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UPCOMING COMMUNITY WORK DAYS
Begin at 6:00 pm, held at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden Greenhouse. The public is invited.
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Photos from the Sustainable Community Youth Program
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2021 SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PROGRAMS FOR MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOLERS
No cost for registration. To register a group for an existing date or to inquire about setting a new program date for your group, please contact program organizer Robbyn Drake at robbyndrake@gmail.com or by phone at (716) 523-8694.
Individual students may register directly at the North Tonawanda Parks website.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Designed for students entering Grades 9-12. Bring water, a snack, and be sure to dress appropriately for exploring outdoors. Classes limited to 10 seats to allow for social distancing, so parents please check with us first if you wish to attend with your child.
Living Shorelines and the Chemistry of Water – Wednesday July 28, 3-5pm. What makes a shoreline alive and teeming with life? What lives on shorelines? Participants will study the water and the banks it flows past. By testing water and exploring the shoreline of the historic Tonawanda Creek/Erie Canal, participants will learn about Green Infrastructure projects, water quality and the importance of plants. Taught by high school teacher and water industry professional Colleen Makar.
Waterkeeper Kayaking Adventure – Thursday September 16, 4-6pm. Paddle out into the historic Tonawanda Creek/Erie Canal with a Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. See the route plodded by mules and men as they built Western New York. Along with the waterway history, learn about the importance of the water as transportation, wildlife, and what goes in our glass. Discuss strategies for protecting local waters, our wildlife and what careers are available in environmental science & education.
Rain Gardens for Clean Water – Tuesday September 28, 4-6pm. No one wants dirty water, but what can clean them? Plants! Rain gardens provide beauty in multiple ways – gorgeous flowers, flooding reduction and water purifying. How do they do it? Find out when you test the water. What does Green Infrastructure mean? Are there future careers? Students explore the Manhattan Street Bioretention Project with SUNY ECC assistant professor and National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Instructor-Trainer Robbyn Drake. Infrastructure careers.
ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Bring water, a snack, and be sure to dress appropriately for exploring outdoors. Classes are limited to 10 seats to allow for social distancing.
Shore Up Your Drink – Tuesday July 20, 2-4pm. What is Green Infrastructure and how does it affect your drinking water? What is a living shoreline? How do you keep it alive? High school teacher and water industry professional Colleen Makar takes participants around the Botanical Garden and guides them through testing water quality. Find out more about environmental science career paths.
Go Wild – Wednesday August 4, 10am-Noon. What’s that moving underneath the flowers? A millipede? A roly poly? Explore native wildlife of the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with educator Scott Lembitz of Sunrise Expeditions. Learn to identify native wildlife signs, explore animal biology and ecological relationships, learn to recognize key elements of wildlife habitat, play animal food web games, and discuss careers in wildlife biology and conservation.
Go Fish – Thursday August 19, 10am-Noon. Can you eat that fish? Participants explore fishing and fish consumption safety at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with the staff of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. Learn how to tackle a pole, identify native species of fish and how the shoreline impacts the water. Find out how what’s in the water impacts fish and human health. Play educational games and discuss careers in resource conservation.
Alien Invaders! – Saturday September 11, 10am-Noon. What is invading our state? How are these aliens stealing from the native population? Learn about invasive plant and animal species at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with the staff of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. Find invasive species at the Garden, discuss impacts of invaders on native ecological communities, play food web games, engage in a hands-on plant care project at the Garden and discuss careers in conservation.
Nature's Greatest Hits – Saturday September 25, 10am-Noon. To identify birds, you have to study bird language – they identify themselves through song. Explore the avian life of the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with educator Scott Lembitz of Sunrise Expeditions. Learn to use birding tools such as binoculars and field guides, learn to identify common birds of North Tonawanda and explore avian biology and ecological relationships at the Garden. What makes a bird habitat? Play learning games and find out about ornithology and conservation.
How Land Cleans the Water – October 9, 10am-Noon. Why are wetlands called the lungs of the earth? What is phytoremediation? (A big word for plants that remove toxins) Study how the land cleans the water as you work on a wetlands restoration project at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with SUNY ECC assistant professor and National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Instructor-Trainer Robbyn Drake. Plant native species in a stormwater wetland, learn how stormwater wetlands protect water quality, use the LaMotte Green water monitoring kit to sample and test water quality in historic Tonawanda Creek.
No cost for registration. To register a group for an existing date or to inquire about setting a new program date for your group, please contact program organizer Robbyn Drake at robbyndrake@gmail.com or by phone at (716) 523-8694.
Individual students may register directly at the North Tonawanda Parks website.
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Designed for students entering Grades 9-12. Bring water, a snack, and be sure to dress appropriately for exploring outdoors. Classes limited to 10 seats to allow for social distancing, so parents please check with us first if you wish to attend with your child.
Living Shorelines and the Chemistry of Water – Wednesday July 28, 3-5pm. What makes a shoreline alive and teeming with life? What lives on shorelines? Participants will study the water and the banks it flows past. By testing water and exploring the shoreline of the historic Tonawanda Creek/Erie Canal, participants will learn about Green Infrastructure projects, water quality and the importance of plants. Taught by high school teacher and water industry professional Colleen Makar.
Waterkeeper Kayaking Adventure – Thursday September 16, 4-6pm. Paddle out into the historic Tonawanda Creek/Erie Canal with a Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. See the route plodded by mules and men as they built Western New York. Along with the waterway history, learn about the importance of the water as transportation, wildlife, and what goes in our glass. Discuss strategies for protecting local waters, our wildlife and what careers are available in environmental science & education.
Rain Gardens for Clean Water – Tuesday September 28, 4-6pm. No one wants dirty water, but what can clean them? Plants! Rain gardens provide beauty in multiple ways – gorgeous flowers, flooding reduction and water purifying. How do they do it? Find out when you test the water. What does Green Infrastructure mean? Are there future careers? Students explore the Manhattan Street Bioretention Project with SUNY ECC assistant professor and National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Instructor-Trainer Robbyn Drake. Infrastructure careers.
ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAMS - Bring water, a snack, and be sure to dress appropriately for exploring outdoors. Classes are limited to 10 seats to allow for social distancing.
Shore Up Your Drink – Tuesday July 20, 2-4pm. What is Green Infrastructure and how does it affect your drinking water? What is a living shoreline? How do you keep it alive? High school teacher and water industry professional Colleen Makar takes participants around the Botanical Garden and guides them through testing water quality. Find out more about environmental science career paths.
Go Wild – Wednesday August 4, 10am-Noon. What’s that moving underneath the flowers? A millipede? A roly poly? Explore native wildlife of the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with educator Scott Lembitz of Sunrise Expeditions. Learn to identify native wildlife signs, explore animal biology and ecological relationships, learn to recognize key elements of wildlife habitat, play animal food web games, and discuss careers in wildlife biology and conservation.
Go Fish – Thursday August 19, 10am-Noon. Can you eat that fish? Participants explore fishing and fish consumption safety at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with the staff of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. Learn how to tackle a pole, identify native species of fish and how the shoreline impacts the water. Find out how what’s in the water impacts fish and human health. Play educational games and discuss careers in resource conservation.
Alien Invaders! – Saturday September 11, 10am-Noon. What is invading our state? How are these aliens stealing from the native population? Learn about invasive plant and animal species at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with the staff of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. Find invasive species at the Garden, discuss impacts of invaders on native ecological communities, play food web games, engage in a hands-on plant care project at the Garden and discuss careers in conservation.
Nature's Greatest Hits – Saturday September 25, 10am-Noon. To identify birds, you have to study bird language – they identify themselves through song. Explore the avian life of the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with educator Scott Lembitz of Sunrise Expeditions. Learn to use birding tools such as binoculars and field guides, learn to identify common birds of North Tonawanda and explore avian biology and ecological relationships at the Garden. What makes a bird habitat? Play learning games and find out about ornithology and conservation.
How Land Cleans the Water – October 9, 10am-Noon. Why are wetlands called the lungs of the earth? What is phytoremediation? (A big word for plants that remove toxins) Study how the land cleans the water as you work on a wetlands restoration project at the North Tonawanda Botanical Garden with SUNY ECC assistant professor and National Green Infrastructure Certification Program Instructor-Trainer Robbyn Drake. Plant native species in a stormwater wetland, learn how stormwater wetlands protect water quality, use the LaMotte Green water monitoring kit to sample and test water quality in historic Tonawanda Creek.
