Celebrate Earth Hour this year by taking a nature night hike for your hour and tell us what you saw and heard!

For more information about Earth Hour visit Earth Hour.org

This was the acceptance speech I’ll remember the most from the Oscars of 2010. Avatar was by far my favorite movie of the year and I think its message about nature is as important a message as we can give our children. But to hear these words from someone whose work depends on technology and who was awarded an Oscar for this technology was amazing to me.

Thank you Joe Letteri for reminding people that we live in an amazing world filled with amazing creatures every bit as amazing as those we saw in Avatar. And if you doubt his words or mine for even a second, here’s a visual reminder of what awaits us this spring and summer.

Discover it for yourself. Go outside and “Take A Minute To Be In It™”

This year’s theme is Passport to the World. There was a giraffe made of orchids, an elephant and hot air balloon made of flowers, too. There were bulbs and bikes, Koi, a pagoda, and flowers in huge blocks of ice (my favorite), The Flower Show was as exciting and delightful as ever. Rob and I enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The show is open for two more days. I hope you get an opportunity to see it. There’s not much else quite like it. I hope to see you there next year, too! In the meantime, here are few photos:

Now imagine the event taking place in the dead of winter (yesterday the 13^th of February) in Swindler Cove Park along the East river on the northern tip of Manhattan. Imagine no sun but instead an eerie flat-gray sky. Imagine an average temperature of 28 degrees and a foot of crusty, soiled snow on the ground. Imagine a mild breeze blowing off the river—just enough to factor in a mild wind chill—the kind that makes your lips chap. Brrrrr!

It took 3.5 hours for Rob and I to get to Swindler Cove Park  (via car, train, and cab) and we arrived at 9 AM to a hustling scene of tents being erected, boxes being unloaded from trucks, and people moving things by wheel barrow, hand truck, and anything else they could muster. It was darn cold and there was snow and ice everywhere. As we navigated the walkway to find our place at the event I sang to myself “ice on the ground…ice on the ground…walk very carefully with ice on the ground”.  I kept questioning “what self respecting New Yorker is going to leave the warmth of their home to come outside on this cold, dreary day? No one will come to this event”.  But boy was I wrong. So wrong.

Kids with their Planet Explore bags of free stuffI was thrilled to see a large crowd attend the “Winter Warm Up”. People came for the free stuff from The North Face. They came for the entertainment. They came to see Swindler Cove Park and to learn about the New York Restoration Project. Some came because they are fans of NYRP and benefactors of their community programs.  They came for the nature walks and ice fishing lessons. They came for the food. But mostly, they came for the fresh air and a reason to be outdoors with their children in the dead of winter. There were children young and old and there were adults old and young. It was fantastic!

I don’t know how many people attended but I heard no complaints about the cold. People bundled up and there were lots of activities to keep them moving. A DJ helped to keep the crowd warm, too. There were people dancing everywhere—even during our nature walks.

Shadale, an event volunteer and my new friend from Albany, helped me lead my nature walks. Shadale and I in our “BFF” (Best Friends Forever) pose for Rob’s camera He found a small paper wasp nest and he also found a Praying Mantis egg case. He was very excited to share his findings with anyone and everyone! Despite the crowds and the music, we saw Canada Geese, Ring Billed Gulls, Mallards, and Cormorants near the shore. We saw House Sparrows, Chickadees, and Titmice flitting around the park. We saw evergreens, bushes with berries, and bare-naked deciduous trees. We found seeds from grasses and trees. And we found an old oak tree that was still hanging onto its gigantic brown, dead leaves.

This Winter Warm Up was a fabulous success. Everyone had a ball! It also marked the launch of a new website by The North Face called “Planet Explore”.  Visit this site and you can find outdoor activities in your neck of the woods. As the site grows so will the calendar so give it a little time if you don’t find events close to you the first time you visit. Become a member of the site and you’ll receive notification of events. I’m proud to say that I’ve been chosen as a “visionary” by The North Face and you’ll soon see my face and my public events in the visionary section of Planet Explore.  

Many people took our nature walk and learned about migration, hibernation, brumation, and all types of winter survival.I would have bet a lot of money that the cold weather and snow covered sidewalks would have kept people indoors yesterday. I’m so glad I was wrong. And I’m darn glad I’m not a betting person! On the train ride home I was stuck on a line from a Beatle’s song: “imagine all the people”. I think the turnout at this event speaks to our hunger to be in the outdoors. In Swindler Cove Park, NYRP has given New Yorkers a green space to return to the outdoors. I’m proud to have been a part of this Winter Warm Up. Watch our calendar and the Planet Explore site for more such events.

It’s also been cold (in the 20’s) and windy. Add to the mix that I had major surgery four weeks ago and the result is that I haven’t been out taking photos of nature. Call it excuses or call it sensibilities, either way, I haven’t done any tracking, birdwatching, or deer spotting. But I have managed to spend hours outdoors with Rob and our Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Bodhi.

Bodhi (B), Brandy (C) and Emma (T) taking a break..

Bo loves the snow and thrives in the cold. He has become the mayor of our street - he knows where all the dogs live and he hasn’t met one he doesn’t like. He stops by their doors every day on the way to his play area - a large hill at the end of our street. He gathers his dog friends and they play till they can hardly walk.  

Bodhi waiting for friends.

The dog owners stand around chattering and making sure their dogs stay off the road, with the pack, and picking up anything the dogs leave behind. The dogs exhaust themselves and go home with balls of frozen snow stuck to their fur.

On Sunday I was particularly pleased to see kids on the hill, too. Kids with sleds! Imagine that - children who were allowed to play outdoors. Of course these are my neighbors and I know them but that doesn’t make it any less exciting to see them busy at unstructured and unsupervised play. No adults were standing by saying “do this” or “sled here”. At the same time, all the adults in the neighborhood had an eye on the children, watching them and ensuring they were safe. 

Neighborhood kids having a blast in the snow.

What a step back in time. The snow brought most things to a halt (driving, shopping, working). People bundled up and walked around the neighborhood (no runners this weekend) and gathered together in impromptu groups to chat. There were sounds of children playing and laughing and dogs playing and barking. People were cleaning off their cars and sidewalks and helping their neighbors to do so, too.

I baked cinnamon buns for anyone who wanted them (it’s a snow day tradition of mine). Rob and I spent several hours out in the cold but we layered smartly and the warm sense of community and belonging helped protect us from the cold winter winds. 

Our neighbors love snow days - can you blame them?

So this weekend wasn’t about nature - at least it wasn’t about plants and animals (except of course, canines). But it was about the nature of people. And how a small “blizzard” can bring us outdoors and bring out the best in us - as we reached out to help, to enjoy, and to gather together. 

I hope you had a similar experience. If not, there’s always tomorrow with another 14 to 20 inches predicted. I hope your power stays on and that you stay warm. Please remember elderly neighbors and lend a hand if you can. And when the snow stops falling and the sun shines, please take your children outdoors. Enjoy the snow while you can. Spring will be here soon.

Yours in the outdoors,

Jane

P.S.For more photos of dogs in the snow see my photos at Flickr