FREE
for Members
Discovering the Urban Environment
Saturday, October 2, 2010
20 Randall’s Island
New York, NY 10035
NYC is home to abundant scientific activities to enhance classroom learning for the City’s students. But you may not know about one gem nestled between East Harlem and the South Bronx that offers a wealth of environmental exploration opportunities for teachers and schoolchildren alike.
The Randall’s Island Wetlands provide a valuable resource to NYC, improving water quality, reducing pollution, and creating a cozy animal wildlife habitat in the midst of our concrete jungle. The recently restored salt marsh attracts wading and shore birds, snowy egrets, and night herons, as well as blue crabs, finfish, and shellfish. Likewise, the freshwater wetlands provide a home for many butterfly species, dragonflies, and a broad range of birds.
The Parks Staff on Randall’s Island provides observational and educational opportunities to individual naturalists and school groups and has invited Science Teacher Members of the New York Academy of Sciences to join them for a slate of activities. Participants can choose to take a nature tour, help plant native trees, or learn about urban gardening and composting. The activities will focus on observation and inquiry-based exploration of the site and incorporate ecology, environmental impact, and inquiry skills from the NYC Living Environment Curriculum.
This is an opportunity to take field trip the Wetlands yourself and learn about how to bring this resource to your classroom. NYAS members can bring family, friends, and students for free.
This event is brought to you by the NYC Science Teachers Initiative in memory of Don Cook, who was Director of the Bank Street College of Education’s Tiorati Workshop on Environmental Learning, Honorary Randall’s Island Wetlands Steward, and Chair of the New York Academy of Sciences Science Education Section.
Registration and reception 2-3pm.
Online registration is closed. If you would like to participate, please email Carmen McCaffery at cmccaffery@nyas.org .
Travel & Lodging
Meeting Point:
Icahn Stadium
20 Randall’s Island
New York, NY 10035
By Subway/Bus:
Regular service which runs at all times:
Take the 4, 5, or 6 Lexington Ave. trains to 125th St., then transfer on the NW corner of 125th St. and Lexington Ave. for the M35 bus to Randall's Island. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
By Car:
From Manhattan:
Get on the Triborough Bridge at East 125th Street. Stay left for the exit to Randall's Island, immediately after the toll plaza. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
From Long Island and Queens:
Get on the Triborough Bridge from the Grand Central Parkway. Stay right for the exit to Randall's Island, immediately after the toll plaza. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
From the Bronx:
Take the Major Deegan or Bruckner Expressway to the Triborough Bridge. Stay right for the exit to Randall's Island, immediately after the toll plaza. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
From Brooklyn:
Take the FDR Drive North to the Triborough Bridge exit (on right). Stay left up to and after the toll, following the signs to Randall's Island. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
From New Jersey:
From I-80 or the New Jersey Turnpike, get onto the George Washington Bridge. Follow signs for "Through Traffic" (on the upper level, stay to the left; on the lower-level, stay to the right) to get onto the Cross Bronx Expressway, then take the Harlem River Drive/Amsterdam Avenue exit. Keep left onto the Harlem River Drive, then stay straight to take the FDR Drive South to the Triborough Bridge. On the Bridge, stay left for the exit to Randall's Island, immediately after the toll plaza. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
From Westchester:
Take I-87 (New York State Thruway) southbound. I-87 will turn into the Major Deegan Expressway. Follow signs to the Triborough Bridge, pass through the tollbooth, and stay to the right. Take the exit for Randall’s Island. Icahn Stadium is the first building on the right set behind a large parking lot.
By Foot:
You can walk across the footbridge from E. 103rd St. in Manhattan onto Randall's Island Park during summer daylight hours. Walk north along the water path – a beautiful walk – to Icahn Stadium once you cross the bridge. Pedestrians can also walk across on the Triborough Bridge from Manhattan, Queens, or the Bronx.