August Events, Energy Savings, and Family Fun Link

SCHOHARIE REGION (08/03/2008)(readMedia)--

To help individuals and families offset the continued rise in travel costs, the Landis Arboretum (Esperance) and the New York Power Authority (North Blenheim) have joined forces in a summer season promotion that they hope visitors simply will not refuse.

Through Labor Day (September 1)

• Visitors to the New York Power Authority will receive a coupon redeemable at Landis for a chance to win a beautiful gift basket of gardening and nature-focused items. The wining ticket will be picked at the Arboretum's signature Fall Plant/Used Book/and Bake Sale on September 15 - 16. Visitors need not be present to win.
• Visitors to the Arboretum will receive a coupon redeemable at NYPA that can be exchanged for an energy-efficient, 20-watt, mini-spiral light bulb designed to reduce energy consumption.

There are no admission fees to the NYPA grounds or Visitors Center or to the Landis Arboretum (although a free-will donation of $5/person, $15/family is encouraged at the Arboretum to offset upkeep of the grounds). Parking is free at both destinations.

NYPA DELIGHTS VISITORS

"We're delighted to be partnering with the Landis Arboretum, teaming our resources so visitors can gain a great understanding of how our attractions work in harmony with the environment," said Stephen Ramsey, Community Relations Manager at NYPA's Blenheim-Gilboa Project.

"The NYPA Visitors Center is housed in a restored 19th century dairy barn that overlooks the Schoharie Creek. The center contains many hands-on exhibits and interactive displays for the entire family to enjoy. We also have miles of nature trails as well as an interpretative wetland. And, best of all, admission to the site is free," says an enthusiastic Mr. Ramsey.

Next to NYPA Visitors Center, guests can find the beautiful Lansing Manor, an early American country estate, built in 1819 by John Lansing, who represented New York as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and the state's Ratification Convention in 1788. Restored by the Power Authority in 1977, the Manor is filled with authentic furnishings from the first half of the 19th century. The house, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is operated by the Power Authority in cooperation with the Schoharie County Historical Society.

The NYPA 2.5 mile Bluebird Trail traverses a rolling hillside between our Visitors Center and nearby Mine Kill State Park, built by the Power Authority and operated by the Saratoga-Capital District Region of the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Its 650 acres include three swimming pools and facilities for softball, basketball, volleyball and horseshoes. Picnic grounds and hiking trails let you commune with nature. The fishing season here runs from April through September. The visitors center is located about an hour from downtown Albany and is open daily (except some holidays) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Historic Lansing Manor is open May 1 through October 31 (closed on Tuesdays) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For additional information, call 1-800-724-0309 or visit NYPA on the Web at http://www.nypa.gov.

NYPA SUMMER EVENTS

August 24, 9:30 am -2 pm. Full-Family NATURE PROGRAM with the LANDIS ARBORETUM AND THE WILDLIFE LEARNING COMPANY on the grounds of the New York Power Authority, Sessions on dragonfly capture and identification, pond exploration, forest ecology, and bird identification, hiking, swimming and fishing (requires a license and pole). Participants of all ages are welcome. Please register by calling the arboretum at 518-875-6935. The NYPA visitor center is located on Route 30, 17 miles south of Middleburgh and 5 miles north of Grand Gorge. Space is limited for programs, but facilities are open to all. (Use of pool at Mine Kill State Park: Parking, $6. Pool, $2/adults; $1/children under 6 years of age.)

September 27 THE ANNUAL WILDLIFE FESTIVAL AND ENERGY EXPO will be held at the Blenheim-Gilboa Project's visitors center. This yearly event is always popular with families. There's something to delight and interest everyone - regardless of age.

ABOUT LANDIS, THE CAPITAL REGION'S ARBORETUM

The 548-acres of the Landis Arboretum comprise a national treasure which includes 40 acres of cultivated and native plants on the site of a 19th century farm, the home of Fred Lape, the Arboretum's founder. Central to New York State Wine and Spa Trails and in close proximity to historic Sharon Springs, the Arboretum in historic Esperance is a natural stop for those traveling to the high-volume tourist attractions between the Albany, Cooperstown, and Finger Lakes Regions.

The Arboretum offers much that would appeal to a family: eight miles of hiking and walking trails overlooking Schoharie Valley near Esperance; and acres of plantings, trees, shrubs, and herbaceous perennials from around the world. The Landis Arboretum includes a nationally recognized collection of oaks and is registered with the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC).

The Arboretum also is included in the New York State Route 20 Bluebird Trail, bringing even more birdwatchers to the site. The Arboretum's vast dark sky and wide horizons attract area astronomers to its meeting house and parking field for sky-watching events. The remainder of the property consists of woodlands, and open fields, and natural areas including bogs.

NOT TO BE MISSED AT LANDIS

August 9: WIGGLY WATER WONDERS

The pond ecosystem is full of life. Join us as we explore who is who, what they do, how they grow, and where they go in the pond environment. Leader: George Steele, Science Educator. Suggested donation, $5.

August 19, 23 PUBLIC STAR PARTY

August 23: NATURE TUNES AND TALES CAMPFIRE

Join friends and family around a campfire and participate in a traditional sing-a-long. There's a twist though: these songs and stories are nature tunes and tales that shed light on the wonders of our natural world. Leader: George Steele, Science Educator. Suggested donation, $5.

August 30: AWESOME AUGUST PERFECTA!

Combines the Arboretum's successful 5K FOREST RUN/WALK, Colonial encampment with the Old Stone Fort Militia, an up-close-and-personal guided tour of the Old Growth Forest at Landis with Howard Stoner of Hudson Valley Community College - AND an Open Mic for all performers throughout the Capital Region and you get a day that's simply perfecta! Open call to runners, musicians, poets, and rockers, for Combined 5K Family Classic Run/Walk and Lape Day open mic!

More? http://www.landisarboretum.org.

Additional information on the Landis Arboretum and the New York Power Authority, visit: http://www.catskillmtn.org/publications/articles/2007-06-landis-arboretum-new-york-power-authority.html : Picturesque Route 30 connects Catskill State Park to the Adirondack Mountains. This same historic, scenic byway also links two Schoharie County landmarks-the New York Power Authority in North Blenheim and the Landis Arboretum in Esperance-and a world of picture perfect country in between.

Contacts:

Stephen M. Ramsey, New York Power Authority, 1378 State Route 30 P.O. Box 898, North Blenheim, NY 12131, (518) 287-6380, (518) 287-6381 (fax), steve.ramsey@nypa.gov

Thom O'Connor, Landis Arboretum, PO Box 186, 174 Lape Road, Esperance, NY 12066, (518) 875-6935, (518) 875-6394 (fax), info@landisarboretum.org

Posted Sunday August 03, 2008 at 02:50 pm by Landis Arboretum