REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

What does it mean to love a forest? In this talk, Ethan Tapper, a forester, author and content creator from Vermont, will draw from his work as a forester and his bestselling book -- How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World -- to discuss what it means to care for forests and other ecosystems at this moment in time. How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach towards a better future? In a time in which many believe that “protecting” ecosystems means protecting them from ourselves, Ethan argues that humans must take action to help ecosystems heal and to move into a more abundant future. Ethan’s message is at once compassionate and pragmatic, clear-eyed and hopeful, sobering and inspiring – a powerful new idea for how we can build a world that works for all of its ecosystems and all of its people.

Ethan Tapper is a forester, birder, naturalist and digital creator, and the author of How to Love a Forest. He has been recognized as a thought-leader and a disruptor in the forestry and conservation community of the northeastern United States and beyond, winning multiple regional and national awards for his work. Ethan runs a consulting forestry business–Bear Island Forestry–is a regular contributor to Northern Woodlands magazine and a variety of other publications, and is a digital creator with tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. In his personal life, Ethan works, writes, hunts and birds at Bear Island–his 175-acre working forest, homestead, orchard and sugarbush–works toward a graduate degree at the University of Vermont, and plays in his 10-piece punk band, The Bubs.

The Be Informed Lecture Series is brought to you in partnership between Mohican Farm and OCCA. This program will take place at the Fenimore Art Museum’s auditorium on Thursday, March 13 at 7 pm. Please use the form below to sign up.

Join OCCA for a wintery walk along the Silas Lane Loop section of the Greenway Trail in Oneonta. We will ramble along the Susquehanna and look for signs of early spring (we hope). While walking we will listen for birds, learn how to identify trees in the winter and look for tracks in the snow. Dress warmly and make sure you are wearing appropriate footwear.

From I-88, take Exit 13. Turn towards the mountains rather than the city, then take a right onto Silas Lane, you will pass the wastewater treatment plant. We will meet at end of Silas Lane, by the School Bus Garage by the soccer fields.

Use the form below to sign up.

Help us find out if the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid is in Texas Schoolhouse State Forest! 

Learn how to identify hemlock woolly adelgid, a destructive insect pest, then participate in a survey along a one-mile section of trail in Texas School House State Forest in New Lisbon. Dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes with good traction, and bring water. Please park at the trailhead on Jones Road.

This program has been postponed until March 1.

Join OCCA for a winter walk around Gilbert Lake State Park! This interactive experience will take us around the lake loop, where we will listen for birds, look for animal tracks, and learn about nature. Please dress appropriately for the weather. We will meet in the parking lot near the Briggs Pavilion.

Journey from the sun to Pluto and back in a little over an hour! Bill Ralston guides us on a thousand-yard walk  which models our solar system at a scale that is both relatable and awe-inspiring. Common objects such as bowling balls, peppercorns, and walnuts represent the sun and planets—our feet are the rockets that will get us there.

Meet at the Otsego Land Trust’s Compton Bridge Conservation Area, 184 County Highway 11C, Cooperstown. Our walk will be along the railroad tracks. Dress to be outside.

Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) is a pest insect that is attacking and killing eastern hemlock trees throughout the east coast. In this workshop, you will learn about the importance of hemlocks, the natural history of HWA, and how to search for and report findings of hemlock woolly adelgid, and then participate in an actual survey of hemlock trees on the Clark Sports Center grounds. This will be an indoor/outdoor program, so dress appropriately.

Cancelled due to cloudy skies

The skies of winter provide us with spectacular stars and constellations to view. At no other time of the year are there so many bright stars (stars with apparent magnitude less than 1) in the sky. Additionally planets Saturn & Venus may  be visible on the western horizon and mighty Jupiter and Mars will be visible as well. We plan a tour of some well known constellations and stars and discuss the myths and stories for which many are named. Then we will attempt to locate the most distant object the human eye can see without the aid of telescopes. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31) is located 2.5 million light years from Earth, and it ought to be in prime viewing position for us on this evening.

No need to bring binoculars or telescopes, this is “Naked Eye Astronomy”. Do bring a comfortable lawn chair, warm clothes maybe even a blanket and gloves.

We will meet inside the workshop at Mohican Farm at 7:00 for a brief overview of what we hope to see. Please if you have any questions write them down so we can discuss. I have found that your Astronomy question is likely one which many other folks have as well. We then head outside and let our eyes acclimate for a glorious evening of star gazing.

After the program, which should last 45min. - an hour, we will return inside for hot chocolate.

Stars are best viewed on a cloudless night. If the sky is overcast, we will reschedule for Saturday, January 25.

Use the form below to sign up if you are interested in attending the program.

Join OCCA for a holiday break at Fortin Park! If there's snow, we'll have the opportunity to sled or build snow sculptures. If not, we'll explore the park and learn about the watershed and the animals that inhabit Fortin Park. It will be a fun day either way. We hope to see you there. Use the form below to sign up.

 Join us for a relaxing winter stroll through Wilbur Park! The snow and mud create an ideal backdrop for spotting animal tracks, and we will explore the trails in winter.

We will meet at the Briggs Swimming Pool. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear supportive, warm footwear.

To access Lower Wilber Park—From Center Street take the first left onto East Street. At the first light turn right onto Spruce Street. Lower Wilber Park entrance will be on your left.

Have you ever seen a parade of frogs and salamanders crossing the road in early spring? Do you wonder where they're going or why? If so, please come to a workshop with OCCA and Elizabeth Bastiaans, Associate Professor of Biology at SUNY Oneonta! You'll get to know New York's species of vernal pool breeding amphibians and how you can help them safely migrate from the forest to their breeding sites each spring, while collecting valuable community science data on who's migrating where! We hope to see you on the 12th.

This program is taking place at the Clark Sports Center in the community room.

Winter is an excellent time to explore our local parks. Let's bundle up and see what wonders we find. We will meet at the trailhead to the beaver pond and explore from there. Use the form below to sign up.

CANCELLED

Let’s get outside on the Friday after Thanksgiving instead of shopping or vegging in front of screens! Join OCCA Assistant Director, Shelby MacLeish for a hike at the Table Rock Trails in Oneonta. Use the form below to sign up.

Earth and Me: a lunch series exploring our connections to the Earth continues this fall at the Freight Wheel Cafe in Hartwick.

Join Theresa Pullis the co-owner of Dream Weaver Farm in Richfield Springs for a talk and discussion on farming in Otsego County. Dream Weaver is a family farm which raises vegetables, chickens, lamb and beef. They offer online ordering and operate a farmstand. Read more about the farm on the website: Home | Dream Weaver Farm

The Freight Wheel Cafe, 3097 Co Hwy 11 Hartwick, NY on Saturday November, 16 at 1pm -230pm.

Lunch followed by talk, questions, sharing and discussion. Quiche and drink are gifts of OCCA. RSVP using the form below.

Fisheries biologist Dr. Chip Cotton (SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Oneonta's Biological Field Station) will discuss ongoing efforts to catalog and update the biological inventory of fish species that inhabit the lake.  He will discuss how the lake's fish community has changed over the last half century, as well as some of the factors driving those changes.  Cotton will provide practical tips for anglers to help identify closely related and confusing species.  Lastly, Cotton will discuss some of the local research and monitoring efforts conducted by fisheries biologists at SUNY Cobleskill and the Biological Field Station.

The program will be held at the Clark Sports Center in the community room at 7 pm. Use the form below to sign up.

Join us for a hike to Mud Lake in Robert V. Riddell State Park! The Mud Lake trail is a 5+ mile out and back trail in the southern portion of the park. The trail has a significant elevation change to the top and passes through several forest types, a waterfall, and Mud Lake, a naturally occurring floating sphagnum bog with carnivorous pitcher plants.  

Please contact Amy Wyant at 607-375-7139 or director@occainfo.org with any questions! 

CANCELLED

The skies of autumn provide us with a nice assortment of stars and constellations to view. Additionally rising on the eastern horizon. The Summer Triangle asterism will still be visible too. We plan a tour of some well known constellations and stars and discuss the myths and stories for which many are named. We will also view the Milky Way which will be high overhead on this date. And then we will attempt to locate the most distant object the human eye can see without the aid of telescopes. The Andromeda Galaxy (M31), located 2.5 million light years from Earth, ought to be in prime viewing position for us on this evening.

No need to bring binoculars or telescopes, this is “Naked Eye Astronomy”. Do bring a comfortable lawn chair, warm clothes maybe even a blanket and gloves. 

We will meet inside the workshop at Mohican Farm at 7:00 for a brief overview of what we hope to see and answer any questions. We then head outside and let our eyes acclimate for a glorious evening of star gazing.

After the program, which should last 45min. - an hour, we will return inside for hot chocolate.

Stargazing is best with 100% clear and dark skies. The program will be postponed until November 2nd if Jim Hill deems the skies and weather unfavorable on the 1st

Enjoy the 2ish mile loop at Basswood Pond State Forest in Burlington with Program Director, Jeff O’Handley. Trail volunteers have been hard at work keeping the trails open and clear for our enjoyment. We’ll traverse mixed deciduous forest, spruce plantations, a regenerating clearcut and more! Meet at the small parking area on Basswood Road.

Journey from the sun to Pluto and back in a little over an hour! Bill Ralston guides us on a thousand-yard walk which models our solar system at a scale that is both relatable and awe-inspiring. Common objects such as bowling balls, peppercorns, and walnuts are used to represent the sun and planets—our feet are the rockets that will get us there.

Meet at the Otsego Land Trust’s Compton Bridge Conservation Area, 184 County Highway 11C, Cooperstown. Our walk will be along the railroad tracks. Dress to be outside.

We are thinking of this hike as a choose your own adventure kinda day because Tom has picked a route that can be as long or as short as you want. Participants can easily get back to their car at many points during their hike if they are excited about a shorter day or stick with Tom all day for a six mile loop. Meet at the back parking lot (near the playground) and begin to ramble from there through the beautiful trail system at Gilbert Lake State Forest. The group will stop for lunch. Sign up below

Cancelled due to weather

OCCA’s popular mushroom walks are back! Join us for an enlightening expedition led by local forager, Shane Gardner, as we explore the lush forests at College Camp in Oneonta.

During this immersive two-hour session, Shane Gardner will guide participants through the fundamentals of mushroom foraging, sharing his extensive knowledge and passion for mycology. The walk will cover various aspects of mushroom hunting, including:

1. Foraging Basics: Learn the essential principles of responsible and sustainable foraging practices. Discover the do's and don'ts of mushroom hunting, including proper equipment, clothing, and safety measures.

2. Mushroom Identification: Gain insights into the key features used to identify different mushroom species. Shane will demonstrate how to examine cap shape, gill structure, stem characteristics, and other crucial identifiers.

3. Tree Species Recognition: Understand the symbiotic relationships between mushrooms and trees. Learn to identify various tree species and their associated fungi, enhancing your ability to locate specific mushroom varieties.

POSTPONED

Thank you for being an OCCA member! Let us treat you to a day at Gilbert Lake State Park as a show of appreciation! We will offer short hikes around the lake, fun children's activities, and lots of free and delicious food for everyone.

Trails may be muddy so bring shoes you are okay with getting dirty. This is a free day available to OCCA members only!

Not a member? Not a problem. Purchase an annual membership today, and you can come along!