The spooky season is underway! This Bulletin is a little long, but there’s lots of information about many exciting things coming up over the next couple months. We’d also like to announce a new essay series which will start next month. Students from Will Walker’s class at the Cooperstown Graduate Program have written a series of essays about foodways and the environment. We are so excited to share them with you here. In the meantime, read on to learn more about the exciting (and spooky!) ways we have for you to get outside this fall.
October 29, 9am-1pm
OCCA Halloween Hike-A-Thon
Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park
There is still time to sign up as a team leader for OCCA’s Halloween Hike-A-Thon on October 29! Hike for charity! This year OCCA is raising money for our annual Drive-Thru-Drop-Off Recycling Event. Join us in making next year’s DTDO our biggest yet. More information available here.
Saturday, October 29
Pedals for Progress Bicycle and Sewing Machine Collection
Otsego ReUse Center, 23 Duane Street, Oneonta, NY 13820
Pedals for Progress/Sewing Peace, in its continuing effort to recycle unwanted items properly, is having a used bike and sewing machine collection sponsored by Otsego ReUse Center a Project of The Arc Otsego. Anyone with an adult or child’s bicycle in repairable condition is urged to donate his or her bike to this worthy cause. We do not accept “bikes for parts” or disassembled bikes. We also accept working portable sewing machines and sewing notions (no fabric, please).
November 10 – 14
Gilmmerglass Film Days
Cooperstown
Join us in Cooperstown November 10-14, 2022 for our signature combination of compelling independent films, filmmaker talks, art, books, parties with local food and drink, guided walks, and collaborations with local museums, nonprofits, restaurants, and businesses.
A selection of festival films will also be available virtually November 18-20.
November 11, 9am
OCCA Highway Cleanup
Otsego County Conservation Association is seeking volunteers to help clean up a portion of State Route 80 in Springfield on Friday, November 11, beginning at 9 a.m.
OCCA adopted the portion of the road, which spans the towns of Springfield and Ostego, in 2013 as part of New York State’s Adopt-A-Highway Program. Volunteers will meet at OCCA’s office at Mohican Farm, on the corner of Route 80 and Allen Lake Road, and will collect trash along a two-mile stretch. We hope to have between eight and ten volunteers, and we should plan to work for three hours.
The New York State Department of Transportation, which administers the statewide program, provides trash bags and safety equipment. OCCA will provide water and light refreshments. Participants should wear long pants and sleeves. Register for the program here.
November 12, 10:30am – 12pm
Get the Kids Out! Starfield Trail
Join OCCA Education Specialist Shelby MacLeish on a hike to Star Field on Saturday, November 12, from 10:30-12:00. It’s a three-day weekend, and maybe that means your kids are extra wiggly (I know that mine are going to be). This is a perfect opportunity to explore a winter forest, trek through the mud and stretch those little legs. Dress for the weather and be prepared for lots of mud. Register for the program here.
November 18, 12pm – 2pm
OCCA Homeschool Nature Group
Join OCCA educator Shelby MacLeish at Robert Riddell State Park on Friday, November 18th, from 12-2 pm. On the 18th, we will explore parts of the Mud Lake trail. In November, we might be hiking in snow or mud, but regardless of the surroundings, the group will have lots to investigate and explore along the way. Dress for the weather and be prepared for mud. Register for the program here.
Glimmerglass Film Days is coming up from November 10-14, 2022. OCCA is sponsoring the film River, which you can read more about on the Film Days website. We are excited to continue to support Glimmerglass Film Days and would love to see you at the screening of River on Friday, November 13th at 3:45pm at the Fenimore Art Museum.
OCCA’s Earth Festival is BACK for 2023! If you are interested in helping us plan, volunteering, or vending at the fair, please fill out the form on this page.