Happy New Year from OCCA! Have you heard about First Day Hikes? Start the year off outside with a hike at your local state park. You can find more information about First Day Hike Events here.
| Lecture Series OCCA is bringing back its “Be Informed” lecture series on Wednesday, January 25, at 7:00 pm via webinar. The first topic this year will be “How to make your winter home more energy efficient.” John Ackerly, from the Alliance for Green Heat, will talk about how we can make wood burning cleaner and more energy efficient. As the founder of Alliance for Green Heat, Ackerly works to advance cleaner and more efficient residential heating technology, particularly for low and middle-income families. The webinar will also present information on whole-house weatherization and lowering your heating bills. OCCA is excited to bring back this quarterly lecture series. We will host in-person lectures in March, June, and September. Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Volunteer Training January 14, 10am to 1pm Morris Firehouse The eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a tree of great beauty and great ecological significance. Sadly, it is also threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an invasive insect that has ravaged hemlocks from Georgia to Maine. This program includes an informational session covering the importance of hemlock trees and the life history and impacts of the hemlock woolly adelgid, then shifts outdoors for field training in how to survey for hemlock woolly adelgid. We are seeking volunteers who will participate in surveys throughout the winter. This program will take place indoors and outdoors. We will meet at the Morris Firehouse, 117 Main Street, Morris use back entrance). Please be prepared to spend more than an hour outside. Co-sponsored by The Clark Foundation/Mohican Farm and the Butternut Valley Alliance. Get the Kids Out January 16th, time TBA Oneonta World of Learning Kids driving you crazy on a school holiday? Get the kids out! OCCA Education Specialists Shelby MacLeish and Liz Brown will take them on a fun and informative adventure exploring a wintry landscape. Exact time and location to be determined but we expect this program will take place in Oneonta. Save the date now, more details to come! Naked Eye Astronomy January 21, 7 to 8:30pm Mohican Farm Workshop This event was supposed to happen in December but was rescheduled for weather. Join OCCA Treasurer, Jim Hill for a night of Naked Eye Astronomy on Saturday, January 21, from 7:00-8:30 pm at Mohican Farm in Springfield. Hill will lead participants in an introduction to the night sky, where Mars and Jupiter will be visible along with Orion in the east and some of the gorgeous 1st magnitude winter sky stars, along with many more surprises. The group will meet at the Mohican Farm workshop at 7:00 pm for a brief introduction before going outside. Participants are encouraged to bring a camp chair to sit on and to dress warmly. In the event of rain, snow, or cloudy weather, we will reschedule for January 21, 2023. Program is free, please pre-register using the form below. For questions, contact Education Specialist, Shelby MacLeish at education@occainfo.org. |