Friends of Trailside Nature Museum

“| Grants And Similar Amounts Paid:, Amount:| The Friends of Trailside Nature Museum and Ward Pound Ridge were proud to be Silver-level sponsors for the Managing Meadows: Best Practices for Biodiversity and Beauty symposium on November 7 2024 at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture in Tarrytown New York. The symposium brought experts in invasive species management native plants wildlife restoration ecology and other fields to share their knowledge with land managers practitioners and home owners. One outcome of the symposium was a site visit from a United States Fish and Wildlife restoration specialist to Ward Pound Ridge to offer input on some of the ecological issues facing the Reservation., $1000| As part of a major restoration to the 1967 Luquer and Marble Wildflower Garden located adjacent to the Trailside Nature Museum the Friends sponsored the removal of dead hazardous or diseased trees and the purchase of new trees. This work allowed additional sunlight to reach the garden which will help reverse the trend of species loss due to overcrowding and shading., $17000| Turtle Purchases: Providing financial support to the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation turtle conservation initiative supports the Friends mission by providing materials needed for staff to better understand rare turtle population sizes and habitat uses within the park as well as to identify threats to turtle conservation improving understanding of the natural world. Results have been used to adapt meadow management plans identify areas of future research and set goals for increasing turtle population sizes. Thus the Friends contribution to this project has had direct impacts on park management decisions. Additionally the project integrated environmental education through engagement with college interns high school groups and summer camp students. AP environmental science students visited to learn about terrestrial turtle populations and turtle tracking via radio telemetry. College interns spent 10-weeks contributing to turtle conservation projects within the park which supplemented their formal education with field experiences that will help them get conservation-related jobs post-graduation. Lastly turtle traps were used in programs with summer camp students giving campers the opportunity to learn about conservation research and to see turtle species up-close through direct interaction, $6516| College Intern: Providing funding to support a college internship in Natural Resources Conservation aligns with the Friends mission because it is a 10-week education project for students majoring in biology ecology wildlife conservation or related field. The goal of the program is to expose students to ecological research projects conservation management projects and parks maintenance tasks in a way that deepens their understanding of the conservation field and emphasizes the role of human land managers as stewards of the land. Students have also contributed to exhibit design and expanded our capacity to educate other groups including summer campers and the general public. For example last year interns providing turtle trapping programs to summer camp students in the park and helped lead a public nature program., $7350| Home Depot $5,300: Materials and supplies to upgrade and repair the Visitor Center in preparation for the 100th Anniversary celebration., $5300| Maple Sugar Off Party: Funding for all the food music and supplies to enhance the visitor experience.Firefly Festival: Provided vendor and supplies. Their contribution helped to run this educational event teaching the public all about fireflies and their importance. The Friends of Trailsides continued support enables us to keep running this popular nighttime event.Museum Support: Ongoing assistance with continued education for the staff large community events and the purchase of equipment such as display materials teaching tools and technology to improve programming and visitor engagement., $10000| Spooktacular”

“| Other Expenses:, Amount:| Liability Insurance for the Board of the Friends group, $3843|”