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 Yonkers, NY - Beczak Environmental Education Center, an urban oasis on the Yonkers waterfront, is celebrating Earth Day throughout the month of April.
Programs that honor and give back to our home, the planet Earth, include a sunrise “Blessing of the Hudson” at Beczak’s riverfront on Earth Day, a showing of the film Swim for the River plus a special appearance by Christopher Swain, the first man to swim the entire Hudson River, hands-on opportunities for all ages to care for Beczak’s beach, marsh and park, and more.
In addition to public programs, Beczak will also host thirty school programs in April, reaching more than five hundred children. “Every day is Earth Day at Beczak,” says Education Program Manager Vicky Garufi.
APRIL IS GREEN MONTH
PUBLIC EVENTS AT BECZAK ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
1. Spring Recess Program—All Hands on Hudson!
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, April 7, 8, & 9, 2009
1:00 - 3:00 PM
Middle and high school students
Free
Register with Vicky Garufi at
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/ (914) 377-1900 ext. 12
Calling all middle and high school students! Earn six community service hours while “spring cleaning” Beczak’s marsh, park and beach. Riverfront projects include picking up trash, hauling driftwood and mending fences. Beczak will provide snacks and gloves. Dress for outdoor work.
2. RIVER EXPLORERS—Hunt for Hatchlings
HANDS-ON NATURE PROGRAMS FOR CURIOUS KIDS AGES 5–12
Saturday, April 11, 2009
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM & 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
$5/ person (non-participating adult chaperones are free)
Register with Dorene Sukup at
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/ (914) 377-1900 ext. 13
Spring is the time many baby animals are born. Learn about animals that lay eggs and see the differences between various species. Come on a scavenger hunt in Beczak’s park to search for your Hudson River egg, and then decorate it!
3. Film Night: “Swim for the River”
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
6:30 PM reception with Christopher Swain, 7:30 film showing
$5/ person suggested donation
Meet the man who swam the entire length of the Hudson! Swim for the River is the inspiring documentary of Christopher Swain’s Hudson River adventure, braving whitewater, sewage, snapping turtles, hydroelectric dams, homeland security patrols, factory outfalls and PCB contamination to become the first person to swim from the Adirondack Mountains to New York City. Includes reception and Q&A with Christopher Swain.
4. “The Hudson as a Living River” presentation by Stephen Stanne
Friday, April 17, 2009
7:00 - 9:00 PM
$5/ person suggested donation
An exhilarating introduction to the natural history of the Hudson River Valley with Stephen Stanne, Interpretive Specialist of the Hudson River Estuary Program/NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and author of The Hudson: An Illustrated Guide to the Living River. Learn about plant and animal life native to the Hudson, as well as the river's history and the economic and environmental issues surrounding it. Includes live music and refreshments.
5. Earth Day at Beczak
Sunday, April 19, 2009
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
All ages
Free
Join Beczak’s staff in giving back to the earth. Volunteer your time to help keep Beczak’s marsh, beach and lawn clean and safe for everyone to enjoy. Riverfront projects include picking up trash, hauling driftwood and mending fences. Beczak will provide snacks and gloves. Dress for outdoor work.
6. Blessing of the Hudson on Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
7:30 - 8:30 AM
All ages
Free
Experience the first sunbeams of Earth Day on Beczak’s Hudson River beach. Offer good will and God’s blessings to our Earth and river in an interfaith ceremony with spiritual leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Native American faiths. Refreshments provided.
7. Catch of the Day Seining
Saturday and Sunday, April 25 – 26
3:00 – 5:00 PM
All ages
$5/ person (non-participating adult chaperones are free)
Register with Dorene Sukup at
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/ (914) 377-1900 ext. 13
Catch of the Day Seining is Beczak’s signature program, enjoyed by all ages. Beczak educators provide chest waders to keep you dry and show you how to drag a 30” x 3” fishing net through the river. A great time is guaranteed as you discover who and what lives in the Hudson. Rain or shine.
8. Eco-Art Workshop with Haifa Bint-Kadi
Sunday, April 26, 2009
1:00 – 2:00 PM
Children 5 - 12
$8/ person (non-participating adult chaperones are free)
Register with Dorene Sukup at
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
/ (914) 377-1900 ext. 13
Haifa Bint-Kadi, mosaic artist trained in Italy and teaching artist, gently inspires children to weave peace and spirituality into their artwork of the Hudson River.
9. “The Great Saw Mill River Cover-up” presentation by Joan Jennings
A HUDSON QUADRICENTENNIAL LECTURE
Saturday, April 25, 2009
7:00 - 9:00 PM
All ages
$5/ person
Joan Jennings, President of the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall, reveals how the river that powered Adriaen van der Donck's saw mill became the hub of Yonkers. Includes live music and refreshments.
ABOUT BECZAK ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
Beczak Environmental Education Center is a non-profit environmental education facility that presents exhibits and programs for all ages to raise environmental awareness and to encourage informed stewardship of the Hudson River, the Saw Mill River and the Bronx River.
Located on the banks of the Hudson in the City of Yonkers, at River Mile 18, Beczak Environmental Education Center is an adaptive reuse of the former Social Club for Habirshaw Cable & Wire. Named after Joe Beczak, a Yonkers fisherman and environmentalist, this spacious interpretive center has several fish tanks, telescopes trained on the Palisades cliffs and rotating exhibits. Outside, the two-acre park features a welcoming riverfront lawn, an easily accessible tidal marsh and a beach used for river exploration and seining. Approximately ten feet off shore is an Estuary Monitoring System, a computerized water and weather monitoring station in the Hudson that posts real-time data on Beczak’s website.
Founded in 1989, Beczak has become a vital part of river communities from Staten Island to Poughkeepsie providing schools with multidisciplinary programs that are easily integrated into their educational curriculums. The Center also hosts numerous river-related programs including professional development for teachers, River Explorers for children, Lunchtime Learning for seniors, public forums and cultural and social events.
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