Wildlife Festival set for historic Camp Saratoga
WILTON, N.Y. » The Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be hosting a Wildlife Festival at historic Camp Saratoga on Scout Road in Gansevoort from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 4.
The event will feature Karner blue butterfly walks, live animal programs, nature crafts, pond exploration, and hands-on fun. The first brood of the Karner blue butterflies and the blooming of the wild blue lupine will be at their peak so it is a great time to visit the Preserve & Park and see it in its full beauty. Activities will take place throughout the Camp Saratoga to encourage people to get out and explore the trail system since the Wildlife Festival is a registered National Trails Day event. All activities are offered free to the public.
There will be live animal programs highlighting native predators presented by the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge taking place at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. with red fox, fisher, and native owls. This program is sponsored by Ballston Spa National Bank. There will be other live animals to see with raptors, owls, reptile and amphibian displays, and pond exploration programs. At the pond, volunteers will be on hand with dip nets to help people discover the animals that live there. Search and Rescue Dogs from the Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue will be holding demonstrations throughout the festival.
At 12:30 p.m. there will be an award ceremony for the winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest. More than 300 entries were received from 22 schools in the region. At the ceremony, the contest winners from each of the categories will receive their $50 cash prize. The winner in the K-3rd Grade Elementary School category was Liam Creager, a first grade student at Division Street Elementary School. The winner in the 4th and 5th Grade Elementary School category was Owen Winter, a fifth grade student at Lake Avenue Elementary School. The winner in the Middle School category was Kyle Ragaini, a seventh grade student at Maple Avenue Middle School. The High School winner was Ryan Ragaini, a ninth grade student from Saratoga Springs High School.
There will a lupine and Karner blue butterfly information pavilion and hourly walks beginning at 11:15 a.m. to explore the Saratoga Sandplains Habitat Restoration area. Volunteers will lead the walks and will explain the efforts that New York State DEC
and The Nature Conservancy have made in improving and increasing the habitat for this endangered species. Because of this effort, the Preserve & Park is now home to the largest population of the endangered Karner blue butterflies in the Northeast.
Beginning at 11 a.m. there will be numerous craft activities taking place in locations around Camp Saratoga. These will include beaded dragonflies, coffee filter butterflies, watercolor painting, and fish printing. There will be information tables about the Preserve & Park, the trail system, and the Blanding’s Turtle. Other local organizations will also be tabling at the festival and will include the Hudson Crossing Park, Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue, New York State DEC Saratoga Tree Nursery, Saratoga Children’s Museum, Saratoga Spa State Park, and the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
During the festival the Donald A. Collins Memorial Fire Observer’s Cabin it will be open along with the Cornell Hill Fire Tower. For safety reasons, the Fire Tower is restricted to visitors over the age of five and children who want to climb the tower need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Festival-goers will be able to purchase hamburgers, veggie burgers, all-beef hot dogs, and cold drinks at the BBQ pit. There will also be a bake sale of homemade goods.
The festival will take place rain or shine with many of the activities moving under cover of Camp Saratoga’s many pavilions, the dining hall and the International Paper Winter Lodge.
For more information, call the preserve and park office at 450-0321 or visit the website at www.wiltonpreserve.org.