Press

ALBANY, NY – Environmentalists, scientists and nature lovers will present hands-on,

eco-friendly activities and demonstrations during the New York State Museum’s annual Earth Day celebration, Saturday, April 19.

The free event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the Museum’s Exhibition Halls and is sponsored by HSBC. Free Fold-A-Tote reusable shopping bags, courtesy of Hannaford Supermarkets, will be available in the main lobby, as well as event schedules and maps.

Christopher Swain will be available throughout the day to talk to visitors about the PBS movie “Swim for the River’’ that chronicled his Hudson River swim in 2004. The film will be shown continuously in Adirondack Hall. Swain was the first person to swim the entire river from the Adirondacks to New York City.

During the swim he encountered a vast amount of consumer electronics dumped in the Hudson waters. Such devices introduce thousands of pounds of toxic chemicals into the ecosystem, threatening fish and mammals. As part of his Earth Day visit, Swain will collect cell phones, digital cameras, pagers, laptops, or other small electronic devices brought in by visitors so that they can be recycled in accordance with established environmental standards. Swain also will invite children to sculpt native fish out of clay and teach them how to care for the Hudson River ecosystem.

Pete Bindelglass of eLot Electronics in Troy also will provide information to visitors about his company’s recycling program.

Beekeeper Dan Kerwood of the Southern Adirondack Beekeeper’s Association will present a video and talk informally about bee swarms and wild hives, preservation of honey bees, the importance of pollination and provide information on how to become a beekeeper. Visitors also will be able to see live honeybees in their hives.

Carol Morley, an environmental educator, will have Red Wiggler earthworms on display and use demonstrations and songs to communicate the role they play as nature’s first recyclers. Representatives of the Friends of the Pine Bush, Department of Environmental Education and Five Rivers Environmental Center will have on hand various specimens and objects that visitors can touch and explore including plant and insect specimens, mammal skulls and pelts and beaver-chewed logs. The Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center will provide information about pond life and allow visitors to take a close look at the critters, eggs and larvae that are active in the water. Diane Peapus, a State Museum research associate, will explain her GPS web-based habitat monitoring project that documents how specific locations change over time.

State Museum educator Nancy Berns will be available to talk about “Invasive Species” in the Crossroads Gallery, where the Museum’s new “Invaders” exhibition opens April 15. Zebra mussels, one example, are represented in the exhibition, and can also be seen close-up, through microscopes and magnifying glasses, in the Museum lobby. Dr. Daniel Molloy, director of the Museum’s Field Research Laboratory in Cambridge, will be available to talk about his cutting-edge zebra mussel research.

Visitors also will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at an 85 Flex-fuel car that runs on ethanol and /or gasoline. Gregory Brown, a Museum exhibit specialist, will also display his electric-powered motorcycle, equipped with a 2,500-watt, 60-volt brushless hub motor. Several other presenters will provide demonstrations on energy-saving devices and alternative energy sources.

Throughout the day, Bill Cliff, storyteller and folk singer, will entertain young and old with folk tales, Native American stories and earth-friendly songs. Smoky Bear and Forest Ranger Joseph Hess will greet visitors and provide forest fire prevention tips.

Various objects from the State Museum’s South Street Seaport collection from New York City will be on display. Information will be provided on how these objects are used to answer questions about the past, using the science of archaeology.

Several presenters will demonstrate ways to recycle a variety of materials and turn them into art projects, jewelry, bird feeders, kites and other useful treasures.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #