February 23, 2011
- Coyotes
- Family Fun
- Upcoming DEC Events
- Capital District - Five Rivers Environmental Education Center and Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center
- Western New York - Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center
Coyote
Coyotes are highly adaptable animals that are found almost everywhere in New York State. This dog-like mammal prefers shrubby fields, forest edges and marshy areas, but it will move to wherever food is available. Coyotes are moving closer to neighborhoods and suburbs of large cities as human populations and development encroach upon coyote territory.
Coyotes can vary in color, from strawberry blond to grizzled gray to nearly all-black. They weigh about 20-50 pounds and are four feet long. They usually eat rabbits, rodents, dead animals, fruit, birds and insects, but sometimes kill small deer and domestic animals. Coyotes use their excellent sense of smell to track down their prey, and are one of the fastest mammals in North America, reaching speeds up to forty miles per hour.
In places where the food supply is limited, coyotes live alone or in breeding pairs. Where prey is abundant, coyotes live in packs of up to eight members. They are very territorial and protect their area from other coyotes.
If you are out walking in the woods or fields this winter, look for coyote tracks. They are similar in size and shape to dog tracks. Coyote scat (or poop) is easy to tell from dog droppings since a larger proportion of it consists of hair and bone fragments.
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Family Fun
Watch Out!
Are you a good predator? Are you a careful prey animal? Get three or more friends or family members together to play this version of hide and seek. One person (the predator) closes his or her eyes and counts to twenty while the other players (the prey) hide. The prey must find their own individual hiding space where they can see the predator, but the predator cannot see them. When the predator finishes counting, he or she can look in all directions, but cannot step forward, backward or to the sides. If the predator spots a prey animal, the predator calls out the prey's name. The prey must come back to the starting spot and is out for that round of the game.
Go Team!
Coyotes often travel in packs, working as a team to hunt and protect their territory. Get some friends or family members to play this team game. Have a player hide 15 items in your yard or a park. Send one person out to find as many items as they can in two minutes. Call the player to come back with the collected items after the time is up. Record the number of items that were found. Hide those items again and send two players out to find them in the same two minutes. Call them back and record the number of items found. Increase the number of participants each time and record how many more items they can find while working as a team.
Read Conservationist for Kids for more information and activities!
Upcoming DEC Events
Capital Region
Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
Family Fun: Learn to Snowshoe
Thursday, February 24 at 2:00 PM
Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Tuesday, February 22 to reserve snowshoes and/or to register.
How to Do It: Go Green at Home
Saturday, February 26 at 10:00 AM
How to Do It: Learn to Snowshoe
Saturday, February 26 at 2:00 PM
Space is limited. Please call 518-475-0291 by Wednesday, February 23 to reserve snowshoes and/or to register.
Family Fun: Dr. Seuss Read-A-Thon
Saturday, March 5 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM
Event Descriptions at Five Rivers
Albany Pine Bush Preserve Discovery Center
Snowshoe Adventure in the Pine Bush
Saturday, February 26 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Snowshoes provided. Call 518-456-0655 to register. Cost: $3.00/person, $5.00/family, children under 5 free.
More events at Albany Pine Bush Discovery Center
Western New York
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center
Advance registration is required. Call 716-683-5959.
Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Walk
Wednesday, February 23 at 2:00 PM
Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members.
Outdoor Adventure Club Series: Winter Survival
Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 AM
Bring a shovel if you have one. For youth ages 12 to 16.
After-School Escape
Thursday, February 24 and March 3 at 4:30 PM
For children in grades K-5. No registration required.
Snowshoeing 101
Thursday, February 24 at 6:00 PM
Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members.
Winter Wildlife Snowshoe Walk
Friday, February 25 at 10:00 AM
Snowshoe rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members.
Animal Track and Scat Detectives
Saturday, February 26 at 10:30 AM
For children age 8 and older. Materials fee: $1.00/bandana; FORNP members free (limit one bandana per child).
Cross-Country Ski Tour
Saturday, February 26 at 1:00 PM
Ski rental: $2.00/pair; free for FORNP members.
Tour Guide Training
Saturday, March 5 from 9:00 AM to noon
Be a Member for a Day
Saturday, March 5 at 1:00 PM
Event Descriptions at Reinstein