mixed medium "Bald eagle" painting I did..
Saturday February 7, 2009
Hudson River EagleFest
Category : Outdoors
Description : Teatown Lake Reservation will host the Fifth Annual Hudson River EagleFest on Saturday, February 7, from 9am to 4pm. The event will be headquartered at Westchester County’s Croton Point Park, with additional eagle viewing sites located along the Hudson River.
The EagleFest coincides with the annual winter gathering of Bald Eagles in the Lower Hudson Valley and offers participants a chance to observe our national symbol up close in their natural setting. Adults and children attending the EagleFest will learn about the natural history, recent recovery, and habitat needs of eagles through activities led by local experts and environmental conservationists.
EagleFest activities will include:
At Croton Point Park. Heated tents filled with educational displays, collaborator exhibits and children’s activities featuring Bald Eagles and other birds of prey.
Arm-of-the-Sea Theater’s “City that Drinks the Mountain Sky.” A performance of giant puppets and music telling of the formation of the New York City water system, and the on-going story of the watershed, it’s beauty, vulnerability and necessity for ecological health in the Hudson Hills and Highlands. Two shows in the Eagle Theater: 11:15am and 1:45pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at 914-762-2912, ext. 110. “Close Encounters with Birds of Prey.” Bill Streeter from the Delaware Valley Raptor Center, will introduce eagles, hawks and owls in an informative and entertaining show. Two shows in the Eagle Theater: 10am and 12:30pm.
Jonathan Kruk, Storyteller. 10:30am and 12:45pm on Eaglet Stage. Free.
“Flight of the Raptor.” Animal expert James Eyring at 3pm. Free.
Eagle Exploration Bus Tour. The tour will begin at the headquarters at Croton Point Park and will visit three eagle viewing sites. The 2-hour tour is geared to adults and teens (12 years and older), and offers the expertise of a naturalist in the comfort of a chartered 36-seat bus. Tour times: 9:30am and 2pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $15 at 914-762-2912, ext.110.
Eagle Viewing Sites Along the Hudson River. Individuals and families can visit at no charge three eagle-spotting sites along the Hudson River: (1) Croton-Harmon train station boat ramp; (2) George’s Island Park in Montrose; and (3) Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center in Peekskill. Each site will be staffed by eagle experts with spotting scopes, warming tents and hot chocolate. See www.teatown.org for the listing of additional open education centers, viewing locations and activities.
Each winter between January and March, Bald Eagles from Canada and northern New York and New England fly south to the Lower Hudson Valley to feed on fish and waterfowl found in unfrozen waters. In recent years, more than 100 bald eagles have been counted along the Westchester and Putnam portions of the Hudson River and nearby reservoirs. The annual return of the Bald Eagle to the Hudson Hills and Highlands region is a celebrated occasion for local bird lovers as well as environmentalists because it represents the success of a broad-based environmental effort to rescue the Bald Eagle, our national symbol, from near extinction. Every year the eagles’ return affirms the continued health of the Hudson River and nearby habitats for birds, fish, plants and people – and a reminder that people working together can make a difference!
In the event of severe weather, the alternate date for the EagleFest will be Sunday, February 8. Please check Teatown’s website — www.teatown.org — for program details and weather updates, or call Teatown at (914) 762-2912, ext. 110.
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Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit, bioregional environmental organization with an 834-acre nature preserve and education center spanning Yorktown, Cortlandt and Ossining. The preserve has 15 miles of hiking trails over woodlands, meadows, streams and marsh habitats. Teatown’s mission is to conserve open space and to educate and involve the regional community in order to sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations.
