While we are SNOW excited that winter is here, both the grounds and the Education Center will be CLOSED on Saturday, November 18, to let us safely clear the parking lots and walkways from the recent storm. While it may be nice at your house, the heavy wet snow at Reinstein Woods has jammed our snow removal equipment and made it hard for us to do proper cleanup. And the heavy wet snow isn’t great for skiing or snowshoeing anyway, so please stay home! Have some hot chocolate! Check out a Christmas movie a little early… and we’ll see you soon.

Reinstein Woods Environmental Educator Assistant Mike Adriaansen received a partnership award this spring from Houghton Academy, a Buffalo Public School.

Mike has been working with Houghton students since he started with DEC more than 12 years ago. He has helped 128 students from the school attend Camp Rushford. Students have the opportunity to canoe, fish, swim, and learn wilderness skills during their time at camp.

Mike coordinates the campership program and works with the students throughout the year to familiarize them with fellow campers and the outdoors. Mike organizes activities such as planting native seedlings, hiking at Reinstein Woods, and snowshoeing in the months leading up to camp.

It is clear that Mike has had a positive impact on this program. When his name was called for the award, you could hear the excited cheers of many current and past campers! Some of the students Mike has worked with have returned to camp and gone on to become counselors. Mike continues to encourage students to get involved and attend Camp Rushford. He is a champion of connecting kids to nature!

The campership program is supported by Friends of Reinstein Woods. The Friends group pays to transport kids to camp and funds supplies, food, and entrance fees for camper activities throughout the year.  We are so honored to have Mike Adriaansen as a part of the team here at Reinstein Woods!

Congratulations to Mike for a well-deserved award!

Last year, Reinstein Woods received a federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expand the Day in the Life of the Buffalo River program to include the larger Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed. The grant allowed us to provide extensive teacher training, classroom learning, and meaningful watershed education experiences for students.

The expanded program uses Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) protocols, a set of standardized water quality measurement protocols that allow educators and students to connect with others and compare data across the world.

The Holland High School 12th graders have done just that! They collected water quality data and prepared a report comparing the water quality in Western New York to water data collected by peers in Kenya. They plan to present their findings at a science symposium.

Other students got creative in educating others about water quality issues. Students from Stella Niagara, led by teachers Margaret Feuerman and former Reinstein intern Julia Kostin, created public service announcements and “wanted” posters to alert their community to the threat of invasive species in the Niagara River.

And after collecting water quality data from nearby Gill Creek, Niagara Falls High School students created video and print public service announcements warning of the dangers of water pollution.

Each year, Reinstein Woods excitedly offers individuals a 3 to 8 month opportunity to gain skills in environmental education. Typically, interns participate in training workshops, lead tours, help facilitate summer camp, and expand their knowledge of the natural environment at Reinstein Woods and beyond.

With the unprecedented changes this year, the intern experience has a different intensity. Intern Theo Berenson has focused on developing his skills as a naturalist by taking frequent hikes to work on plant and animal identification.

Theo also has been researching some projects for Reinstein Woods when we are able to return. Theo is drafting a Zero Waste Policy for Reinstein Woods as well as working on developing a “Sensory Walk” for Reinstein Woods visitors who have autism.

Intern Nick Morelli’s “COVID contributions” to education at Reinstein Woods include a “mindfulness walk”- a series of prompts for visitors to the Lily Pond Loop Trail, a new “EcoTinker” backpack for children to borrow once the education center reopens, and a “Bucket List” of Reinstein Woods activities for visitors to achieve over their lifetime!

He’s also presenting a virtual workshop on nature art to Reinstein Woods’ volunteers.

“I’ve learned that adapting to scenarios to meet the needs and accessibility of the public is one of the biggest priorities in wildlife education,” said Nick. “It’s not always what you teach, it’s how you teach it.”

Around the time that you receive this newsletter, some furry friends will be munching away at invasive Japanese knotweed plants on one of Reinstein Woods’ trails. Retired milking goats from Let’s Goat Buffalo will spend two weeks eating this plant, which grows in dense stands and crowds out native plants preferred by wildlife. During the day, the goats will graze inside an electrified fence. Their activity may result in some trail closures; please respect the “no trespassing” signs if you visit during this time. And watch for videos about their progress on our website and social media. While the goats will not eradicate the knotweed completely, their activity is a non-chemical way to limit the spread of this plant.

Funding for this program is provided by Friends of Reinstein Woods.

At Reinstein Woods, our primary concern is the safety and health of our visitors, volunteers and staff.  

To limit the potential spread of the Corona virus, the Education Center and bathroom building are closed until further notice. If you need to contact us, please leave a message at (716) 683-5959, or email reinsteinwoods@dec.ny.gov.

All publicly scheduled events through May 6 are cancelled. Check https://www.dec.ny.gov/education/1837.html and www.reinsteinwoods.org or our facebook page for building and program updates.

We invite you to share in nature’s harmony on a walk through Reinstein Woods. Our grounds and trails will remain open daily from sunrise to sunset. With 292 acres of forest and wetlands, we offer the perfect location to practice “social distancing” (6′ apart) as you enjoy our trails. You can greet other visitors with jazz hands and a smile.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.

– Reinstein Staff

About 540 people enjoyed exploring new outdoor skills at Get Outdoors! Community Day on June 8 at Reinstein Woods.

Thank you to the Towns of Amherst and Cheektowaga Youth & Recreation Departments, New York State Parks Interpretive Office, Niagara Frontier Search & Rescue Team, DEC Forest Ranger Kennedy, and all our volunteers for making a fun day!

Pictures by staff and Abby Mandris.

About 2,300 people braved extreme heat to celebrate at the 18th Annual Reinstein Woods Fall Festival.  While most festival-goers came from Erie and Niagara counties, there were visitors from as far away as Rochester, Syracuse, the Adirondacks, Florida, Tennessee, and even France!

Mama Earth’s interactive music shows provided entertainment throughout the day. The festival area extended out to Flattail Lake, where attendees watched drone and search and rescue demonstrations. To go with the “Sustainable Earth” theme, volunteers at two Waste Centers collected trash from the event, diverting as much as possible into recycling and compost. We collected about 100 pounds of household batteries to be recycled and many pounds of other recyclables and organic wastes that otherwise would have gone to a landfill. Friends of Reinstein also purchased a carbon offset to reduce the festivals’ carbon footprint even further. To learn more visit www.footprintnetwork.org.

Special thanks to M&T Bank for sponsoring the event and providing a reusable bag to the first 500 families attending the event!

Thanks to everyone that made the 18^th Annual Fall Festival a success, including the Cheektowaga Police Department, Lexington Co-op, Mayer Brothers, Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc., Paula’s Donuts, Paths, Peaks and Paddles, and all of our volunteers and exhibitors.

A group of ladybugs is called a “loveliness” of ladybugs, a very fitting and endearing term to address the return of this beneficial insect to Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.

New York State’s official state insect is the nine-spotted ladybug (Coccinella novemnotata). This now rare species of native ladybug was historically very common in New York State. Shortly after being named New York’s state insect, entomologists became aware that numbers were sharply declining. For 20 years they went unrecorded in New York. Reinstein Woods Naturalist Intern Leah Tyrrell has been working with ladybugs for the past nine years with the Lost Ladybug Project, a citizen science program that uses volunteers to look for rare ladybugs and to educate people about their roll in our ecosystems. She is coordinating the reintroduction at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve as her intern project.

Reinstein Woods summer day campers participated in the release and learned about the importance of this beneficial insect to the preserve’s ecosystem. The public can also participate in the reintroduction by ordering their own larvae for release from Lost Ladybug Rescue.

Be sure to look for nine-spotted ladybugs on your next visit to Reinstein Woods! To learn more about how to identify and photograph these beauties, visit the Lost Ladybug Project website.