Playful Spirits: A Memorable Winter Walk

by Nancy Conway, Guided School Program Coordinator

On a brisk Thursday morning in January, Craig Thompson, Center Director, led a Winter Bird Walk for the Guided School Program’s volunteer instructors. All were eager to head out into the field to spy the remarkable birds who brave the cold winters in upstate New York. The group of 12 made their way to North Loop Trail well aware that their footsteps, crunching in the snow covered ice, were scaring away the very wildlife they had come to see, yet the group stayed the course.

Why? Experience. Yes, experience has taught the volunteer instructors to let nature lead. Nature always has something wonderful to show us, even if it is not what we are looking for. On this day, the group’s perseverance was rewarded with a rare sighting ~ otter tracks right in the middle of North Loop Trail!

Bounding and sliding down the icy path over and over again, the otter had passed this way the night before. Tracks and slides caught in the light dusting of snow drew the awed group to Sunfish Pond, Fox Marsh, Wood Duck Marsh, and Goose Pond. Slides crisscrossed the ponds’ surfaces giving observers a sense of carefree, almost gleeful, play.

This otter’s playful spirit brought to mind the playful spirits of Mary Lou Riccardo and Carolyn Miller, two dedicated volunteer instructors who passed away in 2011. Mary Lou and Carolyn were experienced, enthusiastic teachers who enjoyed the pond and stream habitats immensely. Both would have loved seeing these fleeting tracks and slides. Fortunately, Mary Lou and Carolyn’s tracks are forever caste in the Guided School Program, and their playful slides are deeply grooved in the memories of all those guided by them.

Volunteer instructors have a unique opportunity to help children create their own remarkable memories of time spent in nature. Experience has taught instructors to guide a group to a field, stream or pond, keep them safe, and then step back and let them explore. Mary Lou and Carolyn did this remarkably well, as did Craig Thompson on this unforgettable Winter Bird Walk.