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 Ossining, NY - Teatown Lake Reservation will host the Fifth Annual Hudson River EagleFest on Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 9am to 4pm.
The event will be headquartered at Westchester County’s Croton Point Park, with additional eagle viewing sites located along the Hudson River.
The EagleFest coincides with the annual winter gathering of Bald Eagles in the Lower Hudson Valley and offers participants a chance to observe our national symbol up close in their natural setting. Adults and children attending the EagleFest will learn about the natural history, recent recovery, and habitat needs of eagles through activities led by local experts and environmental conservationists.
“While the recovery of the Bald Eagle is a great conservation success story, caring for them well into the future will require an on-going public-private partnership to protect eagle habitat, including the Hudson River,” suggests Dr. Fred Koontz, Teatown’s Executive Director. “The EagleFest demonstrates through its many collaborating host organizations and event participants that our regional community sees the natural value of having Bald Eagles living in our midst.”
EagleFest activities will include:
* At Croton Point Park. Heated tents filled with educational displays, collaborator exhibits and children’s activities featuring Bald Eagles and other birds of prey.
o Arm-of-the-Sea Theater’s “City that Drinks the Mountain Sky.” A performance of giant puppets and music telling of the formation of the New York City water system, and the on-going story of the watershed, it’s beauty, vulnerability and necessity for ecological health in the Hudson Hills and Highlands. Two shows in the Eagle Theater: 11:15am and 1:45pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at 914-762-2912, ext. 110.
o “Close Encounters with Birds of Prey.” Bill Streeter from the Delaware Valley Raptor Center, will introduce eagles, hawks and owls in an informative and entertaining show. Two shows in the Eagle Theater: 10am and 12:30pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at 914-762-2912, ext. 110.
o Jonathan Kruk, Storyteller. 10:30am and 12:45pm on Eaglet Stage. Free.
o “Flight of the Raptor.” Animal expert James Eyring at 3pm. Free.
* Eagle Exploration Bus Tour. The tour will begin at the headquarters at Croton Point Park and will visit three eagle viewing sites. The 2-hour tour is geared to adults and teens (12 years and older), and offers the expertise of a naturalist in the comfort of a chartered 36-seat bus. Tour times: 9:30am and 2pm. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $15 at 914-762-2912, ext.110.
* Eagle Viewing Sites Along the Hudson River. Individuals and families can visit at no charge three eagle-spotting sites along the Hudson River: (1) Croton-Harmon train station boat ramp; (2) George’s Island Park in Montrose; and (3) Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center in Peekskill. Each site will be staffed by eagle experts with spotting scopes, warming tents and hot chocolate. See www.teatown.org for the listing of additional open education centers, viewing locations and activities.
Each winter between January and March, Bald Eagles from Canada and northern New York and New England fly south to the Lower Hudson Valley to feed on fish and waterfowl found in unfrozen waters. In recent years, more than 100 bald eagles have been counted along the Westchester and Putnam portions of the Hudson River and nearby reservoirs. The annual return of the Bald Eagle to the Hudson Hills and Highlands region is a celebrated occasion for local bird lovers as well as environmentalists because it represents the success of a broad-based environmental effort to rescue the Bald Eagle, our national symbol, from near extinction. Every year the eagles’ return affirms the continued health of the Hudson River and nearby habitats for birds, fish, plants and people – and a reminder that people working together can make a difference!
Teatown’s Hudson River EagleFest 2009 is generously sponsored by the Westchester Community Foundation, Club Fit, Westchester County Parks and Recreation, and the New York State Assembly (made possible by Assemblyman Greg Ball, 99th District).
EagleFest collaborators, include: Audubon Greenwich, Beczak Environmental Education Center, Bedford Audubon Society, Bronx River Sound Shore Audubon Society, Club Fit, Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Croton Point Nature Center, Delaware Valley Raptor Center, The Eagle Institute, Federated Conservationist of Westchester County, Greenburgh Nature Center, Historic Hudson Valley–Van Cortlandt Manor, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Hudson River Estuary Management Program, New York City Audubon, NYC Department of Environmental Protection, NY-NJ Trail Conference, Pace Environmental Center, Putnam Highlands Audubon Society, Riverlovers, Saw Mill River Audubon Society, Taconic Outdoor Education Center, Teatown Lake Reservation, Wave Hill, Westchester County Parks, Wild Bird Center, and Wild Birds Unlimited.
In the event of severe weather, the alternate date for the EagleFest will be Sunday, February 8. Please check Teatown’s website — www.teatown.org — for program details and weather updates, or call Teatown at (914) 762-2912, ext. 110.
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