Grafton

Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 29th Annual Winter Festival and Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, January 25. The Winter Fest will feature winter exhibits, vendors and family-friendly and recreational activities. The event is free of charge and main events run from 10 am to 4 pm.

The Winter Festival offers a variety of free, active and entertaining activities, both indoors and outdoors. Indoor offerings will include nature crafts and exhibits, including Five Rivers “Wheel of Wildlife” and fly-tying with Trout Unlimited. Out of the Pits will offer its very popular kissing booth with charming, adoptable pitbulls on hand. Ford’s Falconry will bring native birds of prey for the public to meet and learn about these fascinating creatures from wildlife rehabilitator Richele Ford. The Rensselaer Land Trust will bring its Enviroscape, giving children a hands-on experience of watershed health. Tamakoce Wilderness Programs will offer nature awareness games as well as a hike to discover animal signs in the woods and fields near the exhibit building. Face painting, hot food and many other exhibits will also be available indoors.

The 7th Annual Polar Plunge benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation jumps into Long Pond at 1 pm. Participants can still sign up for the plunge and receive a hot drink after the experience. Please call Margaret Philips at 479-3739 to pre-register.

New outdoor events this year include a dog walk for furry friends as well as an introduction to animal signs. A new primitive skills demonstration will warm visitors with a toasty fire, a snow fort and the chance to learn an ancient form of firemaking with the bow drill. There will be guided outings throughout the Park for all levels and ages to enjoy, on snowshoes if conditions permit or offered on foot along the Park’s trails. Northland Newfoundland Dog Club will give sled rides pulled by their jovial and furry dogs on the beach. Carriage rides with majestic Percheron horses will also be offered by Indian Creek Farm.

The annual ice fishing contest draws several hundred fishermen annually and will run from 5:30 am to 3 pm on all the ponds in the Park. Ice conditions are expected to be more than adequate for the event. Participants can register starting at 5:30 am until 11 am on January 25 at the Park’s pole barn, accessible via the Winter Entrance. A $10 entry fee for adults 16 and older is required to participate in the fishing tournament. The catchers of all first place fish will receive a $300 cash prize this year, awarded for the longest length catch of trout, walleye/chain pickerel and yellow perch. Children may enter at no charge, and their winning entries will receive gift certificates and other prizes. Please remember that all participants 16 and older must have a New York State fishing license to fish in the Park at any time.

For more information about the Winter Festival, please call the Park at 518-279-1155. A full schedule of events is available on the Grafton Lakes State Park’s website (www.nysparks.com/parks) and on www.facebook.com/GraftonLakesStatePark.

February 1, Saturday – Snow Shoe Trek – Enjoy the winter by trekking through the forest on a pair of snowshoes  from 1 to 3 pm. This is a free program. Snowshoes may be rented from the Center for $5. Bring any snack or water you may need along the way. Call ahead for snow conditions. Snowshoes may be rented any day with advanced registration for a fee of $10 per day, $5 for half day, and there are special group rates.

February 2, Sunday – Wildlife Tracking Series continues during February. Dan Yacobellis, local naturalist and tracker, will be leading Family Friendly Tracking  from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm or 1 to 3:30 pm. The cost is $15.

February 9, Sunday –  tracking with a focus on fishers will be offered from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. The cost is $20. Both programs offer a $5 discount for members, students and seniors. Winter is more enjoyable when you can discover movements of the animals around you. Common tracks found include red and grey fox, fisher, otter, porcupine and weasels. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.

February 14, Friday – Valentine’s Day Full Moon Trek. Enjoy Valentine’s Day at a free guided cross-country ski and snowshoe trek at the Center from 7 to 9 pm. The trek will cover two miles and is designed for the intermediate skier or snowshoer. No beginners, please. Snowshoe rentals are available for $5. Hot cocoa and chocolates will be shared around a campfire following the trek. Please contact the Center for updated snow conditions.

February 16, and March 16,  Sundays – Nature Writing Workshops.Paying Attention Among the Trees: A Winter Walk and Nature Writing Experience will be held from 1 to 3 pm. Diane Kavanaugh-Black will lead participants on a meditative woodland walk followed by writing with intention in a cozy wood stove heated cabin. This workshop will inspire the creative process whether you are a novice or already working on your own writing project. Sign up for one or both sessions. The cost is $15. $12 for members. Pre-registration is required for both workshops and space is limited, so register early.

The Dyken Pond Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for ice fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Visit www.dykenpond.org for directions and a complete schedule of our winter events. Call 658-2055 or visit the website www.dykenpond.org.

Experience a full or half day field intensive with Alcott Smith, tracker, naturalist and veterinarian at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. Three wildlife tracking sessions are offered – Saturday, January 18, from 9 am to 4 pm and Sunday, January 19, from 9 am to 12 noon or 1 to 4 pm. Sign up for one or all sessions. In past programs we have followed tracks to a porcupine in its den, found kill sites with tracks emanating in all directions and have found mouse tracks that end at a set of wing marks. The possibilities are truly endless.

Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Each session will explore a different area of the Rensselaer Plateau. Please register by contacting Lisa at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 518-658-2055. There is a fee of $30 for the full day program and $20 for a half day program with a $5 discount for members of the Friends of Dyken Pond. Participants must dress appropriately for being outdoors and be physically fit.

The Dyken Pond Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing. cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Call 658-2055 or visit the website www.dykenpond.org for more information, directions and a complete schedule of our winter events.

Current ice conditions are safe on all six bodies of water at Grafton Lakes State Park, and fishermen are braving the cold temperatures for their chance to make a chilly catch. The rapid ice formation also bodes well for the 29th Annual Ice Fishing Contest, scheduled for Saturday, January 25, from 5:30 am to 3 pm.

Offered on the same day as the Winter Festival, the annual ice fishing contest draws several hundred fishermen to try their luck on any of the ponds in the Park. Participants can register starting at 5:30 am until 11 am on January 25 at the Park’s pole barn, accessible via the Winter Entrance. A $10 entry fee for individuals 16 and older is required to participate in the fishing tournament. First place fish will receive a $300 cash prize this year, awarded for the longest length catch in all three categories of trout, walleye/chain pickerel and yellow perch. Children may enter at no charge, and their winning entries will receive gift certificates and other prizes. Please remember that all participants 16 and older must have a New York State fishing license to fish in the Park at any time.

Due to preparations for the Winter Festival, ice fishing is not permitted adjacent to the beach on Long Pond.

Certified bait will be available on site from Graftonondack Outfitters in the registration area. Bait is also available from Conroy’s Bait Supply in Watervliet.

The Berlin Girl Scout Troop 1170 will sell fresh breakfast sandwiches for fishermen at registration from 5:30 to 9 am. Proceeds will benefit an international service project trip that the middle school-aged troop plans to take in 2016.

For those hungry after a long day of fishing, Brunswick Barbecue and Brew invites participants to bring their catch down the mountain after the contest. They will smoke it for you while you warm up by the fire.

The ice fishing contest is sponsored by twenty-four community businesses and the Natural Heritage Trust. Please let these businesses know you appreciate their sponsorship: Averill Park Septic, Beecroft’s Shooters Supply, Conroy’s Bait Supply, Eastern Mountain Sports, Graftonondack Outfitters, Hoosick True Value, John Ray & Sons, Lakeview Inn, L.L. Bean, Marpe’s Country Store, Marra’s Pharmacy, Poestenkill Auto Supply, Rifenburg Construction, Stewart’s Shops, Stone Industries, Taconic Plastics, The Towne Tavern, Tremont Ace Hardware, Uniferst Uniforms, Yankee Trails, Warren Fane, Wiley Brothers and Young’s Pharmacy.

The Ice Fishing Contest is part of a full day of Winter Festival activities, with offerings that include a Polar Plunge, snow bowling, live animal exhibits and hot food. Please call the Park office at 279-1155 for details and for updates on ice fishing conditions.

Please check our website at http://www.dykenpond.org throughout the season as additional programs may be added based on snow conditions.

January 15 – Wildlife of the Renssealer Plateau: Slide Presentation of Tracks and Signs with Dan Yacobellis from 7 to 9 pm. Learn what evidence to look for on your next hike and learn about wildlife monitoring efforts on the Rensselaer Plateau. The cost is $10. This program will be held at the Pineridge Ski Center, Poestenkill and is co-sponsored by the Rensselaer Land Trust, the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance and Friends of Dyken Pond. Pre-registration is encouraged.

January 17 – Full Moon Trek from 7 to 9 pm. Cross country ski or snowshoe in the natural light of the moon. This is a free program. Snowshoe rentals available for $10. Call for updated snow conditions.

January 18 – Wildlife Tracking Full Day Field Intensive with Alcott Smith from 9 am to 4 pm. Spend an entire day outdoors. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $30, $25 for members. This program is limited to 15 people. Space fills quickly.

January 19 – Wildlife Tracking Half Day Field Intensives with Alcott Smith. Choose from either session or attend both. We will travel a different path for each session. The cost is $20, $15 for members. Pre-registration is required. This program is limited to 15 people. Space fills quickly.

January 19 – Paying Attention Among the Trees: A Winter Walk and Nature Writing Experience with Diane Kavanaugh-Black from 1 to 3 pm. Conscious attention outdoors feeds us on many levels. Writing about the experience helps us to absorb, remember and relate it to our lives. This workshop will inspire the creative process whether you are a novice or already working on your own writing project. Sign up for one or all three sessions; the additional sessions are on February 16 and March 16. Pre-registration is required. The cost is $15, $12 for members.

To pre-register, please contact Lisa Hoyt at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or call 518-658-2055.

Please visit our website for a complete list of Winter 2014 Events at http://www.dykenpond.org. The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville.