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Celebrate National EE Week at ReinsteinWoods!
National Environmental Education Week is April 17-23, 2016 and we’ve got great programs planned at Reinstein Woods:
INVESTIGATING NATURE: PRIVATE EYE Wednesday April 20 at 4:30 pm
Take an up-close peek at nature with jeweler’s loupes! For kids and adults age 8 and up.
EARTH DAY FULL MOON WALK Friday 4/22 8 pm
Believe it or not, there are a few spots open for this walk! Explore how the full moon affects our environment on this guided nighttime journey.
NATURE’S ENGINEERS Saturday 4/23 10:30 am
Beavers, caddisflies and spiders are a few animals that build remarkable structures to help them survive. Explore the woods in search of some of nature’s finest engineers!
BIRDWATCHING WALK Saturday 4/23 2:30 pm
Search for seasonal birds on this guided walk. Bring binoculars or borrow a pair from Reinstein Woods.
Registration is required for these programs; call to register: (716) 683-5959.
Hurry, programs fill up fast!
2016 Reinstein Woods Photo Contest
2016 Reinstein Woods Photo Contest
Calling all photographers! Have you taken any amazing photos at Reinstein Woods? Then enter them in the first-ever “Reinstein Woods Photo Contest” for a chance to have your photo featured in the 2017 Reinstein Woods calendar! Entry fee is $5.00 per photo. Limit 5 entries per person.
PRIZE: Winners will each receive one free 2017 calendar.
Please visit our photo contest page to participate.
Entry deadline is May 21, 2016.
Nature Sightings
It’s that time of year when Reinstein Woods comes alive with spring migrants, sprouting 
flowers and the chorus of Frogs. Every day on the trail will bring a new adventure. The marshy ponds have erupted into a full chorus of spring peepers over the past week. Birds are becoming much more vocal, adding
seasonal songs to their repertoire. Male spotted salamanders have been seen locally and are likely at their breeding pools awaiting females. Vernal ponds will soon ripple with their courtship water dances. Look for turkey vultures circling updrafts on warm sunny days. Hooded mergansers and ring-necked ducks have also stopped in for a rest during their migration. Warblers returning from the south will add a splash of color to the forest. Wild blue lupine, wild bergamot, snowdrops and lemon balm are just beginning to sprout in front of the education center. Very shortly the trill of American toads will resonate from small ponds and maybe even the snores of leopard frogs. The honks and quacks of ducks and geese will soon fall silent as they hide away resting on their nests.
Holiday Hype in February? A message from the President
On President’s Day, I tried to convince my seven year-old granddaughter that my sister was married to a president (her last name is Kennedy). As I pondered this holiday, I started to wonder: do we have too many holidays in the month of February?
My February calendar has Groundhog’s, National Freedom, Valentine’s and President’s Day. February 2016 also includes the Chinese New Year, Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays, and the Super Bowl (an unofficial holiday), not to mention the presidential debates. I have a hard time keeping up!
To simplify things, I propose merging President’s and Valentine’s Day and renaming the Super Bowl the “Groundhog Bowl,” where at halftime the groundhog comes out of his burrow to make his prediction. I recommend a two- hour National Freedom celebration at which time all presidential candidates come together on mainland China to have one debate and celebrate the New Year. These ideas would help reduce the many holidays and events that we all have to remember in the second month of the year.
One special event that seems easy to remember and is fun for all is the annual Winter Wonderland in the Woods held at Reinstein Woods. This year’s event on February 6 was a great success. Despite the lack of snow, attendance was the best ever. Activities included ice rescue and ice fishing demonstrations, kids exploring an artificial snow tunnel, guided nature walks and live animal presentations by the SPCA, to name just a few. Thanks to the outstanding Reinstein Woods’ staff, the enthusiastic volunteers and all the community participants, the event has become a WNY winter favorite. Maybe next year the Reinstein Woods’ winter festival will become a national holiday! (Just a thought.)
Michael Gettings
Friends President
Winter Wonderland in the Woods Attracts Record Crowds
This year’s “Winter Wonderland in the Woods” attracted more than 600 people! Although there wasn’t much snow, there were many activities for people to enjoy on this sunny day. Some of the new additions to this year’s event were a compass course by the Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue Team and an ice rescue demonstration presented by the DEC Forest Rangers. Participants also enjoyed the new “Snow Fun” Stations and “Winter Animal Olympics” activities.
Thank you to the exhibitors and presenters: DEC Environmental Conservation Officers, DEC Forest Rangers, Earth Spirit, Erie County Parks, Niagara Frontier Search and Rescue Team, SPCA Wildlife Department, and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Special thanks to DEC Operation Staff, Region 9 Office of Communication Services, and all of the volunteers who helped make the event a big success!
Christmas Bird Count for Kids
Back in January, Reinstein Woods participated in its first ever “Christmas Bird Count for Kids” with assistance from DEC Wildlife Biologist Connie Adams, Beaver Meadow Audubon Society and the Erie County Park Rangers. This is an educational, kid-friendly version of the Audubon Society’s citizen science project called “Christmas Bird Count”. Citizen science projects such as the Christmas Bird Count provide important data that is used to monitor animal populations.
We are pleased that more than twenty children and their parents showed up to learn how to find and identify birds for this event. Many species of birds were observed, including: Blue jay, Northern cardinal, black – capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, red-bellied woodpecker, downy woodpecker, tufted titmouse, American goldfinch, mallard duck, Canada geese, and more. A total of 17 different species and 259 individual birds were recorded at Reinstein Woods, Stiglmeier Park, and Amherst State Park. The young participants enjoyed using binoculars and the pizza lunch afterwards. We look forward to even more participation in next years’ Christmas Bird Count for Kids!
Nature Sightings
Many visitors have come out to enjoy the first significant snowfall of the year. 
Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing has been great with 6 to 8 inches of snow. You can find out information about our snowshoe and ski rentals here.
Song birds have been flocking to our bird feeders with the colder temperatures and snowpack. Birds that can typically be seen from our nature viewing area are: Blue Jay, black-capped chickadee, dark-eyed junco, house finch, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, American goldfinch, northern cardinal, mourning dove, tree sparrow, and various woodpeckers. A pileated woodpecker has also been known to visit the feeders 
occasionally. Gray squirrels are also common visitors under the feeders. Occasionally a meadow vole is seen quickly scurrying about gathering seeds.
The snow reveals a world that is normally invisible and can tell interesting stories. Deer trails become very obvious in the snow. In very light snow you can follow the tiny bounding prints of mice (with their tail drag marks) from log to log. Occasionally you may even see wing prints on the snow where a bird took flight.
Nature Sightings
It isn’t often you can hear spring peepers peeping in the middle of December. Tomorrow it is supposed to reach a high of 65 degrees! You may hear spring peepers peeping and see 
painted turtles on logs in the ponds at Reinstein Woods. You may even see a mourning cloak butterfly which overwinter as adults in tree crevices. Many visitors have enjoyed taking pictures of a mink near the beaver lodge on lily pond. Listen for red and gray squirrels gnawing on the hard shells of black walnuts. Look for turkeys in groups scratching the ground for nuts and insects. Dark-eyed juncos are seen in small groups hopping around on the ground in search of seeds. They often flash their white tail feather markings while inflight. Get out and make the most of this warm weather.
Nature’s Gathering: An Exceptional Evening!
Special Thanks to:
Rich Products Corporation
Yancey’s Fancy, Inc.
Camellia Meats
Big Ditch Brewing Co.
Lake Ontario Winery & Vineyards
Long Cliff Winery
Midnight Run Wine Cellars
Rusty Nickel Brewing Co.
B&B Liquors
Cordially Yours Wines and Spirits
Honeymoon Trail Winery
Karen Smith
Key Liquors
Let’s Do Wine
Liberty Vineyards
Merritt Winery
Sparkling Ponds Winery
Universal Liquors & Wine
Village Liquor Store
Willow Creek Winery
Year in Review
It is tradition for Friends of Reinstein to hold a membership meeting in October, the end of our fiscal year. In mid-October about 40 people gathered to hear about our accomplishments in 2014-2015 and enjoy an entertaining “Far Side II” presentation by Dr. Wayne Gall.
We thanked Linda Arndt for nine years of service on the board of directors. A decade ago Linda became interested in Reinstein Woods because of her love of birding, and quickly signed on as a Friends member. She has been active with fundraisers since the first “Tastes at Twilight” event in 2006. During her nine years on the board of directors, she served for several years as Vice-President and one year as President.
Her dedication to Reinstein Woods is laudable: although Linda is leaving the board of directors, she will be continuing to serve on the fundraising committee. Thank you Linda!
Dan Carlson and Charles Rauch were re-elected to the board of directors, and Lori Stilwell and Jeremy Oczek were newly elected to the board. Lori had been appointed to the board earlier in 2015 to replace Deborah Bach, who left the board when she took a job out of state. Active with the fundraising and finance committees, Lori is the Director of Information Technology for Erie County.
Jeremy Oczek is an attorney with Bond, Schoeneck and King. He has enjoyed attending several fall festivals with his wife and two daughters and is looking forward to getting more involved at Reinstein Woods.
Members heard about accomplishments over the past year, including the success of Friends’ fundraisers, the establishment of the Pat Taeger Memorial Field Trip Fund, and the variety of member programs that were offered over the past year.
Center Director Meaghan Boice-Green shared information about programs sponsored by Friends of Reinstein, including the growth of the Day in the Life of the Buffalo River, a new project to control an invasive plant at Reinstein Woods, and a successful Earth Day clothing drive that recycled more than five tons of clothing collected in Buffalo Public Schools. The evening also touched on continued partnerships that are bringing nature to more and more children and families in Western New York.
