Upcoming Events
Our first virtual event was a great success!
Thank you to everyone who joined our webinar last night.
And a huge thank you to Karin Ursula Edmondson for sharing her expertise and knowledge with all of us!
You can watch the archived Facebook live stream of the webinar here.
(please note the video quality might not be great)
In this webinar, Karin introduced many native plants that thrive in the Catskill Mountain region and which attract insect pollinators and birds. Additionally, she shared the view of managing gardens and landscapes as ecological systems and biodiverse integrated habitats for a wide variety of wildlife and humans. She offered a special focus on nighttime pollinators and native bees as well as lists of native plants suited for Zones 4 and 5 and simple steps everyone can take to transition to ecological horticulture.
Click on the links below for Karin Ursula Edmondson's resource materials to help you plan your pollinator-friendly gardens:
Bibliography
A Fly-By-Night Garden
Butterfly Host Plants
Butterfly Nectar Plants
Ecological Horticulture for the Home Gardener
Native Bee Primer
Plants from Presentation
Source List
You can find many practical resources and find out how to join the Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway on our website www.pollinator-pathway.org/woodstock
Vernal Fling has been postponed until further notice.
Important COVID-19 Update
Wendell Berry:
THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS
When despair grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
To our neighbors and friends,
Like all of you, understanding and responding to the threat of the coronavirus has dominated our thoughts in recent weeks, accelerating with the events of the past week and days. For you, your families and friends, our communities and the world at large, these are uncertain times. We know it’s hard not to feel daunted by the reported events. We wanted to share with you how our programs are impacted and encourage you to enjoy the outdoors by using our preserves and trails, and the area’s great recreational resources.
Woodstock Land Conservancy has a fairly light organizational ‘footprint’. We don’t have a public office (though we are looking for one). One way the public interfaces with WLC is in the great outdoors – visiting our nature preserves, or ones we support such as Bluestone Wild Forest/Onteora Lake, and as well on the Ashokan Rail Trail (ART), where WLC plays a primary role in the volunteer ART Stewards program (with Ulster County and NY/NJ Trail Conference).
Through our programming, WLC offers the public many indoor and outdoor educational events. Our First Saturdays on the Trail events are always located outside. This may give us some possibility of continuing them, provided we limit numbers to 10 (per White House suggestion) and maintain social distancing. For the immediate two months, we are canceling indoor and outdoor events of more than 50 people, relying on governmental directives and guidelines. Where feasible, we are moving some of our programs to online webinars and presentations using conferencing technology. See more details below and please stay tuned for program updates.
Guidelines for Participation in Any Outdoor Programs; Or Visits to Preserves, Forests and Trails.
Please remain home if you:
- are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, including fever, coughing
- have traveled to an affected area
- have come into contact with someone who has tested positive
- have a compromised immune or respiratory system.
Enjoying the outdoors seems a good way to relieve the stresses of these recent days and world events. The physical and psychological benefits of exercising in nature are well documented – and where better to practice the positive aspects of social connection while honoring “social distancing”? And Governor Cuomo too recognizes these benefits as reflected in his Executive Order from yesterday, temporarily waiving fees at NYS Parks.
When outdoors on public trails, please use good sense, keep a minimum of 6 feet from one another, with no contact. In doing so, we are protecting ourselves and our companions as well as all members of our shared human communities.
While enjoying these recreational lands we remind you to “Leave No Trace”, removing any trash or disposables that you bring in. This is even more important now as any trash or a ‘doggy bag’ left must be handled and disposed of by another member of the public. There is no maintenance staff. Thank You.
We are grateful for your continued support of our mission and look forward to seeing you at our public programs as soon as the Ulster County Department of Health recommends returning to business as usual.
For questions regarding our programs please email WLC Program & Outreach Coordinator Ellie Reese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
All of you are in our hearts. May we all draw calm and healing from the natural beauty which surrounds us.
Sincerely,
Maxanne Resnick
Executive Director
Cancellations and Postponements as of 3/16/2020:
- March 16th: Town of Kingston Planning Board Meeting regarding the 850 Route 28 LLC project. (Please save the date for April 20th when it’s possible the Town will hold a PB meeting).
- March 23rd: Bluestone Forest Citizen's Group meeting re: 850 Route 28
- March 24th: Gardening from Nature a presentation by Karin Ursula Edmondson for the Woodstock NY Pollinator Pathway. We are working on hosting a webinar for 100 participants. Further details will be provided.
- March 30th: 8th Annual Film & Discussion Series co-hosted with Woodstock Transition and Woodstock Jewish Congregation: Regenerative Farming for Human and Planetary Health. Date to be rescheduled. We are working on hosting a webinar for 100 participants. Further details will be provided.
- April 4th: WLC participation in the Catskill Center's Outdoor Expo
- April 27th: 8th Annual Film & Discussion Series co-hosted with Woodstock Transition and Woodstock Jewish Congregation: Rethinking Disposables. Date may be rescheduled. We are working on hosting a webinar for 100 participants. Further details will be provided.
- May 23rd. Vernal Fling at Bearsville Theater. We look forward to rescheduling in the future.
Founded in 1988 by a dedicated group of local citizens, the Woodstock Land Conservancy is a non-profit land trust. We are run by a small staff and an all-volunteer Board of Directors. At its core, WLC is an ever-growing community of dedicated and generous volunteers, supporters, and community members who share a passionate love and respect for the land and the unique place we live. WLC owns and manages undeveloped land and works with landowners to permanently protect their property through conservation easements and by acquiring their land through donation or sale. We also provide nature education and outdoor activities to the community. Because we operate in the public interest, WLC depends on private donations to carry out its work. It is our strong foundation in the community that makes it possible to protect land that otherwise would be lost forever. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn how you can become part of our work!
