DYKEN POND-ERINGS

Table of Contents

———————————————

Letter from the President

Letter from the Director

Ask a Naturalist

Trail Camera Captures

Upcoming Programs

SOLA

Custom Trail Markers

Sheep Laurel

Friends of Dyken Pond Awarded $53,000 Grant for Protection of Newcomb Pond In July the Friends purchased the Newcomb Pond 2 parcel, 56 beautiful acres of woods and wetlands that are adjacent to land already open to

Dyken Pond Center visitors. This new property contains the majority of Newcomb Pond, and is home to otters, beaver, herons, and other wild-

life. Newcomb Pond 2 is located north of the Spring Trail, and connects with the Newcomb Pond 1 parcel that the Friends acquired in 2014. It

will provide additional opportunities for hiking, snowshoeing, and birding, and for the Center to teach kids about ponds and wetlands. Read

more about Newcomb Pond 2.

The Friends took out a one-year no-interest loan of $100,000 from the Norcross Wildlife Foundation to allow us to purchase the Newcomb Pond

2 parcel, and we have until this coming June to repay the loan. How were we going to raise that amount of money? A major component of our

fundraising plan was a grant from New York State that would cover half of the purchase price of the land and associated costs. We submitted

the grant application last July, but nothing was guaranteed.

Then in December, the Friends of the Dyken Pond Center was awarded the grant! We will receive up to $53,310 from the New York State Office

of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, funded by the Environmental Protection Fund. Adding this grant to awards from the Fields Pond

Foundation and the Broughton Foundation, and to contributions from members like you, we have raised almost the entire amount needed to pay

for the project! We are extremely pleased to achieve our fundraising goal, and we couldn’t have done it without you!

There are still some administrative steps and an appraisal to complete before we receive the funds from New York State and pay back our loan

to Norcross. We hope to complete the whole process by June. In the meantime, this coming summer we will be laying out a trail on the new land

that will link the Spring Trail with the Old Road Trail, and run along the shore of Newcomb Pond and through the surrounding impressive forests.

Watch for news about our trail-opening celebration in 2016!

Thanks to everyone who has donated toward protecting Newcomb Pond!

A joint newsletter of the Dyken Pond Environemntal Education Center and the Friends of Dyken Pond

April 2016

President’s Message:

I hope everyone enjoyed the winter and is looking for-

ward to spring.

With this message, I am making an appeal to each and

every member and everyone who receives this newslet-

ter. Usually it is an appeal for money but I am asking

for even more this time. I am appealing for some of

your time.

Recently, we completed a strategic plan for the Friends of Dyken

Pond Center. It is a three year plan. There ware five strategies that

include strengthening our partnership with the county, maintaining

financial viability, enhancing educational programming and upgrad-

ing physical assets.

The fifth strategy is the development of the Friends of Dyken Pond

Center Board. This is where we need your help. We are looking for

volunteers with key skills such as a working knowledge of Quik-

books, finance, real estate, construction, marketing or media out-

reach, legal, grant writing, engineer or fundraiser.

If you would like to help us out or know of anyone with the above

listed skills that would like to help us out, we would greatly appreci-

ate it.

We would like to help the Center progress and in order to do so, we

need the board and membership to progress as well.

So, if you have wanted to volunteer and you have wanted to help

out the Friends of Dyken Pond, this is your chance. If you have any

of the skills listed above or you think you have some skill or skills

that will benefit the Friends, please call me at (518) 429-0393 or

email me at president@dykenpond.org.

Please help your Friends out.

Leonard E. Tremblay

Letter from the Director Dyken Pond Cen-ter in partnership with the Rensse-laer Plateau Alliance has received grant funding from the Rubin Com-munity Fellows Program to begin planning for a Rensselaer Plateau Children’s Forest. A Rensselaer Plateau Children’s Forest Partner-ship has been formed and currently includes the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance, Dyken Pond Center, Friends of Dyken Pond, Grafton Lake State Park, and RPI’s EcoEd Research Group. The Partnership held a public workshop in October 2015, bringing together representa-tives from schools, businesses, gov-ernment agencies, and non-profit organizations to consider what a Children’s Forest might look like. To start, It will consist of a network of conservation sites on the Plateau linked through common efforts to promote environmental education and programming in County schools and offering varied recreational op-portunities for all.

Children’s Forests around the coun-try are supported by the U.S. Forest Service, and offer a variety of envi-ronmental education programs de-veloped to foster ecological literacy and healthy lifestyles. Growing re-search shows that time spent in na-ture improves health, attention spans, learning, and imagination. Environmental stewardship is an urgent priority for today’s children moving into the future.

A Rensselaer Plateau’s Children’s Forest would be the first Children's Forest in the Northeast.

If you are interested in getting in-volved or receiving information about this exciting initiative, please email me at dyken-pond@gmail.com.

Lisa Hoyt

Leonard Tremblay

Trout Lily

Lisa Hoyt

3

Bird Watch:

Indigo Bunting

This sparrow-sized,

blue bunting can be

found in weedy areas

along forest edges

feeding primarily on

insects. Indigo

Buntings are fasci-

nating little birds that

migrate strictly at

night, using the stars

for guidance. For

more information on

these “blue to the

eye” birds please vis-

it this link.

Yellow Spotted Salamander found by Otter Cove at Dyken Pond Center

Ask the Naturalist Why did the salamander cross the road?

There are very special animals that stay hidden in the woodlands of New York State for most of the year. And every spring; these illusive ani-mals come out from the hidden forested floor in search of a special place.

These unique amphibians that seldom spend any time above ground or above the leaf litter are called “mole” salamanders. Spotted, Jefferson, Blue and Marbled are the four mole salamanders we have in New York State and on a rainy, spring evening you just may see them in mass trav-elling to ephemeral ponds. They search for these ponds for one reason -

to mate. Unlike other ponds and lakes, ephemeral (also known as vernal) ponds are unique. They fill up every spring from rain and snowmelt, then dry up later in the season when temperatures rise. The lack of consistent water keeps fish and other predators from surviving which makes for per-

fect amphibian breeding grounds.

All winter mole salamanders and certain frogs (wood frogs, spring peepers) stay hidden and out of the elements while they wait for spring and a big rain. Once this happens, a “Big Night” has begun. A Big Night occurs on the first rainy night above 40 degrees once the ground is

thawed. Frogs and Salamanders will leave their hidden forested sanctu-aries and march towards the nearest ephemeral pond to begin the mating process. This trek can be dangerous and full of. obstacles. Because sal-amanders are small and slow paced, roadways instantly become their

largest hurdle. Take caution when driving at night on rainy evenings in spring. Amphibians are indicator species of healthy ecosystems and need our help to protect them and keep them around for years to come...

Trail

Camera

Captures

What we use The Reconyx Hyperfire HC 500 Trail

Camera has really proven itself at

Dyken Pond Center. The camera

shoots 3.1 megapixel quality with

1080p high definition resolution.

This Reconyx also has a 50 ft.

nighttime flash range with lo-glow

(This keeps the animals from being

startled). A highly recommended

purchase for anyone interested in

seeing who’s inhabiting their back-

yard. Fisher, Martes pennanti

Red Fox, Vulpes vulpes

Eastern Coyote, Canis latrans

Wood Ducks, Aix sponsa

River Otter, Lontra canadensis

5

2016 Spring Programs

Wild Edible Food Series taught by David Muska from Ondatra Adventures

In this series you will be introduced to the edible foods of the Dyken Pond Natural area and the greater

Northeastern US. We’ll cover plant and fungi identification as well as critical knowledge such as where to

find these species, ‘look-alikes’, harvest times, and preparation. This is a hands-on series of classes which

will include cooking and eating the foods we gather. These classes will provide you with the age old skills

of ‘living off the land’ and self-reliance.

‘Best-practice’ harvest methods will be used to maintain or introduce ecosystem balance and impart a con-

tinued respect for our natural world.

April 17, 2016: Early Spring Edibles

May 22, 2016: Late Spring Edibles

July 10, 2016: Summer Edibles

August 27, 2016: Late Summer Edibles

September 24, 2016: Early Autumn Edibles

$30/$25 members per class or pay for the whole series in advance at $130/$120 members. All edible pro-

grams run from 10am – 3pm. Pre-registration is required. Please call the Center for more details.

Friday, April 22: Full Pink Moon and Sounds of

Spring Hike

This evening trek will focus on the sounds of spring

under the full moon of April. This short hike will be

roughly 2 miles as we venture down to Dustin’s

Swamp and then to Dyken Pond to watch the Pink

moon rise. This night hike is for families and people

of all ages. 6:30pm – 8:30pm. Free.

Saturday, April 23: Volunteer Day

Join us for our Annual Earth Day Volunteer Day from

9am – Noon. Volunteers who register before 4/21

will get a BBQ lunch.

Saturday, April 23: Tails and Trails

Join Gil Payette, a story teller of Native American

legends and myths for a short hike through the

woods full of stories and legends of the past. 1pm –

3pm. Free.

Check our website and meetup for more programs!

Tuesday, April 26: A Search for Salamanders

Let’s search for our amphibian and insect friends at

Dyken Pond Center from 1pm -3pm on April

26th. This program will include a pond study and a

short hike to one of our many wetlands. Please

dress appropriately for spring conditions. This pro-

gram is free and for all ages.

Saturday, May 7: Bird Language with Kevin Bose

When we understand the vocalizations of birds, un-

seen happenings become more visible to us. As our

awareness expands and our disturbance lessens,

the fox, hawk and weasel hidden in the landscape

are revealed. Kevin will give an introduction about

bird language, then lead a “bird sit,” or bird language

observation. Limited to 20 attendees, fee $15 or $10

for members of Friends of Dyken Pond or Rensse-

laer Land Trust. Pre-registration required.

Saturday, May 14: Wildflower Walk

Join us for a Wildflower Walk from 10am – Noon to

observe the many spring ephemerals in bloom. This

will be a fun and easy hike for all ages. Free.

Contact Us

Dyken Pond

Environmental Education Center

475 Dyken Pond Rd

Cropseyville NY 12052

(518)658-2055

Center Director: Lisa Hoyt dykenpond@gmail.com

President of the Friends: Leonard Tremblay: president@dykenpond.org

Visit us on the web at

www.dykenpond.org

Like us on Facebook and Meetup!

Follow us on Instagram: dykenpond

Use Amazon? Don’t forget to Smile

Summer Outdoor Learning Adventure: A Nature Day Camp

Summer Camp fosters a love of the great outdoors by allowing children to “unplug” and explore.

Time is dedicated each day to unstructured outdoor play, which research shows nurtures creativity, prob-lem solving skills, higher level thinking, and inde-pendence.

Campers are learning through discovery, keeping

their minds engaged and focused throughout the

school vacation.

Kids Love it!

New this year: SOLA online pay!

Scholarships available.

Click here for more information and online pay.

Personalized Trail Markers!

Through the generosity of supporters like you, the

Friends have already protected 140 acres near

Dyken Pond. In addition to your generous dona-

tion, you can also help by purchasing a personal-

ized trail marker for the new trail at Newcomb

Pond.

Each marker is $50 and will appear similar to this:

Order online here.

Should you prefer to mail a

check, please copy and paste

the form below into a text or

Word document, or write out

the information on a piece of

paper, making your check out

for $50 for each trailer marker

to: “Friends of Dyken Pond”

Please indicate the inscription you would like on

your trail marker: Mail each order form to

Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center

475 Dyken Pond Road

Cropseyville, New York 12052

Celebrating 25

Years!