The Suffolk County Environmental Center will celebrate Earth Day 2011 by holding the Second Annual Eco-Carnival on April 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festivities will take place on the beautiful grounds of the historic Scully Mansion and Estate, located at 550 South Bay Avenue in Islip. Entrance will be free.
The family-focused event will feature a full day of educational fun for children and parents, including nature tours and classes, a live animal show, storytellers, family-friendly music, art, games, raffles with valuable prizes by corporate sponsors, food, adult bird and botany walks, and Green Business Expo with presentations by Long Island’s leading green companies. Bellmore and Central Islip Elementary Schools’ students will perform a musical about the life and work of Rachel Carson, founder of the environmental movement and author of Silent Spring.
The center’s educators and nature guides will lead guests through the following programs:
Salt Marsh Exploration – Enjoy an up-close look at the diversity of life in one of the most productive habitats on the planet.
Birds in the Woods – Grab a pair of binoculars and observe some of our common feathered friends of the forest.
Insect Adventure – Get your hands dirty as we roll over logs and dig through the leaves in search of some incredible insects of the forest.
Green on the Scene – Learn some botanical basics as we make leaf and bark rubbings of our favorite plants.
Words in the Wind – What did you see today? Use haiku and other writings to record your observations, and then hang them around the site.
NATURE STATIONS:
Wild Animal Face Painting Fun with Worm Boxes
Community Mural Project Alewife Migration Challenge
Nest Box Beanbag Toss Native Plant Potting
Bike/Helmet Checks
The food court will feature stations by the region’s prominent restaurants and gourmet food purveyors, which will donate a portion of sales to the Suffolk County Environmental Education Center. Food vendors will include Port Royal Grille, Sherry’s Market, Bubba’s Burritos, and Roxy’s Ice Cream Truck.
Green Business Expo will feature exhibits on environmentally friendly business practices by Long Island’s leading green businesses and agencies, including Estee Lauder, Stalco Construction, Savant Solar, Green Energy Solutions, Greener Country, USA Environmental Resource Management Services, Energy by Choice, Harvest Power, AMC Landscaping, Apollo HVAC, Benson Chiropractic, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Habberstad BMW, Majestic Son & Sons, Inc., People’s United Bank, Town of Islip, and Wells Fargo.
