pathways

The official publication of the New York State Outdoor Education Association
Winter 2003

-The Trees Simply Don't Care-

By: Jarrett 'Pacence' Krentzel: simply another human.

Hello. I would like to begin with sharing my tions and fire houses, the grocery stores, and the malls.
thanks for reading this article. I believe that you will I left the suburban lifestyle. I left it all. I left society as
enjoy what I have to share with you, and I hope that I knew it, and I left it all behind. And on April 15,
you can relate to and understand the experiences that I 2002, I began my initial ascent into the mountains of
have lived. Most importantly, if you have not done so Georgia, into the woods, into the wilderness, into na-
already, I wish that you will someday experience the ture, in to the rivers, in to the trees, in to the mountains
harmony and love I have encountered with our mother and in to the hills and in to the valleys. I began my
earth. ascent in to the animals and in to the plants, in to the
My trail-name was pacence (PACEnce). I in- water falls and in to the streams and in to the lakes, in
troduced myself as pacence and I was called upon to the rocks and in to the roots and in to the
as pacence for 5 beautiful months. For just soil, in to the sunrises and the sunsets and
about a half of a year, I walked my way . ~G~~~~t.~~~ in to the moonrises and moonsets and in
from the bold Springer Mountain of to the stars and in to the planets, and in
Georgia, in Amacalola State Park, j to myself! On that spring day, I
to the inspiring Mount Katahdin ~ walked out of the world, and in
of Maine, in Baxter State Park. Ii;; ~ to the earth. And I didn't walk
Myjourney took me along the ~ 0 out until 5 months later!
2,168 miles oftheadventur- """"< ~ What to say, what to
ous Appalachian Trail. 0 ~ write, how do I start. Where
April 15, 2002, I left ::0 U do I start, what do I even write
my home in Hicksville, I left ~ 0 about, how can I even explain
long island, and I left New ~ t::?what happened to me out
York. I left my family, my ~ ~ there, and how will you even
friends,myjob, my dailychores, . e O~ understand my experiences. The
my weekly routine, and my 00 ~ trees don't care! They don't. The
monthly schedule. I left all of my re- /'DO OR ED\J ~ trees simply don't care. When I use the
sponsibilities. I left my watch, my calen- word care, I'm not referring to an act of pas-
dar, my car, my bedroom and bed, my bathroom and sion, but more to act of judgment. So when I write
shower, my kitchen and refrigerator, my living room that the trees don't care, I mean that the trees don't
and T.v., my hallway and family photos, my front door, judge. They don't judge what you say, what you do,
my welcome mat, and my driveway. I left the streets, what you wear, how you smell, how much money you
the stop signs, the traffic lights, the electrical wires, make, where you live, what you drive, where you shop,
the buildings, the homes, the parking lots, the stores, what your body looks like, what's on your mind, what's
the offices, the schools, the libraries, the police sta- Continued on page 4
 NYSOEA Message From the President
Executive Board
President By the Light of the Moon
Foster Portsline

VP Administration
Kathy Ambrosini

VP Communication
MaryLynne Malone

VP Human Resources
Tom Vitti
Greetings to all of you! I hope you
are enjoying some seasonal activities this fine
winter! I have. It was cold around zero de-
grees Fahrenheit. The night air was crisp
and nipped on my lungs with every breath.
Snow squeaked under my boots. I made ar-
•
rangements with my family for my time of
VPProgram returr •. When I snapped on my cross-conn-
Vacant try skies that night everything seemed in-
viting, The moon was full and cast a peace-
I
Secretary ful calm over the landscape. Snow crystals
Sue Williams sparkled. Trees cast their shadows. I glided
over fields and past forests silently, :\Iyad-
Treasurer venture was both quieting and ill\igorating
Sharon Kennelty-Cohen b)' the light of the moon,
by Foster Portzline
Regional Directors
Jim D'Angelo, Central
Frank Benenati, Central
Tara Feeney, Eastern
Elaine Young, Metro
Jack Sheltmire, Northern
Mary Anna Russo, Western pathways (lSSN 1077-5110) is published Materials Submissions
four times a year by the New York State Anyone interested in contributing to
2003 Conference Outdoor Education Association and is pathways is encouraged to submit ma-
mailed to NYSOEA members. Opinions ex- terial to the NYSOEA pathways c/o
Committee Chairs pressed by contributors are theirs solely and MaryLynne Malone, P.O. Box 39,
John Stowell not necessarily those of the Editorial Board Southfields, NY 10975 or E-mail:
Tom Smith of pathways or of NYSOEA. Advertise- malone@highlands.com. Materials
ments included in pathways should not be should be typed. Please include a short
interpreted as endorsement of the product(s) biographical section about the author of
Office Services
byNYSOEA. the article. References cited in the ar-
George Steele
ticle should be listed at
418 Merry Road,
Advertising in pathways the end of the ar-
Amsterdam, NY 12010
pathways welcomes advertisements which ticle, APA style.
518-842-0501 Office
will be of interest to the membership of
518-842-1646 Fax
NYSOEA. If you have a product, service,
E-mail: nysoea@aol.com equipment, resources, programs, etc. that
you would like to share with our member-
ship via an advertisement, please contact
MaryLynne Malone (914) 351-2967.

2
NYSOEA makes a comeback to the world The 2003 joint annual field meeting of: The North-
wide web. The NYSOEA website NYSOEAorg is eastern Section of the Botanical Society of America;
currently under construction! It should be up and run-
ning shortly. Keep checking the site and once it's up
check it often to find out about updates in regional
programming. If you are offering a program at your
site and would consider co-sponsoringit withNYSOEA
please send the announce-
ment e-mail to MaryLynne
Malone, VP Communica-
tions to malone@
highlands. com. Refer your
friends and colleagues! It's
your site, let's make it
work for all of us!
ts·~tr~in~mll¥9-",
3
The Long Island Botanical Society; The Torrey
Botanical Society; and The Philadelphia Botanical
Club will be held June 22 to June 26, 2003 at New
York Institute of Technology Central Islip Campus,
Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.
FIELD TRIPS: Monday June 23 - North Shore Forests-
Caleb Smith State Park a beautifully treed area that con-
tains 543 acres, 15 to 140 ft above sea level. The Nissequoque
River runs through it. There are 4 ponds, and 178 acres of
class 1 wetlands. Weld Preserve Here we will study a mixed
hardwood forest on the north side of the Harbor Hill Mo-
raine. The preserve has 1800 feet of beach bluff frontage,
as well as a deciduous forest, kettle hole connnunities, wood-
land swamp and a red maple canopy. Tuesday June 24 -
Dwarf Pine Barrens Quogue Wildlife Refuge We will visit
a distressed wildlife complex and a museum. The refuge
contains a freshwater pond, 7 miles of self-guided trails,
boardwalk, sphagnum bog, pine barrens, salt marsh, maple
swamp, and a tiny white cedar swamp. Dwarf Pine Bar-
rens- An area of 102,500 acres that contains the greatest
diversity of endangered, threatened and special concern
species. It protects the largest source of pure ground water
. the state. Wednesday June 25 - Sunken Ferest This field
tIi.i..,P reached via a pleasant ferry ride across the Great
o Bay to Fire Island National Seashore on the Atlantic
O<::ean. Sunken Forest is a globally rare 300+ year-old, 30-
acre maritime fo st· unity on a 21-mile barrier island,
traversed b 2 Ofboar walk. N· rthy plant com-
munities that w 'Win ter i c ! a esh water bog,
esh water wetIan a a sib ·Iime beach, dunes,
w les .. wel -as Uili e ho. y forest. Thurs-
6 .gin y 50,000 acres the
CllVlqeo.lJ~ 2 Is 2 miles apart. The
rfC1iU~ • e th smaler called the Bishop
b1e visit the last
in . County.
~!m.~itely $~5 • Q...includes all
....--.n .m..~Iit,~."'tlI\r()1i!gbl-'lliW>day
breakfast), hous-
arkll-ftnmsiiOrtation (when not car-
(at a lower fee) ifthere
is space available. Everybo <in rested in botany, or in rare
plan C0nnnunities, or nature in general, is welcome to at-
tend.
Pre-registration is required.
Hicksville,NY 11802-7323,
(516) 931-2073, or
botany2003@hotmail.com
in your heart, what inspired your soul.
The trees just don't care. Not only do
they not care, but also they are always
there for you. They are always there
standing tall and strong, ready to be
embraced at any time. They are always
there for you to lean on, to sit up
against, to shade you, to feed you, to
protect to, to nurture you, to teach
you, to love you. The trees are al-
ways their for you and they simply do
not judge anything. Now that's uncon-
ditionallove!
Now imagine walking with the
trees, mile after mile, hour after hour,
day after day, week after week, month
after month, still walking with the
trees, more miles, more hours, more
days, more weeks, more months, and
you're still walking, still walking, still
living with the trees. The trees who
are always there for you and simply
don't care. Now, just imagine how one is eventually the trees, you stop judging! You stop judging every-
affected after walking with the trees for miles, day thing and everyone, and most importantly, you stop judg-
after day, with this understanding of the trees accep- ing yourse1f1 You don't judge what people say, what
tance. Just take a moment to imagine the filtration people do, what people wear, how people smell, how
that occurs from the trees into your body, to your mind, much money people make, where people live, what
right to your heart, and exploding into you soul. Just people drive, where people shop, what people's bodies
imagine our trees as our role models, our heroes, our look like, what's on people's mind, what's in people's
mentors. You, I, all of us, soon became trees! It hap- hearts, what inspires people's souls. You just don't care
pened to everyone. Everyone at different point of the anymore. And with this, you now are all accepting and
trail, but it happened to everyone. And it hit us like a you now are always there for everyone and everything.
pile of bricks falling out of the sky, but just before Now, it is you who stands tall and strong. And now it is
those bricks came crashing on your head, at that exact you who is always ready to embrace everyone and ev-
point, they all froze up in mid air, just an inch away erything at any time. And then trail-life begins!
from your head, and when you look up at those imagi- When this happens, you now feel refreshed, you
nary bricks, you let out a long powerful breath of re- feel renewed, you feel like you've just cracked open
freshing air, and poof They all disappear into thin air, your shell and you begin to run free and wild and naked
right before your very eyes. And it's then when you've with mother earth. And we did! Because we all experi-
become a tree. It happens just like that. And from that enced this higher awareness that we all always knew
moment on, you free yourself from it all, you become and that we all still know It's the awareness that we
completely liberated, you become totally spontaneous, are all one. It's the awareness that there is no differ-
you live and act on every impulse, and every impulse ence between us as people and there is no different be-
is positive and loving and wonderful, and you begin tween us and the trees and the birds and the plants and
to shine, shine, you shine just like the trees do. Your the animals and the sunrises and the sunsets and the
soul shines with passion and love, because now you rocks and the roots and the soil, and there is no differ-
simply don't care. You don't judge anymore. Justlike ence between ourselves and our mother earth. What
4
was so inspiring is that we have all known about this
awareness. We all read books, watched movies, listened A New Way to Bird
to songs, listened to people, and learned from other
A great new teacher tool
sources that we were all one. But on the trail, we weren't
& family bird activity
reading, we weren't watching, we weren't listening, it , _.4\)
was a different kind ofleaming ... we were experiencing! /r
" The Taconic Outdoor Edu-
We all were experiencing the beauty and harmony of be-
ing one with ourselves and with each o~er = wi~h ev-
erything around us. We were experiencmg It, and It was
cation Center has created a
unique tool to help teach
birding skills to children and adults.
real, and we ere alive, and it was beautiful, and it
AU About Birds solves the one big chal-
was ... LOVE!
lenge faced by all educators - how to iden-
Five months later, after I made my initial ascent
tify moving birds using binoculars.
into the mountains of Georgia and in to earth, five months
later, on September 23, 2002, I walked down from Mount
The colorful, weather and fade resistant,
Katahdin, and into the streets of Maine and in to the world.
life sized birds can be placed outdoors in
And now, I'm back. I'm back. Back in Hicksville, back in
their natural environment. Without need-
long island, and back in New York. I'm back with my
ing to focus on moving targets, students
family, my friends, my job, my daily chores, my weekly
easily learn how to use binoculars. Both
routines, and my monthly schedule. I'm back with all of
student and teacher can observe a chicka-
my responsibilities. I'm back with my watch, my calen-
dee, cardinal and woodpecker side
dar, my car, my bedroom and bed, my bathroom and
by side. The teacher can help ev-
shower, my kitchen and refrigerator, my living room and
eryone compare and contrast
T'V, my hallway and family photos, my front door, my
the species, and assist the stu-
welcome mat, and my driveway. I'm back with the streets,
dents in referring to a field
the stop signs, the traffic lights, the electrical wires, the
guide to practice identifying
buildings, the homes, the parking lots, the stores, the of-
birds.
fices, the schools, the libraries, the police stations and
fire houses, the grocery stores, and the malls. I'm back
The supporting curriculum and field guide
to the suburban lifestyle. I'm back with it all. I'm back
is an excellent resource. It allows the
with society as I knew it, and now I'm ready to journey
teacher to focus on content information
forward with what I have experienced.
and related observation. It insures suc-
cess for all age levels.

All About Birds includes a 28 page cur-

Your articles riculum activity guide, Peterson First
Wanted! You Guide and 12 color life sized birds.

hold the key to For further information, contact

the Taconic Outdoor Education
your Ideas, Center at 75 Mountain Laurel
Experiences, Lane, Cold Spring, NY 10516
Unique Lessons! (845)265-3773.
pathways seeks your writing. Some folks never
write unless they're asked. Consider this your
invitation.

5
 Are You an Edutainer?
By MaryLynne Malone
The Pros of Edutain men t:
* You grab the audience/students at
You can be proud of it or you can be guilty of
tention.
it but the majority of outdoor/environmental educa-
tors are edutainers. What is an edutainer? Well it is * They learn without having to work
education in an entertaining way. Get kids gripped too hard.
and then you're good to go. Television shows edutain * Content retention is usually high.
all the time. Sesame Street, Blues Clues, The Croco- * They enjoy the experience and want
dile Hunter, Jeff Corwin and more are constantly us- to have more.
ing songs, skits and drama to educate. I'm sure you've * It's not like "real" schoolwork.
called programs where you use live animals "the ani- Change of scenery.
mal show." Are we doing kids a service by being fun
and entertaining? There are -t'--------------I-
pros and cons to this argument. The Cons of Edutain men t: ----------+
Pro seems to stack pretty high, * Not all of us are enter- often are they regulated for na-
especially if you ask a kid. tainers. tive animal usage? What are they
Edutainment is not a * You cannot put on an act
teaching the kids? Are they re-
real word per se. You cannot allyedutainers?
find it in the dictionary; not yet or make everything excit- Quite another side of
anyway. By definition mg. edutainment, one that sells a pro-
edutainment is an entertaining * The kids expect learning gram, especially for independent
form of education. Profes- to always be a game. outdoor educators like myself, is
sional people make large sums * It may take more energy personality and showmanship no
of money edutaining. A lot of on the part of the educa- matter what the topic. Guests in
this edutainment is on the sub- tor. a school are expected to be, well,
ject of nature and the outdoors. +--------------f- exciting. Perhaps the excitement
When Steve Erwin aka the Crocodile Hunter, owner of Australia is going outside the classroom,
Zoo began filming his crocodile rescues, perhaps it was meant to be a maybe it's a skit or theatrical perfor-
documentary to show how important the crocodile population is. His mance. Maybe you use a little magic
"Croc Files" and "Crocodile Hunter" television shows are watched by to show how animalsbecame extinct.
millions of people each week on the Animal Planet television station. His Whatever it is it's working. I'm
message is clear: Conservation of wildlife is important. He adds humor proud to say that I am an outdoor
and drama to his program. He is forever chasing and handling dangerous, educator/edutainer because I know
even highly venomous animals for your edutainment. Why edutainment? I'm teaching something worthwhile,
You get the entertaining, yet dramatic chase, and then he explains the something that's in the school's cur-
animals habitat, diet, and more all while letting you know it is not a good riculum, or at least a subject area
idea to do this yourself I love the guy but that don't do this at home being taught in that class. I do how-
notation reminds me a little of a daredevil about to jump the Grand Can- ever think that there are some lim-
yon on a turbo charged motorcycle. its. I don't intend to start perform-
A growing number of outfits have begun animal presentations ing at birthday parties. I have to
designed for parties. Animals are passed around or patted, reminders are admit that I wouldn't stop my child
given about how party goers should be gentle while handling and how from attending a birthday party that
these animals are "wild" and therefore should be treated as such. I have was featuring live animals. I just
to wonder about that. Where and how are they kept, what are they fed. don't think that birthday parties are
How do these people choose the animals they are going to use? How places to drag animals.

6
 Science based edutainment
seems to be the most popular. Chil-
dren like to watch television pro-
grams about dinosaurs. This sells
dinosaur toys and children learn
names, habitat, food sources, even
why dinosaurs became extinct.
Computer animation has dinosaurs
looking so real that I'm sure there
are kids who believe they might still tioned. There are good, even great Most fees underwritten by a Living
exist somewhere. Chemistry and
physics, two of the least liked sci-
ences, have been made edutaining
though programs like Mad Science.
Mad Science is a commercial outfit
that hires folks to do programs on
energy, actions and reactions and
more. These Mad Scientists are
dressed in lab coats and safety
glasses and do programs for
schools, camps, scout groups and
yes birthday parties. They perform
for as few as 10 or as many as 210.
They even run summer camps them-
selves as well as programs during
school vacations.
As someone who considers
herself an edutainer, I asked myself
if I was on the pro or the con side
of'edutainment and this is what I've
decided. I am all for conservation feature it in the next issue of path- andsecondaryteachers,includingtech-
education and science education and ways.
if it's entertaining hip hip hooray! I +--
don't think that this includes the
traveling animal shows that enter-
tain birthday parties. Should chil-
dren get these experiences at nature
centers and zoos- sure. Packing a
snake, a monkey and whatever else
up to someone's home so cake eat-
ingkids can touch them and ask you
to have it do something is quite an-
other thing. I promote my pro-
grams. I believe that the children
who are in my programs have fun.
I hope that they have learned some-
thing. I'd like to think that they
come away with respect for the life TEACHING PIONEER
of the animal we are talking about AMERICA THROUGH
if the situation arises, that they
LIVING mSTORY
TwoWeekends:
would want that animal in it's own Feb. 28 - March 2, 2003 and
habitat or being rehabilitatedinto it's March 28 - March 30, 2003
habitat, not simply to live for in-service(45 hours)
someone's entertainment. graduate credit (3 credits
There is a downside to personal growth
edutainment that hasn't been men-
classroom teachers that simply lose History Foundation Grant.
the attention of their students be- Students pay only $75, plus gradu-
cause they're not edutaining ate credits if that option is chosen.
enough. I wonder if we've become Additional grants of up to $1000
a society that needs a little drama for qualified participants.
or comedy in order to stay tuned.
Should every lesson include an ac- Registration is by application only-
tivity to keep students interested? - space is limited.
I've been told that of course they Course Description: The
had fun with you but try being in AshokanField Campus is the setting
here with them everyday for the foran experientialcoursethat explores
entire school year and see if you daily life in FrontierAmerica.By ex-
could keep them that interested. periencingpioneerliving in a variety
Loving what you do makes it ani- ofhands-onactivities,participantswill
mated - no matter what it is - if enhanceandenliventheirownapproach
people know you enjoy yourself to teachingNewYorkStateandUnited
doing what you do it becomes in- Stateshistory.UnderwrittenbytheLiv-
fectious. Please send feedback on ing History Education Foundation,
the subject of edutainment to: whichfunds room/boardand site fees
al@highldI'dliktforparticipants,thistwo-weekend
m one an s.com. e 0 course is appropriate for elementary
nology, special education and music
---- __..•... instructors.It was developedaccord-
ing to the RegentsGoals& Standards
A true sign of a for elementaryand secondaryteachers
edutainer is when a parent andaddressesSocialStudiesStandards
approaches you after a les- and character-based education ele-
son and asks you if you are ments.
available for birthday par-
Pleasecall 845-257-2846.
ties. Don't get me wrong I
think it's fabulous that afcsprog@newpaltz.edu
someone want their child to Mail to: Ashokan Field Campus
have an educational birth- 477 Beaverkill Road
day party. I'm just not sure Olivebridge,NY 12461
I want to be the floor show.
7

Climb the
m o unte tne
and eet their eood tidine6.
Na"ture's peace will flow tnto
you a6 sunshine flow6 Into
tree6. The wind6 willblow their
own fre6hne66 tnto you, and
the 6torm6 their energy, while
ceree will drop off like au-
"tumn JeaVe6.
-John Muir
You may not know
ahead of time exactly what
you will be learning, experienc-
ing or doing while heading up to
Ashokans' Winter Weekend, but
one thing is for certain, you will
love every minute of it. The week-
end is based around group activi-
ties, workshops that you choose to
participate in, friendships, and of
course - food.
Before check in, my friend
Diane and I decide to go for a quick
hike. We are from Long Island and
due to the absence of wilderness
there, we couldn't wait to get into
the woods. An hour and a half later
we were late for dinner and it was
growing dark. We were at no point
lost, for we knew which direction we
had to go, we just couldn't seem to
find a trail to get us there. Needless
to say, our vegetable lasagna was
well earned.
After fully gorging ourselves, it was
time for some ice breaking
with nature charades and
a 'What Animal am I'
",~~o~~:JII
.•. game. Fortunately my
A Winter Weekend in Ashokan
By Talia Mobley
background is in archaeology, for
I was a saber-toothed tiger.
The Saturday morning
sign-up for workshops is rough due
to the numerous workshops of-
fered, and the desire to take them
all. I ended up taking: A Secret
Place withAndyAngstrom; Teach-
ing Children About the Environ-
ment Using Picture Books with
Dan Kriesberg;
Personal
Pouches with
Snapper
. Petta; Night
- Hike with
George Steele;
and Gourd Crafts
with Jeff Gottlieb on Sunday morn-
ing.
With my oatmeal behind
me, I bundled up for a 'hike' to A
Secret Place. The onlything is that
there is so much to see and learn
along the way we ended up paus-
ing every ten feet. It may have been
fifteen degrees out, but the cold
was keeping no creature indoors.
Tracks were everywhere. Grey
squirrel was here, and a coyote
crossed the ice there. Two gray
foxes trotted side by side before
splitting up around this glacial er-
ratic. Shrews, mice and weasels
of sorts, then the bounding tracks
of a fisher. Deer were here, leav-
ing not only their tracks, but tree
rubbings and upturned leaves in
pursuit of the red oak acorns that
lay below. Even a raccoon ven-
tured out in the snow. Andy was
overflowing with information
about our surroundings, pointing
8
out trees and what distinguishing
characteristics to look for in order
to more easily identity them. It will
take some years before I am able to
identify more than a handful, but
that is part of the reason I have
come to Ashokan.
A hop skip and a splashover
a tributary and we are heading back
for lunch. We never did make it to
the secret spot that Andy had in
mind, but we stopped to discover
many other ones along the way.
I was not fully thawed after
lunch, so I was glad to be indoors
with Daniel Kriesberg and his
books. After an introduction about
how he became fascinated with the
outdoors, he discussed methods he
uses in the classroom to help teach
children about the environment us-
ing picture books. We then had op-
portunities to read from the selec-
tions he brought with him. The
problem: how do you work your
way through several hundred
books? I could have sat there read-
ing for hours. I also could not wait
to share this with my son, and talk
to his teacher about the importance
of Dan's work with the kids. Fuel
for their curious minds.
Personal Pouches with
Snapper Petta was quiet and relax-
ing. We made various shaped and
sized native american medicine
bags. Some with fringes, some
without. I learned that I could in
fact sew, although it was using
leather and sinew.
After another excellent
meal (chicken with oranges and
blueberries)I found myselfbundling
back up for an evening excursion
with George Steele. We went off
calling for owls, or rather, George
called and we listened. There were
three possible owls that could call:
the Great Homed; the Barred and
the Screech. After only fifteen min-
utes we heard something. The
Great Homed owl moved closer
and George called again. There
were two, moving closer again. Fif-
teen people in freezing tempera-
tures staring up at the nighttime sky
and you could have heard a pin
drop. Everyone was holding their
breath waiting to hear the low and
powerful call once more. The ex-
citement ran throughout the entire
group, and we stood in silence en-
tranced by this creature looking
down on us somewhere from the
trees above. We pushed our luck
perhaps by attempting to move
closer. It was a good eight minutes
before one of them again returned.
Eventually we returned indoors to
dissect owl pellets. Ryan and Iwent
to work and came away with an al-
most complete mouse(?) skeleton,
accompanied by dirty hands.
We spent the evening
watching skits, singing songs and
storytelling. After a late night sauna
stop to relax the muscles a bit, Iwas
off to sleep.
Gourd crafts with Jeff
Gottlieb in the morning was the fi-
nal workshop. A history and intro
to gourds and 1heir usage, followed
by the methods for drying these
hard shelled gourds gave way to the
crafts. We selected our gourds, ad-
ministered a thorough scrubbing,
then got to work. Getting to work
is simple if one is not as indecisive
as myself, and should not take 1hirty
minutes to make their first sketch-
ing. I decided on a bowl and began. Summer Jobs &
This obviously was a take home Paid Internships 2003
project. For all of you who care to
Co-Director Regional
know, Ifinished my gourd and wood
burned it at home (I must say 1hat
Nature Museum
even 1am impressed).
WHERE:Harriman State
The hardest part always will be say-
Park - one offour (4) Regional Nature
ing goodbye. After Museums
spending 1he week- WHAT:Design, construct,
end around so maintain, and interpret living and
many wonder- static exhibits in small satellite
ful people who museums located throughout
share the same Harriman State Park. Conduct mu-
interests and love seum tours and nature programs for
of the outdoors, children.
how do you leave WHEN:Ten-week period,
starting June 19 -Iate August.
without angst? The weekend is
WHY:Pay is $7.50 per hour,
never long enough and the ride back
for a 40 hour work week. Monday
home is never welcoming. through Friday schedule, with some
With the car packed up I flexibility. Evening programming is
took one last spin on the ice. Ryan required at least 2 nights per week. Free
succeeds in knocking me down and cabin to share with Co-director. Train-
we head off in different directions, ing in Outdoor Education including
each reluctant to leave. Project Wet and Project Wild. Experi-
Crossing the ence with exhibit design, animal care,
Ashokan reservoir, and continuing in house education op-
portunities.
driving south on the
WHO:College graduates or
thruway and
majors in the fields ofEnvironmen-
crossing the
tal Science, Natural History, Sci-
Triborough ence Education, Outdoor/Environ-
bridge there is but mental Education, Conservation, etc..
one thought - En- Experience in nature center or nature
vironmental week- education may be substituted for above.
end in May. I began to count Candidates must possess a valid US
down the days. drivers licence, be at least 19 years of
TaliaEve@yahoo.com age, have a working knowledge of New
York State flora and fauna must be able
to work with young inner-cityyouth and
be able to handle small animals. You
The more we are must be flexible and have an eagerness
to try new adventures. Art skills a defi-
separated from
nite plus.
nature, the un- HOW:Contact- MaryLynne Malone,
Coordinator Regional Museums
happier we get.
P.O. Box 39
Southfields, NY 10975
(845) 351-2967 after 4:30pm weekdays
a
 WANTED
Wonderful Workshops
There are many exciting de-
velopments that have enabled the
2003 conference to snow-ball into
an event you will not want to miss!
In fact, we hope that not only you
attend but also you make sure a col-
league or friend with similar inter-
ests comes too!
The Workshop Committee
is proud to announce that we have
35 awesome workshop proposals
in-hand. Many of these workshops
have never before been offered at a
NYSOEA conference. It is our
hope to be able to offer you 50+ dif-
ferent workshops to choose from.
We are looking for your assistance.
Would you be able to lead a hands-
on, dynamic workshop in one of the
following outdoor education areas:
technology (its uses in science or
education), local lore, language arts,
math, science and social studies
(teaching to the standards in the out-
doors), the arts, administration
(what to do when you are suddenly
an administrator) and outdoor rec-
reation?!
We are looking for more
presentations in these areas to bal-
Conference Chairs
John Stowell
(845) 265-3773
john. stowell@
oprhp. state.ny. us
Tom Smith
(845) 896-5910
tsmith@freshair.org
ance out our offerings. Please
fill out the workshop proposal
form and send it in. You may
know of someone else in your
workplace or community that
would "fire up" the conference
with a great workshop. Please
ask them! NYSOEA is a very
diverse group. Let's tap into
every available asset! Collec-
tively, the more we give the more
we receive. The environmental
resources at the Villa Roma con-
ference site include: a man-made
pond, beautiful babbling brook,
forested areas and meadow.
Send in your workshop
proposal form by March 20,
2003. The committee will con-
tact you. Our annual conference
is a reflection of how people,
pooling their resources, time, and
talents can make a difference in
an area they care so much about!
Thank you in advance for mak-
ing a contribution to the 2003
conference!
Foster Portzline,President
Cheryl Wmship,Workshop chair
The benefits of at-
tending the NYSOEA an-
nual conference are many.
It is a place to learn knew skills
and gain knowledge. It is a place
to have fun and meet with old
and new friends. It is a place to
become rejuvenated about the
important work we all do. It is a
place to share you knowledge
and get more people involved in
our efforts to educate children
10
and adults about the outdoors. Last
year one hundred and forty one people
attended the conference at Villa Rorna.
This is a decline in attendance from past
conferences. We need to get more
people involved. All the wonderful ben-
efits the conference offers would be
increased if more people attended. A
marketing task force has been created
to raise the number of members of the
association and to increase the atten-
dance at the annual conference. Our
goal is to have over 200 people at the
next conference. Here is a great way
to help NYOSEA even if you don't
have a lot of time. Talk about the asso-
ciation and the conference with people.
Make it a point to bring a friend, col-
league, even a date to next year con-
ference. It doesn't hurt to ask. If you
are giving any kind of presentation to
teachers, parents, naturalists, or even
the general public, tell them about
NYOSEA and the conference. Ifpos-
sible include a brochure about
NYSOEA and next year conference in
any mailing you do to teachers or the
general public.
Post information about the as-
sociation and conference on bulletin
boards around your school or nature
center. Write a short article for any
publication you are involved. You can
contact Dan Kriesberg at kriesb@
aol.com and he will email you a short
article you can use. At the very least
put the dates of the conference in your
newsletter.
If everyone follows through on
at least one of these ideas we can reach
our goal and make NYOSEA even bet-
ter and next year's conference the best
one yet.
If you have other ideas please
contact Dan Kriesberg at kriesb@
aol.com or Tom Vitti at tomvitti@
yahoo. com
 Featured Speakers
Vicki Cobb
Vicki Cobb is the well known author of 2003 Conference
more than eighty highly entertaining Site Information
nonfiction books for children. Cobb's
lighthearted approach to hands-on science
has become her trademark for getting kids
involved in experiences that create real
learning.

Dr. Susan Flader

Susan Flader is professor of history at the
University of Missouri-Columbia, where she
teaches American and world environmental
history. She has published several books and N

numerous articles on the career and thought Q.

A 40mi

of Aldo Leopold, including Thinking Like a

Mountain and The River of the Mother of God.

David Middleton Villa Roma Resort

David is a full-time professional nature Callicoon, NY
photographer, writer and naturalist. He has (845) 887-4880
produced several books including: Ancient
www.vi11aroma.com
Forest, The New Key to Ecuador and the
Galapagos and The Nature of America.
More than an outdoor photographer and
naturalist, David is a gifted and enthusiastic
teacher who truly enjoys sharing his experiences and
expertise with people.

New York State Outdoor Education Association

36th Annual Conference

~
r"'-' The Nature of New York r"'-'

A Natural History Celebration

October 23 - 26, 2003
Villa Roma Resort - Callicoon, NY

11
 Who WeAre We assist our members in
Established in 1968, the As- expanding their knowledge and
sociation is the leading professional skills in using the environment for
group supporting outdoor educa- responsible education purposes.
tion, environment education and in- We act as a unified voice
terpretive services in New York supporting the fields of environmen-
State. tal education, outdoor education, in-
Our membership includes terpretation and outdoor recreation.
classroom teachers, environmental Benefits of Membership
educators, college professors, natu- Annual Conference
ralists, interpreters, youth leaders, Regional Events
administrators, students, parents Publications
and others interested in the out- Awards
doors. Scholarships
Our Goals Membership Fees
We promote public aware- Individual $40.00
ness of the value of outdoor and Family $50.00
environmental education and inter- Retired $30.00
pretation. Student $25.00
We foster a lifelong appre- Affiliate A $45.00
ciation and sense of stewardship to Affiliate B $75.00
enrich curricula and programs. Library $30.00

The New York State Outdoor Education Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit professional organization
dedicated to lifelong learning in and about the outdoors. Outdoor Education is a method which embraces
multiple subject areas, including development of an appreciation of nature and the total environment.
Membership services, in addition to pathways, include the annual conference which provides opportunities
to share and learn, regional activities, annual award presentations and scholarships.

-?~ New York State Outdoor Education Association, Inc.

~ 418 Merry Road
Ci Amsterdam, NY 12012
~ E-mail: nysoea@aol.com
."..~ '*""'>:
0u ~o
7l)OOR ED\) ~

Address Correction Requested