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Hudson Highlands Land Trust's Take-a- Hike! Program Launches with Two Hikes During Earth Week
Fifteen More Hikes to Enjoy through October
 | | Lucinda Strol and her brother Ben were just two of the 28 children who enjoyed the "Kids Earth Day Adventure" in the Garrison School Forest on Earth Day. |
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The Hudson Highlands Land Trust Take-a-Hike! program was off to a great start last week with two very different hikes celebrating Earth Week. The first hike of the season, Go Green at Black Rock Forest, took place on Saturday, April 19 at Black Rock Forest Consortium in Cornwall. The hike was led by Black Rock's Executive Director Bill Schuster, and began with a tour though this active environmental education and research facility, which features sustainable building materials, a geothermal heating system, solar panels, and composting toilets. Participants then enjoyed a two hour hike in the Forest and a picnic lunch.
On Tuesday, April 22, twenty-eight children and sixteen adults enjoyed the day in the Garrison School Forest at the Kids Earth Day Adventure. Led by environmental educator Pete Salmansohn, with help from Anne Symmes and Hank Osborn, the hike included a variety of enlightening experiences for the children and their parents including a visit to vernal pools to take a closer look at frogs and salamanders, exploration of a giant glacial boulder, and a picnic at Blueberry Swamp. An intrepid group of eight and nine year olds even cleared away invasive species along a portion of the trail. The Kids Earth Day Adventure is the first in a series of five Take-a-Hike! activities designed specifically for children this year.
The 2008 HHLT Take-a- Hike! program features seventeen unforgettable outdoor experiences led by experienced volunteers who share their knowledge of local treasures. Hikes take place throughout the Highlands and highlight ecological, historical or scenic features of open space in the region. The next scheduled hike, Song Birds of Spring, is on Saturday, May 3 at 8am in Fahnestock State Park. Lew Kingsley will lead this birdwatching walk along Sunken Mine Road. For a full Take-a- Hike schedule, visit the HHLT website: www.hhlt.org.
The Hudson Highlands Land Trust seeks to protect the special character of the Highlands through land conservation, advocacy, and the promotion of sound long-term planning. HHLT works with landowners and groups of neighbors, who are interested in preserving their property for future generations, provides information about our area's wonderful natural resources, draws attention to the high costs of shortsighted development. HHLT also organizes programs and events such as the Take-a-Hike! Program, annual Family Festival and Campout (June 21), and Choices for Sustainability Expo (November 8th). For more information, please visit www.hhlt.org or call 845-424- 3358.
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