With the grant, the Greenburgh Nature Center is offering "Teaching Trails: A Community Path for Environmental Education" that will offer year-round trails programming with free weekly environmental education tours led by Greenburgh Nature Center teen volunteer docents, according to a press release. The programming is set to begin Dec. 1.
"We are fortunate to have Con Edison's ongoing support for the important work we do here to connect people with nature," said Greenburgh Nature Center Executive Director Margaret Tjimos Goldberg in the release. "The new programming will provide our visiting community with a unique opportunity to understand the biodiversity of our natural world, via outdoor exploration of our trees, undergrowth, and vernal pond, and through observation of the birds, mammals, and amphibians that live within these ecosystems."
High school volunteers in the Teaching Trails program will be trained to achieve a depth of knowledge and expertise in conservation and ecology practices. The volunteers also will assist with trail blazing and other trail improvement measures.
As a supplement to the guided walks, the Nature Center will distribute educational maps, provide a permanent trail entrance, and highlight seasonal outdoor signs that will encourage visitors to engage with the natural world and learn through discovery.
"Con Edison is committed to responsible stewardship of the environment," said Jane Solnick, Con Edison's director of public affairs for Westchester County, in the release. "This new trails programming will educate high school volunteers and Nature Center visitors about the environment and, in turn, what they can do to sustain and nurture our planet."
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