Community Calendar

Deepen your connection to nature through the fun and meaningful practice of nature journaling! Nature journaling rests at the intersection of science and art, using observation, curiosity, and creative thinking to spark wonder and change the way we look at the natural world. Join us to learn the basics of starting a nature journal, look closely at native wildlife, and participate in easy and fun guided sketching activities. While nature journaling is a wonderful skill to cultivate for all ages, this program is primarily targeted toward adults.

Note: This is a follow-up to our Nature Journaling program in August. If you attended the August program, wonderful! You are still welcome and encouraged to attend, as we will introduce new journaling practices and sketch different subjects together. Didn't attend the last program? Fear not! This is the perfect opportunity to start your journaling journey.

Paper and writing utensils will be provided; however, you are also welcome to bring your own journal or sketchpad.

The 2025 New York State Ornithological Association Conference will be hosted this September by the Cayuga Bird Club in Ithaca, New York, located on Cayuga Lake in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The meeting is open to the public, brings together birders from across the state and beyond, and offers attendees a variety of social, educational, and birding activities.

Let's explore the wonderful world of coniferous trees! Our beloved pines, spruces, hemlocks, and more serve incredibly important roles in our forests. Join us for a walk focused on coniferous trees, covering local species identification, adaptations, and the differences between conifers and their deciduous relatives. This walk is open to all ages. Registration is free of charge but required.

The 2025 New York State Ornithological Association Conference will be hosted this September by the Cayuga Bird Club in Ithaca, New York, located on Cayuga Lake in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The meeting is open to the public, brings together birders from across the state and beyond, and offers attendees a variety of social, educational, and birding activities.

Join us at for our seventh annual Renaissance Era Festival on Sunday September 21st at Cornell Cooperative Extension Campus on Upper Front Street in Binghamton from noon to 4PM.

This event was rescheduled from its original date in July due to the storm damage. In addition to showing off Cutler Botanic Garden and it’s Shakespeare Trail, there will be plenty to see and do for adults and children of all ages.

The festival includes theater, live music, dance, a participatory parade, scavenger hunts with prizes, raffles, face painting, selfie stations, vendors, botanical displays, children’s activities, and more!
It’s free and open to the public. Donations gratefully accepted.

It’s a treat for the senses. Come as you are or come in costume.

Schedule of performances (some in different areas and overlapping)
12:00 PM Morris Dancing by B.F. Harridans and Binghamton Morris Men
12:30 PM Two Gentlemen of Verona (abridged play) by Half Light Theater Company
1:00 PM Harp and Flute duet by the M&M Duo
1:30 PM *Participatory Parade in the Garden (costumes provided at 1:15)
1:45 PM Gilbert and Sullivan Madrigals by the Summer Savoyards
2:00 PM Modern Dance with Shakespearean Themes by the Purely Technique Dance Company
2:30 PM Two Gentlemen of Verona (repeat of 12:30 performance)

The 2025 New York State Ornithological Association Conference will be hosted this September by the Cayuga Bird Club in Ithaca, New York, located on Cayuga Lake in the beautiful Finger Lakes region. The meeting is open to the public, brings together birders from across the state and beyond, and offers attendees a variety of social, educational, and birding activities.

A boozy reading series featuring authors of the fantastic, the surreal, the absurd, the speculative, and the odd.

This months featured authors are Don Pizzaro, and Parker M.O’Neill

While often overlooked, mosses are a highly diverse group of plants, and they have been found on every continent. They have incredible adaptations that allow them to survive in even the harshest environments! Join us for a walk highlighting some of our local mosses and their unique roles in our forest ecosystems. This walk is open to all ages. Registration is free of charge but required.

After a long week of school and activities, we could all use some time decompressing in nature! Join us for a nice family nature walk around the lake. This walk will cover a variety of topics, from plants to animals and environmental processes. Our discussion will depend heavily on what we encounter on the day. This walk is open to all ages, but will be more geared toward young children and families than some of our other walks are. Registration is free of charge but required.

With such diversity of plant species across the world comes equally incredible diversity in seed structures. Join us for a walk focused on seeds—how they develop, how they spread, how they grow into new plants, and how they can be both helped and hurt by granivorous (seed-eating) animals! This walk is open to all ages. Registration is free, but required.

This walk will start at the Pond Trail entrance to the preserve at Stair Park in Vestal.