Marketing, membership, and volunteer enhancements are getting a boost at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Albany County.
Often referred to as a “living nature museum,” Five Rivers Environmental Education Center encompasses more than 450 acres of fields, forests, and wetlands. The site is revered by bird and animal watchers.
Staff and supporters of Five Rivers celebrated a $27,000 check from statewide non-profit organization Parks & Trails New York in Delmar on Tuesday. The grant is one of 27 awards totaling $1.8 million for organizations dedicated to the stewardship and promotion of New York’s state parks and historic sites, trails, and public lands.
Will Coté, Senior Director of Public Lands, Parks & Trails New York, presented a “big check” to the Five Rivers crew, telling them he's excited to see some of the results of the award already rippling through the community.
“I'm really looking forward to hearing from all of you in your subsequent reports about the work, about the way that you're impacting local schools and youth, and, by extension, the broader community here in the Capital District and beyond," said Coté. "And so we're really excited to be here, excited for the work that you're doing. I'm excited to do a hands-on project in a little bit and sort of relive my youth. I'm not that old, but I'm old enough. So with that, I would love to present this fantastic oversized check to our friends at Five Rivers.”
Paulette Doudoukjian is Friends of Five Rivers' Executive Director.
"This has been a game changer in regard to us producing more professional marketing materials to reach the greater masses, to inform and educate people as to what we do and our mission here. We are environmental education, creating environmental stewards for generations to come. And this grant will certainly help us in getting that awareness out there," Doudoukjian said.
Gina Jack with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is Center Director at Five Rivers.
"We are a state run facility, owned and operated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation," said Jack. "There are many ways of serving the public here, that the friends just extend the reach so they support us by offering direct programming. They run the guided school program on the property and see lots of school kids during the school year. They do programs for families in the summertime. So they've been doing programs all summer long. It's been wonderful. They also work with us on special events, like the fall festival that's coming up in September, Saturday, September the 14th. This coming Saturday, we have our bug fest. That's an event that DEC is running, but boy, the Friends have stepped in with volunteers and whatnot to help us out."
109th district state Assemblymember Pat Fahy is a voracious cyclist and hiker. The Democrat says she's thrilled to see Five Rivers thrive and adds "nature heals."
“Every day it seems like I have a conversation about the trauma of COVID with some level, whether it was children who were in grade school, high school or college, and this even this morning, at a morning event, somebody was talking about how life derailed during COVID for them. And nature is just so essential. So everything you do to connect folks with nature, just it serves all of us by leaps and bounds,” Fahy said.
Doudoukjian says the Friends' goal is to connect more children and adults with the beauty and importance of Five Rivers, and support its environmental education programs, which the center says impact more than 2,500 students each year. She adds it will also help Five Rivers expand and train its Volunteer Corps.
Coté encourages everyone to take advantage of the site as a portal to enjoy nature. “Consider becoming a member, consider donating your time, or find a place, a public land, a space, an outdoor location that you love and finding a way to give back to it," said Coté.
