Thanks to all of the volunteers and attendees who made the 2014 Meander in the Woods a success! We’ve had lots of requests for the recipes from the sweet & savory snack trail, and Event Chair Karen Smith has graciously provided them here: Meander Recipes – 2014  Enjoy!

On Saturday June 14 at Beaver Meadow Audubon Center, Reinstein Woods’ Cara Politi announced the  winners for the fourth annual Garlic Mustard Challenge. More than 300 volunteers removed 5,100 pounds of the invasive garlic mustard plant from three nature preserves in Western New York, improving hundreds of acres of habitat! The Challenge is a joint effort of Friends of Reinstein Woods, NYSDEC’s Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center, Buffalo Audubon Society and the Western New York Land Conservancy.

To increase their impact , 17 volunteers also removed garlic mustard at the Lewiston Plateau Habitat Area in Lewiston, Niagara County, during a one-day “Super Pull.” Volunteers pulled 277 pounds of garlic mustard in just three hours.

Beaver Meadow Audubon Center claims bragging rights as “Challenge Champion” for harnessing the most volunteer power (pounds of garlic mustard per person) of the three nature preserves. The organization’s 52 volunteers pulled more than 2,394 pounds of garlic mustard!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who participated in the Challenge!

Garlic Mustard Challenge Winners

 Reinstein Woods:

First Place: Riptide Plus, Buffalo (168.75 pounds)
Runner Up: Pack 592, Orchard Park (123.75 pounds)

Beaver Meadow Audubon Center (North Java):

First Place: Olivia’s Mustard, Lancaster (1,113 pounds)
Runner Up: East Pembroke Grange, Pembroke (769 pounds)

Kenneglenn Preserve:                 

First Place: Boy Scout Troop 513, East Aurora (1,016) pounds)
Runner Up: Cub Scout Pack 514, East Aurora (348 pounds)

Lewiston Plateau Habitat Area ‘Super Pull”:

First Place: Unicorn Troop, Kenmore (151.5 pounds)
Runner Up: Daemen YALT, Daemen College (55 pounds)

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is accepting registrations for a Schoolyard Habitat Institute happening Tuesday, July 29 to Wednesday, July 30, 2014 at Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center in Depew. The Institute, designed for educators of students in pre-K to grade 12, will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

During the Schoolyard Habitat Institute, teachers will learn how to effectively use their schoolyard as an outdoor classroom. Participants will learn experience hands-on activities that align with Common Core and New York State learning standards. The activities are designed to fit into existing curricula in math, English language arts, science and other subject areas.  Additionally, resources for how to enhance outdoor spaces in and around schools will be provided. 

The two-day program provides 12 hours of instruction for which in-service or continuing education credit may be available. Participants will receive written materials to enable them to transfer their new knowledge directly to their school.  A materials fee of $40 includes lunch on the second day.

A registration form can be downloaded here (pdf, 14 Kb) or you can receive one by calling Reinstein Woods at (716) 683-5959.  Space is limited, so early registration is recommended.  Teachers must register by July 9, 2014.  

Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center is located at 93 Honorine Drive in Depew, about three miles from the Walden Galleria mall.  For more information, contact Reinstein Woods at (716) 683-5959 or visit www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html. 

Friends of Reinstein’s annual Earth Day Appeal is underway, and we would like to extend a huge thank you to all the community members who have donated to date. The funds help Friends of Reinstein continue to provide quality environmental education programs for students, teachers and the general public. Donations are still being accepted, so if you didn’t receive a letter in the mail, feel free to contact Reinstein Woods to request one.

Thank you to the following donors:

Karen Cool
Marlyn Gross
Tom & Andrea Mudd Sr.
Christine Whalley and Kelley Kobel
Ray & Tess Wolniewicz

Cottonwood Level ($25-$49):
Therese Adriaansen
Robin Bobowicz
Patricia Buettner
Gary Degener
Stefanie Ecker
Nancy Fernandez
Carl & Elise Fila
Don Gordon
Roger Gray
Barbara Guancial
K. Juzdowski
Dennis & Rebecca Kaniecki
Dolores Koenig
Irene Konowka
Dennis and Sandra Needham
Sandra Szwarc
Michael & Marcia Szmania
Mare Steiniger
Elaine Hansen
Stuart & Barb Rubin
John & Sally Zloty

White Ash Level ($50):
Maxine Barber
David & Kathy Boice
Michael Campanella
Peter & Teresa Corrigan
Danell DelPrince
Helen Erkkila-Kaukeano
Jade Feeney
Arthur Grupp
Alice LaGraves
Thomas & Sue Lawson
Richard & Nancy Lipka
Charles Rauch
Bob & Shari Rembold
Colette Roseboro
Brigitte Schick
Alan & Carol Lynn Winship

Yellow Birch Level ($75-$99):
Ernest & Mitzi Czapla
Alfred Dittenhauser
Michele Sanner
Michael & Kimberly Tonovitz

Black Walnut Level ($100):
Linda Arndt
Peter & Cheryl Buechi
Mike & Carol Gettings
Scott & Meaghan Green
David & Joyce Hodgson
David & Carolyn Karb
Kenneth Mazur
K. Michaels
Scott & Karen Smith
Thomas Stoll

Sugar Maple Level ($250):
Mary Losi
Paul and Sylvia Tokasz
 

Despite a light rain and threatening skies, almost 60 volunteers helped during Reinstein Woods “Earth Day in May” service day. Reinstein Woods’ volunteers, Buffalo AmeriCorps volunteers, and University at Buffalo fraternity Alpha Kappa Chi eagerly helped with service projects at Reinstein Woods. Volunteers removed trash from wetlands, repaired deer exclosures, maintained the trails, and planted trees. Volunteers also wrapped trees to protect them from beaver damage along the newly opened West Pond trail.

Thank you to all the volunteers!

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In celebration of Earth Day, DEC Regional Director Abby Snyder announced today the opening of additional trails at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Cheektowaga.

“Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center is a designated New York State Watchable Wildlife site, where wildlife viewing opportunities abound,” said DEC Regional Director Abby Snyder. “By providing access to more trails at Reinstein Woods, we are pleased that the public will have more opportunities to view birds, mammals and other wildlife in this suburban setting. With the addition of these trails, there are now about 3.5 miles of trails available at Reinstein Woods for the public to enjoy from sunrise to sunset.”

“Our visitors have repeatedly asked for more trails to explore on their own,” said Reinstein Woods Center Director Meaghan Boice-Green. “In keeping with the property’s management plan, we are opening more of the gravel road system built by Dr. Reinstein for people to enjoy at their own pace.”

Unlike other trails open to the public at Reinstein Woods, these trails do not contain wayside signs or posts with information about the trail’s natural features. The trails provide a chance to commune with nature with fewer man-made distractions.

The new trails at Reinstein Woods total about a mile in length and open up the western end of the preserve to exploration by the public. Two trails make adjacent loops and provide views of West Pond and Lower Pond, ponds built by Dr. Victor Reinstein in the first half of the twentieth century. The trails can be reached from the north end of Hidden Pond trail, a short trail opened about two years ago, and end at an intersection near the Champion Beech tree, the largest forest-grown beech tree in New York State.

Trails at Reinstein Woods are open year-round from sunrise to sunset. Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve is located at 93 Honorine Drive, off of Como Park Boulevard in Cheektowaga. To learn more about Reinstein Woods, call 683-5959, or visit DEC’s website.

Pull. Weigh. Win:

Volunteers needed for fourth annual

“Garlic Mustard Challenge” to remove invasive species

Get outside this spring with an exciting volunteer opportunity to help make the local ecosystem healthier! Sign up your scout troop, volunteer organization, friends or family for the “Garlic Mustard Challenge”!  Garlic mustard is an invasive species that is negatively impacting the environment here in Western New York.  Fortunately, garlic mustard is easy to recognize and remove, which is where YOU come in! Last year, hundreds of volunteers removed more than 4,000 pounds of garlic mustard in Western New York.  Volunteers can sign up to combat this invasive species at four locations: Beaver Meadow Audubon Center in North Java, the Land Conservancy’s Kenneglenn in Wales, Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve in Depew or the Lewiston Plateau Habitat Area in Lewiston.

Teams will be challenged to pull the most garlic mustard from their site between April 12, 2014 and June 12, 2014. All teams are invited to an informational “kickoff event” at Reinstein Woods on April 12^th at 11:00 a.m. Attendance at this event is not mandatory. Prizes will be awarded to the teams that pull the most garlic mustard at each site.  This is a perfect opportunity for people of almost any age or ability to make a difference. Interested volunteers must register their team for any of the “pull sites” by calling Cara Politi at Reinstein Woods (716) 683-5959 x210. For more information, search “Garlic Mustard Challenge” on Facebook.

Reinstein Woods is now included in the New York State Inclusive Recreation Resource Center’s online database.  This database provides information about physical accessibility and social inclusion of recreation areas, facilities, parks, and programs from around the state of New York. Visit the accessibility database here.

“Kids in the Woods” Summer Day Camps at Reinstein Woods are back for 2014! Every day will be filled with hands-on nature explorations, crafts, and games. Kids will explore the world of the pond, investigate animals, discover natural wonders and more.

Register by March 31, 2014 to receive $10 off your registration fee!

For information on camp schedules and fees, or to download a registration form, visit the summer camps page.

You’ve heard about local areas (like Reinstein Woods) where the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been detected, but do you know how to look for signs and symptoms of an EAB infestation in ash trees on your property or in your community?

If EAB has been detected in your community and you have ash trees, what action should you take? Planning is a key step for those with ash trees, whether a homeowner, woodlot owner, or municipality.

“EAB Biology and BioSurveilance Using Woodpeckering,” a workshop offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will take place Saturday, March 22 from 9:45 am to noon at Reinstein Woods. Participants will learn about the issues surrounding EAB and the economics of addressing an infestation.

Come prepared to be outdoors for the last half hour of the workshop. Part 2 of the workshop will be held in June.

RSVP by March 19 to Sharon Bachman at 716-652-5400 x150 or sin2@cornell.edu.