This year our annual 1st Day Stroll included a cocoa toast to celebrate the return of the fisher, a native woodland critter that was nearly extinct 100 years ago. This cute-but-ferocious animal helps keep old-growth woods healthy by managing the populations of porcupines, squirrels and other small animals it eats. Thanks to decades of woodland conservation and hunting regulations, they’re finally making a comeback in our region.
Below is the Fisher Fun Facts trail we put up for the walk along the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park from our Brookdale Preserve in Chili, NY up to Black Creek and back.
You can also check out news coverage of the event from Channel 13, Channel 8, and Westside News.
Our thanks to the 150+ people that joined us to start the new year outside, and for all the non-perishable items donated for the NY State Parks food drive. It wasn’t a contest - but we recently heard it was the most people and most food donations of all their 1st Day events this year. Thank you!
Special thanks as well to our NY State Parks partners, our great volunteers, and our generous members - programs like this wouldn’t be possible without your support!
If you have any feedback about the event (what worked, what we could do better) or want to share your pictures, please email Elliotte Bowerman, Director of Communications and Inclusion Point of Contact, at ebowerman@geneseelandtrust.org.
Some Event Pictures:
(by staff and Mary Hadley)