Snow's Here!

There are 5 inches of snow on the trails, and the woods are gorgeous! Snowshoes are available at the Interpretive Center during regular hours. The fee is $6/pair for a 3 hour rental, and we have both adult and child size snowshoes available. Exact cash, check and credit card are all accepted, and a credit card is required as a deposit.

Interpretive Center Hours

Tuesday - Thursday         9 am - 4 pm

Friday                                 9 am - 12 pm
Saturday                            9 am - 4 pm
Sunday                               1 - 4 pm

 

 

 

The Birds & the Bees (and Snowshoes)

It looks like the snow will stop just in time for a busy Saturday at Lyman Woods!

Early birds can join a naturalist for a Family Bird Hike, a perfect introduction to birding. The hike is $12/family for all ages, and advance registration is required. If you have binoculars, bring them along, but we have extras you can borrow. Click here to register.

Marge Trocki, a beekeeper with 36 hives, will be leading our new Beginner Beekeeping Workshop from 9 am - 3 pm for ages 16 years & up. She will guide participants through the basics of honeybee biology and how to get started in beekeeping. The fee for the program is $24 and you can register by clicking here (listed on page 2).

The forecasted snowstorm leaves us hopeful that there will be enough snow for snowshoeing this weekend! If so, snowshoes will be available for rent on a first-come basis this weekend. Check back here, visit dgparks.org or call the Interpretive Center to check if we have enough snow on the trails for snowshoes.

New to snowshoeing, or just want a guide? If we have enough snow, we will be holding a Guided Snowshoe Hike Saturday morning at 9:15 am for adults and children ages 5 years and up. The hike is free with the rental of snowshoes ($6/pair), but advance registration is required and space is limited. Call the Interpretive Center at 630.963.9388 to reserve your spot.

Although a snowstorm brings messy commutes and shoveling, don’t forget to get out there and enjoy the snow while it’s here!

2/16 Workday Canceled

Due to the weather, the Belmont Prairie workday on February 16^th has been canceled. The next REAP workday is scheduled for March 16^th at Belmont Prairie.

 

If you would like to attend the March workday, please contact Shannon Forsythe at 630.963.9388 or sforsythe@dgparks.org. For more information on other volunteer opportunities, please contact Erika Durham at 630.963.1300 or edurham@dgparks.org.

Above and Beyond the Trail

You don’t have to be an expert in astronomy or have a fancy telescope to expand your horizons beyond the usual sights of the trail. There is plenty to see in the sky with the naked eye this month. Jupiter has been very apparent in the night sky, at least when the clouds break. It is brilliant and can be seen high in the southern sky. If you are familiar with the popular constellation Orion, his belt is to the lower left of Jupiter.

The Moon is another great object to observe. Because it circles around the Earth, our view of it constantly changes. Right now it is in its waxing phase, which means it appears to be getting larger each day. Look for the Full Moon on February 25^th. After this it will start to wane, or appear smaller, until it is out of sight. This is referred to as the New Moon. Try charting where you see the moon each day, and you will notice a pattern. It can sometimes be seen during daylight hours, so keep a look out!

February 15^th is a noteworthy date this year, as an asteroid will be passing very close, about 17,200 miles, to the Earth! Don’t be alarmed, as it will not be striking us. This asteroid, known as 2012 DA14, about 150 feet in width, will not be visible to the eye. But, since this is a big event in the astronomy world, many pictures and videos captured with large telescopes will no doubt be available. If you happen to be looking up at the sky around 1:25 pm on February 15, pause and try to imagine an asteroid half the size of a football field speeding by overhead!

Winter is one of the best times of the year to view the stars. Remember to dress for the weather when stargazing, and wait about 10-15 minutes for your eyes to adjust to the dark. Have fun searching the sky!

 

Guilt Free Chocolate

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner followed by Easter, you can’t escape chocolate this time of year! Chocolate can be semi-sweet, milk, and dark, but is often not green. Sadly, most chocolate production has dire consequences, including deforestation, unsustainable farming practices, and child labor. Consider the following and make eco-conscious decisions when it comes to your affair with chocolate:

Buy Organic: Look for organic to ensure the plants, soil, water and your chocolate is chemical-free.

Buy Fair Trade: Chocolate is grown in third world countries where laws often do not protect workers. Fair Trade chocolate ensures your treat was produced under safe working conditions and provided fair wages to workers.

Rainforest Alliance: sort of like Green Seal approval for chocolate, this stamp of approval means that your chocolate was shade-grown to prevent the destruction of rainforests

Get the Good Stuff!  Instead of a big heart shaped box of mediocre chocolate with all kinds of artificial ingredients, spend your money on a smaller amount of high quality and much tastier chocolate.

Keeping up with your New Year’s Resolutions? Last month we gave you a list of goals to try each month. February’s goal is to Take up an Outdoor Hobby. Need any ideas? How about beekeeping! Hear from Marge Trocki, Interpretive Naturalist about how she got started with bees:

Marge with her bees

Five years ago I wanted to know what beekeeping was all about, so I took a Beekeeping course. It inspired me right off the bat to start one hive in my backyard. I had a blast taking care of my thousands of little pets, and meeting some very interesting beekeepers. My plan was to start one more hive the next year, but instead ended up with five. Long story short, I had 36 hives going into my fourth year of beekeeping. I like to refer to it as a hobby gone wild! I would recommend starting with one hive and see where it takes you. I have had opportunity to mentor many new beekeepers in their newfound hobby. Some are very content to maintain a hive or two in their backyard, and some go wild and can’t seem to have enough hives.

What other kind of hobby can get you outdoors, challenge your mind, contribute to the ecosystem, and reap sweet rewards (honey!) for friends and family? See what beekeeping is all about and attend the beekeeping workshop I will be teaching here at Lyman Woods on March 2^nd.  Learn about the fascinating honeybee and what it takes to get started in the fun “hobbee” of beekeeping!

Interested in learning all about beekeeping from Marge? Click here to register for the Beginner Beekeeping Workshop on March 2^nd.

Happy Snowshoeing!

 

Our first class of the winter Nature Neighbors session was a (snow)ball!  Natural Areas Instructor Cara Ruffo took the group out for a snowshoe through the woods.

 

Time to Snowshoe!

Just in time for Take Up an Outdoor Hobby month, snowshoe season is here! Snowshoeing is an easy and fun way to explore the beautiful snowy landscape, and its great exercise, too! Snowshoes for children and adults are available for rent during regular Interpretive Center hours.

Special Hours Today! To celebrate our first day of snowshoeing this winter, the Interpretive Center will be open until 4:00 pm today for snowshoe rentals!  

New to snowshoeing? It’s easy! No special clothing or gear is required. Just wear snow boots or waterproof shoes to keep your feet dry, and dress in layers because you will warm up as you get moving. Our staff can help you get started and give you a few tips for your snowshoe adventure!

The cost is $6 for a 3-hour rental. Exact cash, credit cards and checks are all accepted. A valid credit card number must be provided as a deposit.