Rensselaer Land Trust August Events

Wetland Ecology Hike
Saturday, August 4, at 10 am. Join us for a two mile hike at Cranberry Pond. The site includes a high-quality spruce swamp, hemlock and hardwood forest, a bog-like poor fen and plants and animals rare for Rensselaer County. Local ecologist Dr. David Hunt will explain the difference between a bog and a fen and guide us through the different habitats. Wear footwear you can get very wet if you go into the fen. To register and get directions contact Nick Conrad at 518-279-1963 or nbconrad@msn.com.
Nature Poetry Contest
Submissions accepted August 1 through September 14, 2012. Do you like to write poetry? Enter our nature poetry contest! Send us your family-friendly original nature poems. Poems can be about nature, your relationship with nature and/or your experiences with nature. Accompanying supporting photos are welcome. Poems must be no longer than 200 words. Submitted poems will be posted on our Facebook Page www.Facebook.com/RensselaerLandTrust and a Facebook poll will determine the winners!   There are prizes for the winner and for the two runner up poems plus publication in our fall newsletter, on our website and on Facebook. To submit your entry, you can email it to Renstrust@renstrust.org or mail it to Rensselaer Land Trust, 415 River Street, Troy, NY, 12180.
August Wild Turkey Brood Survey
Volunteer as a Citizen Scientist! The wild turkey has re-established itself over the last fifty years as part of Rensselaer’s County wildlife. Every August New York State Department of Environmental Conservation conducts the Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey to estimate the average number of wild turkey poults (young of the year) per hen statewide and among major geographic regions of the State. You can participate in this survey as a Citizen Scientist by volunteering to record the sex and age composition of all flocks of wild turkeys you see as you are out and about this August. For information and to download a Summer Wild Turkey Sighting Survey form, go to http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/48732.html.
Mushroom Walk
Sunday, August 26, 1 pm. Sue Van Hook, local mycologist, will lead us on a walk at the height of the mushroom season. If you attended Sue’s workshop on April 24, you’ll practice the identification skills you learned. Bring a basket, a field knife or trowel and a hand lens if you have one. Sue will have hand lenses to share. The charge is $10 per person, $15 per couple and free for kids. Space is limited to 40 participants. To register and get the details, contact Marcy Steinberg at 518-674-2171 or marcygs@aol.com.