For Immediate Release: June 21, 2006
Contact:
Andy J. Flynn | Public Relations | Adirondack Park Agency
contact@apa.ny.gov | (518) 327-3000
PAUL SMITHS VIC FINALIZES LINEUP FOR ANNUAL ADIRONDACK WILDLIFE FESTIVAL ON AUG. 13, 2006
PAUL SMITHS, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) at Paul Smiths has finalized its lineup for the 2006 Adirondack Wildlife Festival, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13. The annual event will feature children's activities, live music, wildlife exhibits, trail walks, wildlife lectures and live animal demonstrations.
"In 2006, the Paul Smiths VIC enters its 18th year as one of the premier wildlife viewing destinations in the Adirondack Park thanks to a wide variety of habitats on our 2,885-acre property," said VIC Senior Public Information Specialist Andy Flynn. "And since 1996, we've been getting friends, families and guests together on the second Sunday of August for the day-long Adirondack Wildlife Festival. There's no better way to celebrate Adirondack nature."
The day starts with live animal programs. Beth Bidwell, executive director of the Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York, will present reptiles, amphibians and a variety of Adirondack raptors. Providing informative and exciting programs to groups of all ages, she will give live demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dr. Nina Schoch will give a presentation on the "Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program" at 11 a.m. in the VIC theater. Schoch is the program coordinator for the Ray Brook-based Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, which celebrates its fifth birthday this summer.
Singer/songwriter Mark Rust, of Woodstock, will be the featured musical act. From 10 to 11 a.m., he will be welcoming visitors with hammered dulcimer music at the VIC entrance. At noon, he will give a show for kids, "My Family's Musical Traditions," followed by a "How to Play the Spoons" workshop at 12:45 p.m. in the Music Tent near the Butterfly House. From 2 to 3 p.m., Rust will give a show titled "Our Families Came to Sing," songs about family life and growing up. Rust's performance showcases an impressive array of instruments, including fiddle, guitar, hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer and banjo.
Wildlife Biologist Ed Reed, of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Bureau of Wildlife, will give a lecture titled "Black Bears of the High Peaks" at 1 p.m. in the VIC theater. He will discuss the DEC's ongoing black bear study in the High Peaks Wilderness.
Wildlife photographer Gerry Lemmo, of Queensbury, will be offering several programs: a Wildlife Walk at 11 a.m.; a BYOC (Bring Your Own Camera) Photography Walk at 1:15 p.m.; and a slide show presentation titled "Adirondack Mammals" at 3 p.m. in the VIC theater. Participants will need to sign up and meet at the front desk for the two walks.
Displays will be set up by the DEC bureaus of wildlife and fisheries, the DEC Hudson River Otter Stewardship Program, and regional organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society's Adirondack Communities and Conservation Program, the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program.
Free and open to the public, the Adirondack Wildlife Festival at the Paul Smiths VIC will be held rain or shine.
Food and beverages will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Food Pavilion. Children's activities will be led by VIC naturalists and volunteers from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Sunspace. The Native Species Butterfly House will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Adirondack Wildlife Festival is sponsored by the Adirondack Park Agency and the Adirondack Park Institute, the not-for-profit group that funds environmental educational programs, events, publications and curricula at the VICs.
This will be the Paul Smiths VIC's 10th annual Adirondack Wildlife Festival. It has been held every year since 1996, with the exception of 2001.
The New York State Adirondack Park Agency operates two VICs, in Paul Smiths and Newcomb, which serve as Adirondack Park HQ for parkwide interpretation. They are open year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas and Thanksgiving and offer a wide array of educational programs, exhibits, miles of interpretive trails and visitor information services. Admission is free.
The Paul Smiths VIC is located 12 miles north of Saranac Lake on Route 30. For more information about the VICs, call (518) 327-3000 or log on to the centers' Web site at www.adkvic.org.