this.

Camp Hard Hat is live and in action Aug. 1-5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Interpretive Nature Center at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany.

In a partnership with Business Education Alliance of Genesee County, Business Education Alliance of Livingston County, Business Education Council of Wyoming County, and GVEP Building Trades, instructors Rich Monroe and Jared Radesi teach campers principles of design, construction and safety.

Campers will complete the bridge late Thursday morning. The newly finished bridge will be placed on the Wetland Trail in Genesee County Park & Forest on Thursday afternoon. Campers come from Erie, Wyoming, and Genesee counties.

We are informed that the phones are not working at the Genesee Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center. So if you want to attend tonight's program about bats, including a slideshow and guided nature tour afterward, please register via e-mail to: Shannon.Morley@co.genesee.ny.us

Or message the park people on Facebook, Genesee County Parks, Recreation & Forestry.

Either way, registration is required.

You will learn that bats are experts at staying warm -- they have a fur coat, keep a cozy home, and they love to cuddle!!

More than 200 runners and walkers were in County Park this morning for the annual Run for the ACORNS 5K and 10K races. Organizers were pleased with the Fall-perfect weather.

There was a birthday party at the Genesee County Park & Forest today. The park is now 100 years old.

The first series of pictures are of lumberjacks engaging in a competition to start a fire and generate enough heat to boil water. They are Mike Koers, originally from Alexander, John Dailey, Tim Benedict and Connor Slate. The group put on lumberjack competition demonstrations throughout the day.

The daylong event included guided hikes, information booths and crafts and games for children.

Press release:

Genesee County Parks Deer Management Permit Applications will be accepted for the Archery Hunting Program at the Genesee County Park & Forest beginning Aug. 17 through Sept. 11.

The Deer Management Program Terms & Conditions packet (including permit) can be downloaded from the Genesee County Parks Web site at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/docs/GCPF_DeerMgmt_TermsCond_w_Permit_Final2015.pdf or picked up at the Park office located at 153 Cedar St., Batavia, between the hours of 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday.

The permit is a non-refundable $25 fee (check or money order due with permit application). Check or money order must be written out to the GENESEE COUNTY TREASURER and must accompany the permit when submitted. A copy of your NYS DEC License is required to be submitted with the permit application also. Applications will not be accepted after Sept. 11.

A lottery drawing will be held on Sept. 15 where permits and vehicle tags will be administered at a mandatory information meeting held on Oct. 3. The Deer Management Program is a four-week program that runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 15. Genesee County residents, including youth, and disabled veterans will be given priority over nonresident applications.

A Genesee County Parks Deer Management issued permit is required to legally archery or crossbow hunt at the Genesee County Park & Forest. Hunters must possess a valid NYS DEC big game license and respective deer tags before applying for a Genesee County Parks Deer Archery Hunting Permit. Crossbow hunters must ALSO possess a valid muzzleloader hunting privilege as defined by the NYS DEC along with respective deer tags.

The Genesee County Parks Deer Management Permit is specific to the hunter, and may not be used by or assigned to any other individual. Genesee County reserves the right to revoke this permit at any time.

For more information, please visit the Genesee County Parks Web site at http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/departments/parks/forestmanagement.html or contact Paul Osborn via e-mail at coparks@co.genesee.ny.us or call (585) 344-8508.

The 2015 Run for the ACORNS will take place Sunday, Oct. 11, at Genesee County Park & Forest in East Bethany.

The 5K/10K Trail run/walk benefits GC parks.

Participants will walk or run on single and double track trail through the forest, along a creek and up and down rolling hills, with an estimated 100 feet of climb within the 10K loop.

Organizers say the trails are very wide and easy to negotiate with minimal rocks and roots. The course starts on asphalt, then leads into the woods for a truly beneficial run.

Check-in is at 8 a.m. at "Area B." The 10K starts at 9 and the 5K run/walk begins at 9:15.

This event is sanctioned by the USA Track & Field.

"Run for the ACORNS -- You're 'NUTS' if you don't!"

For more information and registration options go to:

Tyler Gaus was joined by other members of Batavia's Boy Scout Troop 6 today in the parking lot of Batavia's Original for a car wash to raise funds for his Eagle Scout project. Gaus plans on revitalizing the volleyball courts at Genesee Valley Park, which he said needs weeds eliminated and the boundaries need to be better defined.

The Viceroy, pictured above, is nearly identical to the Monarch butterfly. Because the Viceroy so closely resembles the Monarch, which contain a toxin that is poisonous to birds and certain other predators, birds will thus avoid Viceroys...but only if it has previously sampled a Monarch -- otherwise it will readily make a meal of the Viceroy. 

Donning her "summer reds," a doe casts a wary eye in my direction.

Early season larch cones.

This butterfly is called a Question Mark -- honest! Taking nature photos is something Claudia and I enjoy. Identifying a species is satisfying in itself even if it leaves you wondering. I have no idea how the Question Mark got its name.

An Indigo bunting perched in the pines.

The remains of last year's teasel.

The Genesee County Park & Forest will kick off its 100 years celebration event series with a program on the history of the forest.

The program, "A Place of Peace, Play and Learning: The Genesee County Park and Forest," will be from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. on June 20 at the Genesee County Park & Forest Interpretive Nature Center. It's free and open to the public.

County Historian Michael Ula will provide information on the history of the forest with his presentation "The Story of the County Forest."

The Genesee County Forest is the oldest county forest in New York and was officially established in 1915. The forest was purchased in 1882 and supplied wood to the County's Poor House. By 1935, more than 169,000 trees had been planted to provide natural resources to the community. The creation of a county park began in 1966.

 In addition to sharing the history, Ula will also talk about the role the forest plays in the community today.

"It's a place for recreation where people can go to relax with their families and reconnect with the natural world," Ula said. "There is also an Interpretive Nature Center where you can learn about the plants and various animals that live there."

In July, the County Park & Forest is offering two programs  titled "What Trees Know" on July 11 and "Would You Believe It Comes From Trees?" on July 25. The forest will also have its 100th anniversary Forest Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 29.

Combining environmental awareness with a photography assignment, Genesee Community College instructor Joe Ziolkowski asked his students to create sustainable still life photographs. From plastic cups to light bulbs, images about carpooling and recycling shoes, students responded in interesting and thought-provoking ways.

The community is invited to view the works as the exhibit, Sustainable Still Life, moves to the Genesee County Park and Forest. An opening reception is planned May 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Park's Interpretive Nature Center, 11095 Bethany Center Road, East Bethany.

Since he came to GCC, Ziolkowski has developed an excellent relationship with the staff at the Genesee County Park and Forest. This is the third exhibit of GCC student work that will be shown at the Park's Interpretive Nature Center. Previous displays have included "Around the Bend: The Shared Landscape" and "Environmental Portraits of Western New York."

"The exhibits have been very well received by the community and are an excellent opportunity for our students to show their work beyond the campus," Ziolkowski said. "This particular show is especially fitting for the Park setting as we think about preserving the Earth and reducing our carbon footprint."

The works have been on view in the Lobby Art Gallery of GCC's Stuart Steiner Theatre and were a part of the College's annual ECO-Fest celebrating Earth Day. The pieces represent work by students in Ziolkowski's COM 118 (Introduction to Digital Photography) and COM 103 (Introduction to Black & White Photography) classes.

They will be on view in the Gallery at GCC through April 29. Ziolkowski will install them at the Interpretive Nature Center on Saturday, May 2. They will remain there through the summer. The exhibit will close on Friday, Sept. 11.

"We're excited to once again show student work at the Nature Center," Parks Supervisor Paul Osborn said. "We hope many people will join us for the Opening Reception on May 8th. It's a great way to celebrate a long-awaited Spring!"

Megan Ange / "Saving Water"
On a day-to-day basis, we use water for many things. We use water to wash our hands after using the bathroom, to wash dishes, brush our teeth and take a shower. We all forget to turn the water off from time to time when we are not using it, myself included. There could be a faucet leaking, and if that is the case then maybe you should check to see if you turned the knob of the faucet all the way so it is turned off instead of wasting the water. Everyone takes water for granted, but if you do the little things to save it, then you will be less likely to have a high water bill and not have to worry about problems that might happen if you leave it on. "Water is the driving force of all nature." - Leonardo da Vinci

Ellen Fridman / "Pin It"
REDUCE. Line-drying is back! Dryers are not going to go away any time soon but it seems like more people are returning to the use of the sun and wind to dry their clothing and linens. There are several benefits to clothesline drying. Hanging laundry out to dry instead of turning on the dryer lowers carbon emissions, reduces gas or electric bills, helps clothing and linens last longer, and establishes an excuse to get outside. Experts say that if all Americans line-dried for half a year, 3.3 percent of the country's total residential output of carbon dioxide would be saved. For those in colder climates, try using drying racks inside. Go Green!

Miguel Ortiz-Teed / "The Legend of Books"
As time progresses -- technology advances. This progression has lead from hand-held books where you can flip a page with your hands to tablets where you swipe to turn the page and have a massive library in the palm of your hands. This causes bookbinders to lose their jobs and technology takes their place. Eventually books will revert into a legend where only the wealthy will be able to afford them. This also produces a risk for all the knowledge that is stored within technology to be lost if an Electrical Magnetic Pulse were to hit either by a solar flare or warfare.

Paul Thater / "Light at the End of the Tunnel"
The photo was based off of the joke: "The government had to turn off the light at the end of the tunnel due to budget cuts." The light bulb has a black background to symbolize darkness in a tunnel with the light bulb off. This photo shows saving money by not using and saving electricity, which makes your bill smaller and gives you more money to spend on necessities.

A proposal to allow limited deer hunting this fall in the Genesee County Park won't get the unanimous support of county legislators.

Legislator Mike Davis said during the Ways and Means Committee meeting that he can't support the proposed local law change that will make the hunt possible.

He said he was concerned about the safety of other park users during hunting season.

"If the park were completely closed to all but hunting, then I'm in, but without that I just can't support it," Davis said.

The committee the voted with the one dissenting vote to recommend passage of the local law to the full Legislature.

Davis was recently appointed to the Legislature and represents the Darien and Pembroke areas of the county.

Under terms of the proposal, bow hunting will be confined to 12 zones along the southern border of the park. While the hiking trails will be open, hunters are being told to stay clear of trails and be courteous of others using the park.

Hunters will be selected through a lottery Sept. 15, following a Sept. 11 deadline for applications, which open Aug. 17.

Two zones will be set aside for youth and disabled veterans, and young hunters and disabled veterans will be given priority over hunters from outside Genesee County.

In all, 48 hunters will be selected to receive permits for the four-week season, which runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 15.

A group of Sea Cadets are spending five days in Genesee County Park learning winter survival skills.

It's an annual event for the cadets, who hail from throughout Western New York.

The Sea Cadet program is sponsored by the U.S. Navy League and runs year-round.

Youths from 11 to 13 are called leaguers and actual cadets are age 13 through high school graduation. The program includes two weeks of basic training, monthly meetings at either Buffalo Navy Reserve Center or the Buffalo Navy Park, and annual training in a specialty. Cadets can choose any specialty the Navy offers, from firefighting to military law.

Choose to train as a Navy Seal and you will get to spend two weeks training with actual Navy Seals.

The winter survival course is designed to teach basic first aid, plus how to survive for at least a short time in winter conditions.

One of the tasks today was for cadets to build a quinzee, which is an igloo-like structure made from a mound of compacted snow that can be used as a temporary shelter if you became stranded outside during a winter storm.