Estuary Explorer Backpacks now available to borrow!

Ethan is ready to explore the night sky with our new Night Sky Estuary Explorer Backpack, courtesy of Columbia Land Conservancy.
Got a budding nature lover in your life? The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) has put together Estuary Explorer Backpacks that can be checked out from our library with your library card! Each backpack kit is themed, and contains different materials that a young scientist might use for exploring nature. Themes include the night sky, hiking, birding, insects, and water. Stop by the main desk at the library or call 518-828-1792 to reserve an Estuary Explorer Backpack for your next adventure!

“We wanted to provide resources for community members to get out there and explore the land, without having to spend their own money on equipment,” says Heidi Bock, CLC’s Conservation Education Manager.

What’s an estuary, and why should you explore it? You may be surprised to know that the Hudson River is more than a river – it’s an arm of the sea, where salty sea water meets fresh water from streams. This means the river has two high and two low tides each day, and that the land near the river, and surrounding it, is especially rich in plant and animal life.

While the backpack kits can be used anywhere, Heidi suggests getting up close and personal with the ecosystem at Greenport Conservation Area. “There’s so much you can see and experience at Greenport,” she says. “There are small streams, wetlands, forests – and so many kinds of plants and animals that benefit from these habitats!”

This Project has been funded in part by a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Questions about CLC’s environmental education program? Contact Heidi Bock at 518-392-5252 x207 or heidi.bock@clctrust.org, or visit clctrust.org