Take a guided walk into the forest at Castle Gould with Treesister and founder of Sol Center Hildur Palsdottir and Port Washington Monarch Alliance founder David Jakim. Together with naturalist Tanya Clusener and organic artist Antonia Fthenakis we will be collecting, observing and recording pond animals from the Sands Point Preserve pond.

Please notice this walk is intended for All Ages. Mature explorers will venture further into the woods with a team of foragers for tree identification and immersion, while younger explorers will walk around the pond and use dip nets to probe for live and signs of spring revival.

Admission
Members: $10 per car / Non-Members: $20 per car
Includes parking. Payments are received at the Gate House.

Details
We will observe species from all walks of life: from modified legs to fins, tails, tongues, suckers, and stickers – vertebrates and invertebrates. Of the invertebrates – insects like beetles, backswimmers, and dragonfly nymphs; crustaceans, including shrimp (unrelated to clams or mollusks), scuds (another close relative to shrimp), primitive “moss animals,” snails, blood worms, and leeches. The vertebrates we may encounter include fish and tadpoles. Bringing these creatures into the laboratory, we will observe them closely under a microscope and identify them with experts. And as always, we will find the unexpected!

Citizen Science: Based upon the species we find and the places we find them in, we will gain insight into how these animals spend the harsh winter months. The diversity and assemblages of species we find will help us to profile the health of the pond with our assessment augmented by water quality data that we plan to collect.

Activities for Children: Supervised collection of pond life is an excellent activity for children of all ages. Those over the age of seven will scoop up the pond life with dip nets. Using sorting trays, we will pick out diverse large and small animals from pond debris, an extremely exciting and fun activity. After the walk, children and families will have the opportunity to come into the laboratory and closely observe species found under the microscope.

Art After the Walk: Antonia Fthenakis, professional artist and art teacher, will lead children through a sustainable art making experience; learn everything you need to know on collecting, making and painting with natural materials and handmade paint brushes, quills and other tools. Guided art session includes using handmade wild black walnut ink and wild foraged charcoal to depict scenes from our studies.

Special Instructions for Walkers: Wear boots and pants that you don’t mind getting dirty if you would like to dip-net for the collection of pond invertebrates.

ReWild with Port Washington’s Monarch Butterfly Alliance: Join David Jakim, President of the Port Washington Monarch Alliance, whose mission is to turn Port Washington into a Butterfly Garden.

Visit http://www.sol.center for Meditation offerings with TreeSister Hildur Palsdottir

Visit http://www.WildChildOrganicArtist.com for weekly holistic art classes.