Saturday April 27, 2024 
Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Wild Navigation Workshop
RENSSELAER COUNTY – Albert Family Community Forest, East Nassau–Saturday, May 22, 10 am – 1 pm. With Fred McCagg and Krysia Kornecki. The art of “Staying Found” requires little more than a good map and compass, and the know-how to use them properly. Today’s topographic maps are the best available, and magnetic compass models are well-designed for the modern navigator. Learn the basics of how to use these tools for a safe and fun outdoor adventure. Materials and hands-on learning provided. Instruction will be followed by a hike to practice your skills! Pre-registration is required for all events; space is limited for in-person events and masks are required. Learn more, get directions, and register at www.rensselaerplateau.org.
Rensselaer Land Trust Open House at Nassau Lake Trailhead on the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail
RENSSELAER – Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT) will be celebrating spring with an open house at the recently completed Albany-Hudson Electric Trail (AHET), a 36-mile multi-use trail that runs from the City of Rensselaer to Greenport (in Columbia County). The trail is part of the new Empire State Trail that runs 750 miles from New York City to the Canadian border and from Albany to Buffalo. RLT partnered with the Hudson Valley Greenway in creating the trailhead and will maintain a 6.5-mile portion of the trail in Schodack. RLT’s trailhead is located across from Nassau Lake at the Schodack/Nassau Lake Trailhead, which offers vehicle and bicycle parking alongside the trail. On Saturday, May 22 from 10 am – 3 pm, RLT’s board and staff will be gathering at the Schodack/Nassau Lake Trailhead. At 10 am, Andy Beers, Empire State Trail Director and a leader at the Hudson River Valley Greenway will share a few words followed by Tom Phillips, RLT’s board member and AHET maintenance coordinator for RLT’s portion of the trail. Come learn more about the AHET and other RLT – related projects. Join RLT board members for a walk or bring your bike and check out the trail. The Schodack/Nassau Lake Trailhead is located at County Route 7, Nassau, NY 12123. To view a map and learn more go to: www.renstrust.org and click on “upcoming events.”
Rensselaer Plateau Alliance All The Time In The World: Discovering the History of a Place Through Geology
RENSSELAER COUNTY – Poestenkill Community Forest, East Poestenkill–Saturday, May 29, 10 am – 1 pm. With Krysia Kornecki, PhD, geology. Do you ever wonder why the views on your horizon, the mountain ranges or gentle slopes, are the way they are? Do you ever catch the light reflecting off a stone and wonder what it might be, or how it got there? Do you ever wonder what came before us? Krysia will share some of the basic concepts and tools geologists use to read the evidence of what came before us in the rock record. This outing will help you imagine major geologic themes and processes, and to write the narrative of the forest’s lifespan through deep time in your mind’s eye. Pre-registration is required for all events; space is limited for in-person events and masks are required. Learn more, get directions, and register at www.rensselaerplateau.org.
Grafton Lakes State Park to Hold National Trails Day
CROPSEYVILLE – Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host a National Trails Day event on Saturday, June 5th. The summer has just begun, and the park could use your help! Join us to restore and maintain the trail system. Pre-registration is required. Spots are limited. The event is free of charge and will take place from 8:30 AM – 12 PM.
Has the outdoors been a haven for you during the pandemic? Have you had the privilege of enjoying Grafton Lakes State Park’s 25 miles of hiking and biking trails? The park invites patrons to help clean up and improve trails on Saturday morning and indulge in the trail activities they enjoy most in the afternoon. There will be a range of projects good for all abilities. This event is geared specifically towards adults, minimum age of 13.
Please call Grafton Lakes State Park to register: 518-279-1155.
Please take note of the following COVID-19 safety protocols and precautions. Trails projects will be kept small to limit exposure. Masks will be required during registration and anytime six feet social distance cannot be maintained. The location for the event will be shared upon registration.
Registrants will agree to not attend if they are experiencing any symptoms, have been in contact with someone who recently tested positive or is suspected to have COVID-19.
Clean up and trail improvement will take place between 8:30am and 12:00pm. Volunteers are encouraged to bring their own lunch to enjoy afterwards. To make this possible, Grafton Lakes State Park is proud to partner with local trails clubs and organizations.
At the event you can purchase any of our 50th anniversary merchandise! We have t-shirts, face masks, water bottles, stickers, and carabiners!
All participants will get their hours recorded towards our new 2021 volunteer benefits program!
Town of Schodack Day Camp/STEM Activities 2021
SCHODACK – Registration packets for the Town of Schodack Day Camp are now available for download or pick up at the Schodack Town Hall. This year camp will run from July 12, 2021 through August 6, 2021. Camp will run for 2 ½ hour sessions. Registration packets are due back to the Town Hall by June 1, 2021. For complete information please visit the Town of Schodack website at www.schodack.org and click on youth and recreation.
This year the youth department will also offer 10 STEM events during the weeks of July 12th through August 6th. All events will be held at the Schodack Town Park. Children can attend as little or as many as desired, all for one cost. These activities are not part of the Schodack Day Camp, but will be offered in addition to the Day Camp as youth opportunities and require a separate registration. The registration deadline for these STEM activities is June 1, 2021. Please visit the Town of Schodack website at www.schodack.org for more detailed information regarding these STEM events.