Field Trips and Excursions

Come early and stay late in New York City this summer. We have lots for you to do!

We have developed a variety of field trips and excursions to offer the attendees of the SCB Annual Meeting. The trips highlight the biodiversity in the region, education and research efforts of the CERC consortium members, and allow you to enjoy the natural areas that are surprisingly near by, whether hiking Hunter Mountain, looking for Bald Eagles in Northern Manhattan or walking the shore of Fire Island. A calendar of trips is below. Excursions are separately listed. *NEW

The trips have been scheduled for before, during and after the conference to allow all attendees the chance to join in on a trip. Those scheduled during the conference are designed for family members (particularly children) accompanying conference attendees. Trips that do not meet minimum enrollment will be cancelled. Field trips that have been filled to capacity will not appear in the online registration system. To be placed on the waitlist, please email 2004@conbio.org

SCB and the CERC thank all the individuals and organizations who have generously helped develop these trips and in some cases underwritten much of the costs: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, The Nature Conservancy (Eastern New York and Long Island chapters), Hackensack Riverkeeper, American Museum of Natural History, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The New York Botanical Garden, Wildlife Conservation Society, and The National Park Service.

All prices in US dollars.

TUESDAY 27 July

FT1
From the Forest to the Faucet
Tuesday & Wednesday-27 & 28 July
Cost: $35
Sponsor & Host: NYC Department of Environmental Protection
Commissioner Christopher Ward hosts this trip that highlights the New York City watershed, the water delivery and treatment systems. To protect its watershed area NYC had designed a plan that will allow it to continue to be the largest city in the world that is able to deliver healthy unfiltered water. This project is a leading example of the economic value that exists in protection of our natural resources. Learn how NYC is poised to become the 2 nd largest landowner in the state and how they are managing this resource. See the recent issue of Conservation In Practice for an in depth discussion of this program.

Day 1 : We will visit reservoirs and tour a model farm and a model forest to see the management practices involved in designing strategies to protect the watershed.

Day 2: See first hand what very few have visited; one of the world's engineering marvels. We will end the day with a visit to the largest water treatment plant in the city, a site that is innovative in its location as well as it serving as a large city park. Cost includes two breakfasts and one lunch.

We will return to NYC on the 27th so no overnight accommodation is included

FT2
EPA Monitoring of New York Harbor
Tuesday, 27 July
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: US Environmental Protection Agency
Join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on its monitoring vessel to learn how the agency monitors harbors and responds to emerging management needs. We will take a cruise in NY Harbor on the vessel to see first hand the work the EPA does that has helped the harbor return to the cleanest it has been in over 30 years.

WEDNESDAY 28 July

FT3
Karner Blue Butterfly and the Albany Pine Bush Preserve
Wednesday, 28 July
Cost: $125 (includes lunch and transportation)
Host: The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter
Following the trail of naturalists of the past, participants will take a scenic train ride alongside the Hudson River to Albany to see the Karner blue butterfly. Upon arriving at The Nature Conservancy's Albany Pine Bush Preserve, participants will take a guided tour through the preserve, highlighting the restoration work in this urban environment. We expect to see the hatch of the second brood of the Karner Blue, a site that is hard to duplicate in many other locations! Participants have lunch at the preserve, and return to NYC that evening.

FT4
New Jersey Meadowlands-An Urban Everglades
Wednesday, 28 July, afternoon
Cost: $30 (includes transportation)
Host: Hackensack Riverkeeper
Take a late afternoon cruise with the Hackensack Riverkeeper to see lush wetlands to the west of Manhattan Island. We will see birdlife and hear about the efforts to protect this area. Recent developments have succeeded in preserving over 8,000 acres. We will take a train to NJ and then a short hike along a boardwalk to the launch site.
Note that conference attendees will be able to also do this trip independently throughout the conference as well as after. The activities desk at the conference will be able to assist you in arranging an independent visit to the Meadowlands.

FT5
The New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo
Herbarium and Behavioral Enrichment
Wednesday, 28 July
Cost: $22 (includes transportation and lunch)
Sponsors & Hosts: New York Botanical Garden and Wildlife Conservation Society
We will take the train to the Garden and have a behind the scenes tour of the Herbarium, after that the rest of the morning will be available for exploration of this beautiful garden. After lunch we will take a short transfer to the Bronx Zoo where we will learn about the various behavioral enrichment programs they have developed for their animals. We will return to Manhattan via the subway located a short walk from the zoo.

FT26
Birdwatching in Jamaica Bay
Cost: Free (participants purchase subway ticket for $4)
Half day trip to Jamaica Bay Urban Wildlife Refuge. The group will leave for a 1.5 hour trip out to Jamaica Bay, meet with John Tanacredi of the National Park Service, and walk approximately 2 miles around the ponds for bird watching. We will see horseshoe crabs and birds and hear the history of this example of landfill restoration. Picnic lunch can be purchased on the way and the group will return to NYC early afternoon.

THURSDAY 29 July

FT6
Drag the Harbor
Thursday 29 July
Cost: Voluntary donation to the boat captain
Host: Montessori School
Maybe you'll bring up an alligator - more likely it will be a seahorse or some other wonder of the deep that is living happily in our harbor. Participate in a harbor drag of NY Harbor and see first hand how healthy our harbor is. This is a great trip for kids over 12 accompanied by an adult.

FT7
The New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo
Thursday, 29 July
Cost: $22 (includes transportation and lunch)
Sponsors & Hosts: New York Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Conservation Society
We will take the train to the Garden and have a scientist led tour of a unique fragment of the forest that originally covered the area. We will tour the closed portion of the forest with a scientist and learn about the efforts to conserve this fragment as well as the status of the invasion of the Wooly Adelgid that has killed the Hemlocks in the forest. After lunch we will take a short transfer to the Bronx Zoo where we will learn about the various breeding programs underway there. At the end of our day we will travel back to Manhattan via the subway, a short walk from the zoo.

FT8
Highlights of the American Museum of Natural History
Thursday, 29 July, 2:00pm
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: American Museum of Natural History
Take a tour with through the 26 buildings and historical collections of the Museum. Your guide will orient you to the museum and focus on selected highlights that each group is interested in. You will then be free to explore on your own and to receive member discounts on any purchases you make. Children are welcome on any of the tours

FT9
Special Collections at the American Museum of Natural History
Thursday, 29 July, afternoon
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: The American Museum of Natural History
Three small groups will have the opportunity to visit the historic scientific collections "behind the scenes" at the museum. Each group will visit either the Ornithology, Marine or Paleontology collections.

FT10
Central Park Zoo Insider Tour
Thursday, 29 July
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: Wildlife Conservation Society
Join the Curator of the Central Park Zoo, John Rowden, behind the scenes in this zoo located in the heart of Central Park in the heart of New York City. Learn about the enrichment programs, visit the animal commissary and see the inside view of this favorite of New Yorkers.

FT11
Fire and Water Ecology of the Long Island Pine Barrens
Thursday, 29 July
Cost: $55 (includes transportation, breakfast, and lunch)
Host: The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter
We spend a day visiting pitch pine and scrub oak barrens, pine-oak forest, and wetlands covering 50,000 acres in central Long Island, primarily on coarse soils derived from glacial moraine and outwash. We explore an area burned by wildfire and discuss prescribed fire management.

The field trip concludes with a visit to an Atlantic white cedar swamp, and to some coastal plain ponds that collectively harbor one of the highest concentrations of rare plants in New York. Ticks are common in some areas.

FT12
Canoe Tour on the Bronx River
Thursday, 29 July 9am – 12pm
Cost: $35 (includes transportation by subway, canoes and lunch)
Host: Bronx River Alliance
Explore the Bronx River by canoe and learn about projects that aim to reclaim this valuable resource. Bronx River Alliance staff will guide participants along the waterway and through its natural and human history. As paddlers float among the highways, apartments and industries of the South Bronx, the Alliance Conservation Manager will showcase efforts to restore riparian and estuarine habitats, and community leaders will explain their vision for revitalizing neighborhoods by bringing life back to the river. Find out about the Bronx River Greenway plan, research undertaken to better understand the urban ecosystem, and the many ways that the Bronx community uses the river as a resource.

FT13
Family Day on the Clearwater
Thursday, 29 July
-cancelled-
Host: Clearwater
Sail the Hudson River on the sloop the Clearwater . The Clearwater is the sloop that Pete Seeger used to highlight the plight of the Hudson. Our tour will celebrate the improvement in the Hudson. A 5 hour sail from Yonkers to West 72 nd Street. This trip is for family members accompanying conference attendees.

FRIDAY, 30 July

FT14
Highlights of the American Museum of Natural History
Friday, 30 July, 11:00 am
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: American Museum of Natural History
Take a tour with through the26 buildings and historical collections of the Museum. Your guide will orient you to the museum and focus on selected highlights that each group is interested in. You will then be free to explore on your own and to receive member discounts on any purchases you make. Children are welcome.

TUESDAY, 3 August

FT15
Summit Hunter Mountain!
Tuesday, 3 August
Cost: $75 (includes transportation and a box lunch)
Host: The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter
Hike to the summit of Hunter Mountain through the Catskill Forest. The somewhat strenuous hike leads us to a spectacular view of this area of vital importance to NY City's watershed. Hunter Mountain is approximately a 2 hour drive from NYC.

FT16
Staten Island - The City's Nature Borough and Birthplace of American Botany
Tuesday, 3 August
Cost: $20 (includes transportation to Staten Island and a boxed lunch)
Sponsor & Host: New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Visit the Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, the New York City Parks Department's Native Plants Nursery, and New York City's Bluebelt. The Bluebelt is an innovated effort that has created a natural stormwater management system that has preserved more than 200 acres of wetlands. Botanical treasures may include Nantucket Juneberry, serpentine barrens, and the rarest of all plants still to be found within City limits, Torrey's mountain mint. Local scientists will describe their own efforts to protect biodiversity in this still suburban, but rapidly urbanizing borough.

FT17
Boat Trip on NY Harbor and Jamaica Bay
Tuesday, 3 August
Cost: $40
Take a boat from Sheepshead Bay and spend the afternoon cruising the richness of Jamaica Bay and touring the Harbor. We will pass the Harbor Herons site, a rookery located in the harbor, cruise through Jamaica Bay and perhaps spend some time fishing to learn first had about the fish species in the region.

FT18
Fire Island National Seashore
Tuesday, 3 August
Cost: $30
Host: National Park Service
Spend a day at the National Seashore on the Atlantic Ocean and learn about the work is this unique barrier island.  We will take a ferry to the island and join a water tour of the island and its protected areas.  The Park Service will be discussing the challenges of managing a wilderness area located approximately 40 miles from NYC, we will also learn about other Natural Resource Management and Deer Management issues. We will have time to enjoy the beach and the opportunity to camp overnight is available for those who want to extend their stay.

FT19
Highlights of the American Museum of Natural History
Tuesday, 3 August, 11:00 am
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: American Museum of Natural History
Take a tour with through the26 buildings and historical collections of the Museum. Your guide will orient you to the museum and focus on selected highlights that each group is interested in. You will then be free to explore on your own and to receive member discounts on any purchases you make. Children are welcome.

FT20
Central Park Zoo Insider Tour
Tuesday 3 August
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: Wildlife Conservation Society
Join the Curator of the Central Park Zoo, John Rowden, behind the scenes in this zoo located in the heart of Central Park in the heart of New York City. Learn about the enrichment programs, visit the animal commissary and see the inside view of this favorite of New Yorkers.

FT21
Cheesequake State Park, NJ: Conservation and Restoration in a Suburban Environment
Tuesday 3 August (all day 8-5)
Cost: $25 (lunch provided)
Join David and Joan Ehrenfeld for a day at Cheesequake State Park, NJ. Cheesequake, a park in the Raritan Bay estuary, includes some of the most diverse and interesting forests and salt marshes in the New York City region, but is also facing a variety of challenges from encroaching suburban development. We will look at a variety of upland and wetland habitats within the park with Jim Faczek, the natural resources management specialist, emphasizing natural diversity, rare species, the variety of issues associated with suburban landscapes, and efforts to restore several kinds of ecosystem on a four-mile loop hike. Walking shoes, insect repellant, field clothes recommended.

FT22
The New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo
Tuesday 3 August
Cost: $22 (includes transportation and lunch)
Sponsors & Hosts: New York Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Conservation Society
We will take the train to the Garden and have n educator/scientist a scientist led tour of the Everett Children's Adventure Garden; we will highlight the educational programs at the Garden. After time for a visit to other parts of the garden we will take a short transfer to the Bronx Zoo where we will learn about the educational programs there. At the end of our day we will travel back to Manhattan via the subway, a short walk from the zoo.

WEDNESDAY, 4 August

FT23
Ecology of the Shawangunk Ridge
Wednesday, 4 August
Cost: $80 (includes transportation, breakfast, and box lunch)
Host: The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter
Hike the Shawangunk Ridge, renowned for its spectacular views of the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River Valley. Guided by Conservancy staff and members of the Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership, participants tour the pine barrens systems on the ridge, and discuss their ecology and the management challenges associated with this fire-dependent landscape. We learn about the Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership research and management to conserve natural resources within this 153,000-acre conservation area. We may visit ice caves at Sam's Point Preserve. A strenuous excursion.

FT24
Central Park Zoo Insider Tour
Wednesday, 4 August
Cost: Free
Sponsor & Host: Wildlife Conservation Society
Join the Curator of the Central Park Zoo, John Rowden, behind the scenes in this zoo located in the heart of Central Park in the heart of New York City. Learn about the enrichment programs, visit the animal commissary and see the inside view of this favorite of New Yorkers.

FT25
John Burroughs Sanctuary/Slabsides Trip
Wednesday, 4 August
-cancelled-
John Burroughs is a noted American writer on the natural world. We will visit Slabsides cabin where Burroughs entertained such luminaries as Teddy Roosevelt, Walt Whitman and Henry Ford with a guide. Later we will head out on the trail using readings from Burroughs's essays, visitors will be immersed in the sanctuary's flora, fauna and ecology. Visit to Slabsides will include a 1.5 hour tour of Slabsides cabin and trail with time to explore the sanctuary's many trails on one's own.

Excursions

E1
Circle Line Cruise - Cancelled
Friday, July 30
6:00-9:00 pm
Cost: $32 (includes dinner, transportation to and from cruise)
Leaving from Pier 83 at 42nd Street on the West Side, SCB participants will cruise the Hudson River at sunset, getting a view of the Manhattan skyline as the sky darkens and the lights come on, the Statue of Liberty, the aircraft carrier Intrepid, and the Brooklyn and George Washington Bridges. Scientists from The Nature Conservancy will be on hand to discuss water protection and restoration projects. Dinner, dessert and drinks are included - a relaxing way to catch up with your SCB and NYC colleagues after the first day of the Annual Meeting.

E2
Harbor Herons Watertaxi Cruise for the Society of Conservation Biology
Sunday August 1
6:00-9:00 pm
Hosted by NY City Audubon, Wildlife Trust, and NY City Parks and Recreation
Cost: $35
Leaving from East 90th/East River and returning to Pier 11 (Wall Street), scientists from the host institutions will lead a sunset cruise with a focus on bird watching. Almost 2,000 wading birds nested on the islands around New York Harbor last year but they are hard to glimpse because, believe it or not, the colonies are cryptic and relatively remote by urban standards. This cruise will provide participants with a chance to observe a colony of over 200 black-crowned night herons on North Brother Island, and a mixed colony of night herons, great and snowy egrets, and glossy ibis on South Brother Island. We may see other waders, shorebirds, and local NY inhabitants as we head out to the colony and cruise from the north end of Manhattan to the southern tip of the island. Leaders will share perspectives on heron management in an urban area, how local heron populations have fared in the NY Harbor over the past 20 years, local research and education programs that are ensuring survival of these species in a heavily human dominated landscape, as well as stories about the cultural history of NYC’s islands. The cruise will also provide participants with an unprecedented view of the NY skyline, by water, as the sun sets over New York Harbor. Hope to see you onboard!!!

E3
Owl Hike at Night in Central Park
Wednesday, July 28 7pm
Hosted by Urban Park Rangers
Cost: $10
Meet at Charles A. Dana Discovery Center inside the park at 110th Street between Fifth Avenue and Lenox Avenue
Join the Urban Park Rangers for an unforgettable experience. We'll cover the history of Central Park, both cultural and natural, while scanning the park for native owls, all under the cover of darkness! Sightings of other nocturnal urban wildlife are also to be expected. Bring a flashlight and a friend.

E4
Little Red Lighthouse Tour
Friday, July 30 10am
Meet at Columbia University at conference activities desk
Hosted by Urban Park Rangers
Cost: $10
Great for kids.
Visit the Lighthouse of storybook fame! Urban Park Rangers will lead you on a short walk through Fort Washington Park, along the shimmering waters of the Hudson River. Beneath the George Washington Bridge lies the Little Red Lighthouse, immortalized by the 1942 classic, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. We'll step inside, climb to the top, and walk on the outer ring atop the Lighthouse. Incredible views of the Palisades, downtown Manhattan, and the Tappan Zee Bridge await you.

E5
Central Park Zoo Reception
Sunday, August 1 7:15pm
Hosted by WCS
Cost: $25
The Central Park Zoo is a jewel in the middle of New York City.  Run by the
Wildlife Conservation Society, it is a critical educational establishment
set in the beautiful surroundings of Central Park, boasting Tamarind
monkeys, red pandas and sea lions as well as New York City's most famous
polar bear!

Other excursions – sign up at the activities desk at the conference:
Bird Watching Walk through Central Park – Sunday, August 1– 7:30am
Morning Jog through Riverside Park – Monday, August 2 – 7:30am
A visit to the High Line Urban Park and Chelsea Galleries – TBD
Activities with the Urban Rangers, taking place in Central Park – TBD

Field Trips and Excursions Calendar