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Winter Wonderland Event Features Winter Sports and Fun Challenges
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in partnership with Friends of Reinstein Woods, invites the public to celebrate “Winter Wonderland in the Woods” on Saturday, February 11 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.
Visitors can discover a variety of outdoor pursuits during the event. Ice-fishing demonstrations will take place throughout the afternoon and visitors will be able to try snowshoes and cross-county skis in a demonstration area (weather permitting). Snowshoe rentals will also be available for those who wish to explore the trails of the preserve.
Children will be able to try snowshoeing regardless of the weather and enjoy winter challenges including a snowball target toss and Wildlife Spotters Challenge trail. Kids can also express their creative side in the snow art area and make crafts indoors.
The Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue Team will be on hand to talk about winter rescue and will provide a compass navigation course for participants looking to test their navigation skills. The DEC Forest Rangers will demonstrate flat ice rescue techniques and DEC’s Environmental Conservation Officers will exhibit confiscated furs and discuss illegal hunting. Visitors can learn about the late-winter activity of maple sugaring with Earth Spirit Education Services.
After enjoying outdoor activities at the “Winter Wonderland in the Woods,” families can warm up inside the education center with hot drinks and snacks sold by Friends of Reinstein Woods. The SPCA Wildlife Department will present informative talks on wild animal rehabilitation at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. There will be door prizes, costumed characters, exhibits and more.
Visitors can bring used alkaline batteries for recycling by the Coalition for Positively Charged People and Friends of Reinstein Woods. The event happens regardless of snow conditions, and additional activities like the Winter Wildlife Olympics will be added in case of warm weather.
Registration is not required for this event. There is no entry fee, but donations to Friends of Reinstein Woods are always welcome. Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve is located at 93 Honorine Drive, off of Como Park Boulevard in Cheektowaga. For more information, contact Reinstein Woods at 683-5959, or visit the event page.
Attracting Winter Birds
It’s that time of year when bird feeders become busy with winter flocks. I recently added a bird feeder to my backyard, and it is amazing how fast birds find them. Within two hours, a black-capped chickadee curiously perched on the feeder and flew off with a seed in its beak. Moments later another chickadee joined it. Soon a white – breasted nuthatch was gathering seeds and hiding them in the bark crevices of a cottonwood tree. Later in the morning a pair of downy woodpeckers were pecking at suet and small flock of Dark-eyed juncos were hopping around on the ground searching for seeds. Blue jays also came in to see what all the activity was about, and were probably disappointed they couldn’t feed from the squirrel-proof feeder. Next time you are at Reinstein Woods, check out our bird feeders and enjoy the colorful visitors at our feeders.
If you would like information about attracting birds, please visit birds & blooms or Project Feederwatch.
By Michael Adriaansen
Scouts Build Library, Make Trail Improvements
Cheektowaga is home to two libraries built with donations from the Reinstein family. It is 
fitting that this summer, Reinstein Woods added a third, albeit smaller, library to the town. The “Library in the Woods,” constructed by Eugene Maciejewski of Boy Scout Troop 601 for his Eagle Scout project, provides a weather-proof space for books in a grove of trees just off the Footprint Trail in Reinstein Woods.
Visitors can peruse nature books, children’s books and even novels that line the small library’s shelves, and then enjoy reading in the woods on a nearby bench. The books were donated, and visitors are encouraged (but not required) to leave a book if they decide to take a book home for further reading.
In summer and early fall, members of Girl Scout Troop 30491 added some extra beauty to the library and a nearby trail as part of their Silver Award project. Cadettes Judine Lynch, Kylie Simkins and Elizabeth Rusinski led the project, adding natural decorations to the library and a storage area in the rear of the structure. They also painted designs on benches built as part of the Eagle Scout project, adding a colorful touch to the seating area.
on improving the Stone Marker Trail, a short trail that leads from the History Trail to a stone believed to have been placed in the woods more than 100 years ago to mark the property boundary of one of the area’s first settlers. The girls cleared the overgrown trail, lined it with large logs, and added a bridge over a wet area along the trail. They also added a sign and log seating at the entrance to the trail.
The Cheektowaga Bee wrote a story about the Girl Scout’s efforts. Congratulations to all the scouts involved for their achievements!
Students Experience “Day in the Life”
By Jill Zerkowski, Naturalist Intern
On September 29, more than 300 students, teachers and volunteers arrived on the shores of the Buffalo River and its tributaries. Equipped with tools such as nets, tubes, clipboards and data sheets, students from six schools from across western New York were ready to explore the complex relationships that are found in the Buffalo River. The fourth annual Day in the Life of the Buffalo River found students ankle deep in water, giving them a unique hands-on experience.
In addition to the students, teachers and volunteers, several partner organizations were on-site to help with the event. Representatives from the Erie County Park Rangers, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s Great Lakes Program, and US Fish & Wildlife Service’s Lower Great Lakes Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office worked with students at ten different sites to collect data about water quality, biodiversity, create maps, as well as to share the history of the Buffalo River.
All of the data collected by the students will be posted on the web and shared between the participating classes.
Reinstein Woods gave students and educators a day they most likely won’t forget. 
Learning to do real science, like measuring turbidity (the cloudiness in the water), is one benefit of the program. “The turbidity tube was awesome! We poured the water in (the tube), and the secchi disk actually disappeared! It was so cool when we let the water out and could see the disk again,” said one student.
Brittany Rowan, Friends of Reinstein Woods environmental educator, said, “This event is a great opportunity for students to investigate this local water resource and take real-world data. It’s exciting for them to become scientists for a day.”
Special thanks to the local offices of Ingram Micro and Northrop Grumman for providing 
funding to support this STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program. The Julia B. Reinstein Trust also provides financial support that makes this program possible.
Junior League Grant Provides Summer Experience
“This week was the highlight of my summer.”
So proclaimed one of the campers who attended Camp Rushford, an environmental education summer camp in Allegany County. The camper was one of more than a dozen kids who attended camp through NYS Department of Environmental Conservation’s campership program, offered in partnership with Friends of Reinstein Woods. The program recruits kids from urban, underserved areas and enables them to go to camp for free. Friends of Reinstein Woods also pays to sponsor a child to attend camp through the Peter Losi Memorial Campership.
The children spent a week immersed in hands-on learning and fun, discovering the wonders of field, forest, and pond, as well as studying the impact of humans on the environment. A grant from the Junior League of Buffalo provided bus transportation for the children attending camp this summer.
The students had a life-affirming experience, as expressed here:
“This week was the best week of the summer… My favorite part of camp was to make new friends and to play games that I never played before.”
“I had a great time meeting new friends, bonding with counselors, and seeing things I have never sought to see. I would for sure love to come back and have another great time!”
Four of the campers in this program received “Outstanding Camper of the Week” awards. Some of them will have the opportunity to return to camp next year, furthering their development as the next generation of environmental stewards.
Nature Sightings
It is a great time to enjoy the brilliant foliage at Reinstein Woods on a sunny day. The forest is painted with bright reds, oranges, yellows and green. Raptors such as red-tailed hawks have been spotted frequently. Look in the sky for soaring turkey vultures during their migration south. Spring peepers have been heard on occasion, especially after a rain. Dragonflies have vanished earlier this year likely because of the summer drought. Normally autumn meadowhawks would be abundant on warm sunny days. Now that the weather is starting to cool and we are receiving more rain the ponds will begin to recharge. Beavers are actively adding mud and branches to their lodges for winter. Take some time to get out and enjoy the fall colors while they last.
Annual Meeting Features Owl Ecology Presentation
The Friends of Reinstein Woods’ annual meeting was very well attended. Board member, Vinod Suchak was congratulated for receiving the Peter M. Losi Volunteer Award. This award recognizes his hard work for the Friends of Reinstein as our treasurer and finance committee chairman. We also welcomed new board members Jerry Krajna and Esther Clabeaux to our organization. We were very pleased to have Wild Spirit Education present “Owl Ecology” for our membership. Attendees were able to see a screech owl, barred owl, and great-horned owl during this educational presentation. The great-horned owl even hooted its call for us! If you were unable to make this event, we hope you are able to join us at one of our other upcoming member programs.
Buffalo Animal Adventures Presentation
As part of a membership drive, new and existing members of the Friends of Reinstein Woods enjoyed a live animal presentation by “Buffalo Animal Adventures”. Anthony Kelly shared animals from New York during this presentation. These animals included a tiger salamander, massasauga rattle snake, porcupine, red fox, snapping turtle, eastern box turtle, and cottontail rabbit. It was exciting to hear the massasauga rattlesnake vibrate its tail in front of the audience and watch the red fox curiously check the perimeter of the room. If you were unable to become a new member at this program we have other live animal programs coming up soon. See our upcoming member-only programs here.
Nature Sightings
Grasses and sedges have crept into many of our ponds because of the dry summer. Nodding beggarticks and smartweed are flowering around the pond edges. There are noticeably less dragonflies patrolling the ponds this year because of the drought and low water levels. In normal years, meadowhawk dragonflies would be very abundant right now. Trees are also starting to show some color. The leaves of ash trees are starting to yellow and red maples are showing hints of red coloration. Virginia creeper vines are also turning red. On the trails, you may catch a glimpse of a monarch butterfly fluttering through patches of goldenrod on its return trip south for the winter. Wild grapes are large and ripe. Squirrels have already collected many of the black walnuts. Soon we will enjoy warm autumn days with bright colors.
Carnivorous Plant Presentation
Members of Friends of Reinstein Woods enjoyed a presentation by the WNY Carnivorous Plant Club. Pitcher Plants, sundews, fly traps, and many other specimens were passed around for everyone to get a close look. There is a lot of interesting natural history behind these unique plants.
Members please check a listing of our upcoming programs here.
