Lifeboats & Trolley Cars

Environmental Events

Today I learned about a couple more interesting, and fun, environmental events.

The Finger Lakes Institute is an educational center in Geneva (about an hour east of here) associated with Hobart & William Smith Colleges. It promotes research and education about the natural environment in the Central New York region. Events calendar here.

This coming Saturday (September 13), they are sponsoring a geo-caching event at Mendon Ponds Park (20 minutes’ drive from RIT). This would be fitting for our experiential project because it would be an opportunity to learn quite a lot about the natural environment in our local part of New York. (I don’t know about the fee to attend this event.)

September 13, 10 am -4 pm, Mendon Ponds Park – Algonkian Shelter 
Explore the Finger Lakes Geocache 
Nathan Burtch, FLI GIS Specialist, and Sarah Meyer, FLI Community Outreach Coordinator 
A family fun event! A GPS unit is an electronic device that determines your approximate location on the planet and is used to navigate from your current location to another location. This geocache event incorporates the use of a GPS unit to explore and learn about the natural history of the Finger Lakes region. Participants in this event will use a GPS unit to find their way through an outdoor, trivia-filled scavenger hunt while learning about invasive species, geologic features, wildlife, insects, recreation, wetlands, and more! Beginners are welcome! Lunch provided. Please pre-register by calling (315) 781-4382 or email fli@hws.edu.

There are two other events that would meet our criteria-a service opportunity and a conference.

September 27, 10:00am – 2:30pm; Meet at the Finger Lakes Institute at 8:30 am and return by 4:00pm
Plant a Tree, Restore a Stream! VOLUNTEERS WANTED!!
Vegetation along a stream stabilizes its banks and provides fish habitat and shade. Participants in this volunteer opportunity will plant trees into pre-dug holes along Virgil Creek, which flows into Fall Creek in Tompkins County. Transportation from the Finger Lakes Institute (601 S. Main St.) provided, leaving at 8:30 am. Lunch Provided by Tompkins County SWCD. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. Participants should dress to get dirty—closed-toed shoes, bug spray, sunscreen, gloves, etc. This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited if needing transportation from Geneva. Call (315) 781-4382 or email fli@hws.edu to sign up!

October 18, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 
4th AnnualFinger Lakes Research Conference 
The 4th Annual Finger Lakes Research Conference will highlight Finger Lakes scientific research and provide opportunities for students, faculty and other scientists to meet others interested in environmental science and scholarship. The goal of this annual conference is to highlight all aspects of Finger Lakes research, particularly as it applies to problems related to the Finger Lakes of western and central New York State. Both 15-minute oral presentation and poster displays are scheduled during the day-long conference. Presentations and posters are either: 1) results of ongoing or completed research, or 2) research plans and proposals. A $100 cash award honors the best student (undergraduate or graduate student) oral presentation. If you are interested in participating in the 4th Annual Finger Lakes Research Conference, contact Sarah Meyer at (315) 781-4382 or emailfli@hws.edu This event is free and open to the public. 
October 10: Registration Deadline