Congrats to Troops 43, 284, and 416 (from the Waterman Education Center) !

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Lawrence Blumberg

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Dec 12, 2025, 10:48:22 AM12/12/25
to Hiawatha District
Troops 43, 284, and 416 from the Hiawatha District were singled-out in the Oct / Nov edition of "Waterman Words", the Center's monthly Newsletter, for their efforts to construct Screech Owl boxes.  These boxes will be installed at various Waterman properties in the area, including the IBM Glen.

The subject article is the first one in the Newsletter, below -- it's titled "From the Director".  Read through the article, the three troops are mentioned at the end of it !.

Thanks,
Larry Blumberg
Hiawatha District Committee Member


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Waterman Conservation Education Center <in...@watermancenter.org>
Date: Thu, Dec 11, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Subject: Waterman Words Newsletter: Oct/Nov 2025
To: Larry Blumberg <lblu...@stny.rr.com>


Note: Not optimized for phone display. Try desktop mode or the PDF version for a better viewing experience. | A large group of Canada Geese perching on the beaver lodge at Brick Pond, Owego PC: J Mundt/J Smith | From the Director Don’t feed the bears and so help you if you give that mouse a co‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
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October/November 2025, Issue No. 8

Waterman Words

 

 WATERMAN CENTER'S MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Note: Not optimized for phone display. Try desktop mode or the PDF version for a better viewing experience.

 A large group of Canada Geese perching on the beaver lodge at Brick Pond, Owego

PC: J Mundt/J Smith

From the Director

Don’t feed the bears and so help you if you give that mouse a cookie!

 

However, on a recent trip to Romania, I learned that you CAN give a bear a cookie. Actually a whole trash bag full of them (also some pears from your garden), AND still manage to carry the whole operation off in the name of conservation!

 

Wait! Please keep reading! I promise to explain.

 

This is not to say that I wholesale advocate feeding junk food to wildlife. In fact, please don’t do that! For this to all make sense, you first must understand Nicolae Ceausescu and the eventual fall of his regime in Romania.

 

An autocrat, dictator, and megalomaniac, Ceausescu adored hunting Carpathian Brown Bears (akin to our Grizzly Bears) for sport. Not that his methods were at all sporting. Determined to hold the record for shooting the largest Carpathian Brown Bear, he instructed gamekeepers to feed meat to the wild bears at a huge scale, even while economic conditions and quality of life for most Romanian people grew ever more grim. Ceausescu also outlawed bear hunting for anyone but himself. When he hunted, bears were lured into corrals and cruelly dispatched, ensuring Ceausescu’s status as a record-holding hunter.

 

Under these “wildlife management” practices, the bear population exploded, reaching estimates of 15,000 in the Carpathians while the region’s carrying capacity is guessed to be between 4,000 and 5,000. Populations have come down since Ceausescu, estimates from eDNA ranging between 8,000 and 12,000 animals currently (despite the occasional and well-placed “cookie break”)

 Left - Romanian Wildlife Technicians scatter high-value food items (in this case, pears and cookies) at an official bear feeding station to incentivize remaining in the forest - far away from humans. Center - A bear scours a cavity in a log, looking for cookie crumbs. Right - In congregate situations such as this feeding station, bears follow a social hierarchy. Here, a less-dominant individual waits for a larger bear to lose interest in a pile of pears.

PC: Chris Audette

Predictably, bear overpopulation led to human-bear conflict when the Ceausescu-era feeding abruptly halted, with bears damaging farms, venturing into villages and cities, and even attacking the occasional tourist who was led astray by unscrupulous tour operators. These events (especially the latter) swiftly prompted the prohibition of feeding of bears by civilians, but this did little to address the problems at farms or the wandering “urban bears”.

 

To address these problems, an inventive group of Romanian wildlife researchers created a network of remote bear-feeding stations designed to draw bears into the interior of the forest – away from farms, cities, and foolish tourists. Regrettably, funding (as so often is the case) is difficult, so most often the bears are fed with discarded items from Romania’s many bakeries, but the results are hard to argue with. An imperfect compromise to serve both people and bears. The love the researchers feel for the bears was palpable during our conversation, and they wholesale wish they could implement better practices, but their outside-of-the-box and shoe-string practices unquestionably safe both human and bear lives.

 

I think there are many lessons to be learned here about choosing battles and designing creative solutions that work within a particular context. Moreover, there are few absolutes.

 

I try to keep this in mind as we face challenges with our facilities at the Interpretive center as well as at the borders of the IBM Glen. Perhaps a few well-placed owl nest boxes, courtesy of BSA Troops 43, 284, and 416, can leverage the devastation of a clear-cut for the purpose of habitat!

 

 

Nest boxes designed for Eastern Screech Owls waiting to be installed at all of our nature preserves. Many thanks to the Scouts who created these as well as our “Screech Squad” volunteer group who is working hard to locate and install the boxes at optimal sites. Three will go to the IBM Glen.

Oct Programs Wrap-Up

Written by Michelle Knuepfer

 

The windy, rainy days of fall may be here, but so are the colors! Despite the dry weather of early fall, the trees still make a great showing with their wonderful colors. It has been a banner year for acorns, and the chipmunks have made out quite well as a result.

 

We began October by welcoming the Cornell Raptor Program back to the Waterman Center, with Ash the broad-winged hawk and Amelia the merlin. The following week, we held Sit with the Birds at Brick Pond, an accessible birding event utilizing our new observation platform. We observed a large flock of Canada Geese, likely migrating birds using the pond as a stopover site, along with a couple of Great Blue Herons still hanging around.

 

To celebrate the fall colors, we held a fall foliage hike at the IBM Glen, where participants got to learn about the chemistry behind why leaves turn different colors in the fall. Participants also got to learn all about acorns and the many species they provide food for. Oak trees go through irregular cycles of boom and bust, with this year producing a boom of acorns, also known as a mast year. While we don’t entirely know what causes them, mast years every 2-5 years oak trees save up their energy and produce an enormous amount of acorns. The sheer number of acorns means that there is plenty of food for acorn-loving wildlife, while still leaving enough uneaten acorns to eventually grow into new oak trees.

 

Along with the gorgeous leaves, fall is also an excellent season for fungi. We hosted a Fall Fungi Hike, which had a great turnout of participants all eager to explore the great variety of mushrooms that can be found in fall. Many types of fungi were found, including several large colorful fly agaric mushrooms, and a variety of “LBMs”, the generic term for little brown mushrooms that are difficult to tell apart. Lastly, we welcomed local wildlife rehabilitator and veterinary nurse Anna Garcia Llewellyn to present on the role of wildlife rehabilitators in conservation as part of our ongoing Susquehanna Presentation Series. Check out our upcoming events section for the next installment in this series!

 

Cornell students presenting Ash the broad-winged hawk (left) and Amelia the merlin (right)

A spotting scope set up at the observation platform at Brick Pond, overlooking the pond as part of Sit with the Birds at Brick Pond, an accessible birding event.

Naturalist Michelle shows the difference between the leaves of white and red oak on the fall foliage hike at the IBM Glen.

Photo Credit: Debbie Miller

 Aztec, a non-releasable wood turtle who travels to educational programs with wildlife rehabilitator Anna Garcia Llewellyn.

Nov Programs Wrap-Up

Written by Michelle Knuepfer

 

As the trees lose their leaves and nature puts itself to bed for the year, there is still lots to enjoy in nature! We began November with informational tabling on overwintering insects at the Tioga County Pumpkin Smash. This event, organized by Tioga County Sustainability, Experience Tioga, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tioga County, is a fun event where anyone can bring unpainted pumpkins to smash them to bits and allow those pieces to be used as compost or food for local farm animals.

 

One of our highlights for November was our fall Night Hike, an event that takes place in near total darkness. Here, participants get to explore how our eyes adapt to be able to see in the dark, as well as how our other senses compensate when we have poor visibility. We also learned all about the many nocturnal and crepuscular animals that can be found locally, particularly our many local owl species.

 

This month, we held our Susquehanna Presentation Series early due to the holiday, and welcomed Heather Gulliford of Tioga Soil & Water Conservation District to share all about how to identify many of our wonderful tree species found in the upper Susquehanna River basin. We rounded out November with a fun guided hike at the Apalachin Marsh, exploring the trails of this marsh preserve. Participants braved the wind and cold to meet the trees, birds, and fungi that call the marsh home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heather Gulliford of Tioga Soil & Water CD talks about trees of the upper Susquehanna River basin

A type of crust fungus on a dead log at the Apalachin Marsh

Waterman Wanderings

with Bill Bitner

 

Have you ever put a message in a bottle? Or found one? Me neither. But we can do something close — a message in a notebook!

 

Two issues ago in Waterman Words, you may have read about the new bird blind at the Apalachin Marsh. If you’ve visited recently, you might have noticed a tan box on the wall labeled “Community Nature Journal.”

 

The idea came while we were building the blind. I remembered that the first nature talk I ever attended by Rick Marsi was about nature journaling. I didn’t realize at the time that little seed of inspiration would grow into this new project.

 

Inside the tan box you’ll find a notebook, a pen, and an encouraging note inviting you to write about what you see and hear at the blind. Don’t be intimidated — we don’t grade the entries. “Small brown bird” is just as welcome as “Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana).” The point is to slow down, notice the details, capture what you experience, and share it.

The Community Nature Journal is located in the Harriet Marsi Blind at the Apalachin Marsh

A few journal entries from September

From Rick’s presentation, I learned that the act of journaling itself slows you down. You start to notice things: Is there a plant the bumblebees prefer? Does that little bird stay in the brush or perch high in the trees? Is there a mask around its eyes? What’s the temperature?

 

You can also note the time, weather, and water level — small clues that add depth to your observations. Off to the right side of the blind, you’ll find a water-level stick. The reading changes a lot through the seasons. Back in summer, it showed about two feet, but now it’s closer to ten inches. (It might look dry, but that’s ten inches of muck — you’ll sink right in unless you’re light as a bird.)

 

Reading others’ entries adds another layer of fun. Some note specific trees or marsh spots where they’ve seen wildlife. One visitor even added a comment to a previous entry, suggesting an identification for a caterpillar someone had described. That’s the kind of quiet collaboration we hoped for.

You can also add your artistic touch. Little sketches have begun appearing — and they’re good! Drawing makes you observe even more: Does the wing stripe stop at the tip, or run the full length? Does the flower have four petals or five?

 

Every visit feels like a gift when I open the notebook, add my thoughts, and read what others have written since my last trip. If you’ve already left an entry — thank you! If not, give it a try. Wander down to the Apalachin Marsh, and record what you ponder.

Life on the

Susquehanna River:

River Cruises!

with Steve Brigode

 

The fall Susquehanna River tours were quite an experience this year. We took on a much bigger schedule this year than we did for the 2024 fall tours. This tour season began with up close and personal wildlife interactions. Several outings brought us

Passengers on a morning boat tour photographing the wildlife along the river

very close to Great Egrets. There were many that had never seen one before and were unaware of their late summer/early fall stopover visits to the Susquehanna River. The boat was filled with gasps and camera clicks, and it was then that I realized the potential of these tours. The wildlife list went on, offering intimate interactions with Cooper and Mary, our beloved pair of Hiawatha bald eagles. We were also able to see some of the fall raptors on the tours, with sightings of Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, and even a Peregrine Falcon paid us a visit. The river being quite low created a lot of stone beaches and mud flats which brought in the shorebirds. Killdeer were a common sight on every tour, some of which flew very close to the boat. In short, the wildlife portion of this season’s tours was incredible and everyone enjoyed all that we saw, as well as my explanation of the seasonal changes in this remarkable river ecosystem.

I must also give thanks to Bill Bitner for his additions to this years tours. Bill is an incredible guy. The friendship we built throughout the tour season has become very special to me, and our give and take throughout each tour was very well received. Adding some comic relief seemed to make each trip far more enjoyable, as well as creating some very fun conversations with all that were aboard. Bill also guided the historical Hiawatha Island portion of the tours. He created a photo book to show the history at each of

Bill Bitner giving a historical tour of Hiawatha Island during the Hiawatha Experience Tours

the points of interest he would stop at, and his very detailed descriptions of the rich history of our sacred island brought people back in time. Reactions to his island tours were inspiring, as most of the tour patrons had no idea that any of this had taken place right here in Owego, NY. But then he took it even further. In the back of Emma Sedore’s book “Hiawatha Island the Jewel of the Susquehanna” there are some recipes. Bill baked the apple bread recipe from that book and offered it to all that boarded each of the Hiawatha Excursion tours, and then, at the end of each tour, would hand out cards with contact and website information on all that we discussed on the tours. That apple bread is delicious!

 

This was a fall season of tours that I will never forget, and I’m sure Bill would agree. I am filled with anticipation for next year. We have a lot of work to do this winter to prepare for an even bigger tour schedule next year, a process that I have already started to work on. We’ll see you on the river!

Plant of the Month - White Spruce and Sports

(Lusus naturae)

By Jeff Smith

 

"Lusus naturae" is Latin for "nature at play", the idea being that nature sometimes seems to play a game with the forms of things, including plants. The plant term "Lusus" comes from this, but we're more likely to use the English term "sport". Sports are plants with unusual forms of leaves, flowers, fruit, or branching that catch the eye or seem artful or ornamental.

A great example of a sport is a common "bush" called "dwarf Alberta spruce" (photo above right). It's planted as a little cone-shaped ornamental. At Waterman, it can be found by the parking lot and as a border to the driveway. White spruces (Picea glauca) are trees that grow to over 100 feet tall with trunks over three feet in diameter -- nothing like the bush in the larger photograph.

 

Here's a little of the back story:

 

In 1904 a couple of Harvard botanists were touring the Canadian Rockies looking for interesting plants. One of them, John "Jack" Jack (yes, that's Jack Jack) found a dwarf form of the large spruce, i.e., Picea glauca var. albertiana 'Conica'. In this case the mutation was a sort of "witch's broom", where the space between nodes or branches was shortened and filled with "congested" shoots. The conical, densely packed form seemed attractive. Like many growth mutations, it can't be grown from seed. All of these bushes -- to this day -- come from Jack's sample.

 

That'd be the end of the story if nature stopped playing. Instead, these sports don't always stay that way. Many sports can revert back to the original forms. With these bushes, more than 10% show some sort of mutational reversion back to the species' faster-growing, big-tree form (left and upper right photos). These can be controlled by pruning the reversions as they occur. Curiously, from a biological standpoint, it allows you one of the few opportunities to pinpoint and touch where a mutation actually occurs -- between the 'Conica' dwarf form and where the white spruce reasserts itself.

Insect of the Month -

Leopard Moths

with Colleen Wolpert

 

Entirely black fuzzy caterpillars have been more numerous on the roads and in yards this fall. No fears! It is not predictive of the winter weather, but is sometimes known as a woolly bear. The more typical orange and black banded caterpillars, Woolly Bears, will remain caterpillars until spring. At that time, they pupate in dark brown cocoons and fly as Isabella Tiger Moths. Bears turn into Tigers in the moth world.

 

The large black bristly caterpillars will also overwinter in their larval stage, under logs and beneath bark, and can be seen wandering in the spring. Metamorphosis works its magic and a Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) gets its wings in early July. Those bright white wings have black spots that are mostly hollow. Its abdomen is spectacular as most in the tiger moth family are - metallic blue with orange markings.

 

The Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar is broadly polyphagous, feeding on low-growing plants (e.g., dandelions, broadleaf plantains, violets), sunflowers, and woody plants (e.g., cherry, maple, oak, willow).

 

While I have received many requests to identify Giant Leopard Moth caterpillars that sport rings of red when curled up in defense, I have never even seen a caterpillar of the Wood Leopard Moth (Zeuzera pyrina) that commonly shows up at our Moth Night sheets. As its name suggests, the caterpillar eats wood. Its smooth larva is orange with black spots. It stays hidden away in twigs and later stems of various trees and shrubs. The wings of the adults are translucently white with solid black spots. The body extends out well past the wings. The Wood Leopard Moth was introduced into northeastern US prior to 1879.

 

Finally, a quick clarification about moths with similar names. Some refer to the Giant Leopard Moth as a Great Leopard Moth. There is such a thing as a Great Tiger Moth (Arctia caja) that is not likely seen in the Southern Tier (yet).

Wood Leopard Moth

July 2017

Giant Leopard Moth

PC: Jon Weeks 7/4/23 Little Meadows

Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar

PC: Colleen 10/19/25 Owego

Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar curled ip, sporting its red rings

PC: Spencer Hunt 10/25

Eagle Nest News

with Steve Brigode

 

Over the past couple of weeks I have witnessed the annual reconnection of this very special mated pair of bald eagles. Every year, during late fall, they spend some intimate time together, sharing flight time, as well as perching close to each other, renewing their vows. It is a heart warming time to observe them as they prepare for another nesting season.

 

Interestingly, one of the three juveniles from this year’s nest has decided to stick around. I have watched as both Cooper and Mary tried to convince the young eagle to move on, but it has refused to do

Cooper (left) and Mary (right) perching together on Hiawatha Island

PC: Steve Brigode

so. This is very interesting to me given the fact that in years past the young fledglings have moved on rather quickly, most within the first month after leaving the nest. I am very anxious to see how this plays out. Will this young eagle stick around for the 2026 nesting season? Will it pitch in with nest rebuilding and meal deliveries to the nest? I have read stories about this exact thing happening in other eagle nests in upstate New York. Only time will tell.

 

I enjoy the changing dynamic of this eagle family and look forward to what next year has to offer.

Lichen: Nature's Fruitcake (sort of)

by Jeff Smith

 

Lichen is odd, and it doesn’t fit well in the way we classify things – not because it defies identification, but because it ticks multiple boxes: it’s not one thing. “Symbiosis” is from the Greek words for “together” and “living”, and in the broadest sense, it is the living together of unlike organisms for some sort of benefit to one or more of them. It’s hard to get more “unlike” than species from different kingdoms of life, say, fungi carrying on with some selection of plants and/or bacteria and/or archaea in some tight, cooperative venture. But that’s what lichen is.

 

But you already know the idea of organisms interacting with each other and their environment – that’s a short description of what ecology is. And that’s the proper way to look at lichen, with the sense that the kingdom of fungi is the main context, or, literally, the foundation (here substrate) species. An older analogy is of the fungi farming something with chlorophyll to provide it with food (sugar). In return, the chlorophyll-thing is provided with what it needs to survive (protection, moisture, nutrients, etc.). More recently it was discovered that lichens may be better understood as an ecosystem of interacting organisms with at least a fungus and a food producer.

 

All of this is because fungus doesn’t make its own food – it’s not an “autotroph” – but instead a “heterotroph” (like us) that depends on things that do. This is an old successful symbiosis pattern, going back well over 400 million years, with different “teams” or symbiotic arrangements and forms (see photos, above) developing over time and in different environments. The usual lichen-forming fungi are from the ascomycetes group that also gives us useful things like truffles and brewers’ and bakers’ yeasts. A stretched holiday analogy: the yeasty (fungus) bread and preserved fruit (sweet bits) in german stollen or italian panettone are sort of like the lichen symbiosis team.

 

Lichen can be seen any time of year on logs, rocks, trees, etc. -- anywhere there’s a surface to grow on. The green shield lichen (middle photo, above) is just looking for a place to grow with a little light and is harmless to the tree. If you have any trees in your yard, you probably have lichens growing on them. There are over 800 “species” in New York State and over 20,000 worldwide. One of the rarer species at a Waterman site is a rock tripe lichen; some at Pettus Hill are probably hundreds of years old and may live for thousands of years! Consider making a treasure hunt of the different forms in your neighborhood or local woods. And if you like, send a photo of your favorite to watson...@gmail.com. We’ll select a few to post on Facebook with your name.

Upcoming Events

From Area Falls to Fallingwater

with Karen Kucharski

SATURDAY, DEC 13TH, 11:00AM - 12:15PM

 

Join Karen Kucharski for a visual presentation of her interpretive paintings of Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic masterpiece that created a modern vision for American architecture. Karen will show how her art developed from area landscapes into her recent project, Fallingwater 3.0, with the approval of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which oversees the site.

 

After the presentation, all attendees can participate in a FREE art lesson on sketching architecture! No prior sketching experience required!

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater,

a house museum in Stewart Township in the Laurel Highlands of southwestern Pennsylvania

This project was made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program (SCR), a regrant program of New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Govenor and the New York State Legislature, and administered by the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count 2025

SATURDAY, DEC 20TH AT 9:00AM

AT THE IBM GLEN

 

Do you like birdwatching and citizen science? If so, we have a great opportunity!

 

Our staff Naturalist, Michelle, will be leading a group of birders for the Binghamton area Christmas Bird Count. We will meet at the IBM Glen parking lot at 9am and walk the trails to count as many birds as possible that we hear or see. In case of severe weather, the backup date is the following day, Sunday, December 21st.

 

The Christmas Bird Count is a long-running citizen science project organized by the National Audubon Society. It began in 1900 as a “Christmas Bird Census” and is now believed to be the longest-running citizen science project ever. The data collected through this event is used by Audubon and other organizations to inform about the status and health of different bird populations, which helps guide conservation practices. Consistent, long-running datasets such as these are incredibly valuable to scientists to know which bird species or regions need more help.

 

Some previous bird knowledge or birding experience is recommended for this event. If you are newer to birding but interested in joining, having more observers to help locate birds is always good, and identification can be a group effort.

 

To sign-up please email Michelle at prog...@watermancenter.org

2026 New Year Hike

SAT, JAN 3RD AT 11:00AM

AT THE WATERMAN CENTER

 

Celebrate the new year and welcome the 50th anniversary year for the Waterman Center!


Hiking shoes are recommended. Wear warm layers and weather-appropriate clothing. Trails may be icy.

 

$5/person, FREE for members

Winter Wildlife Fun Day

SAT, JAN 10TH

10AM - 12PM OR 1PM - 3PM

AT THE WATERMAN CENTER

 

Join our nature guides as you traverse our educational trail adorned with beautifully hand-painted animals and taxidermy. As you explore, you'll discover the incredible ways our native animals adapt to the frigid cold of winter!

 

Warm up with hot beverages and enjoy a variety of winter-themed activities inside. There will be several crafts, a free winter-themed book, and an activity grab-bag to keep the fun going at home!

$5/person, children under 3 are free.

10% dicount for members

Susquehanna Presentation Series

Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 at 7pm

Lisa holding a bowl of tomatoes on her family farm in Apalachin, NY

Kick off the new year with our Susquehanna Series, presentations by local experts exploring different aspects of the Susquehanna River!

 

Join local farmer Lisa Bloodnick for Agriculture in the Susquehanna River basin. Lisa and her husband have own Bloodnick Family Farm since 1992, a diverse, horse-powered family farm in Apalachin, NY. In addition to raising produce, herbs and flowers they also raise a small flock of heritage breed sheep and make maple syrup. Lisa is also very involved with seed saving and is working on several special projects. She maintains a collection featuring approximately 1000 bean varieties.

Can You Find and Free the Uninvited Guest?

Waterman announces a new Mid-Winter Mystery Adventure!

 

Following last year's success of The Critter Conundrum, Waterman Conservation Education Center is thrilled to announce the return of our Mid-Winter Mystery series with an all-new challenge: The Uninvited Guest.

 

The Mission:

Several creatures have wandered into places they don't belong at the nature center, and one has been caught! Your team must race against the clock to identify the uninvited animals, unearth clues, solve hands-on challenges, and reveal which critter is trapped—all before time runs out. Can you free it and return it safely to the wild?

 

The Experience:

This immersive escape room-style adventure transforms our auditorium into an interactive mystery scene. Teams will search for crack codes, decipher nature-themed puzzles, and tackle tactile challenges that bring conservation education to life. No jigsaw puzzles here—just clever, hands-on problem-solving that will test your teamwork and observation skills!

 

Event Details:

When: Most weekends in February, March, and April 2026

(alternative times available upon request)

Team Size: 4-8+ participants per team

Duration: Beat the clock in under 60 minutes!

Who: Designed for adults, teens, and families.

*Groups with players under the age of 16 must have an adult present.

Where: Waterman Conservation Education Center auditorium

Registration: Required—opens January 2026

 

Gather your sharpest friends and family members for this unique blend of wildlife education and mystery-solving excitement.

 

Stay tuned for registration details, pricing, and time slots coming in January 2026!

---

The Mid- Winter Mystery is only available for a limited time—don't miss your chance to take on this year's challenge!

A few groups who completed the Critter Conundrum last year!

Ted's Corner

Ted enjoyed his halloween treat of freshly steamed pumpkin!

The winner of our Ted plush raffle at Binghamton Porchfest brought their mini Ted to say hello!

Newsletter Submissions

 

Now that the Waterman Words Newsletter has been reestablished we are now opening submissions to our members and community. If you have an idea for a column, article or highlight please contact in...@watermancenter.org. Final submissions must be received by the third Monday of each month to be considered.

G E T  I N  T O U C H

 

in...@watermancenter.org

607-625-2221

www.watermancenter.org

 

OUR LOCATION

 

403 Hilton Rd.

Apalachin, NY 13732

Board of Directors

Matt Kisloski, President

Diane Wiener, Vice President

Avery McLean, Secretary

Rex Decker, Treasurer

 

Additional Members

Scott Clarke

Dylan Horvath

Stephen Majka

Bob Rodgers

Jim Shuler

Jeff Smith

Sally Guydosh

 

Staff

Christopher Audette, Exec. Director

Courtney Fitzgerald, Exec. Assistant

Michelle Knuepfer, Program Specialist

Steve Brigode, Conservation Tech.

Karen Ritter, Weekend Receptionist

Supporting Businesses & Orgs

Garden Club of Endwell

The Naturalists' Club of Broome County

Apalachin Lions Club

Endicott Precision Inc.

Triple Cities Hiking Club

Best Buy Green Team

Community Options

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

Lockheed Martin

Avangrid

Riveo Creative

Scott Smith & Sons, Inc.

Garden Club of Binghamton

Cub Scouts Pack 43

Robinson Lumber

Broome-Tioga BOCES

Tioga ACHIEVE

Cook's Tree Service

Tioga County Soil and Water Cons. Dist.

KIWANIS Club of Owego

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Direct Driven Motorsports

Family Reading Partnership

Taylor Garbage

Tioga United Way

Visions Federal Credit Union

Rapid Deployable Systems

Catskill Shed Company

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