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More Environmental Education was Needed in the 1000 Islands...
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...and the Thousand Islands Land Trust Responded!
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 | | 2013 "Music from Nature" KidsTrekkers pose on TILT"s Grindstone Island Nature Trail |
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The Thousand Islands Land Trust's (TILT) 2013 season of KidsTreks was a HUGE success! This popular program, encouraging living, learning and conserving in the 1000 Islands, would not have been possible were it not for the enthusiastic support of parents and grandparents like YOU!
An exciting new offering was added to our program this year: TILTKids Camp. The Camp was created as part of the new TILTKids level of membership. Families that join the land trust as TILTKids members enjoy not only exclusive access to the camp, but receive a special newsletter and access to a website, just for kids.
The "Fall/Winter TILTKids News" will be mailed out to members soon, and the TILTKids Website has been updated with the Spring/Summer newsletter and all the photos and activity booklets from our 2013 KidsTreks - free for members to download at home. TILTKids members will also be the first to hear when our 2014 schedule of KidsTreks and TILTKids Camp is announced.
If you're a parent or grandparent and haven't already signed up, please consider joining the land trust as a TILTKids member. Or, if you have a passion for education and investing in the next generation, donate today. Your support will allow TILT to continue to provide these educational programs, and encourage kids to become the land stewards of tomorrow!
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Now, let's look back on all the fun we had this past summer:
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 | | Campers showing off their new TILTKids gear |
TILTKids Camp: "Looking Closer" at Zenda Farm Preserve
Close to 40 TILTKids members joined us at the inaugural TILTKids Camp, which took place during the last weekend in July. Campers were invited to first take a closer look at the plants, animals and insects that call TILT's Zenda Farm Preserve home and then to interact with and document these discoveries in a variety of ways. Workshops led by local experts, were spread out over both days: Kids learned everything from examining "Life in a Puddle" to "Looking Down: Grassland Birds" to nature writing and photography. There was something for everyone! Subway of Clayton provided lunch on the first day and local caf� The Scoop brought ice cream sandwiches the next day. Each camper received a backpack at registration that included donated goodies, activity booklets for each day and their very own TILTKids shirt!
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"Ichthyologist (Fish Scientist) for a Day" with TIBS
Based on the popularity of last year's trek, TILT once again partnered with Dr. John Farrell and the crew at TIBS (Thousand Islands Biological Station) on Governor's Island to give kids the opportunity to learn what it takes to be a fish scientist! It was an exciting day of fish-related activities and discoveries. Highlights included fishing off the docks with Dr. Farrell's young sons and playing an exciting game of "food-web tag" on the lawn.
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"Art from Nature" at the Ingerson Preserve with TI Arts
TILT partnered with the TI Arts Center and local art instructor Faye Ingerson to invite kids to the "outdoor art studio" at the outskirts of the Ingerson Preserve in Clayton. They created original works of art inspired by, and including pieces of, the natural world around them. The kids really enjoyed experimenting with cray-pas and watercolors, but as usual, working with clay was the biggest thrill for these budding artists!
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"Hike & Seek" at the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center
TILT partnered the Minna Anthony Common Nature Center to host an educational scavenger hunt on the nature trails of Wellesley Island! Kids put on their detective hats to match what they saw on the trail to a worksheet of nature photos. They also took bark rubbings and recorded how they used their own senses to discover more about the ecology of the 1000 Islands.
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"Music from Nature" on Grindstone with Dede Nash
The final KidsTrek was "Music from Nature" with local piano instructor Dede Nash. The kids hiked TILT's Grindstone Island Nature Trail, using a "walk, stop and listen" method to observe the natural "music" that they heard along the way. At one point, the kids split into different parts of the orchestra (beating sticks on logs, rustling leaves, imitating bird calls) to create a multi-layered symphony - beautiful music was made!
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If becoming a TILTKids members sounds good to you, click here! For questions about adding TILTKids benefits to your existing membership, contact the TILT office: 315-686-5345.
And please feel free to contact me personally with any questions about KidsTreks, TILTKids membership or TILTKids Camp: [email protected].Thank you for supporting land conservation and environmental education in the 1000 Islands!
Corinne Mockler Coordinator of Education and OutreachThe Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) |
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PO Box 238 135 John St Clayton, NY 13624
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