Community Collaboration for Ecology Education!

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, a visit from 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 were also given binoculars and encouraged to use their senses to spot wildlife!

For some of our other stations we collaborated with Sweetbriar Nature Center, who kindly came to educate alongside us this year! Their skilled staff provided a live animal demonstration that focused on the behavior, life histories and adaptions of different species that reside at their center. Some of the amazing animals included were opossums, turtles, kestrels, and owls. While many of the animals were injured or imprinted (and subsequently, unable to be released back into the wild) learning about their rehabilitation journeys was remarkable. Undeniably, Sweetbriar Nature Center works wonders when it comes to nurturing and protecting animals. The students were amazed and asked great questions.     

The third station Sweetbriar helped with was an interactive predator-prey game. Here students adopted roles in a food chain, where they quickly learned how animals, plants and fungi interact with one another in a ecosystem. 

 

      

To visually demonstrate this further, ropes were handed around that interconnected to create one big food web when the game had finished! 

 

 

As a bonus for one of the school field trips, we were fortunate enough to have an extra guest speaker, Moira Alexander. Mrs. Alexander is our resident beekeeper. She manages the hives that reside on our Black Course! At her station, she discussed the interesting lives of honey bees, their roles in communal living, and what it is like to care for them. 

 

  

 

Last but not least, Central Boulevard had the opportunity to tour our Green Course Pond. Here students learned about a healthy water feature on and the biodiversity it supports on our golf course. With facts and photographs, I taught students how to identify different waterfowl that live and thrive in our pond. This included Green Herons, Hooded Mergansers and the elusive Wood Duck (to name a few). We also talked about the importance of keeping the pond lined with wildflowers; this serves as a natural buffer, to support local pollinators and safeguard

 wildlife from golf course activities. 

 

 

Not bad for our third year hosting (third time's a charm!). We hope that the schools involved in this program enjoyed their visit to Bethpage State Park. Thank you to the staff who organized these events with us and to the students for taking the time to learn about nature with enthusiasm and wonder. What a treat to be able to create these core nature memories together as a community.

 

 It is important we also extend our gratitude to Sweetbriar Nature Center. Thank you Veronica, Linda, and Britt for enhancing the learning experience. Your time and contribution, as well as bringing your rehabilitated animal friends, made a meaningful difference to this year's participants. 

Until next time!

Post photography and writing by Yael Weiss.