Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

(914) 631-1470

Steward Sundays are led by our Natural Resource Specialist, Rebecca Policello. Dig and cut invasive vines and shrubs, and plant and care for native wildflowers, while learning about what you're doing every step of the way. This volunteer work is crucial to preserve the forest and wildlife for future generations.

No experience necessary. Registration for this event is required.

Register at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling the office at 914-631-1470 x106. Meet at Rockefeller Preserve courtyard near the Preserve Office and Gallery. Free and open to all ages. Ages 12+ recommended.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Get down and dirty with Rockefeller Preserve's ecological stewardship team! Steward Sundays are led by our Natural Resource Specialist, Rebecca Policello. Dig and cut invasive vines and shrubs, and plant and care for native wildflowers, while learning about what you're doing every step of the way. This volunteer work is crucial to preserve the forest and wildlife for future generations. No experience necessary. Meet at Rockefeller Preserve courtyard near the Preserve Office and Gallery. Register for this event at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling Rebecca at 914-631-1470 x106.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Join the Native Plant Center for a field walk on Saturday, May 18th from 9 AM to 10:00 AM. You'll learn about native & invasive plants of Rockefeller with some of Westchester's experts, while enjoying a pleasant walk around the lake. Missy Fabel and Dawn Orza will lead a nature walk discussing what kinds of native and invasive plants are at the Preserve and some key skills on how to identify them. They will also discuss what we’re doing at the Preserve to protect native plants and why. Missy is a member of The Native Plant Center’s Steering Committee and volunteer coordinator of the Go Native U certificate program. Dawn is training to be a Cornell Master Naturalist, and has been working on eliminating invasives from the woodlands and replanting native plants in a private Westchester County estate. Meet in the Preserve Courtyard.

Register for this event at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling Rebecca at 914-631-1470 x106.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Join our Natural Resource Specialist on the third Wednesday of every month from April to October for Wildflower Wednesday! Rebecca Policello will be teaching you about new native wildflowers every month that can grow in different areas of the Preserve. Bring your outdoor working clothes, because after her introduction, we will be diving right into weeding and/or planting projects to help restore key wildflower areas. Bring a water bottle and work gloves, if you have them! Otherwise they will be provided for you. Reservations for this volunteer event are required. Volunteers will meet in the courtyard, outside the Office and Gallery.

(914) 631-1470

Heidi is rejoining us as our special guide for a Spring Photo Walk, contributing her unique talents to lead another once-per-season tradition at the Preserve (following her popular Fall and Winter Photo Walks). As always, Heidi will not burden the walk with an instructional class; rather, she will help point out photographic subjects and approaches during an energetic 2-hour jaunt through our carriage trails in search of both broad vistas and close-ups. Heidi’s enthusiasm has guided numerous photography groups through natural settings. Trained as a lawyer, she displays attention to detail and nuance in her photography. As a long-distance runner, she also uses her cell phone to photograph sunrises and wildlife deep in the woods. Heidi has exhibited in many private and public venues in NYC and Westchester. Currently, a popular NYC museum (New York Hall of Science) has installed more than 50 of her fine art photographic prints in a 3-month solo exhibit titled “Celebrating Water.” She has shown her works at Rockefeller Preserve Gallery exhibits including the “Winged Jewels of the Forest” (wild birds found in the Preserve) and “Wild Life: Carnivores of Rockefeller Preserve.”

Register for this event at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling Rebecca at 914-631-1470 x106.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Come and learn the best techniques for photographing birds. Join wildlife photographer Bill Golden for a bird photography field trip on May 4th at 1:30 PM. The field trip will be 2 hours. The first ½ hour will be instructional. Bill will explain what settings are most effective in photographing birds and other wildlife and share tips on how to photograph birds in flight. The remainder of the time will be spent in the field giving participants hands-on supervised experience. Participants will meet in the Rockefeller Park Preserve Gallery which can be accessed from the main parking lot on Rt 119. Parking is $6. To register call the park office at 914-631-1470 x0. Rain date will be May 5th, same time and place. Bill’s photographs have been shown in exhibitions at the Rockefeller Park Preserve Gallery as well in the New York Hall of Science. He has published photographs and articles about birds in publications such as the Preserve Observer and the River Journal. His bird photographs have been used by the Saw Mill River Audubon.

Free, but registration for event is required at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling Rebecca at 914-631-1470 x106.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Register
Start time: 10am
End time: 1pm
Ages: All ages welcome

Volunteer Project #1: Bench Builders: Our new Park Manager Peter Iskenderian, and Maintenance Supervisor Tim Howell, will be leading you in a bench building project to restore this once treasured area of the Park. By the end of the day, we hope to transform a rusted, out-of-use outdoor classroom into a brand-new, inviting place for both children and adults to immerse themselves in nature and learn about its wonders.  Light colored long pants and sleeves are recommended to protect you from pesky thorns and help reduce your exposure to ticks. Light snacks will be provided at each station. Please bring: Garden gloves and water.
Meeting Location: Visitor Center Courtyard

Volunteer Project #2: Free the Fields! Join our team to tear down rotting split rails along our newly acquired land off of Bedford Rd. Rehabilitating this area is high priority because of its ecological promise. Park along Bedford Rd/Rt 448 before Stone Barns. Light colored long pants and sleeves are recommended to protect you from pesky thorns and help reduce your exposure to ticks. Light snacks will be provided at each station. Please bring: Garden gloves and water.
Meeting Location: follow this link: https://goo.gl/maps/7Gj8ZMSvuR12

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

Come and learn the best techniques for photographing birds. Join wildlife photographer Bill Golden for a bird photography field trip on May 3rd at 1:30 PM. The field trip will be 2 hours. The first ½ hour will be instructional. Bill will explain what settings are most effective in photographing birds and other wildlife and share tips on how to photograph birds in flight. The remainder of the time will be spent in the field giving participants hands-on supervised experience. Participants will meet in the Rockefeller Park Preserve Gallery which can be accessed from the main parking lot on Rt 119. The field trip is free but requires advanced registration. Parking is $6. Bill’s photographs have been shown in exhibitions at the Rockefeller Park Preserve Gallery as well in the New York Hall of Science. He has published photographs and articles about birds in publications such as the Preserve Observer and the River Journal. His bird photographs have been used by the Saw Mill River Audubon.

Register for this event at www.rockefellerstateparkpreserve.eventbrite.com or by calling Rebecca at 914-631-1470 x106.

Registration: Required

(914) 631-1470

A series of paintings expressing concern with the steady destruction of our environment. The pollution of air, water and soil can lead to the destruction of ecosystems, habitats and the extinction of plants and wildlife. In the oil paintings, the plant is absent with only the memory of its color or habitat remaining. Each oil painting is detailed by drawing with sterling silver or "silverpoint", which will continue to tarnish and age forever thus making the work "alive". The exquisitely detailed watercolor paintings remind us of the beauty and importance of preserving our natural environment and native wildflowers.

An exhibition of botanical art featuring Corinne Lapin-Cohen with artists; Lenore M. Adams, Rochelle Auslander, Phyllis Chadwick, Ann J. Goodman, Gloria Goren, Linda Jbara, Norma Kurman, Anna Rudnicki, Kristen Tomithy-Lankster and Yona Shilling-Wiesen