PROGRAMS
The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park serves approximately 2,000 children and adults through its comprehensive programming each year. The goals of the FVCP programs are to encourage use of the Park as an educational resource and to promote environmental stewardship amongst families and young people. The Friends offer programs in the following areas:
I. Volunteer Programs
Greeter Program
The greeter program will place volunteer docents in the Spring and Summer months at several heavily-trafficked park entrances with information for park goers.
Trail Guide Program
Trained Trail Guides lead tours through various trails in the park. Their main purpose is to educate park-users about the history and importance of urban forests.
Trail Maintenance Volunteer Events
The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park have adopted both the John Muir Nature Trail and the Croton Extension Trails of Van Cortalndt Park. Each spring and fall, during our Trail Maintenance Volunteer Days, volunteers help to clear the trail and to re-establish the paths by removing invasive plants, lining the trail with logs and planting native trees and shrubs.
Compost/ Community Gardening
For the past three years the Friends have developed and maintained a compost site. For the first time the compost and garden will be made available to the public and volunteers to participate in various gardening projects and programs.
For more information on how you can volunteer please call 718-601-1553 or email fvcpeducation@hotmail.com.
II. Non School Hour Programs
Summer Teen Program
Started in 1992, the Friends' flagship Summer Teen Program is an example of what young people can do if they are given a chance. Over the past fourteen years, the Summer Teen Program has brought over 600 teenagers into the park for internships. The teens have helped preserve and protect the park by doing a variety of tasks including trail building, brochure design, native species planting, and lake monitoring. In the process, they have grown and become better park stewards. In the Summer of 2006, the Friends had a crew of 30 high school students that maintained the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, the Croton Extension trail and the John Muir Nature Trail.
Western Environmental Internship
The Environmental Internship, in partnership with the Riverdale Neighborhood House and Teens For Planet Earth, provides high school students the opportunity to take an active role in their environment. The program runs from October through June with teens working every Friday and alternating Saturdays in Van Cortlandt Park. Throughout the year, teens will learn many aspects of environmental education including tree and bird identification, water quality testing, forest ecology, composting fundamentals and trail maintenance. With this basic knowlege they then develop and implement their own projects within the park giving them the opportunity to focus on those aspects of the park that interest them most.
Southeastern Environmental Internship
Thanks to the Levitt Foundation, the Friends are expanding our Environmental Internship Program to include a new internship in the Southeast Corner of Van Cortlandt Park. The Southeastern Environmental Internship for high school students will run from October through June with teens working every Wednesday and alternating Saturdays in Van Cortlandt Park. This program involves the teens working on the Croton Extension Trail in the Southeast Forest along with Environmental Education Projects. Throughout the year, teens will learn many aspects of environmental education including tree and bird identification, water quality testing, forest ecology, composting fundamentals and trail maintenance. Interns will meet near Gun Hill Road and Jerome Avenue.
The deadline has passed for applications for this year’s Environmental Internship. For more information on the internship please call 718-601-1553 or email fvcpeducation@hotmail.com.
Junior Naturalists Program
The Junior Naturalist program provides 6th to 8th students with the opportunity to learn about important natural resources in Van Cortlandt Park and surrounding areas. The Junior Naturalist program takes place each spring and fall with sessions focusing on a different topic such as Forest Ecology, Lake Ecology, and Biodiversity. During each session participants learn about the topics through hands on activities, field trips and sites visits in our park and other areas. At the end of each session participants conduct a program for their friends and family, where they will teach them about the natural wonders of our Park and reiterate the knowledge that they have learned will participating in the Junior Naturalist program.
This spring Junior Naturalists will be offered for eight weeks on the eastern side of Van Cortlandt Park on Wednesdays starting April 30th. Click here for more information about this program. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis with the deadline being April 25th. Funding for this program is generously being provided by ConEdison and the Hagedorn Fund.
Lil’ Explorers Program
PROGRAM FULL!!!!!
The Friends’ Lil’ Explorers program is our newest program that was launched in the spring of 2006. This spring, Lil’ Explorers will be a Saturday morning program for K-2nd grade students and their parent(s). Starting May 10th, this year's Lil’ Explorers will learn about the various plants, animals and habitats of Van Cortlandt Park. Click here for more information about this program. Funding for this program is generously being provided by ConEdison and the Hagedorn Fund.
III. Programs for Teachers
Van Cortlandt OUTDOORS! Teachers Spring 2008 Workshops
The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park are excited to be offering another teacher workshop series this spring. These workshops are designed to train teachers in using the park as an outdoor lab where lessons come alive for students. We will demonstrate how teachers can use the 1,146 acres of parkland as an outdoor classroom and how you can bring the park inside.
Flying Wild: Saturday May 17th from 11am-2pm -space still available-
Flying WILD is an exciting environmental education program of the Council for Environmental Education (the creators of Project WILD). The materials introduce students to bird conservation through hands-on classroom activities and school bird festivals.
Science and Civics: Saturday May 17th from 2pm-5pm -space still available-
Science and Civic is Project Wild’s new curriculum for high school students, which is designed to serve as a guide for involving students in environmental action projects aimed at benefiting the local wildlife found in a community. It involves young people in decisions affecting people, wildlife, and their shared habitat in the community.
These workshops will be held with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
All workshops are being held at the Van Cortlandt House Museum.
Fee of $5 per workshop is required to cover cost of food and beverages.
Click here for a registration form.
For more information and/ or to be added to our mailing list please contact Sara at 718-601-1553 or fvcpeducation@hotmail.com.
Funding provided by the New York Times Company Foundation.
IV. Programs for School Groups
Van Cortlandt Adventures
Take your students to the third largest park in New York City, Van Cortlandt Park, for a truly unique educational experience in a beautiful natural setting. Our programs allow you to add 1,146 acres of wetlands, meadows, old growth forest and a lake to your classroom. Whether you come once or several times your students will have fun and learn the importance of preserving nature.
Forester for a Day
Two part program- First students will learn about the basics of forest ecology including requirements for survival, habitats and the web of life. During the second visit students will have an opportunity to plant trees and shrubs along the trail to help restore it. Program for 4th Grade and up. Each visit is 1.5 to 2 hours. Spring and Fall only.
Nature Awareness
The sights, sounds, textures and scents of the woodlands and meadows are a wonderful experience for everyone. Let us introduce your students to the natural beauty that is Van Cortlandt Park as we hike through woodlands and wetlands along the John Kieran Trail. Program for 3rd grade and under. Program runs for 1 to 1.5 hours.
Freshwater Ecology
Your students will play the role of an aquatic biologist to determine just how healthy Van Cortlandt Lake is. We will test the pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and more of the lake. Then using nets, students will collect insects and fish and examine them under microscopes. The data collected will be compared with other students results to determine the status of the lake overtime. Program for 3rd grade and up. Program runs for 1.5-2 hours. Spring, Summer and Fall only!
Take a Hike
Hike through the trails of Van Cortlandt Park with a knowledgeable tour guide. Tree id, exotic and native wildlife and a little park history are just some of the topics of the tour. Bring walking shoes and water for this adventure in the park. Program for 6th grade and up. Programs runs for 1 to 3 hours. Year-round.
