Indian Creek Nature Center 50th Anniversary
Fall and Winter 2024-25 Public Programs
Please check our website, Facebook, or Instagram for updates on environmental education programs. Public programs are provided free of charge by volunteer naturalists and educators.
All programs take place at Indian Creek Nature Center, meeting at the main entrance parking area off County Route 14 unless otherwise noted. Please RSVP for programs by contacting us with your name and group size.
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Need directions to the Center?
Fall Wildflower Walk
Date: Saturday, September 7, 9:00am-11:30am
Join botanist and ICNC Board member, Anne Johnson, for a fall wildflower walk on the trails at the Center. We’ll stroll along the edges of the ponds and marsh to look at and identify late flowering plants such as asters and goldenrods. Meet at the main entrance.
Leader: Anne Johnson
Guided Hike to the New Observation Deck
Date: Saturday, September 21, 3:00pm-4:00pm
Join ICNC Board member and Director of Nature Up North, Dan French, on a walk to the new Observation Platform looking out onto Indian Creek and Lower Lakes. Starting from the Indian Creek Nature Center main entrance parking lot at 3pm, Dan will take the group down the trail taking moments to stop and listen to birds, search for woodland critters, and enjoy the view. The round trip to and from the platform is about 1 mile, featuring a 750 ft boardwalk.
Leader: Dan French
Fall Bird Walk
Date: Saturday, September 28, 8:00am-10:00am (rain date September 29)
Come join Dr. Susan Willson and Eileen Wheeler on a fall bird walk. We will meet at 8am in the parking lot at the main entrance. Please dress for the weather and be prepared for muddy trails and mosquitoes. Wear good walking shoes. Dr. Willson is a bird ecologist and professor at St. Lawrence University, Eileen is an ICNC board member and birder with tons of knowledge about local bird species. We expect to find fall songbird, raptor and waterfowl migrants passing through on their way to wintering in the southern US and Latin America, as well as resident species that are found at Indian Creek year-round. Bring binoculars if you have them! We have a few we can loan for the walk. If you plan to attend please email Eileen: eiwheeler@yahoo.com
Leaders: Dr. Susan Willson and Eileen Wheeler
Annual Birdseed Fundraiser!
Date: Please mail in orders by Friday, October 4. Pickup your order on October 19 from 9:00am-12:00pm.
The annual birdseed sale is one of the main fundraisers for the Nature Center. We hope that you will consider supporting us by ordering birdseed by October 4th!
Fall Trail Workday
Date: Saturday, October 5, 8:30am-12:00pm (rain date October 6)
Join INCN Board members for a workday to help clean up the Nature Center from summer storms and get it ready for the winter. Tools will be supplied, or you can bring your own. There is always plenty of work for all!
Leaders: ICNC Board members
Stargazing at Indian Creek Nature Center
Date: Saturday, October 5, 7:30pm
Take a tour of the autumn constellations with an evening of star gazing. We’ll view the sky using a telescope, binoculars, and the unaided eye. We'll explore the mythology behind some of the constellations, and view star clusters, the Andromeda galaxy, and the planet Saturn. Feel free to bring your own binoculars. For more information, email jeff@stlawu.edu
​Leader: Jeff Miller, astronomer at St Lawrence University
Mushroom Walk
Date: Sunday, October 13, 10:00am-12:00pm
We will walk along the wildflower trail and discuss ecological roles of various fungi as we explore the forest habitat. We will look for different features of the fungi we find that can help us to distinguish one species from another. Meet at the ICNC East Entrance for the Wildflower Loop Trail.
Leader: Claire Burkum, Biology Dept at St. Lawrence University
How Trees and Soils Work Together
Date: Saturday, October 26, 9:00am
Explore forest ecology with a walk at the Nature Center. We’ll see how trees and soils work together, digging a soil profile and observing life in the soil on the lowland trail. Bring a hand lens and a favorite forest poem!
Leader: Tom Vandewater, science educator and ICNC Board member
Snow and Ice
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025, 9:00am
Meet at the Nature Center for a snowshoe or walk to study snow and ice. If conditions allow, we’ll take an ice core and investigate snow layers and the recent past as revealed in the layers. Bring a hand lens and favorite snow poem!
Leader: Tom Vandewater science educator and ICNC Board member
Winter Animal Walk
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 9:00am
Midwinter is a great time to look for the hardy winter birds, look for mammal tracks, and see signs of how life persists in the coldest and shortest days of the year. As we snowshoe the trails of ICNC, you are sure to learn about some of the ways plants and animals survive the midwinter. Bring snowshoes if you have them (there will be some to borrow) and binoculars, and dress appropriately.
Leader: Tom Langen, Biology Department at Clarkson University