Outdoor activities June 9 at Woodchuck Lodge

Outdoor fun and nature exploration for the whole family will be the order of the day Saturday, June 9 at the annual John Burroughs Community Day at Woodchuck Lodge, 1633 Burroughs Memorial Rd., Roxbury.

Continuous activity will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lodge, and at Memorial Field just up the road where beloved naturalist John Burroughs is buried. There is no admission fee, but donations towards the ongoing restoration of the historic house are most welcome.

Tours of the rustic Lodge, Burroughs’ summer home from 1910 to 1920, will also be offered. Trained docents will discuss Burroughs’ boyhood on the nearby family homestead, his work as an essayist, and his role at the vanguard of the conservation movement.

This event celebrates Burroughs’ 175th birthday year. For more information, photos and a season schedule, visit the new website, www.woodchucklodge.org, and find us on Facebook!

At Community Day, Jane Ware of Roxbury Central School (RCS) will provide an introduction to geocaching, high-tech treasure hunting that has become an incredibly popular way to get out and explore the region.

Howie Futterman will bring some of the Raptor Project’s best behaved birds of prey so that visitors can have an up-close look at these winged wonders. Visitors will want to learn about the “100 Frogs” sculpture project and create their own clay amphibian with artist and RCS teacher Amy Royal.

There will be a reading from Burroughs’ nature essays at 11:30 at Boyhood Rock at Memorial Field. Bring your favorite passage to share, or just spend some quiet time listening and reflecting.

Bob Stewart will venture off the beaten path to offer a Wildflower Walk from noon to 1 p.m., and John McDaniel, program coordinator at Manhattan Country School Farm, will offer a Discovery Hike for Kids from 1:30 to 2:30. Interested in coaxing more fruit from your trees? Ryan Trapani of the Catskill Forest Association will demonstrate proper tree pruning techniques in the apple orchard across the road from the Lodge from 1 to 2:30.

John Lutz, founder of Woodchuck Lodge, Inc. the non-profit organization that maintains the house and sponsors educational and outdoor activities, will be the featured speaker, offering remarks from John Burroughs’ iconic front porch at 2:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic and spread a blanket on the lawn.

There are also picnic tables at the Lodge and at Memorial Field. Books, postcards and beverages will be available for purchase. For more information, call 845-586-4973.

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