Come on in and get toasty! The Warming Hut is open daily from 8am to 3pm. The The gate down to the beach will be open but will CLOSE at 3:30pm. Stop by, warm up and enjoy the many things to see and do. There are books, board games, educational displays and a video display to entertain and educate. Below is an account (re-posted with her permission), including photos written by Friend’s member, local naturalist and environmental advocate – Jackie Donnelly on one of her many hikes throughout the park. Thank you to Jackie for this and you can follow her blog at: Saratoga Woods and Waterways
If you would like to volunteer at the Warming Hut on weekends, please click HERE
This cozy book corner, stocked with lots of nature books (including many designed for children), is furnished with plenty of reading light as well as a comfy couch.
The hut contains a number of educational exhibits, such as this collection of animal pelts, accompanied by a list of animal names and a challenge to try to name which pelt belongs to which animal. Right next to these pelts is a collection of labeled specimens from all the trees we might find in the surrounding forest, revealing both exterior bark and interior pith and grain.
This slice of a tree trunk was another fascinating display, featuring pins placed at individual tree rings, each pin site labeled according to the date the tree ring was formed.
On the table alongside were informational sheets accompanying this tree slab, revealing historical events that took place during the growth of this tree, starting in 1879 and concluding with 1998, the year the tree was felled. Here are a couple of examples:
cover photo by Jackie Donnelly