PROGRAMS
The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park serves approximately 3,000 children and adults through its comprehensive programming each year. The goals of the FVCP programs are to encourage the use of the Park as an educational resource and to promote environmental stewardship amongst families and young people. The Friends offer programs in the following areas:
I. Volunteer Programs
Trail Guide Program
Trained Trail Guides lead tours through various trails in the Park. Their main purpose is to educate park-users about the history and importance of urban forests.
Trail Maintenance Volunteer Events
The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park have adopted the John Muir Nature Trail, John Kieran Traill and the Croton Extension Trail of Van Cortalndt Park. Each spring and fall, during our Trail Maintenance Volunteer Days, volunteers help to clear the trail and to re-establish the paths by removing invasive plants, lining the trail with logs and planting native trees and shrubs.
Compost/ Community Gardening
For many years, the Friends have developed and maintained a compost site. For the first time, the compost site and garden will be made available to the public and to volunteers so that they can participate in various gardening projects and programs.
For more information on how you can volunteer please call 718-601-1553 or email sara@vancortlandt.org .
II. Non School Hour Programs
Summer Teen Program
Started in 1992, the Friends' flagship Summer Teen Program is an example of what young people can do if they are given a chance. Over the past fourteen years, the Summer Teen Program has brought over 600 teenagers into the Park for internships. The teens have helped preserve and protect the Park by doing a variety of tasks including trail building, brochure design, native species planting, and lake monitoring. In the process, they have grown and become better park stewards. During the Summer of 2008, the Friends have a crew of 22 high school students, 6 hired by the Friends and 16 SYEP participants, that are maintaining the Croton Extension Trail, the John Muir Nature Trail, the Nature Center Garden and the Van Cortlandt House Museum Grounds.
Environmental Internship
The Environmental Internship, in partnership with the Riverdale Neighborhood House and Teens For Planet Earth, provides high school students with the opportunity to take an active role in their environment. The program runs from October through June, with teens working every Friday (4:30 to 6pm) and alternating Saturdays (9:30am to 2:30pm) in Van Cortlandt Park. Throughout the year, teens will learn many aspects of environmental education. In the past topics covered have including tree and bird identification, water quality testing, forest ecology, composting fundamentals and trail maintenance. With this basic knowlege, they then will develop and implement their own projects within the Park giving them the opportunity to focus on those aspects of the Park that interest them the most.
The 2008-2009 Environmental Interns won the Bronze Teens for Planet Earth Service Award from the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Junior Naturalists Program
If you missed this fall’s Junior Naturalists it's not too late to be a part of a group of local young people interested in having fun, helping improve Van Cortlandt Park, learning about the environment, and spending some time getting your hands dirty. JN is open to all 6th- and 7th-grade students and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. for 10 weeks starting April 13. All participants earn community service credit while learning about the forest and other ecosystems in Van Cortlandt Park. Based on suggestions of fall participants, this spring will be full of tree plantings, arts and crafts, informational games and lessons, and other fun-filled activities. Click here for the flyer. Click here for an applications which are due by April 6th. This spring, Junior Naturalists is funded by New York City Environmental Fund and St. James Church.
For information about please call 718-601-1553 or email sara@vancortlandt.org.
III. Programs for Teachers
Environmental Explorations
A NYCDOE After School Professional Development 30-hour course for NYC teachers offered by the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Bronx River Alliance.
This course uses hands-on activities to bring NYC’s local outdoor resources and nature into the classroom and enhance classroom learning. We will explore different aspects of nature (including wildlife, plant life, and ecosystems) and how these different aspects interact with each other. Materials covered include Project WILD, Project WET, Project Learning Tree and more, in addition to introducing teachers to local environmental resources. Teachers will be provided with new strategies for introducing environmental topics in connection with math, literacy, and art, fostering student leadership and developing higher order thinking skills.
Dates/Times:
Wednesdays- September 22nd through November 10th 5:00 PM- 8:00 PM
Saturdays – October 2nd and 16th 10:00 AM -5:00 PM
Location:
Van Cortlandt Museum House*, Van Cortlandt Park, Bx (north end of the #1 Train)
*Note: subject to change for a few dates
Cost?
$250 which covers
-$100 non refundable ASPDP course fee
-all course materials, curriculum books and food
How do I sign up?
Visit the After School Professional Development’s website at http://schools.nyc.gov/Teachers/aspdp and view their course catalog.
Questions? Want to take a class without receiving credit? Contact the Course Instructors:
Sara Kempton, Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, 718-601-1553 or sara@vancortlandt.org
Betsy Ukeritis, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, 718-482-6404 or baukerit@gw.dec.state.ny.us
IV. Programs for School Groups
Van Cortlandt Adventures
Bring your students to the fourth largest park in New York City, Van Cortlandt Park, for a truly unique educational experience in a beautiful natural setting. Our programs allow you to add 1,146 acres of wetlands, meadows, old growth forest and a lake to your classroom. Whether you come once or several times, your students will have fun and learn the importance of preserving nature.
Forester for a Day
Two part program- First students will learn about the basics of forest ecology, including requirements for survival, habitats and the web of life. During the second visit, students will have an opportunity to plant trees and shrubs along the trail to help restore it. Program for 4th grade and up. Each visit is 1.5 to 2 hours. Spring and Fall only.
Nature Awareness
The sights, sounds, textures and scents of the woodlands and meadows are a wonderful experience for everyone. Let us introduce your students to the natural beauty that is Van Cortlandt Park as we hike through woodlands and wetlands along the John Kieran Trail. Program for 3rd grade and under. Program runs for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Freshwater Ecology
Your students will play the role of an aquatic biologist to determine just how healthy Van Cortlandt Lake is. We will test the pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and more of the lake. Then, using nets, students will collect insects and fish and examine them under microscopes. The data collected will be compared with other students results to determine the status of the lake over time. Program for 3rd grade and up. Program runs for 1.5-2 hours. Spring, Summer and Fall only!
Take a Hike
Hike through the trails of Van Cortlandt Park with a knowledgeable tour guide. Tree identification, exotic and native wildlife and a little park history are just some of the topics of the tour. Bring walking shoes and water for this adventure in the park. Program for 6th grade and up. Programs runs for 1 to 3 hours. Year-round.
