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TOT WALKS Time: 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Location: Echo Hill Ages: 2 to 3 with adult Cost: Each walk $3 per child; accompanying adult attends for free Join Senior Park Naturalist Laura Bush on these early adventures to discover nature at your local park! Leave the strollers behind as we take a walk outside to see plants and animals around us. We will use our senses to focus on each theme. Each one-hour program will include a walk and an indoor time of a story and craft. We offer three walks of the same theme in a row; please select Session A, B, or C. LEAVES Session A: Thursday, October 17, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session B: Friday, October 18, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session C: Friday, October 18, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM ANIMAL HOMES Session A: Thursday, November 14, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session B: Friday, November 15, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session C: Friday, November 15, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM ANIMAL TRACKS Session A: Thursday, January 16, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session B: Friday, January 17, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session C: Friday, January 17, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM P ATTERNS Session A: Thursday, February 20, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session B: Friday, February 21, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM Session C: Friday, February 21, 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM LATE FALL HIKE AT CUSHETUNK Date: Saturday, November 16 Time: 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM Location: Cushetunk Mountain Preserve Ages: 10 through adult Cost: $5 Warm up on a cool hike with Senior Park Naturalist Laura Bush. We will meet at the parking lot at Cushetunk Mountain Preserve, 106 Old Mountain Road, Lebanon 08833. Cushetunk offers stunning views of Round Valley Reservoir, towering hardwood trees like tulip poplars, and the potential of seeing birds like Pileated Woodpeckers. We can only do this hike along the ridge at the end of the year as the trail is closed January through August due to Bald Eagle nesting. Expect a challenging but rewarding hike over rocky terrain with 500 feet of elevation gain over ½ mile. We will be hiking about three miles total. FAMILY TURKEY NIGHT Date: Monday, November 18 Time: 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM Location: Echo Hill Ages: all ages Cost: $3 per child; accompanying adult attends for free Turkeys are the animal of the season! Have you ever seen a wild turkey in the woods around your home? Let’s learn about these huge birds by observing a taxidermied turkey, touching turkey wings and feet, and reading a story on turkeys. If time allows, we might do a short walk outside. Each child will make a turkey craft to take home. PROJECT WILD EDUCATOR WORKSHOP Date: Friday, November 22 Time: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Location: Echo Hill Ages: adults Guest Presenter: Pat Heaney, Senior Educator at The Watershed Institute Cost: $45 Join Senior Educator Pat Heaney of The Watershed Institute for a day of fun and learning at Echo Hill. All participants will receive the new Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide (updated in 2018). This book contains over 75 different lesson plans which include Field Investigation Activities and STEM extensions. Prepare for an active day of both indoor and outdoor activities. Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program that focuses on wildlife and habitat. The goal of Project WILD is to develop awareness, knowledge, skills, and commitment resulting in informed decisions, responsible behavior, and constructive actions concerning wildlife and the environment. Project WILD’s mission is to help students learn how to think, not what to think, about wildlife and the environment. All curriculum materials are backed by sound educational practices and theory and represent the work of many within the fields of education and natural resource management from across the country. Appropriate for classroom teachers and non-formal educators like 4-H instructors, scout leaders, naturalists, and homeschool instructors. Cost includes the workshop, lunch, and the K-12 guide. Please indicate any dietary restrictions upon registration. Dress for the weather, as we will spend some time outdoors, weather permitting. All programs require pre-registration. To download a registration form, please visit http://www.co.hunterdon.nj.us/depts/parks/parks.htm. For more information on Hunterdon County Division of Parks & Recreation, please call us at (908) 782-1158 or email us at parks@co.hunterdon.nj.us.