Meetings, Field Trips
& Events
All General Meetings and Field trips are open to the public and free of charge.
General meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, September through November, January through May at the Harlem Road Community Center, 4225 Harlem Road,
one block south of Main Street in Snyder (except December and April meetings).
Please, all field trip attendees, remember to let the trip leader know you are coming!! Mishaps have occasionally happened when plans were changed at the last minute. Guests are always welcome!
Please note: Meetings are listed first, then field trips and other events.
Due to Covid considerations we will be meeting in the auditorium where there is more space.
Past programs are listed in Events Past and on the calendar.
Meetings
GENERAL MEETINGS General meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month, September through May.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 7:30 pm
“History of Gardening.” Jack Kowiak
Speaker Jack Kowiak will examine how gardens have changed through history, important gardening innovations and their inventors, and the intrepid plant explorers who discovered some of our popular garden plants. Mr. Kowiak has previously given us programs on common backyard plants and backyard insect neighbors.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 7:30 pm
“Restoration and Biodiversity: The Gardens at Murder Creek.” Kathleen Contrino
Our speaker will be Kathleen Contrino, who has been working since 2010 to restore 10 acres of a property in the floodplain of Murder Creek in Akron. Removing invasive exotics and planting native species in a former horse pasture has transformed the landscape. Ms. Contrino is a member of the WNY Plant Collaborative, and also owns and operates the CW Native Plant Farm.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 7:30 pm
“Charismatic Microflora: Introducing the hidden freshwater algae all around you.”
Sarah Whorley
Speaker Sarah Whorley is Associate Professor of Biology at Daemen College, where she has taught since 2016. Her research focuses on the role of freshwater algae as the base of aquatic food webs and how that has been altered by the introduction of farming and cattle.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024:
NO MEETING.
Tuesday, January 14, 2025 7:30 pm
“I Bird NY.” Matthew Nusstein
Speaker Matthew Nusstein, will discuss local birds in terms of the various habitats they each need (grasslands, mature forests, swamps, marshes, early successional woods, etc.) Matthew is environmental educator at Letchworth State Park. He has previously held similar positions at Reinstein Nature Preserve and the Niagara Region of NY State Parks.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 7:30 pm
“The Bruce Beckons—A Tribute to Sheldon Merritt, Part I:” Wayne Gall
Speaker will be Wayne Gall. The late Sheldon Merritt was a 3-term president of the Buffalo Audubon Society and a noted WNY naturalist. He spent much of his life exploring the Bruce Peninsula which separates Georgian Bay from Lake Huron in Southern Ontario. Wayne will showcase the ferns, orchids, and wildflowers which captivated Sheldon as he roamed from Owen Sound to Tobermory.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025:
“The Bruce Beckons—A Tribute to Sheldon Merritt, Part II:” Wayne Gall
Speaker will be Wayne Gall. The late Sheldon Merritt was a 3-term president of the Buffalo Audubon Society and a noted WNY naturalist. He spent much of his life exploring the Bruce Peninsula which separates Georgian Bay from Lake Huron in Southern Ontario. Wayne will showcase the ferns, orchids, and wildflowers which captivated Sheldon as he roamed from Owen Sound to Tobermory.
Field Trips – 2024
Please remember to let the trip leader know in advance that you are coming. Mishaps have occasionally happened when plans were changed at the last minute. Guests are always welcome. Field trip chairman is Joanne Schlegel, 716-835-6042.
Saturday-Sunday, September 14-15, 2024.
Weekend trip to the eastern shore of Lake Ontario.
We will stay in the Watertown area and spend two days botanizing with our guide Steve Daniel. Steve expects to devote one day to Chaumont Barrens, a globally rare alvar community with a host of endemic/rare plants. He is still undecided about the second day, but thinks it will include a dune habitat. Most participants will want to drive to Watertown late Friday and return to Buffalo late Sunday afternoon. Motels should be reasonably priced ($60-80) this time of year. Deadline to register for this trip: Sept. 1. Leader: Joanne Schlegel, 716-835-6042.