Popular Free Program Returns to Help More New Yorkers Share the Outdoors Through Camping
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the return of the First-Time Camper Program for the 2023 season. New York families that have never camped before will have the opportunity to try camping in the great outdoors before making the significant investment to purchase their own gear by registering for a fully stocked campsite at a select DEC-operated campground for a designated weekend this summer.
“I am excited to once again welcome first-time campers to DEC’s world-class campgrounds in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve,” Commissioner Seggos said. “The First-Time Camper Program has successfully introduced New Yorkers to the great outdoors for several years, introducing 350 novice campers to outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, boating, and birding. DEC’s knowledgeable and experienced Camping Ambassadors are ready to assist first-time campers with every facet of their adventure to ensure a good time is had by all.”
Looking Back to a Simpler Time: Being Paid with Food, Gardening & Camping
So many big nature-related events happened this week, it will be hard to fit them all in. Most of you suffered through the two-day, one-night super freeze and way below zero windchill factor that would freeze any exposed skin in a matter of minutes. We had -27 here at Eight Acre Wood that morning and the birds at the feeder were sitting on their feet to keep them warm. [We had] 75 Evening Grosbeaks that morning, and the single White-Throated Sparrow was the first at the feeders, he even ate with the grosbeaks all around him.
My daughter, Erin, called me on Saturday, [Feb. 4] at quarter to three from the front porch [of her condo] in Myrtle Beach to say they just shot down the weather balloon. Photos coming via the internet. Well, I couldn’t have gotten that any sooner on the national news. They had been watching it for quite a while behind the building and then over the ocean where four jets had been all around it. Then one shot it down with a rocket. Now when she walks the beach, she will be looking for balloon parts, not shark’s teeth.
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