Bethpage State Park Ecology

Many know that this season, our Black Course hosted one of the most anticipated international sporting events of the year: The 45th Ryder Cup! Attended by 245,000 energetic fans and broadcasted live to millions more, our Park showcased all it offers to the world of golf!     Far less known, however, is what our park offers to the local community! Just days after the tournament, Bethpage State Park managed to organize 235 students for a 3-day eco-education extravaganza! Despite how busy it has been, hosting visits for Bethpage School District is a treasured tradition we look forward to. This year we lucked out too! We had perfect weather and extra helping hands to teach Kramer Lane, Charles Champagne and Central Boulevard Elementary. Each event started with grouping the students by class, and having them rotate around different nature stations. One spot was our Nature Discovery Garden. Here, students learned about native birds, bees and their specialized habitat. Groups we...

Did you know that the last week of October is International Bat Week?  Yes! This time every year, the biology world gathers to raise awareness about bats, as they are  often thought of as the most misunderstood mammal.Why? Well, these furry little creatures are prevalent in everything from Halloween decor to pop culture (good and evil: think Batman but also Dracula), but rarely in the spotlight for their distinctive traits, ecological significance and ecosystem services. Bats are so much more than what they get credit for!  First off, bats are the only mammal with true flight. Other mammals, such as the flying squirrel might come to mind, but are only gliders not true fliers. Bats have specialized anatomic features to allow for flying; flexible wings and agile joints help them move their bodies like a webbed hand. Its almost as if these creatures row through the air the same way we use our hands to swim in water.This makes them even more acrobatic in the air then bir...

  Ever hear of the expression " No rain, no flowers "?  Well its been raining for days and days and days so one could expect that Bethpage State Park will most likely have a summer of healthy, flourishing greens and gardens! Although, one does not need to wait all that long to witness the benefit of rain and the joy of nature... Focus your attention and you will notice that a vast amount of wildlife thrive when it pours. What seems like a rainy gloomy day for us humans is a positive and productive day for other species!  One group of animals I'm thinking of in particular is the birds! Captured on the left is two male Red-Winged Blackbirds. I had to laugh while photographing this scene because one of the birds had the expression of someone relaxing in a pool. To say so, is not much of a stretch either. Just as humans enjoy a dip in the pool to cool off, so do birds when there are puddles around! Pine Warbler talking a break!        Beyond just...

  Did you know that pollinator conservation and awareness is an integral part of our environmental initiatives at Bethpage State Park? Over the years we have learned that providing forage for hungry butterflies, moths, bees and hummingbirds encourages pollination and facilitates the next generation of plants. This process also helps beautify our park. No greater example exists than within our Picnic Pollinator Garden! Today this garden grows lush and tall. It contains over 100 native plants, blooming as early as April and well into October.      While the intention of creating this garden was to promote biodiversity,  it has led to far more opportunities. The first is offering the local community an outdoor classroom; a chance to explore the plant- insect interactions that make for a thriving, cohesive habitat. The second opportunity is providing an outlet for data collection. In this case, monitoring and documenting pollinating species. Data coll...

As we know, with warm weather comes new life! Birds lay eggs that hatch and become fledglings! Mammals born to litters, stay close to their siblings while parents do the work of searching for prey! This bustling activity, this time of year, means that Bethpage State Park is no stranger to a huge amount of wildlife sightings; with that, often comes added responsibility on our part as a park! Sometimes baby animals require extra attention and a little human intervention, in the event they are injured or displaced from their nests. This month, we had two separate instances where this had occurred. Luckily, staff rose to the occasion to offer a helping hand and we want to share those moments with you: The first wildlife rescue story took place on June 4th. An Eastern Screech Owl chick was found on the ground, early that morning, on our Green Course. It was noticed by park staff who were out mowing fairways by the woodline. John (a member of our maintenance crew) kindly made sure the young ...

 Upon their latest visit in October, Girl Scout Troop #3632 had one mission in mind; to leave our park better than how they found it! With the wonderful help of Troop Mom Melissa, I was able to organize and host a Girl Scout Litter Clean Up Day in the picnic/playground area of our park! The event for the day started of with a small discussion of handling trash safely. We wanted to make sure that The Scouts were not picking up anything hazardous and also not wandering into areas where they could come into contact with poison ivy. Troop #3632 is always prepared though and had high boots and long pants on for the task! Once ready, scouts paired off into twos or threes and spread out! Each girl was given a bucket, gloves and a garbage picker. Additionally, I handed out a Litter Collection Sheet.  I created it special for this event. This handout served as an audit, where the girls could tally off what kind of objects they were collecting of the ground. Listed were about 20 differ...