PATHWAYS

Official Publication of the New York State Outdoor Education Association

www.nysoea.org • 607. 591.6422 • Summer 2018
Photo by 829 Studios, Boston, Massachusetts
 NYSOEA Executive Board
President – Eric Powers
In this Issue…
VP Administration – Vacant
VP Communications & Technology – Jessica Kratz A lot can happen in a moment. Even more in just one year.
VP Human Resources – Kathryn Phipps How the time flies by when you're working towards a goal, a
VP of Programs – Megan Hoffman relationship, or an ambition. Suddenly months fold up into
years, and the years into decades. For NYSOEA, the dream of
Secretary – Sunny Corrao
connecting people with the outdoors again transformed from
Treasurer – Elizabeth Van Acker
a desire into a fully fledged organization that does just that.
Office - Darleen Lieber
NYSOEA turns 50 years old this year, and we will be celebrating
at YMCA Greenkill Outdoor Education Center this Fall. If you're
Regional Directors looking for information on this monumental conference, look
Eastern – Rebecca Shultz no further than our Special Conference Section in this issue of
PATHWAYS! We will be celebrating 50 years of a job well done,
Metro – Vacant
and looking forward to another successful 50 years into the
Northern – Tracy Thomas
future!
Western – Shannon Morley
Central – Josh Teeter Table of Contents
3 President’s Message
2018 Conference Chairs
4 Editor's Corner: Salt Marsh Detectives
Flo Mauro
Nancy Reichert 8 Affiliate Spotlight: YMCA Greenkill
Outdoor Education Center
Pathways 14 Special 50th Anniversary Conference Section
Chief Editor 15 Introduction – Hello All!
Amanda Dauman
16 Keynote Speaker: Bill Hammond
Issue Editors 17 Keynote Speaker: Judy Braus
Jill Eisenstein
18 Featured Speakers
Jessica Kratz
20 Workshop Schedule
Graphic Designer
25 Conference Schedule
Matthew Fraher
26 Special Events
Content Editors
28 Perhaps Every Auction Item Tells a Story
Jill Eisenstein
Frank Knight 29 Children's Shoe Drive
Darleen Lieber 30 Pre-Conference Programs & Trips
33 Memories of NYSOEA from our Past Presidents
Webmaster
36 Thanks to Our Partners
Phil Berkowitz
38 Conference FAQs
Communications & Technology Committee
40 Solid Roots: InFARMation for Environmental Education
Jill Eisenstein
44 The Outside Story: A Slow Start for Snapping Turtles
Members at Large
Sarah Conley 46 Remembering Dr. Samuel B. Ross Jr.
Margaret Maruschak 47 Off the Shelf Resources From an
Carol Guerreri Rogers Environmental-Oriented Librarian
Shannon Morley
49 Monitoring for Southern Pine Beetle

51 Guidelines for Pathways: Writing

2 Pathways Summer 2018

President’s Message
Dead reckoning is the process of determining one’s present
position by projecting course and speed from a known
past position, and predicting a future position by projecting
course and speed from a known present position. (Bowditch,
Nathaniel. The Practical American Navigator. Chapter 7, as
referenced in a poem, “Dead Reckoning” by Marguerite Maria
Rivas)
While the summer season is busy with camp and
programming, the break, or at least a change of pace,
hopefully allows some time for leisurely reflection. While
enjoying outdoor activities, my mind often becomes calm
enough to take stock of where I am going and remembering
where I have been. My serendipitous joy of finding an egret
in the lake or a horseshoe crab along the shore of
the Atlantic reminds me of my greater
connection, why I continue to be
an Outdoor Educator, and why we all
care about the future of NYSOEA. But as
President, I often ask myself—where will we
go from here?  
While reflecting this summer, consider
the theme of NYSOEA’s 50th Anniversary
Conference: “Learn It… Live It… Pay It Forward.”
This Conference is all about celebrating our
past, taking stock of where we are, and charting
a course for the future. Our
organization has been
planning for this
celebration
since before
Pathways Summer 2018
the 2014 conference and it is nice to see everyone on the
Board and Conference Committee putting the pieces together
like the true professionals that they are. I am honored to serve
with these intelligent, energetic, and dedicated people.
We will be rolling out the New Member Welcome Packet as
well as unveiling our new Membership Brochure! Expect
exciting new updates to nysoea.org, social media, and our
online store. One intriguing new project is rooted in the
archival information that we have accumulated: we are
planning an online directory that can be shared digitally and
searched easily. We want to make it easier to become involved
and remain involved. There is great honor and prestige in
adding NYSOEA service to one’s resume!
We are the sum of our collective resources and
actions, so please help make these
ripple effects carry
us well into the next
fifty years. Maybe
there is someone in your
network who would make a
great NYSOEA member, Committee member, or
Board member. Please tell them more about our
wonderful organization and about our upcoming
historic conference. Perhaps as you go through your
possessions, you will
find great items to donate to the NYSOEA auction.
And if you have a few minutes, remember to register
for the Conference yourself…Early bird rates are available
through Saturday, September 1!    
This issue of Pathways is filled with reflections from the past,
perspectives from the present, and great suggestions and tips
for the future.  Enjoy some quality summer reading…
Stay connected!
Eric Powers, President
Eric Powers
President, NYSOEA
president@nysoea.org
3
 PATHWAYS Chief Editor Amanda Dauman, left, pulling seine
net with Baldwin Middle School teacher Stacy Penzer

4 Photo by Amanda Dauman Pathways Summer 2018

 SALT MARSH
DETECTIVES Written by Amanda Dauman, Chief Editor
pathways@nysoea.org
The day was already not panning out the way we had hoped.
It was rainy, exceptionally cool for June, and now our
detectives, two classes of 6th graders from Baldwin Middle
School, were about an hour late into their two-hour program.
Despite these set-backs, my first Salt Marsh Detectives
program with Ward Melville Heritage Organization (WMHO)
at the Erwin J. Ernst Marine Conservation Center at West
Meadow Beach was an unbelievable success.
Over the last few years, I’ve been increasingly interested in
estuarine health and education. Estuaries are the boundaries
where rivers and the ocean meet; they provide countless
animals a haven to find mates, food, nurseries, and housing.
Estuaries are so important, in fact, that Congress instated the
National Estuary Programs in 1987 as part of the Clean Water
Act. Twenty-eight estuaries of national significance are given
funding to restore their water quality, ecology, and educate the
public. New York is home to three such estuaries – the NY-NJ
Bight, Long Island Sound, and the Peconic Estuary (the water
body between Long Island’s forks). West Meadow Beach and
its associated salt marsh, therefore, are a sort of “estuary within
an estuary” as the marsh empties into the Long Island Sound,
and it is where Ward Melville and Dr. Erwin J. Ernst worked
together to save 88-acres of this important habitat in the
Pathways Summer 2018
1970’s. Now, the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, named
after the former man who breathed life into what is now Stony
Brook and Setauket on Long Island’s north shore, uses the
tiny estuary to educate people of all ages. I am more often the
naturalist on WMHO’s Discovery Cruise, a small pontoon boat
ride through the 88-acre preserve that focuses on the area’s
history and wildlife as we come upon them. However, I am
often invited to step in as an educator for the various outreach
programs and summer camps the organization’s education
managers have developed.
On this rainy Friday, we challenged our 6th grade detectives
to crack the case of Calvin Clam’s murder. In an effort to
drive water quality importance home, their teachers asked
us to focus on the water cycle and how water pollution
affects wildlife and humans alike. The students were so
smart and well-versed in different sources of pollution.
When asked, they mentioned chemical pollution, trash, oil,
and even atmospheric deposition! I was so impressed, and
introduced to them the idea that light and noise could also
count as pollution towards marine life. We then presented the
students five “suspects” from the marsh that could have killed
Calvin, along with supporting evidence pointing towards
our real culprit. Although today’s clam murder whodunit was
5

previously developed by my supervisor, Deborah Boudreau,
and another educator, Emily Correia, it took a lot of planning
and detail work beforehand to ensure we would lead the
students to our main point.
Our suspects were an opportunity to introduce other common
salt marsh animals to the students. Owen Oystercatcher was
one I added to the list, as my work as a fishery observer, as well
as a Discovery cruise naturalist with WMHO, brought me close
to these iconic little shorebirds. Black and white like a penguin
with a long, bright orange beak, the American Oystercatcher
is a striking bird to witness. Recently, Stony Brook Harbor
has become a home for a growing number of oystercatcher
families. Not only that, but the birds eat bivalves, including
clams, a fact I hoped would force the students to consider
the details of our case as they defended or accused suspects
during the program. Other suspects included Bonnie Blue
Crab, Jordan Jellyfish, Damon Dinoflagellate (die-nuh-FLAH-
gel-eht), and The Human. The children had fun reading the
material about their assigned suspect, creating an argument
in their defense, looking through the microscope at real
phytoplankton (the plant part of the plankton community),
looking at poor Calvin (who was just two clam shells glued
shut), and arguing with me about who they thought was the
real culprit.
6 Pathways Summer 2018
Baldwin Middle School students writing their defense for a suspect.
Eventually, the students went through every suspect. They
were extremely tuned in to details, immediately finding the
oystercatcher, human, and blue crab innocent simply because
the way their victim died was not conducive to the hunting
strategies of their suspects. The jellyfish was a little harder, but
eventually the students found the stinging tentacles could not
kill the clam either, what with it being closed tightly shut. That
just left the dinoflagellate.
For those who are not well-read in marine microorganisms,
dinoflagellates are a group of microscopic algae made famous
chiefly for their role in creating red, rust, or brown tides, some
of which are poisonous. Long Island bays have been plagued
by a brown tide algae since the 1980’s, with elevated nutrient
loading from lawn fertilizer causing the blooms. In our mock
courtroom, our salt marsh detectives were quick to pick up on
this situation and found Damon Dinoflagellate guilty of killing
Calvin Clam. However, the children also came back to our
human suspect, and found the human to also be indirectly
responsible as well, connecting the out-of-balance ecosystem
with the human-caused water pollution.
We then took the children outside to find evidence of
their suspects. They were so very curious about everything,
picking up snails, asking questions, finding bird feathers,

and admiring the plant life. Being outside, even though it
was rainy, did a lot of good for the students. I felt after all was
said and done, time outdoors brought our mock court case
to life for them. Soon after, pizza arrived, rounding out the
day to be one of success and fun, despite its start. When the
kids left for the day, my supervisor, the other educator, and I
celebrated. Not only did the kids learn valuable things about
the salt marsh, but they were challenged to connect what they
knew and learned to a real world problem and had to support
their claims with evidence. This August, I will be doing an
entire week of these Salt Marsh Detective programs, and I
really can’t wait.
Pathways Summer 2018
Baldwin students taking turns looking
under the microscope at phytoplankton
Ward Melville Heritage Organization has many options for
outdoor field trips for children of all ages, including historical,
environmental, and scientific programming. If you’re
interested in working with WMHO in setting up a trip, visit
their website at wmho.org/education-programs.
References:
USA EPA. Overview of the National Estuary Program:
https://www.epa.gov/nep/overview-national-estuary-
program. Accessed 05 June 2018.
Ward Melville Heritage Organization: https://wmho.org/
Accessed 05 June 2018.
7
 Affiliate Spotlight

YMCA Greenkill
Outdoor Education Center
8
 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

Written by Margaret Maruschak

I
t was 1918 when Mrs. Talcott donated the first 300
acres in Huguenot to the YMCA and Camp Talcott
was created. In 1923, another 417 acres of adjacent
property were purchased for Greenkill and Camp
McAlister. This year, the YMCA of Greater New York
celebrates 100 years of bringing summer camp and
the outdoors to children in Huguenot, New York.
The campus at Huguenot consists of three camps: Greenkill
Outdoor Education & Retreat Center, Camp Talcott, and Camp
McAlister. Known inclusively as New York YMCA Camp, the
property has expanded to over 1000 contiguous acres.

The success and endurance at the YMCA is built upon its

solid base of summer camps, outdoor education, retreats,
and community events.

Greenkill Outdoor Education and Retreat Center

Outdoor Education began at Greenkill when the first schools
were hosted in the mid-‘70s. Greenkill Outdoor Education
Center offers an array of outdoor ed programs including
various ecologies and wildlife studies hosting school and
homeschool groups of all ages in both residential and day
settings. Some schools have been attending as long as the
program has existed. Hillary Southard, Director at Greenkill,
said the staff and students’ favorite class is Survival. To
test their newly acquired fire building skills, small teams
are presented the “one match challenge” to try to build a
sustainable fire with just one match. Residential groups learn
more advanced fire building skills and cook a meal over a fire.

Southard smiled when speaking about Regatta. Teams attempt

to build a functional boat out of cardboard and duct tape. The
results? Well, it’s the teambuilding that really floats the best!
Greenkill also teaches modern GPS skills in its Geocache class
where students learn to find a hidden cache in the woods.

Southard encourages staff to take advantage of those

“teachable moments” to customize programming to make
classes more meaningful and memorable. One of her favorite
things about working at Greenkill is that it is a great place for
personal growth in the young staff and that they sometimes
figure out their purpose and path in life. In fact, many
NYSOEA members started their careers at Greenkill.

Pathways Summer 2018 Pathways Summer 2018 9

Nancy Reichert, former Director and currently the Director
of Alumni and Fund Development at Greenkill, shared
a memorable class from the past: For Aquatic Studies, a
customized pontoon boat with children aboard was hauled
out into the middle of the lake on a pulley system. Once there,
a floor covering was removed to reveal a non-glass bottom.
The students learned to use the Secchi disk, plankton net, and
measured water properties such as pH. One time the boat got
stuck in the middle of the lake and needed to be “rescued.” One quick internet map search reveals the exciting wilderness
Facilities at Greenkill include the Mary French Rockefeller
Environmental Education Center, which has classrooms and
an auditorium. Groups enjoy a spacious dining hall and a
great variety of lodge and dorm housing options. Custom-
built Evergreen Lodge is LEED (“Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design”) Platinum certified and features
geothermal heating, recycled denim insulation, and recycled
material countertops (one is made of recycled money!).
Interpretive signage on the walls highlights each
of Evergreen’s environmentally friendly attributes.
The Greenkill campus is also home to the Greenkill Retreat
Center, which hosts one day to multi-day visits. Because
every group is unique, retreats are fully customizable.
Staff helps coordinate programming, lodging, recreation,
and meals.
10
Summer Camp at Huguenot: “Wibits, ribbits, and rabbits”
As summer begins, children’s thoughts drift to long days and
summer camp. What did a camper look like 100 years ago?
Well, back then, summer camps were just for boys. Today,
both boys and girls enjoy summer camp. The clothes and
haircuts may be different, but the reasons for going to camp
and the memories made are still much the same.
setting awaiting the YMCA campers, many whom come from
New York City. Camps Talcott and McAlister offer traditional
sleep-away experiences for ages 7-16. Day camp, called Camp
Huguenot, offers a mini day camp for ages 5-6 and is a perfect
way to introduce the youngest outdoor explorers to a camp
experience.
“Variety!” might describe the activities enjoyed by summer
campers at Greenkill. Visit the website for a full description
of all the activities – including adventure and team building,
performing and visual arts, sports, water activities, and
outdoor living skills. Each of the three lakes has a Wibit
inflatable obstacle course.
Ranch camp and horseback riding lessons are offered as add-
on programs at the on-site ranch. Also at the ranch area is a
petting zoo with pot-bellied pigs, goats, and rabbits. Reichert
Pathways Winter 2018
said many children return to the farm over and over. The
gentle animals are comforting to campers, especially those
who are feeling homesick.

For teens looking for a higher level of challenge, the New

York Y kicks it up a notch with YMCA’s new BOLD GOLD
Outdoor Adventure Trips (Boys/Girls Outdoor Leadership
Development). Small groups of youth embark on 1-2 week
wilderness expeditions and develop community and
teamwork as they set camp on the Appalachian Trail, rock
climb in the Shawangunks, or raft the Delaware River.

The YMCA has a long history of supporting sports. In the

summer, Greenkill offers volleyball and judo sports specialty
camps with professional trainers. The campus features an
18,000 square foot field house and outdoor volleyball field.
Sports campers also have the use of a complete training
room, weight lifting and cardiovascular training equipment,
and the professional health center. After training, campers
enjoy a variety of additional camp activities.

Community Events
Greenkill hosts several popular yearly events for families
and individuals. Family Camp and Winter Family Camp
are structured around togetherness and are a great way
for families to reconnect and can strengthen family bonds.
Women’s Wellness Weekends are in their 29th year and
feature activities such as hiking, yoga, water sports, health
and wellness sessions, and workshops. The property is also
provides the course for the local school district’s cross-
country team.

Winter Sleep-away Camp puts a whole new dimension

onto camp with snow shoeing, cross country skiing, animal
tracking, and much, much more. Borrowing from the Regatta
class, winter brings cardboard and duct tape sled-building
and castle-building challenges.

Pathways Summer 2018 11

Alumni
Greenkill staff love to hear from their alumni. Stop by
and visit the campus or attend the yearly reunion. Join
the Alumni Association and the alumni-only Facebook
group, which has over 500 members. Also check out the
online quarterly newsletter, Huguenot Happenings, for
the latest news.
Come On Over!
Catch your brother’s fish that got away, lay your footprint
upon mine, and make a wish upon the same star the
founders placed their hopes and dreams. On to the next
100 years of making memories!
Please visit the website at ymcanyc.org/ycamps for more
information.
A DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY!
In September, a double celebration is in order when
YMCA’s Greenkill Outdoor Education Center, celebrating
its 100th anniversary, hosts NYSOEA’s 50th Anniversary
Conference. All year staff and volunteers from both
organizations have been planning a big birthday bash
and all NYSOEA members and guests are invited!
12 Pathways Spring 2018
John Snowden
The “Father” of Greenkill Outdoor Education
As the YMCA of Greater New York celebrates
its centennial year on the beautiful property in
Huguenot, staff would like to recognize former Vice-
President John Snowden as a very special person
in their history. In the formative years of outdoor
education, Snowden, a long time YMCA camp
professional, understood that Greenkill should be a
part of the movement and be able to serve children
outdoors year-round. This required winterized
facilities and professional staff.
Snowden persevered over 30 years overseeing
the necessary capital campaigns to bring outdoor
education to the facility in Huguenot. With his
leadership, funds were raised to replace circa 1920s
cabins with six year-round dormitories, build
the Mary French Rockefeller Outdoor Education
Center, the expansive sports center, the climbing
tower, and more. Snowden was supportive of hiring
skilled leadership and educators providing them
professional YMCA training, and enthusiastically
encouraging program staff to join and be involved in
professional organizations such as NYSOEA.
It was John Snowden’s initial vision and support of
outdoor education that laid the foundation for all
Greenkill is today. Snowden is now retired and living
in Texas with his wife Pam, who is also retired from
the YMCA.
Photo retrieved from New York YMCA Camp Alumni private group
Facebook page, June 12, 2018.
 New York State Outdoor Education Association
50th Annual Conference

50 Years of Educating Outdoors

For more information and to volunteer to present a workshop,

visit: nysoea.org/conference

Questions? Contact: conferencecommittee2018@nysoea.org

Pathways Summer 2018 13

14 Pathways Summer 2018
 NYSOEA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE

IS OFFICIALLY FOR BUSINESS

Hello everyone…

We have been working towards this announcement for a long time Registration for the Conference is available now in both on-line and
and happy to send it to you. This Conference truly celebrates our past ‘write-in’ opportunities at www.nysoea.org.
and helps chart a course for our future. The overall program from start
The YMCA’s Greenkill Outdoor Education and Retreat Center in
to finish stays true to our philosophy and theme to ‘Learn It … Live
Huguenot, NY, is the host site for this year’s Annual Conference.
It … Pay it Forward’. We are taking this opportunity in Pathways to
If you are planning on lodging or camping at Greenkill for the
introduce you to the Conference and provide everything you need to
Conference, please register early as some options are limited. For
know to entice you to join us.
more information about Greenkill, its facilities and lodging/camping
All of the Conference information you see here is also available opportunities for the Conference visit Greenkill Retreat Center, New
in more detail on NYSOEA’s website www.nysoea.org including: York YMCA Camp.
an introduction to our sponsors, The Brandwein Institute and the
Join us!! Come to the Conference, become an exhibitor, take out
American Nature Study Society; Conference FAQs; and complete
an ad, donate to the raffles, sponsor an event or scholarship…help
descriptions for the programs, speakers, workshops, special events,
celebrate the past and chart a course for the future. We will continue
the members’ art exhibit, pre-conference trainings, field trips,
to post information and updates on the Association’s Facebook
advertisers, exhibitors and sponsors, registration, lodging, meals and
platform.
more.
We look forward to seeing you all September 20-23, 2018,
The ‘Conference FAQs’ provides information for anyone interested
in participating and/or registering for the Conference, including Flo Mauro &
members, workshop leaders, past presidents, commuters, full Nancy Reichert
time students and interns, SCA members, EEAC-NYC members,
advertisers, exhibitors, sponsors, artists, authors…phew!

www.nysoea.org
conferencecommittee2018@nysoea.org

The 2018 Conference is supported in part by a grant from The Brandwein

Institute & The American Nature Study Society.
NYSOEA is partnering with EEAC-NYC, The Environmental Education Advisory
Council in New York City schools, to promote our Annual Conference.

Pathways Summer 2018 15

 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
2018 Keynote Address:
Dr. William Hammond
Opening the Conference with Friday evening’s Keynote
Address is Dr. William (Bill) Hammond. An educator for the
past 60 years, Bill is a Founder and President of the Board of
Trustees at the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, and is
President of Natural Context consulting firm. His esteemed
career includes work as Lead Environmental Consultant to
Kitson & Partners on all planning for the Babcock Ranch Solar-
Sustainable Community (45,000 people), as Founding Trustee
of the Brandwein Institute, and as Associate Professor of
Interdisciplinary Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. Bill
began his career as a junior and senior high school teacher
and later became the Lee County Science Supervisor and
Coordinator of Environmental Education. For the next 30+
years, Bill served as the Director of Curriculum Development
Services and Environmental Education for the Lee County
16
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
School District in Fort Myers, Florida. He now advises a
wide range of private and public organizations, as well as
over 250 nonprofit organizations. Bill has inspired students,
cultivated talents and mentored many. He is the recipient
of the Congressional Theodore Roosevelt Award to Service
in Conservation to the Nation, National Wildlife Federation
Conservation Educator Award, National Project Wild Educator
of the Year, NAAEE Leadership Award, and Career Golden Leaf
Award, among others. He has given presentations in all 50
states, 9 Canadian Provinces, and 18 foreign countries. In his
keynote remarks, Bill will share how more than four million
years of human behavior, adaptations, rapidly changing
human cultures and environment informs the present, and
how personal experience molds perception and our sense of
capacity, initiative and connection to the outdoors.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
2018 Keynote Address:
Judy Braus
Saturday evening’s Keynote Address will be given by Judy
Braus. Judy is the Executive Director of the North American
Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and
has been actively involved in the field for more than three
decades. She believes in the ability of environmental
education to advance both environmental literacy and public
engagement and is passionate about creating an inclusive
environmental movement. At NAAEE, her focus has been on
helping empower individuals and organizations like NYSOEA
to work together to increase their collective impact and create
societal change. Previously in her career, Judy managed the
education and outreach departments at the National Audubon
Society, World Wildlife Fund, and the National Wildlife
Federation. She was also the manager of environmental
education programming at the U.S. Peace Corps. Judy has
led international environmental education projects, facilitated
leadership conferences in dozens of countries, been the chief
Pathways Summer 2018
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
editor of several successful national publishing efforts focused
on environmental education, and is published in numerous
nationally recognized works. She developed “Windows on the
Wild” at WWF, and “NatureScope” at NWF, education materials
that are still widely used. While at Peace Corps, she co-
authored “Environmental Education in the Schools: Creating
a Program that Works,” which is used in dozens of countries
around the world today. Judy believes in the importance of
partnerships and has cultivated lasting relationships with
REI, National Geographic Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Aardman Animations, and
many others. Over her distinguished career, Judy has received
many awards and delivered presentations around the world
to promote her vision for the future. In her keynote address,
Judy will discuss how outdoor and environmental educators
can help shape the future of our fields and inspire tomorrow’s
leaders, not only here in New York, but across the globe.
17
 FEATURED SPEAKERS
Featured Speaker:
Sally McCracken
Sally served NYOSEA as President 1980-
‘81, VP for Publications-1978-‘80, and
received the Service Award 1978. She
has spent 59 years in public education
as an elementary school classroom
teacher, curriculum coordinator, school
principal and assistant superintendent
in Carmel and North Syracuse NY,
Bangor, ME and Woodland Park CO.
Sally continues to work and volunteer
for the Catamount Institute in Colorado
Springs CO as a naturalist in after
school programs in OE and EE and as
a science educator for the E3 (Elevate
Environmental Education) program in
the Woodland Park Schools as part of
their regular school curriculum. She
is a volunteer Interpretative Ranger at
Florissant Fossil Beds NM. Sally was the
recipient of the National Park Service
Individual Volunteer of the Year Award
in 2010.
18
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Featured Speaker:
Carl Heitmuller
Carl Heitmuller has been an
environmental educator for 25 years, 23
of which have been spent at the Hudson
Highlands Nature Museum in Cornwall,
New York (Orange County). Carl loves
an audience and will share the positive
effects NYSOEA has had on him over
that time, from his very first conference
and beyond, and how simple and
beneficial it is to become a part of
this Association.  of the Brandwein Institute and is the
Featured Speaker:
Cheryl Charles
Cheryl Charles, Ph.D., is an innovator,
author, organizational executive and
educator. Cheryl is the Co-Founder,
President and CEO Emerita of the
Children & Nature Network (C&NN).
Cheryl is Adjunct Faculty and founding
Executive Director of the Nature
Based Leadership Institute at Antioch
University New England (AUNE), serves
as a member of the Board of Directors
recipient of numerous awards for her
leadership, and has served as founding
National Director of the pioneering
K-12, interdisciplinary environment
education programs, Project Learning
Tree and Project WILD. She lives in
Vermont near her son, daughter-in-law
and two nature-loving grandchildren.
Cheryl’s comments will address how we
keep “Wild Hope: Embracing Change
Through Nature”.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Featured Speaker:
Dan Bisaccio
Dan Bisaccio’s 30-year career as a high
school science teacher didn’t stop there.
His experience included developing
inquiry based and project-based art-
science curriculum. He went on to
serve as the Faculty Director of Science
Education and Teacher Education
at Brown University, recently retired
but still active as an Adjunct Assistant
Professor/Research. Dan conducts on-
going research with the Smithsonian
Institution’s Biodiversity & Monitoring
Program involving secondary and
college students with authentic field
research opportunities at sites in Central
and South America as well as the South
Pacific. Dan will share his humorous
reflections on why we “muck about”
in nature.
Pathways Summer 2018
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Featured Speaker:
Dorothea Shuman
Dorothea Shuman (Dottie Kunz)
attended her first NYSOEA conference
in Lake Placid as an undergraduate
student at Cortland. She spent five
summers as a National Park or National
Forest Interpreter in Alaska, two of
which were on board an Alaskan
State Ferry, and three in Denali
National Park. In 1979 she became
the Director of the Greenkill Outdoor
Education and Retreat Center and is
currently a Professor of Outdoor and
Environmental Education at Montreat
College in North Carolina where she
has worked for 20 years. There she
developed a Masters program in EE and
a summer Expeditionary Science camp
program where high school students
participate in STEM-focused, week-
long outdoor experiences. Dorothea
also serves on the Higher Education
Review Panel for Accreditation through
the North American Association for
Environmental Education (NAAEE).
As featured speaker for this year’s
conference closing, Dorothea will lead
us through a reflective and interactive
dialogue to carry with us as we
journey home.
19
 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Pre Conference Programs
& Field Trips
Thursday, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
(with lunch break)
CPR/First Aid Certification
Tracy Thomas
Executive Director, Massena Nature Center
American Heart Association’s Heart Saver
Level Course; card provided
Cost: $10
For questions, contact Tracy Thomas:
tracy@massenanaturecenter.com
Thursday, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM
(with lunch break)
Infusing EE in Early Childhood (Pre
K-2): Project WET’s ‘Getting Little
Feet WET’ and Project Learning Tree’s
Early Childhood Experiences
Betsy Ukeritis
NYSDEC, Inter-regional Environmental Educator
Drew Hopkins
NYSDEC, Project Wild & Project Wet Co-coordinator
Join fellow early childhood educators in a
romp through the new Project WET’s Getting
Little Feet Wet and Project Learning Tree’s
Early Childhood Experiences curriculum and
activity guides.
For questions, contact Drew Hopkins at
518-475-0291 or email at drew.hopkins@dec.ny.gov
Thursday 1:30-4:30PM
Planning Your Next Big Program
and the Ones after It
Kaeti Stoss
Program Director, Delta Environmental and
Adopt-a-Stream Program
Co-Presenter, Fred Stoss,
Librarian, SUNY University at Buffalo
Planning and implementing outdoor and
environmental programs is a major undertak-
ing for K-12 teachers and educators working
in non-formal education settings. The North
American Association for Environmental Edu-
cation (NAAEE) developed recommendations,
tools, and strategies providing a cradle-to-
grave approach from the idea of creating an
education program to evaluating its success.
Contact Kaeti Stoss: kstoss@adopt-a-stream.org
20
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Thursday 1:45 – 3:45PM
Forestry Stewardship
Ken Bontrager
Camp Deerpark Executive Director
Camp Deerpark has been in a sustain-
able growth forestry management plan for
20 years. We have harvested wood for sale
and to construct four beautiful cabins while
observing an increase in the overall health
and growth of our forest. Camp Deerpark is
located 8 mi – 10 min drive from Greenkill.
We will car pool from Greenkill.
Call Ken Bontrager at 845-283-8669
for additional details.
Friday Workshops & Field Trips
Friday, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Dem Bones Gonna Rise
Rick Glatz
Retired Teacher/Naturalist
Ever put together an entire skeleton? Here’s
your chance with a moose! Other mammal
bones will also be investigated and you will
learn something about vertebrate anatomy.
Exploring the Microscopic World
Kenji Yoshino Founder and CEO of
Infinite Scope
Join Kenji Yoshino and Luke Saunders from
Infinite Scope as they guide you through the
microscopic world that surrounds us all. They
will walk you through how to use the Eureka,
a new microscope for the digital age. Using
this tool, transform any smart device into a
powerful, portable digital microscope. Bring
your smartphones and tablets so you can
capture photos and videos to share
Nature’s Music: The sounds animals
make (and rain and thunder, too!)
David Stokes
The Frog Chorus Nature Education/
CEO Education Entertainer
Using audio-visual materials, slides and post-
ers, toys, puppets, songs, stories and humor.
We will take a comical “look” at sounds in
nature. Who really says ribbit?
Spoon Carving 101
Greenkill Outdoor Education Staff
Do you enjoy working with your hands? Have
you ever tried wood carving? In spoon carv-
ing 101 you will learn how to take an ordinary
piece of wood from your backyard and turn it
into a usable utensil!
Limited to 5!
Cost/Materials fee: $10
Friday 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Nurturing Nature: Yours, Ours,
Theirs, Earth’s
LoraKim Joyner
International Conservationist, Wildlife Veterinarian,
Minister and Co-Director, One Earth Conservation
This workshop provides theory, practice,
and tools to help others connect to nature
in a wide variety of situations. We present 5
natural intelligences (emotional, social, mul-
tispecies, ecological, and spiritual) that can be
incorporated in any learning or experiential
environment to promote awareness of, con-
nection to, and caring for life.
Friday 8:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Bashakill Kayak Trip
Tom Smith
Retired Outdoor Educator & Taxidermist…& friends
Join educators Scott Graber, John Stowell,
Snapper Petta and Tom Smith to explore
Bashakill, the largest freshwater wetland in
southeastern New York. “A birdwatchers
dream”. Limited to 10 people w/o kayaks,
and 10w/ their own kayak. $10 fee for
participants requiring to ‘borrow’ a kayak
-payable at the Conference.
Trip Leader: Call Tom at 845-500-1170
for additional details.
Friday 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Ecology for the Right Side of the Brain
George Steele
Environmental Educator
Sing and move your body to an
understanding of nature and ecological
systems. Come prepared to learn some
songs and stories & share your own. Musical
instruments are welcome and song sheets to
share would be great.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Friday 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM (cont'd)
Rock Pool & Rope Bridge Hike
Greenkill Outdoor Education Staff
The Rock Pool is one of Greenkill’s natural
landmarks – a shady beautiful hike (need
sturdy shoes/boots please).  The trail has
some steep inclines and declines.  The Rope
Bridge is a traditional single-cable foot bridge
suspended about 3’ over a stream.
Fossils: Fun and Fascinating
Sally McCracken
Catamount Institute / NPS Volunteer /
Woodland Park School District
Studying fossils opens the world of
Paleontology and Geology to students of all
ages. Every academic area can be engaged in
the study of fossils. Paper shale from Colorado
will be available for the participants to split
and determine the ecosystem from 34 mya.
Archery: Creating Outdoor
Experiences for All Abilities
Jillian Trunko
NY National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP)
Coordinator, NYS DEC
Have you ever shot a bow and arrow? Learn
about a great program where kids in grades
4-12 can learn archery skills. The National
Archery in Schools Program (NASP) is a
cooperative effort between the New York State
Department of Environment Conservation
(NYSDEC) and NYS school systems designed
to introduce kids to the sport of archery.
Tools for Effective Leadership and
Committed Action – Thrive Rather
than Survive
Lucinda Hurley
Retired, Nassau BOCES
Participants will explore common leader-
ship challenges and learn how the tools and
constructs of conversational, adaptive and
strengths-based leadership can be applied to
their work situations. These tools help to en-
gage stakeholders, bring clarity and commit-
ted action, support change and build bridges
to understanding of yourself and others.
Pathways Summer 2018
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Friday, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Creating and Using an
Outdoor Classroom
Padraic McCarthy
Science Teacher/Curriculum Coordinator
Learn how and why we created an outdoor
classroom behind Port Jervis High School on
the bank of Cold Brook…explore the activi-
ties we are and the impact it has on students.
We’ll describe the grants we have received as
a result of the Outdoor Classroom and we will
explore ideas for the future.
Digital Tools for Educators
Sunny Corrao
NYC Parks
Digital technology is revolutionizing the
way data is shared today. Learn about some
simple, free tools to use as you plan and or-
ganize your programs. You may have a Gmail
account, but have you explored the other
tools google provides. This workshop will
focus on google applications and windows
platform tools. Please bring a smart phone or
tablet computer to work with.
Pushing Beyond Your Personal
Boundaries, Inside and Out!
Josh Teeter
Environmental Educator, NYS Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preserves
This session will discuss the limitations that
we sometimes place on ourselves and explore
things that we would like to change or get
better at. Drawing on my experiences and
yours, it is my hope that participants will leave
this session fired up to go beyond what they
thought possible in some aspect of their lives.
Friday, 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
STEM-ulating Activities on
Human Ecology
Dorothea Panayotou
Science Teacher, The Spire School, Stamford CT
Teaching human ecology (an interdisciplinary
and transdisciplinary study of humans and
their environment) makes for relevant lessons
in the life and earth sciences that also brings
in math and social studies content. A variety
of teaching techniques will be outlined for
a truly inclusive classroom. Participants will
receive lesson plans in an electronic format.
To Tap or Not to Tap?
Tim Stanley
Assistant Director, Sharpe Reservation,
The Fresh Air Fund
This workshop will highlight a forestry field
lab designed to be a more advanced maple
syrup program to engage middle and high
school aged students. This class will introduce
basic forestry tools from direct observation
to Bitmore sticks to assess tree health
within a sugar bush. Collected data will help
participants determine whether to tap or not
to tap a maple tree.
Exceptional Work! Getting Students to
High Quality in Outdoor Education
Adam Gellwitzer
Public High School Science Teacher
Many of us have faced this scenario: we
design robust lessons, purchase great
materials, model strong techniques and ...
have our students produce products that are
a little underwhelming. When students’ best
intentions fail to translate into quality products
it can reflect poorly on our classes and
even our entire program. In this workshop,
strategies that are effective for allowing
students to amaze parents, administrators,
and other stakeholders will be shared.
Friday, 1:45 – 3:45 PM
Local Hugenot History Tour
Kristen Dasenbrock
Youth Services Western Sullivan Public Library
Join us on a tour of the local history around
Greenkill. Our first stop will be the “little red
schoolhouse”. Built in 1879, this one-room
school is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places and is restored to its original
condition by the Little Red School House His-
torical Society. Here we will receive a guided
tour, not only of the schoolhouse, but of the
history of how it began and progressed.
Trip Leader: Call Kristen at (732)567-6115 for ad-
ditional information.
Explore Lake Marling!
Greenkill Outdoor Education Staff 
…which in true form is actually a pond. Canoe,
paddles, PFD, Lifeguard: all provided.
21
 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Friday, 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
What Are These Wasps Doing
on My Lawn?
Bill Monahan
Program Specialist, Nassau BOCES Outdoor &
Environmental Education
Did you ever notice swarms of wasps circling
over your lawn, digging holes, and scaring all
the neighbors’ children? Let’s take a close look
at who these guys are and what they are do-
ing. A fascinating look at a few native wasps.
How to Cultivate Partnerships
Maritza Cueva,
Director of Environmental Education
The Greenbelt Nature Center
This workshop will provide program par-
ticipants with simple and straight forward
strategies that will help participants cultivate
a variety of partnerships with the focus on
building relationships in the field of outdoor/
environmental education.
Freeing Your Natural Voice
Adriana Caminero
Urban Park Ranger NYC Parks
An introduction to techniques designed
to open, free, and strengthen you voice.
Develop your ability to find your natural
breath, use intention and conviction to
become a powerful and effective speaker
through vocal exercises learned in theater.
Saturday Workshops & Field Trips
Saturday, 9:00 – 10:30 AM
Birding for Life
LoraKim Joyner
International Conservationist, Wildlife Veterinarian,
Minister and Co-Director -One Earth Conservation
This workshop amplifies what we mean by
“birding” so that participants can see how
to attract more people to wildlife observa-
tion activities, and deepen their connection
to nature around them. This is a guided bird
walk whose structure can be adapted to other
wildlife walks.
22
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
iMap Invasives
Brittany Rogers
Environmental Interpretation Graduate Student,
SUNY ESF and iMapInvasives
The Certified Trainers Network is a newly
created opportunity for professionals,
students, educators, and citizen scientists
interested in protecting our natural areas
to become certified to host iMapInvasives
trainings. iMapInvasives provides the tools
and resources necessary to host trainings
or reporting invasive species and using the
online database, improving our community’s
knowledge of invasive species around NY.
Roving Interpretation
Josh Teeter
Environmental Educator, NYS Office of Parks,
Recreation and Historic Preserves
Roving interpretation may seem impromptu
and unstructured to the visitor but when done
properly it is well planned and organized.
When you leave this session, you will have a
new tool to help you educate in a way that is
fun and challenging!
SHRED: Mountain Biking to Teach
Science, Health, Responsibility,
Engineering & Design
Ben Cheek
Director of Activities, Outdoor Club of Port Jervis and
Mountain Bike Program Director, Camp Deer Park
Our discussion-based workshop will explore
how the growing sport of mountain biking
can be integrated into a variety of academic
topics to engage students, get them out-
doors (even on their own time), and connect
them with local communities and alternative
economies.
Planning for the Future: How Can We
Adapt Outdoor Education to Meet NYS
Schools’ Needs?
Michelle Forster
Education Program Leader, Cary Institute
As NYS adopts new Science Learning Stan-
dards, schools will need support in devel-
oping and implementing science-driven
environmental education curricula. In this
working session, participants will share their
successes in adapting environmental pro-
gramming to meet schools’ needs.
Saturday, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Biomimicry: How Learning from
Nature Could Change Our World
Dorna Schroeter
Program Coordinator, PNW BOCES Center for Envi-
ronmental Education
Biomimicry is a new discipline that offers
educators a compelling way to engage and
inspire students of all ages. This workshop will
provide a general foundation of biomimicry,
review case studies and actual bio-inspired
products, explore the levels of biomimicry,
introduce the Life Principles and with a short
design challenge.
Saturday, 8:45 AM – 12:30 PM
Bashakill Kayak Trip
Tom Smith and friends
Join educators Scott Graber, John Stowell,
Snapper Petta and Tom Smith to explore
Bashakill, the largest freshwater wetland in
southeastern New York. “A birdwatchers
dream”. Limited to 10 people w/o kayaks,
and 10w/ their own kayak. $10 fee for
participants requiring to ‘borrow’ a kayak -
payable at the Conference.
Trip Leader: Call Tom at 845-500-1170
for additional details.
Brandwein Nature Learning Preserve
Keith Wheeler and
Brandwein Institute Directors
The field trip to the Brandwein Nature Learn-
ing Preserve will offer a variety of 90-minute
outdoor workshops, guided trail walks, and
group discussions, presented by Brandwein
Directors Bill Hammond, Daniel Bisac-
cio, Kasey Stankunis, Jack Padalino, Cheryl
Charles and Keith Wheeler. Topics include
citizen science, advanced geo-caching,
nature photography, birding, exploring nature
with children, nature journaling, the history of
the Preserve, and more. A great field trip for
EE Center staff members, educators, parents,
photographers, birders and ‘nature journalists’.
Trip Leader: Call Keith Wheeler at 814-441-2887
for additional details.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Saturday, 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Spiders!!!
Christina McLaughlin
Environmental Educator
Sarah Conley
Environmental Education Assistant
We will cover the natural history and biology
of spiders, with at least one live spider present.
We’ll also include a few (1-2) hands on
activities from Project Learning Tree or Project
Wild relating to spiders and their relatives.
Plaited Birch Bark Basket
Jared Kapsiak
Outdoor Education Consultant,
formerly of the Ashokan Center
Plaited birch bark baskets are a beautiful,
practical, and durable craft & tool. Birch bark’s
properties of flexibility, toughness, and water
repellency make it an ideal crafting material
for lightweight, strong baskets that last
for years.
Fire Building and Tin Foil Cookery
George Steele
Environmental Educator
One of the most cherished moments of
camping and outdoor education is gathering
around a campfire. Join this workshop
to learn campfire-building skills from an
international champion campfire builder.
Then enjoy the fruits of your labors eating a
tinfoil dinner a classic in campfire cuisine.
Materials fee: $5
Aquaponics with Elemental Roots
Louis Barthelemy
Founder ‘Elemental Roots’
Elemental Roots presents their program
on aquaponics, its relativity to the future of
agriculture by giving people an alternative,
sustainable method of farming and its
integration into the education system.
Pathways Summer 2018
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Stream Sampling
Kaeti Stoss
Program Director, Delta Environmental and
Adopt-a-Stream Program
Outdoor educators will be able to try stream
sampling with a hands-on demonstration
using a stream located at the conference site.
We will walk through the process of collecting
sorting identifying and analyzing a stream
sample. There will be resources on how to
tie stream sampling into your programming
and discussion on how to incorporate citizen
science into a stream sampling programs.
Saturday, 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Write Now: it Means Everything!
Jessica Kratz
Coordinator, Greenbelt Nature Center, Staten Island,
NY; NYSOEA VP Communications
From taglines to social media posts to
thoughtful essays, written communication
is an important part of outdoor education -
and our everyday lives. Examine examples
of clear, concise, effective writing to help
determine which medium(s) are right for
your message.
Tips and Tricks for Active Nature
Learning: Keep Things Moving!
David Stokes
The Frog Chorus Nature Education,
CEO Education Entertainer
Our focus will be in Natural Science concepts
such as Energy flow, Cycles, Diversity,
Community, Adaptation and Change. This
workshop will involve the participants
immediately and will include techniques
for taking the activities back home, to the
participants’ workplace.
Grocery Bag Upcycling
Linda Besio
Nicandri Nature Center, Naturalist
Learn how to upcycle your grocery bags,
such as Walmart bags, using an iron and
parchment paper. The material made has
the look and feel of faux leather, can then be
sewn, taped or melted into useful and reus-
able items.
Saturday, 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Quest: Backpacking with Teens
Susan Cobb
Retired teacher, Leader of Fredonia Middle School
Quest Backpacking expeditions; author - “Quest: A
Guide to Backpacking with Teens”
For thirty years, Fredonia Middle School
has offered a unique outdoor education
experience known as Quest Backpacking. Led
by Susan and Stephen Cobb, each spring sixty
8th graders, twenty-five high school student
leaders and a team of adults strike out on
three hikes totaling fifty miles over seven days.
Wild Walks:
Being the Beauty that You Are
LoraKim Joyner
International Conservationist, Wildlife Veterinarian,
Minister and Co-Director -One Earth Conservation
Wild Walks are guided walks that help nurture
nature - ours, theirs and Earth’s. The walks
invite participants to move deeply connect
to nature so that they can live with more
resilience, joy, and contribution to life around
them. For a short time, we cast off our cul-
ture’s attempt to domesticate us and return to
our wild selves.
Tips of the Trade
Carl Heitmuller
Environmental Educator/Assistant Camp Director
Come for a presentation / round table on how
to plan, organize and execute an awesome
fun week of camp. Take advantage of Carl’s
20 plus years of running a summer day camp
and learn tips and techniques for planning a
camp that will make the kids not want to leave
and the parents want to bring them back
High Team Elements
Greenkill Outdoor Education Staff
While in design phase for another element,
our current high ropes elements are (1) Giant’s
Ladder and (2) The Nessie.  Both elements are
a team-belay system.  All helmets and har-
nesses will be provided by Greenkill. 
NOTE: due to the nature of our team ele-
ments, we need at least 10 participants to
facilitate, so bring your friends!
23
 WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Saturday, 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM (cont'd)
Beginner Mountain Bike Experience
Ben Cheek
Director of Activities, Outdoor Club of Port Jervis and
Mountain Bike Program Director, Camp Deer Park
A beginner mountain bike ride will be offered
on the trail system at Greenkill demonstrating
mountain bike skill coaching and how
mountain biking can be a pathway to many
outdoor education topics.  The ride will be
no-drop and we’ll stop frequently to talk
through skills and topics covered in the
morning session (not required). Bring your
own bike or ride one of ours (limit 12 loaner
bikes). We’ll adjust ride distance to group
member’s level (max 8 miles).
Saturday, 2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Teaching w/ Turtles
Tracy Thomas
Massena Nature Center Executive Director
Live animals allow us to connect and engage
with our audience in amazing ways. Beyond
show and tell, informal education and
ID - we’ve used our 8 live turtles to teach
math, science and more. From turtle races
to building mazes, taking weights to target
training. How can turtles (and other animals)
be part of the team?
Lasting Community Partnerships:
Education & Community Interwoven
Adam Gollwitzer
Public High School Science Teacher
My students and I made a goal one year: that
everything we did would have to benefit the
community that surrounds our school. The
results were so impactful that we decided
to make it a standing rule. This workshop
will share the highlights of that journey to a
community-focused group of learners.
Green Schooling–Future of Schooling 
Virendra Raat
Director GREEN Mentors, India
Green School is Nature connected Universal
model Schooling …driven by local law
and nature and inspired by global values.
Green School honors social, economic and
environmental values of learners blending
outdoor experiences with indoor learning.
The foundation of Green School is based on
“5 Elements Nature “: Earth, Water, Air, Sky
and Fire.
24
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Sunday Workshops & Field Trips
Sunday, 9:30 AM -11:00 AM
Bizarre Geology, Plants & Animals
Around the World
Cathy Law
High School Science Teacher, New Paltz High School
Join 56-country veteran traveler, Cathy Law,
aka Miss Adventure, as she takes you on an
armchair journey of her worldwide quest
for biodiversity gone bad. It is a jungle out
there, but it is also a swamp...and a desert. Be
awestruck by photos of bizarre formations
of geologic landscapes and learn about how
animals and plants either eat or get eaten.
No passport needed!
5 Fs of Nature and Other
Shortcuts to Learning
Tom O’Dowd
High School Science Teacher, New Paltz High School
Nature is vast. How do you break it down into
digestible parts? Come learn fun frameworks
for teaching and learning outdoors. This
workshop will partially take the form of an
outdoor lesson, so we’ll learn some natural
history as we discuss ways to teach it!
Cordage Making-Reverse
Wrap Technique
Jared Kapsiak
Outdoor Education Consultant,
formerly of the Ashokan Center
Practice one of the oldest traditional skills
common to human cultures worldwide…the
Reverse-Wrap technique uses a minimum of
material and yields a high-strength, durable,
working tool. This is a crossover skill for na-
ture education, team-building, historical tech-
nology, traditional skills, survival workshops,
and is applicable to child and adult students
Sunday, 9:30 AM AM-11:15 AM
Hawk Watch!!
The Brandwein Institute’s Invitation to
experience The Greatest Show Above the
Earth: Migrating Hawks John (Jack) Padalino,
President emeritus of the Brandwein Institute,
invites you to experience the Greatest Show
Above the Earth at the I 84 rest stop West
between exits 2 and 1. Field trip begins with
a brief hawk identification session. Data we
collect will be shared with the Hawk Migration
Association of North America HMANA. The
Interstate 84 rest stop is on the north-south-
eastern flyway habituated by predatory birds,
raptors: The Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge
and Corridor, which is a relatively unbroken
ridge that extends 250 miles across parts of
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Trip Leader: Call Jack Padalino at 845-325-0536
for additional details.
Sunday, 9:30 AM – 10:15 AM
What the Health?! Enhancing human
health through nature is just what the
doctor (should) order!
Amy DiRenzo
Associate Professor, RPLS Dept., SUNY Cortland
Josh Teeter
Environmental Educator, NYS Office of Parks, Recre-
ation and Historic Preserves
This session examines issues of human
health, wellbeing and quality of life from
an ecological perspective. We’ll explore ways
natural environments can enhance physical,
mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
A review of the historical and current
research in this area will be presented and
accompanied by techniques for using
natural environments to enhance wellbeing
that attendees can implement on their own
programs and settings.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, September 23, 2018 CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Time Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

7am Early AM Activities Early AM Activities Early AM Activities

7:45–8:45am Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
(Registration Continues) (Registration Continues)
Featured Speaker Testimonial Featured Speaker Testimonial Annual Meeting
8:45 Pre Conference Registration
Carl Heitmueller Cheryl Charles (all welcome!)

'Picnic Table' Chats with Past Presidents, Award Wnners &

Board members will be ongoing throughout the Conference

Certification Trainings
9:00 Workshops Workshops
& Field Trips
Workshops & Birds of a
9:30 Field Trip- (1/2 day) Field Trip- (1/2 day)
Feather - Flying Forward
Brandwein Nature
Hawk Watch Field Trip
Learning Preserve
Bashakill Preserve Canoe & Bashakill Preserve Canoe &
11:15 Closing Conversation
Kayak with Interpretation Kayak with Interpretation

12:15 End Morning Programs End Morning Programs Lunch

12:30–1:15 Lunch (Bag Lunch/Bashakill) Lunch (Bag Lunch/Bashakill)

NYSOEA Award Env. Impact Exhibits End

"On Your Way Home, On

Pre Conference Featured Speaker Testimonial Featured Speaker Testimonial
1:30 Your Own" Field Trips
Programs Continue Community Representative Dan Bisaccio no pre-registration

"On Your Way Home, On

1:45 Your Own" Field Trips Workshops Workshops
no pre-registration

High Point State Park, NJ,

PJ Watershed Park Hiking
Greenkill's On Site
McDade Trail & Dingmans Field Trip
"Field" Trips
Falls Delaware Water Gap
National Rec Area
Local History: Deerpark
High Ropes,
One-room School House
Canoeing, Hiking
Museum and D&H Canal

3:45 Pre-conference Ends

4:00 Registration Opens

4:15 End Afternoon Programs End Afternoon Programs

Greenkill Open Members' Art Show &

4:30 Exhibitors Reception
Activity Events Authors Reception

Exhibits Open NYSOEA Award Art & Literary

Entertainment

6:00–7:00pm Dinner BBQ Banquet

(7:15)-Brandwein Medal
7:00 Welcome Event-Mixer NYSOEA Award Presentation Presentation; NYSOEA
Awards-Leadership, Gold

7:30 Welcome

NYSOEA Award Presentation Keynote Speaker Keynote Speaker

Featured Speaker Testimonial Dr. Bill Hammond Judy Braus
Past President, Sally Retired Educator, Mentor Retired Educator, Mentor
McCracken How We Got Here Where We're Headed
Birds of a Feather
8:30
Roundtables!!

9:15–11:00 Entertainment Entertainment Live Auction/Entertainment

10:00 Night Hike // Campfire Owl Prowl // Astronomy

Pathways Summer 2018 25

 SPECIAL EVENTS
WELCOME! AUTHORS’ CORNER
NYSOEA’s Legacy Committee, Conference Committee and
Board members will be meeting & greeting and welcoming all
participants to this year’s event, helping folks become a little
more familiar with the Conference, Greenkill, fellow partici-
pants, and NYSOEA.
MORNING CAFFEINE
6:30 a.m. Daily
Coffee and tea will be available for stretchers, walkers, bird-
ers, and anyone else who feels the need to be up in the early
morning.
EARLY MORNING WALKS
6:45 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Greet each day with a relaxing stretch and leisurely walk-
no stress.
MORNING BIRDING
6:30 a.m. Friday with George Steele
6:30 a.m. Saturday with Scott & Nancy Reichert-
Share sunrise and fellowship of other birders as you greet the
day in a different way. Beginners and advanced birders are
welcome.
NYSOEA’S ANNUAL AUCTION & RAFFLE
Thursday–Sunday noon Raffle is on-going
‘Live on Saturday Night’ Auction is immediately following the
Keynote Speaker. 100% of the Auction proceeds go directly
to NYSOEA’s Endowment Fund. Watch for special 50th
Anniversary items!
EXHIBITS & EXHIBITORS RECEPTION
5:00 p.m. Thursday – 1:00 p.m. Saturday
Exhibits are open daily Thursday - Saturday
Exhibitors Reception will be held at 4 p.m. Friday and is open
to all Conference participants.
THE MEMBERS’ ART SHOW & EXHIBIT
4:00p.m. – 6:00p.m. Saturday
In honor of the 50th Anniversary Conference, we are bring-
ing back a ‘blast from the past’ and sponsoring a Members’
Art Show & Exhibit. This event has and will give NYSOEA’s
members and Conference participants a unique opportunity
to share their talents and creativity with peers and colleagues.
A special tribute honors Wayne Trimm and Barry Hopkins.
26
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
4:00p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Saturday
NYSOEA’s annual Authors’ Corner will be held in conjunction
with the Members’ Art Show & Exhibit. Numerous authors will
be on hand to discuss, sign and sell their books.
ANNIVERSARY TRIVIA
On-going throughout the Conference!
Look for these in the Conference book, exhibit hall, dorm
rooms, registration packet, dining room tables, NYSOEA
Legacy exhibit and many other places.
PICNIC TABLE CHATS WITH NYSOEA’S
PAST PRESIDENTS & AWARD WINNERS
A number of NYSOEA’s Past Presidents and Award Winners
gather to share thoughts and memories of the past, instill
support, affirm what we do and motivate us for the future of
Outdoor Education.
BOOK TALKS & BOOK SWAPS
Join NYSOEA members Danny Kriesberg and June Lee, Past
President Sally McCracken and others for several informal
‘book talks’ … featuring both oldies but goodies and newer
books. Participants can also ‘swap’ their books for someone
else’s books.
CHILDREN’S SHOE DRIVE
NYSOEA members often support local outreach programs
in the communities we sponsor events and activities. This
year we are asking participants to consider supporting a very
worthwhile cause …’new soles in honor of a special soul’ … to
donate and bring a new pair of children’s shoes or sneakers
with them to the Conference.
CAMPFIRES, NIGHT HIKES & ASTRONOMY WALKS
Heighten nocturnal awareness and use senses other than
sight as you journey through a part of the night in upstate
New York. Leave your flashlights in your room or your pack…
bring your stories, musical instruments and singing voices.
MUSIC … MUSIC … MUSIC
Thursday and Saturday nights with Nick Sauschuck
Friday night with DJ Productions!
Sit, relax … enjoy the show … sing along … or get up and move!
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 SPECIAL EVENTS

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS THE MEMBERS’ ART EXHIBIT!

Friday evening - Bill Hammond
Bill will lead us on a journey into our past to foster our own
understanding of how we’ve come to arrive at this time and
place in the fields of outdoor and environmental education -
50 years in the making!
…Watercolors and Wordsmiths, Our Artistic Expressions, A
Member’s Share…
The first Members’ Art Show was highlighted at the 25th An-
nual Conference and we thought it appropriate to highlight it
once again at our 50th.

Saturday evening – Judy Braus
Judy will discuss how outdoor and environmental educators
can help shape the future of our fields and inspire tomorrow’s
leaders, not only here in New York, but across the globe.
FEATURE SPEAKERS TESTIMONIALS
Enjoy these daily 5 minute remarks, stories and inspiration
from our colleagues to thank you for what you do, urge you
to carry on and set you up for a great day at the Conference!
Don’t miss Sally McCracken, NYSOEA Past President, Carl
Heitmuller, a long time NYSOEA member, Cheryl Charles,
Executive Director, Children & Nature Network and Dan
Bisaccio, retired Science Educator.
The NYSOEA membership has a proud history of producing
art. These varied works have contributed a richness to both
our community and our profession. As multifaceted as their
creators, the works represent a diversity of styles and medi-
ums. This excellence and diversity is a symbolic representa-
tion of the outdoor educators that have taught, continue to
teach, and will teach into the future here in New York.
Join us in celebrating the artistic talent within. Authors
will also be on hand to share their writings. Join the artists,
authors, and the rest of the Association in celebrating these
deeply moving personal expressions.

50th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE AWARDS

NYSOEA’s Annual Awards will be presented throughout
the Conference weekend. We expect this year’s awards to
Greenkill
be very special and reflective of the Associations’ incredible Reunion at
50 year history. NYSOEA 20
18
Conference
Greenkill O
utdoor Educ
will host a sm ation Cente
all gatherin r
at the Confe g of Alumni
rence. Inform
will be avai ation
lable upon
arrival.
Bring your
favorite
memories!

REQUEST
The Members’ Art Exhibit is seeking works of art
and writing.
We are seeking art works by members, past or present, to be displayed at NYSOEA’s 50th Anniversary Conference
– September 20-23, 2018, at the Greenkill Y Outdoor Education & Retreat Center in Huguenot, NY. Authors are also
welcome. There is an opportunity to sell your work (there is a fee associated with this). The exhibit will precede the
annual banquet on Saturday, September 22, 2018.

If you are interested in having your art or written works displayed, please email Drew Hopkins for details at:
drew_hopkins@yahoo.com.

Pathways Summer 2018 27

 SPECIAL EVENTS Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018

(Perhaps) Every Auction

Item Tells a Story
By Jessica R. Kratz vp_communications@nysoea.org
Art and Literary Award, 2017
Service Award, 2011
Metro Region Rep 2009-2012;
VP Human Resources 2013-2016

On a Sunday night in April, I decided to search the internet to replace

a blue heron lapel pin I gave to a co-worker a while ago. I found out
that the pin is from the George G. Harris Wildlife Collection. I had a
question about my order and called the phone number on the website
and left a voice mail. George called me back shortly thereafter and we
started talking.

As it turns out, he attended SUNY Morrisville and worked

at Rogers Environmental Education Center for a brief time.
Towards the end of our conversation, I mentioned the upcoming 50th
Anniversary NYSOEA conference, and
he was happy to mail a gold-plated blue heron lapel pin
for our auction.

With every donation, our organization gets a little bit richer.

A larger Endowment means more funding for existing and
new programs, grants, and scholarships to further outdoor education
into the next 50 years and beyond. We are closing in
on the goal of $100,000 for the 50th anniversary, and every
contribution helps.

With every donation, we also get richer in our collective story. Each
donation tells something about who we are as an organization, and as
individuals. As we approach this conference, I recommend everyone
donate at least one item—and provide a 1-3 sentence story about why
you chose this item.

Recommendations include:

-a gift you have given a co-worker, friend, or family member

-one of your “favorite things”
-something from your part of the state
-something homemade or handmade
-something that helped you earlier in your career that you want to
“pay forward” to another educator

For questions or for more information about how you can donate to
the NYSOEA auction, contact MaryLynne Malone,
NYSOEA Past President, at malone@highlands.com

28 Pathways Summer 2018

Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Children's New Shoes Drive
in Port Jervis, New York
NYSOEA and its members have often supported local outreach
programs in and around the communities in which we hosts events
and activities. The 2018 50th Anniversary Conference will be held at
the Greenkill YMCA Outdoor Education & Retreat Center in Huguenot,
NY, just a few short miles from Port Jervis, NY. Many of you will
actually pass through ‘Port’ on your way to/from Greenkill.
This year we are asking our Conference participants to donate a
new pair of children’s shoes or sneakers while supporting a very
worthwhile and worthy cause …
’New soles in honor of a special soul …Mr. Josef Kucher’
Josef Kucher was always kind and loving to others, generous to
strangers, forgiving, honorable, hardworking, talented, community-
Pathways Summer 2018
SPECIAL EVENTS
minded and immensely cherished by his family and our community.
His generosity to children lives on through the annual ‘Kucher’s Kids
Shoe Drive’. He owned and operated Kucher Shoe Repair for more
than 40 years repairing and creating shoes with old-world style
master craftsmanship in his Front Street shop. He lost his life when he
was killed in his shop on November 8, 2014.
The 2017 inaugural shoe drive collected 1,017 new pairs of shoes and
sneakers for children in the community. The second annual ‘Kucher’s
Kids Shoe Drive’ will be held in November, 2018. We promise to bring
all our donated shoes and sneakers to Port Jervis at that time.
Thank you all for your consideration!
50th Anniversary Conference Committee
29
 PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMS & TRIPS
Participants must pre-register for all Pre-Conference
Programs & Field Trips … refer to on-line and/or hard copy
Conference Registration Form at www.nysoea.org.
CPR / First Aid
Thursday, September 20, 2018
9am-12:15pm – 1:30-4:30pm
3 hr First Aid + 3 hr CPR // 6 total hour program
American Heart Association CPR and First Aid course….heart
saver level course. Certification course / card provided. Please
bring bag lunch. For questions contact Tracy Thomas: tracy@
massenanaturecenter.com
Infusing EE in Early Childhood (Pre K-2) Project WET’s
‘Getting Little Feet WET’
Thursday, September 20, 2018
9am-12:15pm + 1:30-3:30pm
Join fellow early childhood educators in a romp through the new
Project WET’s Getting Little Feet Wet and Project Learning Tree’s Early
Childhood Experiences curriculum and activity guides.  Workshop
participants will take part in fun and engaging activities while training
to use the award-winning guides.  New and seasoned educators alike
will share valuable experiences and insights for adapting activities to
particular situations.  Participants will receive copies of both guides
free of charge. Please bring bag lunch.For questions contact Drew
Hopkins at 518-475-0291 or email at drew.hopkins@dec.ny.gov
Planning Your Next Big
Program and the Ones
After It
Thursday, September 20,
2018
1:30-4:30pm
Planning and implementing
outdoor and environmental
programs is a major undertaking
for K-12 teachers and educators
working in nonformal education
settings (park/recreation cen-
ters; state and regional forests,
wetlands, wildlife sanctuaries; nature centers; elder-care centers;
museums; zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens; environmental and
conservation organizations). The North American Association for En-
vironmental Education (NAAEE) developed recommendations, tools,
and strategies providing a cradle-to-grave approach from the idea
of creating an education program to evaluating its success. NAAEE
compiled these in “Nonformal Environmental Education Programs:
Guidelines for Excellence” (copies will be given), helping educators
knit together a systematic process leading to high-quality new pro-
grams and improving existing ones. Contact Kaeti Stoss: kstoss@
adopt-a-stream.org
30
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
PRE-CONFERENCE FIELD TRIPS
Delaware River Canoe/Kayak Trip
Thursday, September 20, 2018
11am – 3pm
“Staircase Rapids to Matamoras Access”
This trip goes out of Staircase Rapids, NY, and ends at the Matamoras
River Access, PA.
It is a 6-mile / 3+hr trip – potentially a more active section of the
river (subject to conditions) providing entertainment for advanced
kayakers looking for a challenging experience. NOT recommended
for beginners.
The cost is $53/pp, includes kayak/canoe rental, PFD, paddle, and
shuttles. Participants bring their own bag lunch and something to
drink….or eat a big breakfast! For this trip, all participants park their
cars at Kittatinny Matamoras Base (1147 Delaware Drive, Matamoras,
PA 18336), and are then bused up to Staircase in our complimentary
shuttle vans. Then float/paddle back down the river back to your
cars at Matamoras. Matamoras Access is a 20 minute drive from the
Conference site at Greenkill.
Trip Leader: Jeff Rosalsky, Executive Director PEEC (Pocono
Environmental Education Center)
NYSOEA rep: Snapper Petta
Call Sheri Bone, PEEC, at 570-828-2319 for additional details.
Fees are payable on arrival at Kittatinny Base.
Forestry Stewardship
Thursday, September 20, 2018
1:45pm – 3:45pm
Camp Deer Park has been in a sustainable growth forestry manage-
ment plan for 20 years. We have harvested wood for sale and to con-
struct four beautiful cabins while observing
an increase in the overall health and growth of our forest. We
will talk about how sustainable growth forest management can be
done in your context and how we have taught using
our model.
Camp is located 8 mi – 10 min drive from Greenkill. We will car pool
from Greenkill.
Call Ken Bontrager at 845-283-8669 for additional details.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMS & TRIPS

Bashakill Wetlands Canoe/Kayak Trip Local History Tour

Friday, September 21, 2018
Saturday, September 22, 2018
8:45am – 12:30pm Join us on a tour of the local history around Greenkill. Our first stop
Join educators Scott Graber, John Stowell, Snapper Petta and Tom
Smith to explore the largest freshwater wetland in Southeastern NY. “A
birdwatchers dream”. Bald eagles and osprey are common. Bashakill
wetland is home to over 200 species of birds and is a state-designated
bird conservation area. We will start at the South Road Boat Launch
(across from the winery) at 8:45am. Carpool from Greenkill.
Limited to 10 people without kayaks, and 10 people bringing their own
kayaks.
$10 fee for participants requiring to ‘rent’ kayak -payable at the Con-
ference.
Bring bag lunch, binoculars and water shoes.
Call Tom at 845-500-1170 for additional details.
Brandwein Nature
Learning Preserve
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Friday, September 21, 2018
1:45pm – 3:45pm
will be the “little red schoolhouse”. Built in 1879, this one-room school
is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is restored to
its original condition by the Little Red School House Historical Society.
Here we will receive a guided tour, not only of the schoolhouse, but of
the history of how it began and progressed.
From there we will head over to explore the Neversink Museum,
located in a historic canal-era building in the D&H Canal Park right on
the Neversink River! We will have the opportunity to learn about the
amazing D&H Canal and the rich archaeological history of this lovely
region in Orange County through exhibitions about Black Diamonds;
a working lock model; the Artistry of the Blacksmith; history of the
Lenape Native Americans; Movies Before Hollywood; and canal tech-
nology, history, boating and canal life. If only there was enough time
to stay and enjoy the self-guided written walking tour of the one-
mile section of the D&H Canal in the park, the large herb garden and
Lenape Native American Three-Sister’s Garden of corn, beans and
squash, The Museum Store with a large selection of canal and local
history publications, stationery, cards, toys, and gifts. Car pool from
Greenkill.

8:45am – 12:30pm Call Kristen at (732) 567-6115 for additional information.

The field trip to the Brandwein Nature Learning Preserve will offer a
variety of 90 minute outdoor workshops, guided trail walks and group
discussions presented by selected Brandwein Directors including
Bill Hammond, Daniel Bisaccio, Kasey Stankunis, Dave Foord, Jack
Padalino, Mark Schaefer, Brad Smith, Cheryl Charles, Lisa Janeway,
Alan Dandler, Marily DeWall, Bill Bavoso, Henry Burger and Keith
Wheeler. Brandwein Fellows Larry Peterson and Kevin DeVizia and
other members of the Brandwein Community will participate. Topics
include citizen science, advanced geo-caching, nature photography,
birding, exploring nature with children, nature journaling, the history
of the Preserve and more. A great field trip for EE Center staff mem-
bers, educators, parents, photographers, birders and ‘nature journal-
ists’.
Van and car pool from Greenkill … Lunch will be provided.
Call Keith Wheeler at 814-441-2887 for additional details.

Pathways Summer 2018 31

 PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMS & TRIPS Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018

Hawk Watch!!
Sunday, September 23, 2018
9:30am-11:15am
Brandwein Institute’s invitation to experience The Greatest
Show Above the Earth: Migrating Hawks
John (Jack) Padalino, President emeritus of the Brandwein
Institute, invites you to experience the Greatest Show Above
the Earth at the I-84 rest stop West between exits 2 and 1. Field
trip begins with a brief hawk identification session. Data we
collect will be shared with the Hawk Migration Association
of North America (HMANA). Migrating raptor identification
guides and hand-outs will be provided by the Brandwein
Institute.
The I-84 rest stop is on the north-southeastern flyway
habituated by predatory birds, raptors: The Kittatinny-
Shawangunk Ridge and Corridor which is a relatively
unbroken ridge that extends 250 miles across parts of New
York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It begins at Rosedale, NY,
at the northern end of the spectacular Shawangunk Ridge,
crosses NJ into PA at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation
Area, and continues in PA almost to the Maryland border.
For three quarters of a century and more, ornithologists, hawk
watchers, birders, and nature lovers have observed, studied
and photographed autumn hawk migrations. Hawk Mountain
is the most famous of the watch sites. Important local
observation sites are I-84, Sunrise Mountain, and Raccoon
Ridge. Between 10,000 to 20,000 migrating raptors of 16
species are counted every autumn at these sites including
Bald Eagles and rarer Golden Eagles.
Call Jack Padalino at 845-325-0536 for additional details.

32 Pathways Summer 2018

Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Sally McCracken
Vice President for Publications – 1978-1980
President – 1980-81
Service Award 1978
What a wonderful 50th Anniversary celebration there will be
in September!! Congratulations to the founders who were true
visionaries in the late ‘60s. They understood the awakening across the
country fueled by so many inspirational and passionate people who
realized the need and value of teaching about and in the outdoors.
Congratulations also to those who listened to them: teachers at all
levels, naturalists, environmentalists, lovers of the outdoors, etc., who
volunteered to serve NYSOEA by serving as Board members, officers,
conference organizers, committee members, mentors, newsletter
writers, and event planners.
I joined NYSOEA in the mid-’70s. The first conference that I attended
was at Sit’n Bull in Warrensburg. I was hooked. The people I met,
the energy they exuded, and all that I learned quickly found me
immersed in regional events. As VP for Publications, I thoroughly
enjoyed the Board meetings where we met in different places across
the state to conduct business three or four times a year.
The fall conference every year was the main event for all of us. In the
early years, conferences were held over Columbus Day weekend so
that classroom teachers could attend. The local NYSOEA events gave
us the opportunity to focus on specific ecosystems and flora and
fauna of the area. The annual conference was always the refueling,
retooling and inspirational event that gave us new ideas and
rekindled friendships.
As always, we were so fortunate to have extraordinary main speakers
for all of the conferences. In the early years, we were inspired
by Paul Petzoldt, founder of NOLS in 1965 and one of America’s
most accomplished mountaineers, and Anne LaBastille, author of
Woodswoman and an ecologist and photographer honored by the
World Wildlife Fund and the Explorer Club in NY for her pioneering
work in wildlife ecology. Joseph Cornell, author of Sharing Nature
with Children, was a speaker at the Saratoga conference. Joining us
for one of the “down state” conferences was Pete Seeger, a wonderful
Pathways Summer 2018
MEMORIES OF NYSOEA
American folk singer and a political and social activist. Roger Tory
Peterson, naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator, spoke about
his publication in 1934 of his Guide to Birds which led to the Peterson
Field Guide Series. Heinz Meng, ornithologist and biology professor
at SUNY New Paltz, was the first person to successfully breed
peregrine falcons in captivity. Allan Gussow, artist, author, teacher
and conservationist, joined us at the Lake Placid conference. Eliot
Wigginton, oral historian who authored the Fox Fire books was at one
of the Catskill conferences as was Arlene Bloom, who led the first
American and women’s ascent of Annapurna. She also co-led the
first women’s ascent of Denali. When she arrived in NY to attend our
conference, she was invited to speak at the Explorer’s Club in NYC.
She was the first woman invited to speak there. When she spoke at
the conference, she had a standing ovation. The men were the first to
stand up and applaud her.
Two other conferences that I attended over several years really
stand out in my memories. In the fall of 1979, we held the NYSOEA
conference at the Lake Placid Club just about 5 months before
the 1980 Olympic Games which were held in Lake Placid. It was a
wonderful conference in a beautiful part of the state. As usual, the
final banquet was Saturday evening. Sunday morning, some people
went to a workshop before heading home. Others left early for a long
drive home. It wasn’t until I got home (no cell phones then) that I
found out that about 50 people had gotten food poisoning from the
banquet the night before. Sue Flatley (President) and I spent many
hours between late October and New Year’s Eve bargaining with the
Lake Placid Club. It was certainly not something that they wished to
have leaked out before the Olympics.
Saratoga was the site of the next conference in the fall of 1980. Again,
a beautiful area and so lovely in the fall. The horse racing season
wasn’t over. Going to the races was one of our evening choices for an
activity. A race was named for NYSOEA. Several of our members got
to put the winner’s ribbon on the winning horse. It was a very unique
activity for one of NYSOEA’s conferences.
So many memories! So many friends! So many wonderful
experiences! I truly believe that my membership in NYSOEA (mid
‘70s -- early ‘80s) gave me a grounding in teaching in and about the
outdoors. Having moved to Colorado in the ‘90s, I continue drawing
on my experiences from many years ago; NYSOEA inspired me to
work and volunteer here with local school districts, the National Park
Service, and regional non-profits.
I look forward to joining all of you in September renewing friendships,
retelling stories, learning new skills and being inspired by many.
NYSOEA had and still has many of the “giants” in the field of both
OE and EE. I feel so fortunate to have met those who motivated me
years ago. I specifically didn’t mention any of the “giants” who were
members of NYSOEA in this article out of fear of missing someone.
We will be surrounded by “giants” in September!
33
 MEMORIES OF NYSOEA
Janet Lee
While studying for my Elementary Education Teaching Degree at
Plattsburgh State, in Plattsburgh, NY, I took an elective course called
“Outdoor Education 101”. The text book used was Dr. Julian Smith’s
book called Outdoor Education1. I enjoyed the class very much and
could see how I could use my Girl Scout background and teaching
skills together. We learned how a class could be taken outdoors to do
various activities, such as looking for signs of spring, finding how
big an acre is, doing an ABC scavenger hunt, learning about the
environment first hand, and much more.
I was able to apply the skills and ideas learned in “Outdoor Education
101” starting with my very first class of second graders. Later, I even
took a class of second graders on an overnight camping trip and we
did pond studies and night-time activities.
I am not sure how I found out about NYSOEA, but it was in the
late ‘60s or early ‘70s, and I am so glad I did. I joined right away
and became a very active member and attended both annual and
regional Conferences, and soon joined the Board of Directors. I filled
many positions including Regional Director, Secretary, worked on
conference committees and served as President in 1981-1982.
I am honored to have received the NYSOEA Service Award in 1979
and the Harlan “Gold” Metcalf Award in 1989.
I wanted to get a Master’s Degree in Outdoor Education, but the
colleges I looked into only had it connected with their Recreation
Departments and I didn’t want to start over and get another BS and
then a master’s degree.
Then at the 1975 NYSOEA Annual Conference, Dr. Julian Smith was
the keynote speaker and I met him while working at the registration
table. During our hour-long chat, I learned that he was teaching at
Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, and they had an Outdoor
Education master’s program connected with their Elementary
Education Department. To make a long story short, I did attend
Michigan State and received a Master’s in Elementary Education
34
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
with an Emphasis in Outdoor Education. If it hadn’t been for that
NYSOEA Annual Conference I may have never found out about their
course. My teaching methods were changed forever.
At another Conference, I met Helen Ross Russell, the author of Ten
Minute Field Trips. She also influenced my approach to teaching and I
used many of her ten-minute field trips with my classes.
In 1981-1982, I was President and have many great memories of that
year. My year ended with the Annual Conference held at the Marriott
Hotel in Amherst, NY. Roger Troy Peterson was our keynote speaker,
and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with him and
gained much from him.
At many of the Western Region workshops and Annual Conferences,
I willingly shared the units I wrote on how to use the outdoors as
a classroom. In 1986, I had one of my units printed in the Council
for Elementary Science International’s CESI Sourcebook IV3. It was
called, “A Cloud is Like…..”
I am a life member and even though I am now retired, I still enjoy the
articles in the various NYSOEA publications.
NYSOEA had a huge influence on my teaching methods and units.
I have over 50 years of great memories counting my studies at
Plattsburgh State. May NYSOEA continue into the future with great
success.
Smith, Julian W., et al., Outdoor Education, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewoood Cliffs,
N.J., 1963.
Russell, Helen R., Ten Minute Field Trips-Using the School Grounds for
Environmental Studies, J. G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois,
1973.
Lee, L. Janet, A Cloud is Like…., page 17, Science Experiences for Preschoolers,
The Council for Elementary Science Sourcebook IV, ed. Leon Ukens
Published by ERIC Clearing House for Science, Mathematics, and
Environmental Education, 1986.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 MEMORIES OF NYSOEA

Outdoor Education...
The Evolution of an Idea
Jerry Passer
Past-President, 1977-78
Harlan “Gold” Metcalf Award, 1978
Leadership Award, 1975
Conference Chair, 1973 & 1976

Convincing reluctant and doubting educators (teachers and adminis-

trators included) that utilizing the out-of-doors as a classroom loaded
with teaching and learning opportunities was a challenge.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s when environmental issues came
to the forefront and Earth Day celebrations were happening, it was
quickly learned that many of our human concerns dealing with the
environment could often best be addressed and studied in the out-of-
doors.

It was during that era that I was invited to join a group, led by George
Fuge of SUNY Cortland, NY, and inspired by the legendary Harlan
“Gold” Metcalf, also of SUNY Cortland. It was to be dedicated to pro-
moting teaching and learning in the out-of-doors, a phenomenon
labeled as “outdoor education”. Thus, emerging as a result of this idea,
the NYS OUTDOOR EDUCATION ASSOCIATION was created and the
journey, now 50 years and thriving, began.

My early encouragement to participate came from John Weeks, who

at the time was the developer and director of the Rogers Environ-
mental Education Center (operated by the NYS Dept of Environmental
Conservation) in Sherburne, NY. John was a master teacher and natu-
ralist. He teamed with Herm Weiskotten, also an excellent naturalist,
to develop an exceptional educational facility visited by hundreds of
thousands over the years. I was directing Project RACE, Regional Ap-
proach to Conservation in Education, a Title 111 ESEA funded program
that involved four counties, public and private schools and BOCES in
central NY, at the time.
During the development of NYSOEA, many renowned outdoor edu-
cators, program and facility developers, artists and writers participated
and contributed to the growing success and international recognition
of the organization. Internationally famous writer and adventurer,
Anne LaBastille; famous wildlife artist, H. Wayne Trimm; founder of
the National Outdoor Leadership School, Paul Petzoldt; international
adventurer and Explorer’s Club member, Dr. John Loret; and wildlife
cinematographer Earl Hilfiker were among them.
Fortunately, NYS was rich with facilities in various stages of devel-
opment that were ready to accommodate and to develop outdoor
education programs. The leadership provided by their teachers soon
attracted more and more curious educators and administrators. It
was with this heritage that NYSOEA grew and prospered and became
internationally recognized. Visitors from many US states as well as
Canada contacted and visited facilities and conferred with NYSOEA
members regarding the establishment of similar programs in their
location.
Now, after 50 years of celebrated success of NYSOEA, I am proud to
have been a founding member and a contributor along with so many
life-long friends who similarly have given their time and talent to en-
suring the success of the organization and for carrying on its tradition
of excellence.

Pathways Summer 2018 35

 THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
1908 – 2008
A Frank Knight Mini-History 2018
In the late 1800s, a series of economic depressions drove farmers
to tenement life in the city. The American Nature Study Society
(ANSS) was founded at the 1908 annual meeting in Chicago of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) by a
large and distinguished group of its academic members to promote
and teach school science. Also in 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt
convened his famous Conference of Governors with several actions
of lasting significance, most notably the creation of state conservation
departments. Cornell’s Liberty Hyde Bailey, ANSS’ first and sixth
president, was appointed by Roosevelt as Chairman of the National
Commission on Country Life which called for revitalizing American
agriculture. Among Bailey’s many accomplishments were agricultural
extension services, the 4-H movement, the nature study movement,
parcel post and rural electrification. Fifth president Anna Botsford
Comstock’s Handbook of Nature Study (1911) (still in print today) and
her School Leaflets series at Cornell were part of a major campaign to
keep families on the farm.
Arguably the two most significant nature study publications in
the first half of the 20th century were Comstock’s Handbook and E.
Laurence Palmer’s Fieldbook of Natural History (1949).
Surviving two world wars, ANSS had its financial ups and downs
with chapters across the U.S. and Canada at its peak, and a succession
of three official publications over the decades: Nature Study Review
edited by Comstock was succeeded in the 1920s by Nature Magazine
edited by Cornell’s Palmer, Prof. of Nature and Science Education. In
the 1970s the Journal Nature Study became ANSS’ final official organ
edited by John Gustafson and Helen Ross Russell, the first woman
PhD graduated from Palmer’s department. Nature study had a broad
interpretation including all of the science -ologies not just the natural
sciences. Glacial geologist Louis Agassiz had famously admonished
educators in the mid-nineteenth century teaching by rote from
antiquated texts to “Study nature not books”. Comstock, ANSS fourth
president, eloquently clarified mistaken notions about science in her
Handbook introduction: “Nature-study is science brought home. It
is a knowledge of botany, zoology and geology as illustrated in the
dooryard, the corn-field or the woods back of the house. …nature has
furnished the material and laboratories on every farm in the land.”
36
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Certainly, in the latter half of the 20th century, nature study evolved
to include all the multidisciplinary non-science disciplines we teach
today as espoused by NYSOEA and the John Burroughs Association
(JBA), to name only two groups. ANSS Journals reflected this
evolution through the Gustafson and Russell years.
ANSS was sustained for a century without a mission statement
by its continuity policies. Top leadership became a four-year
commitment: one year as President-elect followed by two years
as President followed by a year as Past-President, each office with
very specific duties. By the time I became the 51st president in 1987,
ANSS had mastered sustainability. ANSS’ memorable seven-word
slogan: Excellence in Nature Study, Writing and Appreciation gave
focus for a century. ANSS became a magnet for nature writers, many
of whom besides Bailey, Comstock and Russell became President -
notably, Roger Tory Peterson and Edwin Way Teale. At each of the
annual meetings, I recall helping unpack and repack an increasingly
heavy load of boxes of display books by members to inspire the
next generation. In the 1960s, the annual Eva L. Gordon Award for
Outstanding Children’s Science Literature was created for an author’s
body of work. I was awed by the recognition my literary heroes were
given at a Gathering of the Elders: writers like Millicent Selsam, Jean
Craighead George and Golden Nature Guides author Herbert Zim.
Awardees eagerly contributed essays and art work for publication in
Nature Study.
A Service Award called “The Gus”, for John Gustafson, who had
served as President and then Treasurer for all the years I knew him,
had many worthy recipients. Inspired by the Burroughs Medal
awarded by the JBA and the NYSOEA’s highest honor, the Golden
Award for founder, SUNY Cortland Prof. Harlan “Gold” Metcalf, I
created the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award, rarely bestowed to individuals
espousing his ideals.
As with the demise of many venerable institutions and individuals,
there is seldom a single cause. By the 1990s, excellence in reading
and writing were being replaced by what fit on a computer screen.
Certainly, eBooks, digital newsletters and journals are more quickly
and inexpensively produced but also more disposable.
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS

The Paul F-Brandwein Institute:

Continuing a Legacy in
Conservation Education
Keith A. Wheeler, John “Jack” Padalino, and Marily DeWall tutes in for teachers, scientists, naturalists and others at the Rutgers
Creek Wildlife Conservancy located in Greenville, NY. The Summer
Mission:  To perpetuate the work of Paul F-Brandwein, the Institute is
Leadership Institutes were held with 20 new teachers and numerous
dedicated to the education of all learners in recognition of their inter-
resource people participating every year. Teachers learned to imple-
dependence with nature and responsibility for sustaining a healthful
ment long-term ecological research, integrating field-based inquiry
and healing environment.
with technology and exploring assessment strategies and techniques
During his lifetime as educator, author, lecturer, editor, scientist, con- for use with students.
servationist, leader, friend, mentor, and humanitarian, Paul F-Brand-
2005­­–06: The Conservation Learning Summit (CLS) was held, No-
wein entered the minds and hearts of many who had the opportunity
vember 4-6, with representatives from 75 government agencies, aca-
to work and learn with him as well as many others who knew and
demia, nongovernmental organizations, philanthropy, and business,
learned from him through his published works and presentations.
to discuss critical issues of conservation education and the workforce.
With his wife and partner, Mary, he transformed an historic farm-
A press briefing at the National Press Club was held in May to an-
house and surrounding lands into a homestead. Throughout his life,
nounce the results of the CLS. Richard Louv was the featured speaker.
Paul Brandwein helped people become better environmental citizens
by providing them with the tools for literacy needed to understand The Institute Board of Directors approved the “Brandwein Medal” to
and act on environmental problems. be given each year to an individual or organization whose focus is
in keeping with Paul and Mary Brandwein’s commitment to educa-
On March 1, 1994, Paul and Mary, together with their friend and Paul’s
tion, life-long learning, nature, and community. Brandwein medal
co-author on many projects Evelyn Morholt, created the Rutgers
recipients represent the ‘world-wide’ efforts of many individuals and
Creek Wildlife Conservancy of the Brandwein-Morholt Trust, as a
organizations, public and private, committed to these goals. Brand-
means to sustain and restore a small but important area of this historic
wein Medal recipients include: David Brown, 5th Grade teacher from
region of New York State in perpetuity… to serve as a living nature
Quincy, MA; Toyota Motors; Kartikeya Sarabhai, founder of India’s
laboratory, a special place for learners of every age and background
Center for Environmental Education; and Robert Bateman, celebrated
to investigate, to discover, to learn, and to enhance their sense of
artist and naturalist.
wonder.
2009–18: The Board funded the creation of interpretive trails on a
1995–98: Initial meetings among Mary Brandwein, Brandwein-
30-acre parcel of the Rutgers Creek Conservancy, and an official
Morholt Trust; Jack Padalino, Pocono Environmental Education
ground-breaking ceremony was held. The property was designated
Center (PEEC); Bill Hammond, Natural Context; Alan Sandler, Ameri-
as the Brandwein Nature Learning Preserve (BNLP). Upon completion
can Institute of Architects; Marily DeWall, National Science Teachers
of the trails, boardwalks, pavilions, information kiosks, and benches,
Association (NSTA) and Keith Wheeler, Global Rivers Environmental
the formal dedication of BNLP was held. Two-week Summer Science
Education Network (GREEN) provided core ideas for a collaborative
Camps and Sundays at the Preserve, featuring various naturalists and
relationship between the Pocono Environmental Education Center
activities, were held at the BNLP.
(PEEC) and the Brandwein-Morholt Trust.
2015: The Institute hosted a three-day conference, “Inspiring a New
The Paul F. Brandwein Lecture Series was established as an ongoing
Generation North American Summit” that was held at the National
session at the National Science Teachers Association Annual Meeting.
Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Nearly 200
The first lecture was delivered by Dr. William Stapp, Professor Emeri-
participants came from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as well as few
tus, Department of Environmental Education, University of Michigan.
from other countries, including Brazil, Peru, Australia, Italy, and China.
Since its inception, the Lecture Series has featured among others:
Bill Hammond, FL Gulf Coast University; Cheryl Charles, Children & It was at this Conference in 2015 that NYSOEA’s Legacy Committee
Nature Network; Charles Roth, Massachusetts Audubon; Lynn Cherry, took a turnaround and the 50th Anniversary Conference started to
author, and Richard Louv, author & futurist. take shape with several conversations and plenty of notes written on
napkins and placemats and a whole lot of positive energy and com-
1999: The Institute was incorporated as a not for profit (501c3) organi-
mitments … and here we are.
zation, known as the Paul F-Brandwein Institute, Inc.
To learn more about the Paul-F Brandwein Institute, its history and
2000–2002: A grant from the Toyota USA Foundation enabled the
programs visit: https://brandwein.org/.
Foundation to plan and run three years of Summer Leadership Insti-

Pathways Summer 2018 37

 CONFERENCE FAQS
NYSOEA’s 50th Anniversary Conference FAQ’s
What is NYSOEA and what is the Annual Conference?
Established in 1968, The New York State Outdoor Education
Association is the leading professional group supporting outdoor
education, environmental education and interpretive services in
New York State.
The signature event for NYSOEA is the Annual Conference. The
conference is an excellent opportunity for networking, attending
workshops, participating in outdoor activities, and supporting
outdoor education in New York State. The 2018 Conference
celebrates NYSOEA’s 50th Anniversary!
For complete information about NYSOEA, mission, goals,
membership & activities visit: www.nysoea.org
When is the 50th Anniversary Conference?
September 20-23, 2018
For complete information about the 50th Anniversary Conference
visit: www.nysoea.org
Where is it?
It will be held at the Greenkill ‘Y’ Outdoor Education & Retreat Center,
Huguenot, NY 12746. For information, directions, and more about
Greenkill, please visit: http://ymcanyc.org/ycamps/.
Huguenot is a hamlet in the town of Deerpark, in Orange County,
New York, north of Port Jervis on US-209 in the tristate area of NY,
NJ and PA, ‘surrounded’ by the Delaware River, the Bashakill Wildlife
Management Area and the Neversink River.
I am a Past President and may / may not be able to attend
the Conference…how can I participate?
NYSOEA’s Legacy Committee is reaching out to all Past Presidents
inviting each of them to participate in the celebration, support the
50th and inspire the future …
If you are planning to attend, please fill out the general Registration
form to secure a place at the Conference and your housing and
meals….visit www.nysoea.org.
What can I expect to do and see and learn while I’m there?
There is a full 3-day (from 6am through 11pm!) program of workshops,
training programs, field trips, guest speakers, receptions, special
events, exhibitors and more. Visit www.nysoea.org for the Conference
schedule and complete descriptions of all programs, workshops and
special events.
38
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018
Who usually attends the Conference and do I get
to meet them?
Conference participants represent both public and private affiliations
and include classroom teachers, environmental educators, college
professors, naturalists, interpreters, youth leaders, administrators,
students, parents and others interested in the outdoors.
Conference Committee and Board members are on hand throughout
the Conference to meet, greet and orient all participants to NYSOEA,
the Conference and Greenkill’s facilities.
How do I register and what does it cost?
Visit www.nysoea.org and follow the Conference 2018
Registration link!
You will find many options for registration, membership, donations,
lodging and meals. There are convenient lodging and meal options
available at Greenkill.
Register early!!! A number of programs, field trips, lodging and single
meal options are limited.
I am a workshop leader for the Conference … do I need
to register?
Everyone needs to register, even if it’s just for the day – workshop
leaders receive a $20 discount on registration fees … need to pay
for lodging and meals.
For questions please contact Carolann James at
CJames@nasboces.org.
I am full time student and/or SCA member … are there
options to attend?
Absolutely!! SCA members please contact Libby Young at lyoung@
thesca.org.
Full time students please contact Snapper Petta at Snapper.Petta@
oneonta.edu.
Is there a scholarship program available to help defray
costs?
Scholarships are available for full time educators, students and
interns. For registration and scholarship information please contact
Snapper Petta at Snapper.Petta@oneonta.edu.
I would love to sponsor an event or student and have an
exhibit and/or ad for the Conference…
…and we would love to have you as a sponsor, exhibitor and advertiser
…please visit www.nysoea.org
Pathways Summer 2018
Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 CONFERENCE FAQS

Is EEAC-NYC partnering with NYSOEA’s Annual What do I bring with me?

Conference this year?
NYSOEA is partnering with EEAC-NYC to promote our 50th Annual
Conference. EEAC-NYC members are eligible to register for the
conference at the NYSOEA membership rate.
What are The Brandwein Institute and The American Na-
ture Study Society?
The 50th Anniversary Conference is sponsored in part through a
grant from The Brandwein Institute and The American Nature Study
Society. Their respective members have long been associated with
NYSOEA and have served as workshop leaders, featured speakers,
award winners, Conference Chairpersons and Board members. For
additional information visit www.brandwein.org.
Traditionally … participants ‘Lug their mug’, binoculars, field guides,
guitars, a ‘local’ libation or snack, sleeping bag or linens, $$ for a new
t-shirt and a donation to the annual auction & raffle.
Members Art Show – We are bringing back a ‘blast from the past’ and
sponsoring a Members Art Show & Exhibit giving members and Con-
ference participants a unique opportunity to share their talents.
Children’s Shoes - We are asking participants to consider supporting
a very worthwhile and worthy cause in our Port Jervis community…
’new soles in honor of a special soul’ … and bring a new pair of chil-
dren’s shoes or sneakers with them to the Conference.
Book Talks & Swaps - Join in several informal ‘book talks’ … featuring
old favorites and newer books. And bring a ‘bag’ of books you would
not mind giving up or swapping for another ‘bag’ of books. Whatever
is left over will be donated to the ‘Book Fairy’

I can only attend for a day or two, can I do that?

You can register for one, two or three days … on-line or ‘write-in’ reg-
istration options are available.
I am going to ‘commute’ but may want to have meals at
the site - what are my registration options?
Commuters are more than welcome! You can register and pay for one,
two or three days for the Conference plus a daily facility use fee and
then choose whatever meals you would like to have on site.
I would like to make the most of the weekend…what can I
do and see on my way to / from Greenkill?
Your ‘tourist’ options in the tri-state area of NY, NJ and PA are in all
directions including hiking, walking, boating, antiquing, eating and
more including: The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area,
Grey Towers National Historic Site in Milford PA, the Upper Delaware
Scenic & Recreation River, the Roebling Bridge and D&H Canal in NY,
High Point State Park in NJ, the Port Jervis Watershed Park and more.

What if I have more questions?

Are there nearby off-site housing options? You can find all sorts of information when you visit: www.nysoea.org.
The Best Western Hotel, Matamoras, PA 18336 (570) 491-2400 Or email us at: conferncecommittee2018@nysoea.org.
9 mi, 20 min. to Greenkill
The Hampton Inn, Matamoras, PA 18336 (570) 491-5280
9 mi, 20 min. to Greenkill
Myer Country Motel, Milford, PA 18337 (570) 296-7223
14 mi, 25 min to Greenkill

Is public transportation available?

Bus - Greyhound provide service to the Best Western Hotel,
Matamoras, PA.
Train - Metro North provides service to/from Port Jervis, NY.
Pick up times for the ‘Y’ will be posted closer to Conference as these
schedules are confirmed.
TAXI service is also available: 845-856-1111 OR 845-858-8888

Pathways Summer 2018 39

 Solid Roots
About fifty years ago, a few educators realized that
outdoor experiences had been gradually eroding from
our NYS educational system. Not only students but the
entire culture would suffer if something did not change!

The roots of our organization are the educators that

got it started and the ones that continue to nourish its
growth. Like a tree, NYSOEA can only grow as large and
healthy as its roots grow deep and wide. For nearly 50
years, our roots have kept us anchored in the richness
of the outdoors and helped us stay strong. We continue
to draw inspiration from this commitment, tenacity,
and vision.

In light of the upcoming 50th anniversary, we have

decided to reprint a few articles from NYSOEA’s very
own publication dating back to March of 1969-- once
known as the The Outdoor Communicator and later
renamed Pathways to Outdoor Communication-- to
help us learn from, appreciate, and continue to be
strengthened by our solid roots as we continue to grow.

40
InFARMation
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Writing & Illustrations by Leslie Cancilla

This article originally appeared in NYSOEA’s The Communicator, Volume X, Number 2, 1979.
It has been abridged for this issue of Pathways.

Behind barn doors, beneath horses’ hooves, between rows
of corn, there is a vast field of knowledge which when tilled can
produce an abundance of food for thought. Using the farm situation,
a teacher can capitalize on the activities, facts and philosophies
evident here to teach youth about the essential interdependence of
people and the land.
In today’s modern technological world, many people have lost sight
of our dependence on the land for our basic needs. Machines, mass
production, synthetic materials, and technology in general have made
our life self-contained and seemingly independent of nature.
A mere appreciation, even love, for the rustic rural ecosystem can
be a building block to an effective attitude change toward becoming
a respectful steward of the earth. Once aware of the give and take
processes established between the farmer and the land, children can
then incorporate these actions into their own environments.
Have you ever felt the warmth of a freshly laid egg, especially after
fetching it from underneath a faithful old hen? Were you ever a victim
of a directed spray of goat’s milk as it was being squeezed from the
udder? Or felt the rough bristles on a pig’s back?
Luckily, my childhood was enriched and enlightened by a special visit
to a unique farm in Dayton, Ohio – Aullwood Audubon Farm. The
farm made a deep impression that is just as vivid today as the time
I stepped through the entrance gate. There I had my first encounter
with two 2000-pound draft horses that greeted me with moist velvety
noses and loose inquisitive lips, a goat that I wanted to take by the
horns (literally) and escort home, and the startling yet maternal
sensation of a calf sucking desperately on my fingers... No books or
school teacher could have transferred that invaluable message of
wonder, awe and affection that I experienced first hand. This sense of
wonder has grown within me and has led me directly into the field of
environmental education and eventually back to Aullwood Farm.

Pathways Summer 2018 41

 Educational Value
A farm, for one thing, can serve as a valuable
educational environment that focuses on
America’s rural heritage and the relationship
between people and the total
environment. The resources of
a farm
are unique in that a farm
is the source of one of
basic needs: food.
A farmer takes
from the land
the materials
needed to
provide food,
and must see
to it that the
farm’s resources
are used wisely.
They also deal with
real problems facing us
today, such as soil and water
conservation, use of fertilizers
and pesticides, and other
environmental concerns.
This puts farmers in a
difficult position, because
they are often caught in the
midst of conflicting pressures. From one side, they are urged
to disturb the environment as little as possible, to protect the
delicate ecological relationships on which all life depends. At
the same time, they must meet the demands of a growing
human population that needs a plentiful and inexpensive food
supply. And of course they must earn a living! Therefore, a
farm presents a complex picture of environmental questions,
economic consideration, and accommodations between the
two.
Dairy
Horns are not exclusive to males. Horns can be present or
absent on both males and females. So what does distinguish
the sexes? The answer to this question leads into a discussion
of a variety of different factors and characteristics, including
the functioning of the udder – the natural milk machine –
and how milk is produced. As a ruminant, the cow’s eating
habits enter into the milk making process and therefore
the four chambered stomach can be explained. A study
of the history of milking traces the simple hand milking
technique to the modern, complex machines used in
commercial dairy farms.
42
After collecting the milk, the children watch eagerly as the
separator proceeds cream and skim milk. What a rewarding
experience to observe the delight brewing as children churn
butter from the cream that came from the milk that flowed
from the cow that ate the grass that grew in the farm pasture!
At last a relationship between people, their needs, and
their total environment becomes clear and, perhaps, more
appreciated through a simple “teachable moment” found at
the farm.
Clothing
Clothing is another of our essential needs. The process
of sheep shearing, washing, carding, spinning, dyeing,
and weaving into cloth is thus very important to a child’s
understanding of how cloth was first made. Learning
experiences beginning at the sheep barn range from the
natural history of the animal, to natural plant dyes, to the
mechanics of a weaving loom. This lesson allows for an
extensive “hands on” experience as the children work with
the wool. They feel the peculiar smelling grease on their
hands from the lanolin secreted from the sheep’s skin. They
struggle to card the wool. Then, on a spinning wheel twice
their size, they twist the rollags of wool into yarn. Huddling
over a stove, others brew a dye with goldenrod or marigolds
they’ve collected to color the yarn. Finally, with excitement and
diligence, they weave the yarn into a functional piece of cloth.
Working with one’s hands and with raw material to create a
necessity of human life – clothing—gives one a feeling of
accomplishment, pride and an affinity to the environment
from which the ingredients came. Surely, here is a lesson in
the joys—and the toil—of the simple life.
Crops
Not only are the sheep, cattle, and other farm animals good
subjects for study, but the crops in the fields that sustain these
animals are also very important. The farmer attempts to work
with the land while at the same time manipulating it for our
nutritional needs. Contour plowing, strip cropping, and crop
rotation add to the child’s knowledge of the prevention of
erosion and the maintenance of soil quality. A farmer can use
the land without abusing it.
Junk food today heads the lists of nutritional intake in
multitudes of children’s diets. Once on a farm, they have the
perfect opportunity to study the many factors that contribute
to a healthy body and mind, including the necessary nutrients
found in many grains and vegetables grown in the fields,
in the dairy products, and in numerous meats cut from the
various animals.
Pathways Summer 2018
Rural Heritage
A farm is an excellent place to explore our rural American heritage.
I noticed the children’s fascination with the antique machines that
adorned a barn built in the 1800’s. Their curiosity was further aroused
as they tried to figure out the obscure uses of some of the old-
fashioned tools. The barn itself, built with 40-foot, hand-hewn beams
logged from the original forest surrounding the farm, created a mood
where one could imagine the feats of hard working pioneers and their
bond with nature.
Progress is clearly apparent as the children explore the advancements
from the old to the new methods and
machinery. The draft horses exemplify this. Their original role as the
power house of the farm has been lost in the tracks of mechanization.
Unlike the horse-drawn plow of yesteryear, today’s farmer uses a
100-horsepower tractor to pull several plows over a large area. Since
farming has become so industrialized and mechanically controlled,
few people sympathize with or even comprehend the hard labor,
bodily strength, and devotion of early American farmers and the role
of their horses.
Pathways Summer 2018
Summary
The farm has great potential as an environmental education tool. The
educational resources of a farm are both broad and varied and farm
facilities can be relevant and useful in enlightening our lives. Teachers
and students should visit either a working farm or one operated by an
educational organization, talk to the farmer and staff, and explore the
interesting and unique experiences available there. There are many
possible subjects for discovery and learning, including domestic
animal husbandry, crops, historical barns and buildings, old and new
machinery, the “watering hole,” surrounding fields and forests, the
neighboring woodlot, the economics of operating a farm, and the
philosophy of farming.
Environmental education should encompass all outdoor
environments, whether created by people or natural. A
farm clearly encompasses both!
43
 The Outside Story:

A Slow Start for

Snapping Turtles
Written by Brett Amy Thelen

44 Pathways Summer 2018

One moonless May
evening, my husband and I walked down to our local pond, flashlights
in hand, to look for toads. We were delighted to discover hundreds of
them, floating, darting, and jockeying for position in an explosion of
courtship. Their surround-sound trills left our ears ringing.
The toads were frenzied, focused only on each other, and highly
concentrated in one small, shallow section of the pond, which
prompted my husband to wonder if they weren’t awfully vulnerable
to predators that way.
I’d barely had time to contemplate his question when I spied a
snapping turtle lurking beneath a cloud of toads. Then, a quiet clap
and – just like that – a toad had disappeared into the turtle’s gaping
maw. For fifteen minutes, I watched, mesmerized, as the stealthy
snapper noiselessly gulped down four more unsuspecting toads. It
barely made a ripple.
I consider myself a Toad Person, but I’m a Turtle Person too, and I
felt like I’d been given a secret glimpse into The World of Things That
Happen When Humans Aren’t Around.
Over the next few days, I excitedly recounted my turtle tale to anyone
who would listen, but not everyone found it so enchanting. To
some, my experience only served to underscore the snapping turtle’s
reputation as a ruthless killer, slayer of brook trout and baby ducks.
Given their primeval appearance, impressive armor, and signature
bite, we tend to think of snapping turtles as predators, not prey. As
adults, snapping turtles can weigh upwards of 50 pounds and grow to
more than three feet in length, with saw-toothed tails, thick carapaces,
and powerful jaws, so it’s true that mature snappers have few natural
predators aside from humans.
The first year of their lives, however, is an entirely different story.
Each year, from mid-May through early July, female snapping turtles
lumber out of the mire in search of sandy soil in which to lay their
eggs. They don’t travel far – nests are typically located within 80 feet
of the water’s edge – but they often select nest sites along sandy road
shoulders, making road mortality a clear danger to adult females
and hatchlings alike. Less obvious, perhaps, is the threat posed by
predators who thrive in the presence of human development.
Raccoon. Fox. Coyote. Crow. All have benefitted greatly from
access to trash, agricultural fields, and other food sources provided,
intentionally or not, by us. Where these “mesopredators” thrive, turtle
hatchlings struggle to survive.
In northern New York, raccoons destroyed 94% of all snapping turtle
nests identified in one turtle nesting study. During a six-year study
on the reproductive and nesting ecology of snapping turtles in
southeastern Michigan, predation rates averaged 70%, with two years
Pathways Summer 2018
experiencing losses of 100%. The majority of nests were devoured by
raccoons within 24 hours of egg deposition; foxes made short work
of the remaining nests later in the season, when the eggs were close
to hatching. Recent research in Ontario’s Algonquin National Park
found that nest predation by canids, especially red fox, peaked just
two weeks before turtle hatchlings were expected to emerge. Ravens,
crows, and wild turkeys were also documented feasting on snapping
turtle eggs.
How do predators find their way to turtle nests, months after the
eggs have been tucked away underground? In Ontario, raccoons and
coyotes have been observed following the tracks of early-emerging
hatchlings back to their nests and consuming what eggs and young
remain in the nest cavity. Canines may also smell their way to nests,
guided by the scent of embryonic fluid or the errant rotting egg.
Another intriguing possibility: although freshwater turtles have long
been seen as the silent movie stars of the reptile world, Brazilian
researchers recently documented giant South American turtle
hatchlings vocalizing from inside their eggs, and also after hatching
but while still in the nest. The fact that these turtles were thought to
be silent until relatively recently may be due to the low volume, pitch,
and amplitude of their vocalizations. (In other words, humans can’t
easily hear them without specialized equipment.) Could our snapping
turtles be calling from inside their nests too – only to be answered by
the hungry fox?
Whether they’re led to turtle nests by their eyes, ears, or noses, it’s
clear that predators affect the recruitment of young turtles into the
population. According to one study, the probability of a snapping
turtle embryo surviving to sexual maturity, which typically happens
at 15-20 years of age, is less than one tenth of a percent. Such slow
recruitment makes these seemingly invincible creatures particularly
vulnerable to habitat loss, road mortality, illegal harvesting, pollution,
and other human-induced peril.
So, the next time you see a sizeable snapping turtle plodding across
the road or lying in wait beneath your canoe – craggy, stinky, and
short-tempered though she may be – consider, for a moment, what
it took for her to make it to that particular moment in time. Appreciate
that she overcame incredible odds. Admire her tenacity, her resilience.
And forgive her, perhaps, for the baby ducks.
Brett Amy Thelen is Science Director at the Harris Center for
Conservation Education in Hancock, New Hampshire (www.
harriscenter.org).
The illustration for this column was drawn by Adelaide Tyrol.
The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands
magazine, www.northernwoodlands.org, and sponsored by the
Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation:
wellborn@nhcf.org.
45
 Remembering
Dr. Samuel B. Ross Jr.
Written by Sally McCracken,
Past NYSOEA President 1980-1981
Dr. Sam Ross (affectionately known as Rollo) was both a leader in
education and in his community. He was the founder of Green
Chimneys in Brewster, New York, and received both the Leadership
Award in 1976 and the Harlan “Gold” Metcalf Award in 1981 from the
NYSOEA! Dr. Ross touched the lives of thousands of children and
animals as he brought them together at Green Chimneys.
I met Sam back in the late ‘70s when I served on the Board of the
Hillside Outdoor Education Center which was part of the Green
Chimneys programming. At that time, I also met his wife, Myra,
who was his partner in all of his endeavors for 63 years. Together,
they were a magical couple who were movers and shakers at both
the school and within the community. In 1989, just after Rotary
International voted women into “the fold”, Sam and Myra gathered
46
18 people who were evenly divided between men and women to start
a new Rotary Club in Patterson, New York. I was so fortunate to be one
of those first 20 people who started this club that included both men
and women. It was a great opportunity to serve with both of them
over the next 7 years before I moved to Colorado. Dr. Ross eventually
moved to the Brewster Rotary Club and served as the Rotary District
Governor. How honored we can be that Sam was a member of
NYSOEA who has left an amazing legacy for Outdoor Education.
On the morning of February 28, 2018, Green Chimneys Founder Dr.
Samuel B. Ross, Jr. died peacefully at the age of 89, in the Las Vegas
home of his son. Dr. Ross was surrounded by family including Myra,
his devoted wife, and partner in Green Chimneys, of 63 years.
-Originally printed in the Green Chimneys Gazette, Spring 2018.
Pathways Summer 2018
 Off the Shelf Resources
From an Environmental-
Oriented Librarian
Fred Stoss,
Librarian, SUNY at Buffalo
NIEHS (National Institute for Environmental
Health Sciences) is one of the National
Institutes of Health [NIH] centers. It has a
podcast that explores how spending time
in nature can increase physical activity, and
thereby reduce the risk of chronic disease
and improve children’s sense of emotional
wellbeing. Plus it teaches how children learn
about the roles of health professionals and
unique initiatives that are working to prescribe nature to improve
the health of children and their communities. This is an outstanding
resource for professional presentations or articles for newsletters,
magazines, newspapers, and professional journals or books. The
speaker is Leyla McCurdy, a health and environment professional and
an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA).
She is an adjunct instructor at the University of North Carolina’s
Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Senior Advisor for the
Children’s Environmental Health Network <https://www.niehs.nih.
gov/research/supported/translational/peph/podcasts/children-
nature/index.cfm>.
In a science-based field, outdoor and environmental educators
use powers of observation as a critical component of the learning
(and teaching) process. We often take pain-staking time to develop,
sustain, and enhance those powers of observation in the making
of more science literate adults. Luckily, students are enthralled with
things they see, hear, feel, touch, and taste in the environments they
frequent. Ten Picture Books about Observation and Perspective,
by Katey Howes, is a blog-post from Nerdy Book Club <https://
nerdybookclub.wordpress.com/2018/02/03/ten-picture-books-
about-observation-and-perspective-by-katey-howes/> of particular
interest that provides suggestions for ten children’s books you might
Pathways Summer 2018
find useful in collaboration with public or school librarians. I have
included it as part of several of my past presentations at NYSOEA
Conferences, “Eco-Literacy Conquers Illiteracy,” and more. Each book
is provided a brief annotation sufficient to see if the book would work
into a good program idea that I describe as “Read the Book! Do the
Book!” By having a librarian read the book of choice to the students,
you can engage the children in expressing their thoughts and get
them talking about a subject, topic, or idea—even have them record
their thoughts and feelings in a nature journal. They then can go into
the outdoors and further explore what they read and discussed. The
ten books are: They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel, the Looking
Closely series by Frank Serafini (ecosystems found in each volume:
garden, desert, forest, shore, rain forest, and pond), Small Wonders –
Jean Henri Fabre and His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith,
illustrated by Giuliano Ferri, A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by Seth
Fishman, illustrated by Isabel Greenberg, Flashlight by Lizi Boyd (Note:
a GREAT evening or early night-time activity of exploration), Infinity
and Me by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska, Flotsam by
David Wiesner, The Girl Who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Dr.
Temple Grandin by Julia Finley Mosca, illustrated by Daniel Rieley,
and You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang, illustrated by Christopher
Weyant. Katey Howes is described as the author of Grandmother
Thorn and Magnolia Mudd and the Super Jumpstastic Launcher
Delux. She is a team member at All the Wonders: The Children’s Book
Podcasts
<http://www.allthewonders.com/podcasts/atwpodcast/>, and one of
the founders of Picture the Books, a website introducing debut picture
book authors and illustrators
<https://twitter.com/PictureTheBooks> . Katey contributes
posts to sites such as STEAMpowered Family <https://www.
steampoweredfamily.com/> and Multi-Cultural Parenting. Prior to
her writing career, Katey was a physical therapist specializing in brain
injury rehabilitation. You can connect with Katey at kateyhowes.com,
on Twitter @kateywrites, or on IG @kidlitlove. She resides in Newtown,
Pennsylvania, northeast of Philadelphia.
47
Off the Shelf Resources (continued)
We certainly saw a different winter this year,
and Western New Yorkers will tell those of
you living downstate and on Long Island,
“‘we feel your pain,’ but not this year.” So,
how many of you are looking for a few
weather apps for your smart phones? The
ReviewGeek site lists seven GREAT ones
<https://www.reviewgeek.com/2354/7-
great-apps-for-tracking-the-weather/>. The prices for these apps
range from free to $9.99. They also range from the more technically
complex RadarScope (Android/iOS, $9.99) to a much simpler
WeatherBug (Android/iOS, Free). There are also free weather apps
from NOAA from Apple’s App Store <https://itunes.apple.com/us/
app/noaa-weather-radar/id749133753?mt=8>, and from Google’s
Android Apps on Google Play <https://play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.apalon.weatherradar.free&hl=en>. For those of you
spending a lot of time in the outdoors, knowing what the weather is
doing, and more importantly, what it will be doing, can be a critical
factor in making our educational experiences more enjoyable and|
can assist in essential preparations for a safe outing as well.
48
Already in 2018 there are several academic or
scholarly books on environmental and outdoor
education that bear watching and further
commentary. While suited for college and
university libraries, and perhaps for large public
libraries, these books should pique our interests
for more detailed reviews and commentaries.
Curriculum and Environmental Education: Perspective,
Priorities and Challenges. 2018, by Alan Reid, ISBN
1138501832, Routledge, $140.00.
International Perspectives on the Theory and Practice of Environmental
Education: A Reader. 2018, by Giuliano Reis, ISBN 311967741, Springer, $99.99.
Handbook of Environmental Education. 2018. Reid. ISBN: 1118956567, Wiely-
Blackwell, not yet available.
New Ideas in Environmental Education. 2018, by Sailvano Briceni O., ISBN
1138483699, Routledge, $120.00.
Pathways Summer 2018

Monitoring for
Southern Pine Beetle
Written By Sarantia Mitsinikos,
Invasive Species Project Steward with SCA/Americorps/NYOPRHP
Earlier this month, the Invasive Species Management Team kicked off
spring with the installation of several Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) traps
at Minnewaska State Park and a few other locations. Southern Pine
Beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, is a 2-4mm long bark beetle, red-
dish brown to black in color, that hails from the southeastern United
States and attacks pine trees. The female will locate a host tree, most
commonly one with a compromised defense system as noted by the
presence of alpha-pinene, a chemical made by stressed trees, and
release the pheromone frontalin to attract males for mating, as well
as other males and females. Males also secrete a pheromone, endo-
brevicomin, summoning more beetles to congregate. The beetles en-
ter the trees through cracks in the bark. In an effort to eject the beetle,
pines will produce resin to push them out. The resulting little, lumpy
sap nuggets are called pitch tubes and are a good indicator of SPB
infestation. Once in the tree, SPB starts constructing curved tubes, or
galleries, in the cambium to lay their eggs. Larvae move to the inner
bark immediately after hatching, and then to the outer bark to feed
as they mature. Once adults, they chew round exit holes, another
Pathways Summer 2018
Galleries chewed by adult Southern Pine Beetles
(Photo by DEC)
sign of infestation to be on the lookout for. The chewing of galleries
disrupts the flow of water and nutrients, resulting in crown fading
and ultimately tree death in as little as 2-4 months. The Long Island
Central Pine Barrens have been particularly damaged by SPB. This
may be due in part to the lack of fire as a management technique to
thin stands, reducing competition and therefore resulting in healthier
trees. Additionally, smoke from fires overpowers the beetle’s phero-
monal communication, thus impeding their spread.
Because of how widespread SPB is in its distribution, eradication of
the species simply isn’t possible. The main method employed to sup-
press invasions is the cutting and removal of infested trees. Another
management method is monitoring for the early detection of SPB to
enable a rapid response, bringing us back to Minnewaska State Park.
The Sam’s Point area of Minnewaska is home to the only population
of dwarf pitch pines in the world, making the Shawangunk Ridge a
globally unique ecosystem. Therefore, monitoring for the arrival of
SPB is imperative for the preservation of the pine barrens of Min-
newaska.
49
 Pitch tubes with Southern Pine Beetle entering
(Photo by DEC)

Entomologist Tom Schmeelk with the Department of Environmen-

tal Conservation (DEC) came to Minnewaska to hoist the traps and
explain how they work. The traps used are Lindgren funnel traps and
the chain of funnels mimics a tree stem. Several lures are secured to
the trap which is then hung on the trunk of a hardwood tree several
feet off the ground. The lures utilized are frontalin, the sex pheromone
secreted by females, and endo-brevicomin, the aggregation phero-
mone secreted by males. In addition, alpha-pinene was attached, a
host volatile produced by stressed trees. The beetles are lured to the
trap and funneled into a collection cup, the contents of which are sent
to DEC to be checked for the presence of SPB.

For all those people with concerns that the traps will attract beetles
into the park that otherwise would have remained absent, rest assured
that these are short-range traps that would only lure beetles within a
few mile radius, meaning they only attract beetles already in the area.
Being unaware of SPB presence in the park would be the much bigger
Invasive Species Project Coordinator Nick Marcet securing
risk. Last year all the traps remained empty; let’s hope for the same Lingren Funnel Trap.The yellow lure is alpha-pinene, host
this year! volatile, and the black lure behind it is frontalin, SPB sex
pheromone. (Photo by Sarah Travalio)

50 Pathways Summer 2018

PATHWAYS
Submissions Welcome
MISSION STATEMENT
NYSOEA is a professional organization that promotes interdisciplinary
life-long learning in, for, and about the outdoors and seeks to inspire
appreciation of the environment by all people.
By Frank Knight
The PATHWAYS team is always eager to hear from NYSOEA members
and publish articles, news or event announcements they would like
to share with other members. Content (essays, editorials, poetry,
graphic art, etc.) consistent with our Mission Statement is welcome
for possible inclusion. Simply send us the content along with any
supporting material – pictures, newspaper clippings, etc. We can
receive it in any of the ways listed at the bottom of the page.
Submission Deadlines
September 15 for October (fall) issue
December 15 for January (winter) issue
March 15 for April (spring) issue
June 15 for July (summer) issue
Text should be typed. Please include a short biographical section
about the author of the article. References cited should be listed at the
end in APA style.
To help educators prepare for the season ahead, we ask that material
with a seasonal content be submitted the season before, i.e. Winter
content at the fall deadline. Popular magazine-type writing favored
over formal papers, but both welcome. Teacher-guided student work
is highly encouraged. 750 words or less ideal; may be edited for length
and style.
PATHWAYS, official quarterly newsletter of the New York State
Outdoor Education Association, is published by the New York
State Outdoor Education Association and is emailed to NYSOEA
members. Opinions expressed by contributors are theirs solely and
not necessarily shared by the Editorial Board of Pathways or NYSOEA.
Advertisements included in PATHWAYS should not be interpreted
as endorsement of the product(s) by NYSOEA.
Pathways Summer 2018
SOME WRITING GUIDELINES
We all got good at writing just-the-facts term papers in school that
were totally dry and boring. For some of us, it took a bit of practice to
add colorful adjectives and emotions to achieve a popular, interesting
writing style. This idea was driven home in reverse when I took a
graduate science course after years of writing popular essays for work.
It was painfully difficult for me to eliminate feelings and opinions.
When asked recently for their recommendations, Conservationist
editors Dave Nelson and Eileen Stegemann eagerly shared their
thoughts on what makes an interesting natural history essay:
Tell a Story - I like to think (and often suggest contributors do the
same) in terms of a “story.” Bring the reader along with you on your
outdoor adventure, be it a hunt/paddle/trip to the weather station/
bird walk. What are you eeing/thinking/feeling/experiencing? Then
back out to look at the larger picture. What is DEC [or your agency/
nature center] doing to fix/perpetuate/enhance the experience? What
are the challenges? The opportunities? Then close with a first-person
account again, tying back to the opener.
We like to tell writers that readers determine whether or not they will
keep reading or turn the page in a matter of seconds. A couple of
seconds. If you haven’t hooked them in by then, they will quickly turn
the page.
When you are telling the story, tell it as if you are telling your
grandparent. Some technical or biological info is great, and a good
way to educate folks, but too much, and you’ve lost folks’ interest. If
you do have technical stuff you feel you need to include, consider
doing it as a sidebar rather than in the story. That way it doesn’t
impede the flow of the story (and in the process lose the reader’s
interest), but you’ve included it for the folks who would like to read it.
So write your story, and send it our way. Get double use from it by
submitting it to your facility’s newsletter or local newspaper as well.
51
 Permit No. 14
Cortland, NY Cortland, New York 13045
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
PA I D
U.S. Postage c/o Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Studies
Non-Profit New York State Outdoor Education Association
PATHWAYS
Check out our website!
www.nysoea.org
Our Mission
NYSOEA is a professional organization that promotes interdisciplinary life-long learning in, for, and about the outdoors and
seeks to inspire appreciation of the environment by all people.