Pathways Summer 2010

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PathwaysOfcial Publication of the New York State Outdoor Education Association Summer 2010

w w w . n y s o e a . o r g 6 0 7 . 5 9 1 . 6 4 2 2

When was the last time your students made comments likethese?

This outstanding group of teachers

All the time that our teachers spent on this trip paid off and

I truly appreciate their devotion and hard work

The teachers that did this must have put a lot of time and

effort into making this possibleThank You!

These are just a few statements that we heard afterour outdoor education experiences at Sharpe Reservatoom experiences have included hiking Mount Beacon,Sugarloaf, walking the Walkway over the Hudson, and anovernight experience to Sharpe Reservation. Each time wetook our students to the outdoor classroom, they learnedand explored something new, and we came to understandour students better and made connections that helped us inthe traditional school setting.

On our return from our hiking experiences, one of thelessons we focused on was d = rt (distance equals ratemultiplied by time). In the classroom, we refer to this lesson

as dirtand the mountain is full of dirt. The experiencehelps the students retain the information I am teachingthem through common connections and memories. Early inthe year we hiked, and I introduced this concept. At the endof the year during a practice regents, a problem involvingd= rt was given:Hannah took a trip to visit her cousin. She drove 120 milesto reach her cousins house and the same distance backhome.

It took her 1.2 hours to get halfway to her cousins house.What was her average speed, in miles per hour, for the rst1.2 hours of the trip?

Hannahs average speed for the remainder of the trip to hercousins house was 40 miles per hour. How long, in hours,did it take her to drive the remaining distance?

Traveling home along the same route, Hannah drove at anaverage rate of 55 miles per hour. After 2 hours, her carbroke down. How many miles was she from home?

THE BENEFITS OF THE OUTDOORCLASSROOM: the teachers

perspective

By Sharon Forman/Laura Martinez-Bianco

For the past three years, the New York State InclusiveRecreation Resource Center has been training recreationprofessionals, students, and volunteers to gather accurateand descriptive information about recreation places andspaces using the Inclusivity Assessment Tool. This wealthof information is available in a database on the NYS IRRCswebsite, www.nysirrc.org, to help people of all abilities plantheir recreation. In honor of her signicant contribution tothe elds of both outdoor education and inclusion, and forthe amount of inclusivity assessments she has completedfor the NYS IRRCs on-line resource, Kathy Ambrosini hasbeen chosen for recognition as an Inclusivity Hero.

Kathy is the Director of Education at the Mohonk Preserve,located near New Paltz. There, Kathy oversees all ofthe programming for people of all ages and abilities andserves as the agencys Inclusion Point of Contact. Kathybegan her experience in environmental education whileobtaining her undergraduate degree from Cornell inNatural Resources and her masters in Outdoor Teacher

Education from Northern Illinois University. Throughouther 22 years of experience, Kathy has met and overcomechallenges in serving people of all abilities. She began hercareer working as the School Coordinator at the MohonkPreserve. Her main task was to develop and implementprogramming for local school children in the Field StudiesProgram. Her interest in inclusion began when she noticed

By Mark Turnbull, SUNY Cortland TR Grad Student

A NYS Inclusive RecreationResource Center Inclusivity Hero

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NYSOEA Executive BoardPresident

MaryLynne Malone

VP AdministrationMaritza Cuevas

VP CommunicationNirmal Merchant

VP Human ResourcesTim Stanley

VP ProgramRebecca Houser

SecretaryMeaghan Boice-Green

TreasurerElizabeth Van Acker

OfceDarleen Lieber

Regional DirectorsEastern- Tim NeuMetro- Jessica KratzNorthern- Gary Griz CaudleWestern- Lauren MakeyenkoCentral- Christine DeCesare

2010 National Confer-ence Committee ChairsJessica Olenych

Betsy UkeritisMaryLynne Malone

PAthwaysFrank Knight (Editor)Darleen Lieber (Editor)Nathan Garcia (Layout, Student)Nicole Gatherer (Teacher)Jonathan Duda (Marketing Manager)Snapper Petta (Member)Richard Parisio (Poetry Editor)

Invitation for Articles and News.The PATHWAYSteam is always eager to hear from members and publish the articles thatthey have authored or news or event announcements that they would like to share with fel-low members. We invite you to send your submission for our Fall issue. Simply send us thetext with any supporting material -- pictures, newspaper clippings, and more. We can receiveit in any of the ways listed below.

Advertising in PathwaysPATHWAYSwelcomes advertisements which will be of interest to the membership of NYSOEA.If you have a product, service, equipment, resource, program, etc. that you would like to share

with our membership via an advertisement, we can receive it through any of the following ways:

Email: [email protected]: (607) 753-5982

Materials should be typed. Please include a short biographical section about the author ofthe article. References cited in the article should be listed at the end of the article, APA style.

(ISSN 1077-5100) PATHWAYSis published four times a year by the New York State Out-door Education Association and is emailed to NYSOEA members. Opinions expressed bycontributors are theirs solely and not necessarily those of the Editorial Board of PATHWAYSor of NYSOEA. Advertisements included in PATHWAYSshould not be interpreted as en-

dorsement of the product(s) by NYSOEA.

A Note from the President

Mail: Darleen M. LieberRef: Pathways Advertisement / ArticleE-334 Park Center, SUNY Cortland RPLS Dept.PO Box 2000 Cortland, NY 13045

As summer moves forward, I reect on thehundreds upon hundreds of hours since Fall of2007 when it was ofcial that NYSOEA would bethe Afliate Host of the 2010 NAAEE Conferencein Buffalo, NY. We are now a few short monthsaway from this signicant event. Summertimeis when we enjoy the longest hours of daylightand the best weather for being outdoors, a time

when answering e-mails or cell phones duringthe 9-5 work day are the most difcult becausewe are in places cell phones dont and maybeshould not work. Before you let too much timeslip by, register for the conference you can do it

right on line get your room reservations before its nearly impossible. This is NYSOEAstime to shine like the longest of the most beautiful summer days. We need to have apresence at the conference that says We are an all-volunteer organization and lookwhat we can do! We are one of if not the oldest, of organizations dedicated to outdoorand environmental education in the entire country! Here we are enjoy what we have tooffer. I am pleased with the number of members who submitted proposals for sessions,and congratulations to those who were accepted.

Get yourself registered early, take advantage of the $50 NYSOEA discount*, sign up forthe NYSOEA Saturday morning breakfast and participate in the whole event includingour annual meeting Friday. It is an investment but a worthwhile one.

As always, the sunscreen, campre smoke, and bug spray will fade, and in 10 shortweeks, well be gearing up for the beginning of the school season. Days will be gettingshorter and the nights a whole lot cooler. Warm up to a glimpse of what the rest of thecountry and the world are doing in environmental education. It is worth it.

Stay cool,MaryLynne

*This discount applies to anyone who was a NYSOEA individual, student, retired, oreach of two family members as of 1/1/10.


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Albanys Summer Youth Employment provided the oppor-tunity for a number of Green Tech High Charter School stu-dents to Keep It Green this summer. With the assistanceof the Obama Work Incentive Act (WIA), Brother YusufBurgess (GTH Family Intervention Specialist) gave a selectgroup of Green Tech High students and the Boys OutdoorLeadership Team a plain distinction between communityservice and service learning. Getting the Green Tech HighCharter School boys engaged in service learning, involvesmore than arriving at a soup kitchen or a park and servingfood or cleaning up. It begins with preparation and learn-ing about natural history, the environment, and nature intheir neighborhood, says Brother Yusuf Burgess. With acombination of fun, safety, and learning, our 2009 summerworkforce service experience addressed and linked intoacademic subject matters being studied in colleges, con-servation clubs, and college preparatory programs through-out New York State and the nation.

Gaining a sense of place and responsibility through asummer job experience is critical for young adult males, asthis early training helps them to prepare for careers. Theygained valuable skills that will enable them to prepare forhigher education and the green collar jobs of the future.GTH Students earned $7.25 an hour gaining a green work

ethic. The sense of pride in the work that they accom-plished is evident.

Green Tech HighCharter School

GTH students enjoy team-buildingand urban forestry in the Catskills.

GTH student, Nahkil Selby, learnshands-on archaeological tech-niques at SUNY.

Nature Notes

Exploring aGREEN Sense of Placein New York State

Onboard the Clearwater, Green Tech High students joinothers on an historic 3-day sail on the Hudson River.

My students all completed this problem correctly andreceived full credit.

After each experience, the students are eager to work,learn, and perform. They want to demonstrate theirunderstanding. They are full of questions and honest abouttheir understanding. We believe that their commitmentto learning in the classroom is related directly to their

experiences with us outside of the school, they consistentlyperform better on tests than students who have not left thebuilding. They use their time more efciently both in theclassroom and during after school hours when they do notneed to be there.

After we visited the Walkway over the Hudson, the studentswere working on their statistical graphs in the classroom. Itwas the day before holiday break, 8 th period. I could hearthe other classes and the excitement those students wereexpressing at the end of the day. Our students were ontask and focused, quietly talking amongst themselves butworking. When the bell rang, many did not budge. I had to

ask them to leave. Imagine asking students to leave yourroom before a two-week vacation.

Imagine your students teaching you. As art and mathteachers, we use the outdoor classroom because we seemath and art everywhere. As the students participated

in our activities, they made connections to their sciencecurriculum. Without prompting, the students were usingscience vocabulary to identify, classify and describe thesituations they found themselves in. We learned a lot aboutthe science curriculum taught in our building through ourstudents experiences. The connections that students madeduring the outdoor experiences were innite. Studentsworked side by side with students they may not haveknown previously. They helped each other complete PAinitiatives. They encouraged each other to complete thehike. They comforted each other during the night walk.They helped us see a side of them that teachers do nottypically see in traditional school settings. As teachers,we believe that having these personal experiences andconnections is so benecial to reach your audience. They

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By Yusuf Burgess


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Subjects Matter

INTRODUCTION

This lesson will inform students about the food pyramid andhow to use it to ensure healthy eating habits. It will explorethe food served to students and educate them on how tochoose the healthier options. Students will learn about theportions within food groups they should be eating on a dailybasis as well.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Grade Level & Subject: Grades K-2; Health and Science.

Differentiation:

~ Ideal for children with special needs due to the learningdomains addressed in this lesson.~These activities are geared toward visual, kinesthetic, andtactile learners.~ Ideal for English Language Learners - see extendedactivities section for ELL enrichment.

Length: One 60-minute class period.

Objectives:

After completing this lesson, students will be able to: Understand the Food Pyramid and daily nutrition needed. Understand the benets of healthy eating and betterchoices.

To view this lesson in full, please visit www.nysoea.org

What is the Food Pyramid?By Lindsay DeHartchuck

Have you considered a run for the NYSOEA Board ofDirectors? Do you know someone who would makean excellent board member? If so, we are acceptingnominations until July 30th for the following positions:

VP of Program

VP of Human Resources Treasurer Central Regional Director Eastern Regional Director

Go to the NYSOEA website to nominate a candidate.REMEMBER to ask your nominee if they are interestedin running in the election and serving on the Board.Please include a brief bio of the nominee and indicatethe desired position of the nominee.

Do you prefer mail? Send your nomination to ourCortland ofce.

Board

Nominations

Due!

are truly our students now.

Laura Martinez-Bianco has been teaching art since 1984in the public schools: 24 years at Mahopac grade K-12.She previously taught at SUNY New Paltz, incorporatingart into the social studies. Laura has been an artist all ofher life and currently teaches pastel classes in Tuscany,Italy. She graduated form SUNY New Paltz with a MS in Art

Education.

Sharon Forman has been teaching mathematics for 22years at Mahopac at the middle and high school levels.She has a masters degree from Western ConnecticutUniversity. Sharon enjoys spending time with her twodaughters and running with her dog. She sees matheverywhere!

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environmental educationBuilding Connections~Bridging Gaps

naaees 39th annual conferenceBuffalo-Niagara, New York Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2010

7th Annual Research Symposium Sept. 28 & 29

Join us as we welcome these special guests

TOM CHAPIN

Wednesday, September 29Opening Ceremony

Join Grammy Award-winning

musician, entertainer, singer-

songwriter, and storyteller Tom

Chapin as he helps NAAEE kick

o its 39th Annual Conerence!

LOIS GIBBS

Thursday, September 30

Lois Gibbs, ounder o the Center

or Health, Environment and Justice,

won the nations frst community

relocation o 900 amilies due to a

leaking toxic waste dump in Love

Canal, New York. Through this eort

she helped the nation to recognize

the link between peoples exposures

to dangerous chemicals in their

communities and serious public

health impacts.

OREN LYONS

Saturday, October 2Annual Awards Lunch

Chie Oren Lyons is the Faithkeeper

o the Turtle Clan, and a member

o the Onondaga Nation Council

o Chies o the Six Nations o the

Iroquois Conederacy. His many

interests include international

indigenous aairs and international

environmental issues. Among his

many awards are the First Annual

Earth Day International Award o

the United Nations and the Elder

and Wiser Award o the Rosa Parks

Institute or Human Rights.

THE CALL FOR PRESENTATIONScloses February 1, 201http://www.naaee.org/conerence/call-or-presentations


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that school children with disabilities only participated in alimited amount of the outdoor educational programmingoffered to their classmates at the preserve or, even worse,they were often left behind at school while their classmatesvisited the preserve. Kathy set out to develop inclusiveoutdoor educational programming, which focused onyounger children, that allowed people of all abilities towork together to develop their strengths and abilities. This

programming has become the Nature Access Program,which includes eld studies, outreach programs, summercamps, public programs, environmental education trainingfor teachers, and self-guided group visits, as well asindividual and family visits. With her growing experienceand expertise in outdoor education and inclusion, otherparks and environmental educational professionals lookingto make their facilities and programs accessible called uponKathy. Before long, Kathy was spending more and moretime on the phone answering questions, prompting herto write her book, Making Outdoor Programs Accessible.The book focuses on developing inclusive programming,inclusive teaching techniques, and universal design. If

you are interested in this amazing resource, you cannd information about the $11.95 book on the MohonkPreserves website at www.mohonkpreserve.org/index.php?education

During a New York State Outdoor Education AssociationConference a few years ago in Lake Placid, Kathy met thestaff of the New York State Inclusive Recreation ResourceCenter and participated in Inclusion U training. Since then,Kathy has completed six inclusivity assessments and isworking to reach her goal of assessing the 25 sites thatparticipated in the Hudson Valley Accessible Parks andNature Centers Workshop. Kathy has been motivated in

completing inclusivity assessments because she knowsthat parks and nature centers are great places for learning;they just need assistance in opening their doors to peopleof all abilities.

The New York State Inclusive Recreation Resource Centerwould once again like to thank Kathy Ambrosini for her con-tribution to the elds of outdoor education and inclusion andfor her work adding to the NYS IRRC database. To learnmore about work of the NYS IRRC or how you can becomean assessor, visit www.nysirrc.org. Congratulations, Kathy!

This year, the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge turns125 years old! We honor this milestone with the re-naming

of the Ashokan Center newsletter Bridges -- reecting themany connections made through Ashokan over the years bridging millennia, communities, nature and culture, peopleand generations. And ideas

Among its many connections, the Turnwood Bridge hasserved as a bridge over and between two famed Catskilltrout streams the Beaver Kill and the Esopus -- todayspanning the Esopus through the Cathedral Gorge just easof Winchells Falls.

Originally located in the Beaver Kill Valley, the Turnwood

Covered Bridge was designed and built in 1885 by NelsonThompkins, a local craftsman from the the Hardenburghamlet of Turnwood, using native materials and the pat-ented town truss structure (named after its inventor, IthielTown). This particular design was well suited for wagontrafc that carried the 19th Century wood products manu-factured in that part of the Catskills.

The Turnwood Bridge remained in that remote corner ofthe Catskills for ve decades. After the county declared itunsafe and the bridge suffered ood damage, the bridgewas replaced by a steel structure, and the county put theTurnwood Bridge up for public auction in 1939, when it was

purchased for one dollar by Lester A. Moehring, comptrolleof the Chrysler Corporation. Mr. Moehring had the bridgedismantled and transported in pieces to his estate in Olive-bridge, where it was reassembled at its present location.Moehring sold his property in 1955 to Frank Banks, whorenamed the estate Barrington Lodge, and in 1957, theState University of NY purchased the property. Ten yearslater, the Ashokan Field Campus became an environmentaeducation and retreat center and the rest well, as theysayis history.

BY Deborah Meyer DeWan

Ashokan-Turnwood CoveredBridge celebrates 125 years!

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Just imagine going on a small treasure hunt, in search ofthe best produce awaiting gathering fresh from the eld.There are many farms in the Hudson Valley and across thestate that offer their elds to the public for fun picking allof natures nutritious goodness. One such farm, locatedin Wappingers Falls, is called Secor Farm, a u-pick-emplace for strawberries and peas in June; blueberries in Julythrough early to mid August, and pumpkins in October.

Secor Strawberries Inc., as they are more formally knownhas been in business since the 1960s. Owners Don andMary Secor opened their elds to the public 46 years ago.Today, the farm has expanded to more than 100 acres withmany more available fruits and veggies.

Picking fresh produce is a crowd pleaser for all ages. SecorFarm tends to draw in older pickers who are looking to pickplenty of fresh fruit to preserve as fresh jams and jellies.

Many families bring their youngsters to have a good timeand gather fruit to quickly create tasty meals. However, nomatter what age you are or how many fruits or vegetablesyou pick, the important thing is that you are enjoying thewondrous outdoors of summer while participating in ahealthy activity. Yes, fruit picking can be your workout forthe day as well as providing a very healthy part of yourdiet! Strawberries and blueberries are just a few of thefruits of summer that pack many nutrient-rich vitamins andantioxidants that boost brain cells and help prevent somecancers.

Starting in early June, many come out to pick the rstsummer fruits. These strawberries enrich many recipesfrom cookies to soups and can be frozen to keep year-round. In the waning weeks of June, the Secors areready with sugar snap and English shelling peas. There isnothing better than picking a pea off of a vine and eatingit like candy. As June passes into July, blueberries areready. Blueberry season is one of the longest, lastinguntil mid-August. Many Secor Farm visitors also enjoyother summer harvesting pleasures- a large variety ofvegetables. From mid-July through August, Secor Farmstomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and corn are just a few

Summer the time of year when we can all feel likechildren again. The long- awaited season, when wecan emerge from our dens to breathe in the warm air ofsummertime. Its a magical time of year when we cherishthe long days of frolicking in the sun. Wouldnt it be great ifwe could all press a pause button on life and take the time

to notice the beauty of the summer days that lie ahead?

Within all this beauty, many of us ock to beaches andparks, visit family and friends, take a camping trip or two;but some forget another fun summer activity that awaits:picking your very own fruits and vegetables! Yes, fruitsand veggie harvests can be a rewarding summer event forthe whole family!

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In June 2000 the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge, as itwas then called, was listed as a State Historic Site, andone month later was added to the National Registry ofHistoric Places. The Rondout Esopus Land Conservancyholds a Conservation Easement on the land beneath it,and the bridge itself is owned by the Ashokan Foundation.Today, the Ashokan-Turnwood Covered Bridge remainsan enduring symbol of the link between technologies and

communities of the past and the promise of the future we atAshokan uphold. This bridge reminds us of our belief that itis important to preserve and connect with the past in orderto meet the challenges of the future.

Many have walked across its sturdy hemlock planks andstepped back in time, whether with a school group headinginto the Gorge, on a geology walk with Professor Bob Titus,or touching the history of people who have come before atthe Homestead. It is a place that literally gives one pause,as the sign on a portal of the bridge reads:

10 Dollars Fine for Crossing Bridge Faster Than a Walk

Come celebrate the Turnwood Bridge birthday atAshokans Fall Festival, October 16th! Watch our websitefor details, and join our e-list for updates.

Taste the Summerby Rebecca Smith

Atia and Jessica discover the wonders of berry picking

(Continued on page 8)


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(Smith Continued from page 7)

crowd pleasers.

For those unable to pick themselves, the farm stand onRobinson Lane in Wappingers offers fresh-picked produceas well as jams and jellies and recipe books. So, put onthe sun block and a nice big hat, and begin enjoying whereyou live the bountiful harvest for another 90 glorious daysuntil those school bells signal the coming of fall. From our

Secor family and all the you-pick farms to your family, getout there to enjoy summer one piece of fruit at a time.

For more information, check out Secors Berry hotline at845-452-6883. Check your County Cooperative Extensionwebsite for similar farming operations near you.

I do as little as possible, conspire to be lazy, and am alwaysvery occupied. My beekeeping is minimal but grand in itsapplication. By not wiring in wax foundation any more,weeks of my life are freed up! And the bees are freed up!The less we do, the more the bees are empowered, theless danger they are in. Back in the day of rest before labor,no action or material was wasted. There wasnt a lot towaste. We can be more in touch with where we live, wholives there, and what everyone is foraging on. It becomeseasy to let go, and challenging in taking the next step.

Perhaps there never was such a day when humans werenot oppressing each other and their environment. Certainlythings have never been as worse or drastic as now, but justhow deeply ingrained are the psychological misalliancesthat drive us to control each other and dump on otherspecies? How far back do they go? My beekeeping doesntstrive to make a point. I can introduce you to some bees,and you all can have your own discussion.

What you will need for your top bar hive:

To live in the northeast, where you can pick up your bees inthe Hudson Valley, NY, in the spring: I dont ship anything atthe moment, but will deliver. I relish in beeing a small-time

operation vocal in alternative methods.

Location for your hives requires ample forage throughoutthe warm season. Something in this order, the bees ofthe Hudson Valley see pollen and nectar from willow,oak, maple, dandelion, buttercup, vetch, trefoil, locust,basswood, clover, milkweed, sumac, knapweed, purpleloosestrife, daisies, goldenrod, Japanese knotweed,asters The bees will forage for maybe 6 miles in anydirection to get it (though mostly within one to two miles),

so your little front lawn isnt going to hold their interest forlong. Bees in the suburbs do well as everyone irrigatestheir clover. Beekeeping in the cities, though it is done,should be executed with caution to be sure the bees arending enough nourishment. You will get to know yourarea and know the ups and down, of the honey ow. Thereshould be safe water available close by. Put your hive in ful

sun if possible, with at southeastern exposure. Shelter fromthe wind is very benecial. The bees like their brood nestalways at 92 degrees.

Hive stand I use cinder blocks often, though they areheavy. Double stacked (4) blocks provide good height tokeep the hive out of the snow. The hive can soon weighhundreds of pounds, so you certainly dont want it to tipover. You will need a brick or rock or two to keep the lid on.

Smoker / smudge the most effective tool we have inworking with bees is smoke, for when the bee hive tipsover due to a bear or clumsy beekeeper. (Ive seen all youcould imagine and then some.) The over-use of smoke

can be detrimental, curtail foraging, and make the queenrun around. It can also calm the hives at their crankiestmoments and avoid harsh feelings for all parties. A bee willbe trying to sting me, I will send a puff of smoke her way,and she will forget what she is doing and return to her hiveand start chowing down on nectar.

Veil Its good to have one while you learn how to movearound the bees. Though I never wear a veil, I have a fullsuit if I nd bear-damaged hives or am called about someangry bees. Visitors to your apiary might want to wearveils. Its all fun and games till someone gets stung in theface.

bee Keeping- Getting Startedby Sam Comfort


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Non-Prot

U.S. PostageP A I DCortland, NY

Permit No. 14

New York State Outdoor Education Association

c/o Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure StudiesP.O. Box 2000

SUNY Cortland

Cortland, New York 13045

NYSOEAisaprofessionalorganizationthatpromotesinterdisciplinarylife-longlearningin,for,andabouttheoutdoorsandseekstoinspireappreciationoftheenvironmentbyallpeople.

PathwaysInthisSummer2010issue:

andmore....

Beekeeping

Heroes

Nominations

CheckoutourNEWandIMPROVED

website!www.nysoea.org

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