Celebration of local state park slated for June 16
Date: 6/13/2012
June 13, 2012By Debbie Gardner
debbieg@thereminder.comAGAWAM — The public is invited to come out and discover what their local state park has to offer during Robinson Park Day on June 16.
Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the Friends of Robinson State Park, the daylong event is designed to highlight the park's recreation opportunities for individuals and families.
Mayor Richard Cohen called the park "a wonderful natural resource that we are so lucky to have in our community," and commended the Friends group for their work to educate area residents about the forest and wildlife that is literally in their backyard.
The cost to enter the park is $5 per car, and the entrance to the park is located at 428 Main St. in Feeding Hills. Volunteers will be on hand to direct visitors. All events in the park are free that day, and participants are asked to bring their own food and water to any events.
Claudia Hurley, a member of the Friends group, said though there is still lingering damage from the June 1, 2011 tornado — which cancelled last year's event — and the Oct. 29, 2011 snowstorm, selected sections of the park have been OK'd for public use.
"The area where our event is going to take place has been a priority [for the DCR] because it is the day use area," Hurley said. "There is still concern about storm damage in the River Road area, but our event is not going to extend into that area."
The day will start with John Hutchinson of the Allen Bird Club leading a bird walk at 8 a.m., with the majority of events — including a traveling exhibit by Watershed on Wheels (WOW) — occurring between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the park's day use area.
Among those events, Hurley said, will be an easy hike to Big Trees and around some of the tornado damage led by Rhode Island arborist Matt Largess. For families, Burt Freedman, an educator with Springfield-based Environmental Center for Our Schools (ECOS) program and Gini Traub, an interpreter for DCR, will lead nature explorations around Robinson Pond and the edges of the forest.
"He's a wonderful hands-on educator," Hurley said of Freedman, "He lets the kids put nets in the pond and identify what they've found."
Children of elementary school age will also be invited to do nature weavings on recycled paperboard looms with Agawam teacher Sharon Vasicek, while volunteers will help younger children identify and color pictures of wildflowers, trees and forest creatures.
For more serious hikers, Dave Conley, a hike leader with the Appalachian Mountain Club, Berkshire Chapter, will lead a four-mile trek beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Pre-registration is requested for the hike. To register or for more information, call Conley at 786-6005.
For those interested in watershed conservation, Rod Parlee of Bolton, Conn., Conservation Commission will give instructions on and demonstrate stream assessments.
Hurley said everyone is invited to tour the WOW Express — a 28-foot trailer that simulates a walk in the New England Forest. The WOW exhibit also includes seven interactive kiosks that use games and computer screens to teach about biodiversity, endangered species, food webs and other topics. The exhibit also includes an interactive watershed table.
"We feel the WOW Express is just a fabulous opportunity for us [to educate the public]," Hurley added.
If conditions on the river are advantageous, Hurley said the Westfield River Watershed Association would be conducting its annual canoe cruise on the Westfield River on June 16. The event, which is slated to begin in Westfield at noon, would end at Robinson State Park at 3 p.m. More information on the canoe cruise is available online at
www.westfieldriver.org .
For more information about Robinson State Park Day, call 568-9379 or email
robinsonfriends@comcast.net .
