June 5th Wildlife Festival at Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park’s Historic Camp Saratoga
WILTON – On Sunday, June 5th from 11 am to 3 pm, Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will be hosting its Wildlife Festival at Historic Camp Saratoga on Scout Road in Wilton. The event will feature Karner blue butterfly walks, live animal programs, nature crafts, pond exploration, and hands-on fun. The first brood of the Karner blue butterflies and the blooming of the wild blue lupine will be at their peak so it is a great time to visit the Preserve & Park and see it in its full beauty. Activities will take place throughout the Camp Saratoga to encourage people to get out and explore the wonderful trail system since the Wildlife Festival is a registered National Trails Day event. All activities are offered free to the public but a parking pass is required to park for the event. This pass can be purchased at www.wiltonpreserve.org/wildlife-festival. The parking pass is per vehicle, not per person. Please be courteous to your community and carpool to this event! We encourage those that are able to bike, blade, walk, or share rides with others!
Scheduled activities include two live animal programs at 11:30 am and 1 pm highlighting native raptors presented by the Trish Marki of Silent Wings. This program is sponsored by Ballston Spa National Bank. There will be one performance by the acclaimed Arm of the Sea Theater of their show, Dirt: The Secret Life of Soil at 2 pm. Saratoga Arts made this program possible through the Performing Arts Fund program, funded by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. At 11 am there will be an award ceremony for the winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest. Over 250 entries were received from schools from all over the region. At the ceremony, the contest winners from each of the categories will receive their $50 cash prize.
There will a lupine and Karner blue butterfly information pavilion and hourly walks beginning at 11:15 am to explore the Saratoga Sandplains Habitat Restoration area. Educators from Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park will lead the walks and share information about the efforts that New York State DEC and The Nature Conservancy have made in improving and increasing the habitat for this endangered species.
Ongoing beginning at 11 am there will be numerous craft activities taking place in locations around Camp Saratoga. These will include coffee filter butterflies, clay printing, and watercolor painting. Other local organizations will also have tables at the festival and will include: the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, Capital Region PRISM, Friends of Moreau Lake State Park, Grassland Bird Trust, Hop on Home Rabbit Sanctuary, Hudson Crossing Park, Livingston Energy Group, Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue, Open Air Sports, Pitney Meadows Community Farm, and the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
At the pond, volunteers will be on hand with dip nets to help people discover the animals that live there. Search and Rescue Dogs from the Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue will be holding demonstrations throughout the festival. There will be other live animals to see with the naturalists from Moreau Lake State Park.
For more information, visit https://www.wiltonpreserve.org/
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