On September 12, the Berlin Elementary 5th grade class took a field trip to the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center in Grafton. It was a beautiful fall day for the Mountaineers to explore the environmental center’s forest, ponds, and swamps set up in the Rensselaer Plateau.
According to the environmental center’s website, Dyken Pond has 33 ecological communities on the property, ranging from beech-maple forests to spruce-fir swamps, beaver ponds, and vernal pools.
The Mountaineers took forest walks, discussing forest succession, and engaged in fun activities like tree identification, land and water animals at Dyken Pond, and wetland habitats with Dyken Pond Director Mr. Josh Pulito and Dyken Pond Environmental Educators Ms. Cat LaPorta and Ms. Emmalee Davis.
It was a wonderful day of exploring, bonding, and learning for the students.
If you are interested in learning more about one of our awesome local resources, check out their website at https://dykenpond.org/ and see the wonders of fall in our region with a hike at Dyken Pond.
photos: Ms. Walsh, Mr. Turetsky, Ms. Russell and Ms. Denue-Forquer