Letchworth State Park’s winter lectures are interactive winter programs where attendees learn more about the stories, nature, and magic of the park from experts active across Western New York. The lectures are interactive throughout, with question-and-answer sessions afterwards, and are recommended for ages 12 and up. Cookies, coffee, and cocoa will be served.
All winter lectures are held on Saturdays from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Humphrey Nature Center. Use the Castile entrance, 6787 Denton Corners Road, Castile, and follow signs for the nature center between the Visitor Center and Inspiration Point.
Winter lecture schedule:
•January 13 – “Forest Therapy” by Forest Therapy Guide Chip Matthews. Dip your toes into the well-studied practices of reconnecting with nature to restore, maintain, and enrich mental health, then participate in a brief forest therapy experience yourself.
•January 20 – “Avian Rhapsody” by birder and author Eli Knapp. A renowned birder experiences the difficulties of the pandemic, the uncertainty of midlife, and a challenging new book through the seldom-witnessed life of a Western New York bird species.
•January 27 – “Naming the Nameless” by Letchworth State Park Educator Mike Landowski. Meet Mr. Letchworth’s big, rich, and nationally influential group of friends who regularly met at the Glen Iris from roughly 1858 to 1868 as “The Nameless Club.”
•February 3 – “Phenology of Climate Change” by Hamlin Beach State Park and Lakeside State Park educator Lara. Explore ways that you can contribute to collective understanding of climate change.
•February 10 – “Genesee Valley Canal: A Historic Soap Opera” by Jules Hoepting. Drama, ambitions, and financial ruin swirl around the tale of America’s steepest canal, located right along the Genesee River from Rochester to Olean.
•February 17 – “I BIRD NY” by Matt Nusstein. Celebrate the exceptional birding of Western New York that comes with a globally significant diversity of habitats and preserved natural places.
•February 24 – “Caroline Bishop Through the Years” by Karen Russell. Peek into the life of Mr. Letchworth’s greatest confidant, one of his closest and most loyal lifelong friends.
For more information, contact the Humphrey Nature Center at 585-493-3680.
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