Join Us for Our 2022 Guided Watershed Tours!
For the fourth year in a row, we are happy to offer Guided Watershed Tours. Join our staff and expert guest naturalists for outdoor education programming featuring diverse ecological themes in the Ausable, Boquet, and Saranac River watersheds. Watershed tours are designed to engage local citizens of all ages in outdoor recreational activities, while also inspiring participants to be active stewards of their local environment. Celebrate or kindle your appreciation for the natural beauty of the northern Adirondacks and leave with a better understanding of what threatens our local environment - and what you can do to protect these biodiverse habitats.
What to Expect
All guided watershed tours are free and open to the public, though donations are accepted. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must be vaccinated for COVID-19. Tours will last one to four hours and are subject to weather with rain dates in place. We will follow all CDC and NYSDOS COVID-19 safety guidelines. There is a maximum of 12 participants per tour, and registration in advance is required. For questions and to register, please email events@ ausableriver.org or call (518) 637-6859.
2022 Summer Programs
• Saturday, July 16: Lake Ecology Paddling Trip, 10:00am – 12:00pm (This tour is currently full, but please email or call to be added to the waiting list as spaces sometimes open up)
Theme: Adirondack Lake Ecology
Dr. Curt Stager, a professor of Natural Sciences at Paul Smith's College who has studied the environmental history of lakes in the Adirondacks and elsewhere around the world, will lead a floating field trip to examine the ecology and history of Lower Saint Regis Lake. Participants will learn various investigative techniques including Secchi disk, plankton tow, and sediment coring, and will explore the long story of environmental change and human interactions with this setting leading from the end of the last ice age to the last century of impacts from the presence of the adjacent hotel and college. Participants are asked to bring their own boat for this program, though a limited number of loaner boats are available for those who need them.
• Saturday, August 6: Paddling Trip on Lake Everest, 9:00am – 12:00pm (This tour is currently full, but please email or call to be added to the waiting list as spaces sometimes open up)
Theme: Wonders and Challenges of the Ausable River
Follow the Ausable Paddling Nature Trail and use your eyes and ears to locate and identify birds, insects, fish, and mammals that call Lake Everest home. Participants will also learn about invasive species that threaten native plants and wildlife, and what you can do to help minimize their spread. Led by Ausable River Association staff, this tour will also include information on local cultural history and the future of our communities. Canoes or kayaks, paddles, and life jackets will be provided for those who need them.
• August 2022: Youth Naturalist Tours
Theme: Various
Stay tuned for additional information!
For questions and to register for these programs, please email events@ ausableriver.org or call (518) 637-6859.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (LC 00A00707-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Matching funds were provided by Dr. Curt Stager and the Town of Wilmington.
