Join us for a day filled with exploration, discovery, and the awe-inspiring beauty of Sands Point Preserve’s unique geological story with geological guide, David Jakim. Through immersive exploration, we’ll trace the footsteps of ancient geological processes and witness the remarkable formations that bear witness to the passage of time. Imagine standing on the sands and maritime bluffs formed from an ancient river delta that flowed underneath a massive ice sheet into the then empty Long Island sound, 15,000 years ago. Witness the power of glaciers, the origins of huge boulders strewn across the landscape, 300 million-year-old marine fossils, the connections between our geology and ecology, and the resilience of life – all in one captivating experience.

Join us for an enchanting nature walk through the Red Maple-Blackgum Swamp at Southard's Pond Park, a journey through a tapestry of unique ecosystems. Our exploration will take us around the serene Southard’s Pond and along the meandering paths of the Carls River and its tributaries, through edge habitats that skirt the waterways and trails. We'll delve into the rare and captivating Red Maple-Blackgum Swamps, cherished gems of conservation nestled within this area.

The Edgewood Oak brush Plains preserves 840 acres owned by New York State. The Brentwood Heath is a type of heathland ecosystem found within the Edgewood Preserve. A heathland is a habitat characterized by open, low-growing vegetation, often dominated by heath plants such as heather and various species of Ericaceae family. These heathlands typically occur on acidic, nutrient-poor soils and are often associated with fire-adapted plants.

Join us as we immerse ourselves in the geology of the Hempstead Harbor Woods, a 200-acre geological treasure located on the Port Washington Peninsula.

As the glaciers receded approximately 20,000 years ago, they deposited thick layers of sand, till, and clays, including thousands of boulders. Sand mining on the west shore of Hempstead Harbor that began in the mid-19thcentury exposed layers of glacial and pre- glacial sediments that have been studied by geologists for well over 100 years. Comprehensive Professional Papers on Long Island’s geology and groundwater resources published by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1906 and 1914 described the sand pit strata and used them as important resources in interpreting the glacial history of Long Island. In the ensuing years many papers have been published updating and expanding upon the early work.

Join us as we immerse ourselves in the natural splendor of the Hempstead Harbor Woods, a 200-acre key biodiversity area located on the Port Washington Peninsula. Here we will explore a fascinating mosaic of diverse habitats including forests, hardwood swamp, meadow, wet meadow, freshwater marsh, intermittent streams, and pond fed by groundwater springs and seeps each with their own characteristic flora and fauna.

Very few people are aware of the fact that an astonishingly large and abundant wild habitat exists on the Port Washington Peninsula.

On this walk we will explore the gardens and diverse habitats at Leeds Pond Preserve. We will visit a second growth forest adjacent to the Leed's Pond Stream, a newly planted forest restoration, and then we will walk down to the beach and salt marsh where we will observe diverse plants and waterfowl.

Join us as we immerse ourselves in the natural splendor of the Hempstead Harbor Woods, a 200-acre key biodiversity area located on the Port Washington Peninsula. Here we will explore a fascinating mosaic of diverse habitats including forests, hardwood swamp, meadow, wet meadow, freshwater marsh, intermittent streams, and pond fed by groundwater springs and seeps each with their own characteristic flora and fauna.

Very few people are aware of the fact that an astonishingly large and abundant wild habitat exists on the Port Washington Peninsula.

This guided nature walk will explore Baxter Pond, Baxter Pond Creek that feeds Baxter Pond, and the mature woodlands alongside the Creek. We will have the opportunity to observe bull frogs, green frogs, and tree frogs. We will briefly dip a net into the surface vegetation, through the water column, and at the bottom of the pond where we will find abundant creatures including tadpoles, fish, and insects. We may observe fish and frog-eating birds such as the reclusive great blue herons, black crowned night heron, green heron, great egret, and snowy egret. We will also encounter diverse species of edible and medicinal plants. After our pond exploration we will walk alongside Baxter Pond Creek with a rich woodland cover of tulip trees and white oak trees up to 5 feet in diameter.

This guided nature walk will explore Baxter Pond, Baxter Pond Creek that feeds Baxter Pond, and the mature woodlands alongside the Creek. We will have the opportunity to observe bull frogs, green frogs, and tree frogs. We will briefly dip a net into the surface vegetation, through the water column, and at the bottom of the pond where we will find abundant creatures including tadpoles, fish, and insects. We may observe fish and frog-eating birds such as the reclusive great blue herons, black crowned night heron, green heron, great egret, and snowy egret. We will also encounter diverse species of edible and medicinal plants and fungi. Walking alongside Baxter Pond Creek, sheltered by towering tulip and white oak trees and woodland understory flowers.

Join us as we immerse ourselves in the natural splendor of the Hempstead Harbor Woods, a 200-acre key biodiversity area located on the Port Washington Peninsula. Here we will explore a fascinating mosaic of diverse habitats including forests, hardwood swamp, meadow, wet meadow, freshwater marsh, intermittent streams, and pond fed by groundwater springs and seeps each with their own characteristic flora and fauna.

Very few people are aware of the fact that an astonishingly large and abundant wild habitat exists on the Port Washington Peninsula.

The beautiful Hempstead Harbor shoreline corridor is part of mosaic of 800 acres of diverse forests, meadows, freshwater marshes and salt marshes with springs, seeps, and streams that flow into Hempstead Harbor. The corridor and interconnected wild areas are Port Washington’s greatest reservoir of biodiversity. The region along the Bay supports hundreds of species of plants, hundreds of species of birds, and other wildlife. It is a refuge for many species of sensitive water birds such as herons and egrets and for large mammals like coyote, deer, and fox that require greater undeveloped tracts of land. The same birds, butterflies, and winged creatures that use the Hempstead Harbor shoreline corridor as a primary habitat area also visit and grace our other preserves and the backyard gardens across our region.

Fall Colors of November at Fire Island, NY

Fire Island's fall foliage typically reaches its peak in mid-November, offering visitors breathtaking views of nature's seasonal spectacle. Robert Moses State Park on Long Island offers a unique experience with its diverse habitats. The sandy beaches, part of Fire Island, are frequented by migratory birds such as waterfowl and shorebirds, making it an ideal spot for birdwatchers. Behind the beaches, the maritime forests house native wildlife like white-tailed deer, rabbits, and various bird species. The trees, predominantly oak, holly, and pine, showcase a mix of russet, gold, and evergreen colors during this month. The wind-shaped mounds of sand create a dynamic landscape, forever in motion.

The Guggenheim Preserve is a 17-acre habitat area nearby Guggenheim Elementary School and closeby Sands Point Preserve, with 7 acres of woodlands and 9 acres of wildflower meadow. The Guggenheim Preserve Wildflower Meadow is exceptional for its diversity of native plants, most prominently including common milkweed and butterflyweed that support Monarch butterflies, goldenrods, purple flowering New York asters, little bluestem grass and many other important plant species that support wildlife. The Guggenheim Preserve also contains dozens of species of plants with edible and medicinal properties and interesting folklore, including wild grapes, sassafras, raspberries and blackberries, spicebush, lettuce, different types of spinach, dandelion, plantains, jewelweed, wild carrot, burdock, dock, Japanese knotweed, chickweed.

Join us as we immerse ourselves in the natural splendor of the Hempstead Harbor Woods, a 200-acre key biodiversity area located on the Port Washington Peninsula. Here we will explore a fascinating mosaic of diverse habitats including forests, hardwood swamp, meadow, wet meadow, freshwater marsh, intermittent streams, and pond fed by groundwater springs and seeps each with their own characteristic flora and fauna.