The Otter - Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

TTER

WILDCENTER.ORG

OUT IN THE COLD OPENING THE DOORS COME INSIDE JULY 1

p.4 Metal and Nature p.6 Stickwork p.10 Teaching

Climate Change

p.12 Akwesasne

Road Trip p.16 Visiting Virtually p.22 Events Calendar

OUTDOORS,

EVEN MORE HERE’S THE BIG NEWS: Starting Thursday, July 1, we’re opening our doors and welcoming guests back inside our main building.

And we couldn’t be more excited to see you!

We’ve waited to welcome our visitors, members, staff and volunteers back inside not only until the science said it was safe to do so, but also until we knew that we could deliver a safe, only-at-The Wild Center experience.

To ensure that, we’ve put some temporary policies and amenities in place. Here’s what you can expect:

TIMED TICKET RESERVATION SYSTEM. We’re limiting the number of visitors on campus by requiring reservations. All visitors, including members, must make a reservation before coming. You’ll be able to specify a two-hour window when you’d like to arrive. Once you’re here, though, you can stay as long as you like.

Reservations are available at wildcenter.org, by calling 518-359-7800, or emailing info@wildcenter.org.

MASKS INSIDE FOR ALL, OUTSIDE FOR THE UNVACCINATED. If you’ve been vaccinated, feel free to remove your mask outside. For everybody’s safety, all visitors must wear face coverings inside.

KEEP IT CLEAN, KEEP IT SAFE. We’ll have plenty of hand sanitizing stations indoors and out, and staff will regularly clean and disinfect busy areas and restrooms.

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COVER PHOTO: Childhood Dreams (2007). Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix. Photo: Adam Rodriguez

ONE-WAY FOOT TRAFFIC. When you’re inside, you’ll traverse our Living River trail counter-clockwise. You’ll find other directional signage across campus, in an effort to maintain social distancing.

Please keep an eye out for it.

CURBSIDE OR INSIDE THE WILD SUPPLY CO. The last stop on the Living River loop is our store, where you’ll be able to shop inside.

But you can also visit us online, or arrange for curbside pickup.

LUNCH FROM THE WATERSIDE CAFÉ. Starting July 1, you’ll be able to pre-order fresh lunches from our cafeteria that you can eat outside. In addition, you’ll be able to buy snacks at the Wild Walk kiosk.

PAPERLESS VISIT. For the time being, we’re accepting only cashless payments at our cafeteria and the Wild Supply Co. And we’ve replaced paper maps with digital versions accessible on our website or through our new mobile app. (That app also includes audio tours and self-led scavenger hunts.)

OUTDOORS, EVEN MORE. Your timed ticket also includes access to our 115-acre outdoor campus, home to Wild Walk, Forest Music and—new this summer—a pair of one-of-a-kind sculpture installations from Barney Bellinger and Patrick Dougherty, nationally known artists bringing their work to Tupper Lake.

(You can read more about what’s in store on page 4–7.)

More info available at wildcenter.org/visit.

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RUST & ROOTS Much of Barney Bellinger’s artwork brings the outdoors, in: His rustic furniture incorporates natural elements, like tree trunks and antlers, and puts a bold twist on the stick-and-twig variety of Adirondack art.

For his new installation at The Wild Center, though, he’s gone the opposite direction. Bellinger’s outdoor sculpture exhibit, “Welded Steel: Shape, Form and Light,” depicts fish, plants 4

and other natural forms—but is constructed entirely with man-made, industrial-grade materials.

The 17 pieces, placed along our Forest Music exhibit and around Greenleaf Pond, are studies of form meant to evoke subjects including jumping fish, pickerel weeds and pitcher plants, a particular favorite. “We’re not mimicking nature—we’re only being inspired by it,” says Bellinger, whose goal is

“You can find art all around you and inspiration all around you,” Bellinger says. “You just have to go find it.” to show how rusty, salvaged metal can add a different dimension to the natural world without overtaking it.

He knows the abstract nature of the sculpture may take a while to grasp.

“Maybe some people won’t understand it, or won’t get it until they walk through and then see how you’re taking these raw materials and forming and shaping them to mimic nature, in how it can live with nature,” he says.

From there, Bellinger says,

he’s hoping visitors will take the next step and use nature as a muse for their own creativity. Maybe they’ll be inspired to take out a canoe and look for a pitcher plant.

Or maybe they’ll just open their eyes to the random wonders that surround them. “I may be driving on a back country road in the Adirondacks and see an old car,” he says, proving his point. “You see what’s growing. You see the vines that are intertwining between the wheels of a car.”

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Stickwork COMING SOON:

When ecologist Dan Spada looks at a stand of Scotch pine, well, he doesn’t have much love. “It’s typically looked at as an invasive species,” he says. “It’s not native. And it’s not of much use for anything except pulp.”

But when he showed artist Patrick Dougherty around the Scotch pine grove near Wild Walk last fall, where Dougherty will construct his upcoming installation at The Wild Center, Spada got an entirely new perspective on something he had taken for granted.

“When he started talking about his vision for the installation, how it was going to wrap around the trees and become part of it—the color and the form and the texture of the bark—I began to appreciate it even more than I had before,” he says.

Dougherty’s sculptures, which have been erected around the world, weave branches and saplings to make fanciful, lifesize structures that visitors can walk through. He does all his 6

ABOVE: A Waltz in the Woods (2015). Morris Arboretum of UPA, Philadelphia. Photo: Rob Cardillo BELOW: Dan Spada (left) consults with Patrick Dougherty.

WE WANT YOU! Patrick Dougherty’s rambling Stickwork sculpture is an all-hands affair—and we’re looking for help.

We need volunteers to cut and bundle branches, and then strip them of leaves, before the sculpture starts, and still more to weave, under Dougherty’s direction, later on. We’re looking for people who are enthusiastic and able to follow directions, but do note: this is physically demanding work. Shifts are four hours apiece. If you’d like to learn more, email lfavreau@wildcenter.org.

work on-site, relying on a team of volunteers to build the final product. Dougherty will be here in August for about two weeks while the sculpture goes up.

The materials he’ll likely use, red maple and pussywillow saplings, will come from Adirondack landowners. Spada says they’re ideal species to harvest for something like this.

Pussywillow spring back at will: “You can cut them and cut them and cut them, and that’s not going to harm them at all,” he says. And the red maple being harvested would likely be used for pulp or chips, not timber.

As far as the site itself, Spada says the Scotch pine was likely planted decades ago. Someday, it will be overtaken by native species. In the meantime, visitors will have a window to contemplate their own participation in the transition. “I deal with the forest from a scientific perspective, and he deals with the forest from an artist’s perspective,” Spada says. “It was nice to get together and see how our views blended.”

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Will Work FOR FOOD The stars of one of The Wild Center’s newest attractions are too small to be seen.

They’re microbes, and there are 15 quintillion* of them inside our shipping-container-sized drum composter located at the edge of our parking lot. (There are half that many grains of sand on the entire planet.)

Every day, those single-celled organisms are hard at work converting food scraps to compost. It’s a process that does more than turn waste to something useful. It can even help combat climate change. Because when food is composted, it becomes all-natural fertilizer. But when food is sent to a landfill, it rots and releases methane, a greenhouse gas.

And lots of food is sent to landfills in the United States—150,000 tons a day, in fact. So every time we divert waste, we’re helping the planet.

Every day, we put about 250 pounds of waste from our cafeteria and two local schools into the composter. Even if you can’t see the microbes, you can tell they’re at work: The decomposition process can make the pile 140˚F or hotter.

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You may be able to smell the process, especially on a hot day. You can see the pile of loamy, soil-like compost curing outside of the container. And you can follow the process on a 40-foot-long, 8-foot-tall banner illustrated by Saranac Lake artist Peter Seward, whose art is featured on this page.

To Charlie Reinertsen, our exhibit developer, getting to see composting at work is a way to understand a natural process each of us can try at home. “Composting is something that’s hard to observe,” he says. “Microbes are too small to see, and it takes too long to witness a banana peel transforming into compost. This exhibit is all about bringing that process to life through illustration.”

One teaspoon of healthy soil is home to more microbes than there are humans on the planet

* In case you’re wondering: That’s 15,000,000,000,000,000,000.

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TEACHING THE TEACHERS It’s not enough to understand climate change—you have to do something about it. This summer, we’ll equip hundreds of teachers from across the country with the tools to empower their students to take those needed steps.

For the second year, we’re working with Climate Generation’s Summer Institute for Climate Change Education to lead workshops in a three-day virtual conference. Along with experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we’ll be helping 300 K-12 educators across the country work through topics including: Climate change science and solutions Combatting misinformation and science denial and developing media literacy Exploring ways of knowing Beliefs in stories and personal experiences Shifting power and voice to marginalized communities Teachers as advocates for youth power Educators will spend one day collaborating with others from their region, participating in workshops, discussions and field experiences. We’ll be working directly with the group from New York State that day—and with all the participants on the first and last day of the conference.

“Our planning team is laser-focused on creating an experience that incorporates and prioritizes connection, restoration and reflection alongside content,” says Erin Griffin, manager of the Youth Climate Program. “Last year, we received lots of feedback from teachers on how they appreciated the sense of community. I know this summer’s institute will feel the same.”

When: July 28–30 Where: Virtual. Zoom required.

Cost: $250. Scholarships available.

To register: www.climategen.org/our-core-programs/ climate-change-education/professional-development/ summer-institute/

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GOTCHA!

Oh, kids. They don’t call, they don’t write.

Since we released a pair of rehabilitated otters at the Shingle Shanty Preserve and Research Station last fall, we’ve caught scant glimpse of them: This image from a trail camera, captured in November, is the last time one of them wandered into range. (Countless fisher, coyote, moose, deer and other wildlife walked past last winter. But no otters.)

That’s not really a surprise, though. The remote, 15,000-acre expanse in the western Adirondacks offers plenty of places for otters to hang out off-camera. Preserve Director Steve Langdon says he figured the pair would probably head south, anyway, heading downstream about 5 miles to Upper Sister Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area.

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Timeless story, timely message For as long as time, the Haudenosaunee and other Indigenous groups have told a story of the world’s creation.

It explains that the land we walk on is a turtle’s back, and how the sun and moon came to be in the sky. It tells how the crops that nourished people came about, and positive and negative forces came into the world.

“The Senecas might tell it a little different than the Mohawks,” says Iakonikonriiosta, museum manager of the Akwesasne Cultural Center in Akwesasne. “You’re talking about thousands of years in the oral history. But the premise of it is that we’re very fortunate to live in this time and space.

And in order for us to continue that, we have to give thanks.”

“Thanksgiving” is a core element of the creation story. A mural depicting the Thanksgiving Address and creation tale greets visitors to the newly renovated Cultural Center, which is reopening this spring for visitors. Up to six guests at a time will be able to walk through the museum, which showcases the cultural tradition of the Haudenosaunee. Displays feature woven sweetgrass baskets made by master craftspeople as well as wampum belts, intricate beadwork and artifacts depicting the Haudenosaunee experience.

For three years, The Wild Center and the Akwesasne Cultural Center, the Six Nations Iroquois Cultural Center and the Native North American Traveling College have

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had a partnership called Ways of Knowing. As part of our work together, displays here in Tupper Lake have explored how Indigenous populations view nature. This traditional ecological knowledge, as it’s known, complements the western, scientific approach that many non-Indigenous people may be more familiar with.

“We approach things in such a siloed way,” says Jen Kretser, The Wild Center’s director of climate initiatives. Traditional ecological knowledge, on the other hand, does a better job of helping us understand our own connection to nature.

Or, in other words: “It’s harder to neglect or abuse things you take care of,” Iakonikonriiosta says.

And after the past year, when COVID-19 upended so much, Iakonikonriiosta says that message is as appropriate as ever.

“The Creator asked us to slow down and think about things,” she says. “He is showing us who is boss.”

Artist David Kanietakeron Fadden has turned his depiction of the Thanksgiving Address, on display at both the Akwesasne Cultural Center and The Wild Center, into a new book featuring his paintings. Featuring both an English and Mohawk translation, the book is available for purchase at the Akwesasne Cultural Center and at the Wild Supply Co. To visit the Akwesasne Cultural Center: The Center is located at 321 NY 37 in Akwesasne. Contact the Center at 518-358-2240 or visit akwesasneculturalcenter.org for more information.

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CREATURE FEATURE

Brookies. Many an angler dreams of catching one of these beauties, which are native to the Adirondacks.

But you don’t have to convince somebody to reveal the location of their favorite fishing hole: dozens are swimming at The Wild Center.

NAME: Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) DIET: Lots of insects: larval, pupal and adult aquatic insects, and terrestrial insects that fall into the water. But brook trout will also go after larger meals, including frogs, crustaceans, smaller

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fish and sometimes small mammals.

SIZE: Anywhere from 10–25 inches and 0.6—6.6 lbs.

KNOW YOUR FISH: Brook trout have several distinguishing features.

They’re covered with a constellation of light spots on their skin, which is dark green or brown. But there are several other telltale signs you’re looking at a brookie: Each of those red spots is surrounded by a blue halo. Their lower fins have a white leading edge.

And there are wormlike marks on their backs.

Courtesy Charlie Reinertsen

FISH FINDER: Brook trout can be found in rivers, streams, lakes and ponds across the eastern United States, from Canada all the way to Georgia. They were once the most common fish in the Adirondacks, but because of the introduction of other species, they’ve been squeezed out of many places they once thrived.

Today, you can find them in isolated streams and ponds at higher elevations, where the water is extra-cold and those other species haven’t been introduced.

SHRINKING HABITAT: Isolated strains of brook

trout evolve in distinct ways. And because of environmental pressures, such as pollution and predators, some of these strains are in danger of dying out. Near The Wild Center, in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, only 3 percent of the waters that once held brook trout still do.

The Wild Center has several one-of-a-kind strains on exhibit. In fact, we may be the only place in the world where you can see some of these distinct strains together.

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NO BUS NECESSARY 16

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS BRING THE WILD CENTER HOME

“I can’t swim, stop showing off,” said another.

spring, but because of COVID-19, those field trips stopped. So last fall, we began offering online sessions for schools, hosted by a Wild Center educator: Creature Features, which are an encounter with one of our animals, or virtual field trips, which involve two educators and more time. And while the experience isn’t quite the same as being here, in a year when a lot of students are spending a lot of time at home, having the opportunity to see nature—even separated by a screen— is a big deal.

It would have been a typical scene from a typical field trip, if not for one big difference: These students were 300 miles away, watching a livestream in their own homes.

“You can see the learning taking place,” says Michael Trumbower, our school programs coordinator.

“We want to make it an adventure, not just a presentation.”

We usually welcome hundreds of students to The Wild Center each

Interactivity is the key to that. Trumbower asked students to observe

On a Friday this spring, a group of 5th graders from PS 38 in Brooklyn marveled at Scarlett and Ta:wi:ne, two of our otters. As usual, the critters were putting on a show, slicing through the water beneath Otter Falls and rooting through piles of leaves to find their food. The students loved it.

“She is so cute!” one said.

the animals and talk about special characteristics they may display, such as the otters’ smooth coats or sharp teeth. They contributed both out loud and in chat messages that ran alongside the video feed.

opportunities to see wildlife; this year, when class has been fully remote, they’ve been stuck home even more often. Every PS 38 student has had the chance to participate in at least two Creature Features.

“It looks silky, like it just came out of the water,” one girl noted.

Her students have responded. “They become very engaged,” she says.

“I have one kid who is struggling in almost every other subject area, but he

As much as Trumbower misses the in-person

interaction, virtual field trips have their own benefits.

Because educators can put the iPad camera right next to an animal, students get an even closer view than if they were a few feet away. And while field trips are generally restricted to districts within driving distance, this spring, schools from faraway places like California, Georgia and Maryland have been able to attend.

In the case of Gina Duclayan’s class from PS 38, they’ve been more than once. In a normal year, she said, city kids have fewer

actually takes notes during the Creature Features because he wants to remember everything about the animals.”

And students aren’t the only ones sitting in on the calls.

“You probably weren’t aware of it, because they had their cameras off, but some of the attendees were parents!”

Duclayan said. “They love the animals so much.”

Would you like your school to pay a virtual visit to The Wild Center? Email Michael Trumbower at mtrumbower@wildcenter.org.

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HAPPY TRAILS, TIM! After almost 10 years of helping coordinate The Wild Center’s membership & development activities, Tim Holmes is stepping down in August. He’s among The Wild Center’s earliest supporters: Holmes says Betsy Lowe’s passion and vision drew him instantly to the promise of this place. In retirement, he says he’s grateful to have participated in its ongoing (and never-ending) evolution. “I’m looking forward to continuing to be inspired by what’s next at The Wild Center,” he says.

As usual, members and donors can always get assistance with anything here by dialing 518-359-7800 or emailing info@wildcenter.org.

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OPEN FOR BUSINESS We’re opening our doors, and to make sure everybody has enough space to shop, the Wild Supply Co. is taking over a portion of the Great Hall (Josh Pratt, the store manager, is seen here taking a break during the early stages of our expansion.). Shop in person, or go online anytime at thewild-supply-co.myshopify.com, where you can arrange for curbside pickup or home delivery.

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WILD STYLE 20

We were outdoorsonly all winter, so the latest set of your best pix has something in common: They’re all from Winter Wild Walk and our Wild Lights installation. How magical was our firstever season of Wild Lights, which drew almost 8,000 visitors?

Just take a look at our top shot, from @cmw.style.

Didn’t see it yourself?

You’ll get another chance in November, when Wild Lights returns for a second season.

OTHER WILD SHOTS! top to bottom: @wanderlusters2 @pa1gemon @onlyandrewkim @nikkinikcole Each of these photographers will get a copy of “A Wild Journey,” our photographic history of The Wild Center.

We’ll do this again in our next issue—but this time, maybe, inside!

Get your masks, charge your phone and tag your pix #WILDCENTER.

THERE’S MORE TO EXPLORE THIS SUMMER Each visit to The Wild Center begins by reserving a ticket in advance, either online or by phone. That applies to everyone, including members (who are admitted at no charge), donors, regular patrons and first-time visitors. Timed reservations help keep all visitors safe by managing crowd size, as our youngest and most vulnerable visitors are currently unable to be vaccinated against COVID.

NEW THIS YEAR LIVING RIVER TRAIL, INSIDE THE EXHIBIT HALL On this one-way, indoors loop, visitors will experience traversing an Adirondack Trail—starting at the summit of a High Peak and passing through forests, waterfalls, rivers, streams, lakes and bogs. You’ll pass by more than 2,000 live creatures, including fish, turtles and, of course, our beloved otters.

WELDED STEEL: SHAPE, FORM AND LIGHT, BARNEY BELLINGER OUTDOOR EXHIBIT This art-in-nature installation by Barney Bellinger is a collaboration with Tupper Arts. Bellinger has installed 17 metal sculptures on campus. See them beginning at the path from the main parking lot to the patio, across Rainbow Bridge and throughout Forest Music.

FOREST MUSIC Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Forest Music features new music composed by Lake Placid musician Eric Sturr. Using Barney Bellinger’s sculptures as inspiration, Sturr wrote “Iron Harvest,” a five-piece instrumental composition with metallic sounds and drumming juxtaposed with natural-sounding harmonies.

NATURALIST-GUIDED DAILY CANOEING ON THE RAQUETTE RIVER Daily thru September 6, 1 p.m.

Plan to add this special backcountry experience to your Wild Center visit.

Canoes provided. Members, $30; non-Members, $45. Only five spots available daily—advanced registration required, in addition to advanced reservations for daily admission.

MEMBERS ONLY FRIDAY MEMBERS MORNINGS ON WILD WALK

Fridays in July and August, 8–10 a.m.

Members and their guests can enjoy Wild Walk before it opens to the public.

No charge, but advanced registration required, online or by phone: 518-359-7800.

See all the details at wildcenter.org/events Many events have limited space—please register early.

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2021 WORKSHOPS AND PROGRAMS STICKWORK BY PATRICK DOUGHERTY, BEGINNING IN AUGUST During the first few weeks of August, Patrick Dougherty will be at The Wild Center to construct his unique stick-work sculptures near Wild Walk.

Volunteers can assist in the project. Once complete, visitors are welcome to experience them up close and walk through the intricate structures. If you are interested in volunteering contact Leanne at lfavreau@wildcenter.org.

CARL HEILMAN PHOTO WORKSHOPS Carl Heilman II is an Adirondack-based, award-winning outdoor photographer who specializes in nature panoramas, murals and nature photography.

Register early at wildcenter.org/events for his workshops at The Wild Center.

Saturday, August 21, 2–10 p.m.

Photograph Adirondack landscapes and the full moon rising. Members, $155; non-members, $180. Limit 6.

Saturday, September 25, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.

Spend a day honing your photography skills on this Fall Landscape and Waterway Tour. Members, $155; non-members, $180. Limit 8.

FOREST BATHING Sunday, October 10, 8:30–11 a.m.

Open yourself to the sights, sounds, smells and textures of an Adirondack forest on this 2.5-hour eco-trip. Join Certified Forest Therapy Guide Suzanne Weirich on a series of brief sensory activities. Adult members, $30; nonmembers, $40; youth, $20. Limit 10.

IMPACTS OF ROAD SALT ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS, WITH THE ADIRONDACK WATERSHED INSTITUTE Thursday, November 4, 6 p.m. (Digital program, via Zoom.)

New York State is the largest user of road salt in North America. The amount of salt used here far exceeds other pollutants, such as acid deposition. Join the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College to learn more about the effects of road salt on the aquatic ecosystems of the Adirondacks.

2021 SPECIAL EVENTS HAUNTED FOREST Friday & Saturday, Oct. 22, 23, 29, 30 Deep in the trails surrounding The Wild Center, ghostly lumberjacks and menacing creatures await … if you’re brave enough to enter after nightfall.

WILD LIGHTS Thanksgiving 2021–February 2022 The return of an enhanced “Wild Lights” will invite visitors to wander into our illuminated nighttime winter wonderland. Thousands of twinkling lights will adorn Wild Walk and spread across campus so visitors can enjoy the colorful sights and sounds of the Forest Music trail. This year you will be able to warm yourselves by a wood fire, and there will be food and hot beverages to make your visit special.

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Stephanie Ratcliffe Executive Director

Karen K. Thomas Chair

The Wild Center is a not-forprofit 501(c)(3) organization chartered as an educational institution by the New York State Board of Regents.

Printed on paper proudly produced at International Paper’s Ticonderoga mill using fiber from sustainably managed Adirondack forests.

The Otter is published by The Wild Center 45 Museum Drive Tupper Lake, NY USA 12986 wildcenter.org 518.359.7800

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