More than 500 visitors joined in the fun at Get Outdoors! Community Day, part of the statewide Outdoors Day events.  Visitors enjoyed learning a variety of skills in outdoor activities such as geocaching, birding, archery, camping, kayaking, and more. DEC Forest Ranger Tim Kennedy gave a backpacking and fire safety demonstration at the event. The Polish Villa2 and Yogurt Shack food trucks were also a big hit! Special thanks go to the  youth & recreation departments of the Towns of Cheektowaga and Amherst for supporting this event. Thank you to all that volunteered and participated at this year’s event.

The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) awarded the “Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium” grants to 30 institutions around the country. The grants are supported through a special gift from the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. The Nature Play grants provide financial, logistical, and creative support for zoos and aquariums seeking to increase or enhance family-centered nature experiences in their communities.

The Zoo will use the grant to start three family nature clubs in Western New York and to build a natural playground in the Zoo’s Delta Sonic Heritage Farm exhibit.

The Buffalo Zoo will partner with Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve and Environmental Education Center to create a series of family nature play workshops to be held at various locations during the fall of 2014. The partnership will also establish the first family nature clubs in the Western New York region.

The grant will also provide funds for improving an existing nature play area at Reinstein Woods and the construction of a similar area at the Buffalo Zoo.

Families interested in participating in the workshops or getting involved in the family nature clubs can find information and a registration form for each of three workshops:

Buffalo Zoo, October 11

Reinstein Woods, October 25

Aquarium of Niagara, November 1

The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF), founded in 1995, is a key pillar in Disney’s efforts to protect the planet and help kids develop lifelong conservation values. DWCF grants provide financial support for: the study of wildlife; the protection of habitats; the development of community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems; and experiences that connect kids to nature through exploration and discovery.

For more information about the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, you may visit http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/act-responsibly/environmental-stewardship/disney-worldwide-conservation-fund

For additional information about the Nature Play grants, please visit https://www.aza.org/PressRoom/detail.aspx?id=34564.