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Workshops & Public Programs

“For the Birds”; The Life and Legacy of Roger Tory Peterson

This hour-long program is based on the children’s biography “For the Birds, The Life of Roger Tory Peterson” by Peggy Thomas and Laura Jacque. Peterson’s amazing accomplishments, combined with the book’s beautiful illustrations and select objects from the RTPI collection, allow participants to make personal, social, artistic, and environmental connections to Jamestown’s famous son. This program has been popular with public libraries and senior centers.

“Natural Connections” Adult Art Classes

Artist and instructor Robin Zefers Clark will be teaching various sketching and painting techniques during two art classes, each consisting of six sessions. Focused on botanical art, this unique class draws inspiration from original materials housed in RTPI’s Peterson collection. A staff naturalist will provide additional knowledge and inspiration by sharing information on local wildflowers in the RTPI preserve and in our native wildflower and pollinator gardens. The experience will be further enhanced by a gallery tour provided by RTPI curatorial staff, to familiarize students with in-depth glimpses into Peterson’s wild flower illustrations and his artistic process. Each class will culminate in a month-long exhibition of participants’ works at RTPI, accompanied by an opening reception for the artists, which will be free and open to the public.

This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Tri-County Arts Council.

Citizen Science Training Opportunities

We believe that environmental awareness is everybody’s responsibility and offer a variety of training opportunities for interested individuals to get involved in stewardship efforts.  These include workshops and trainings centered on surveying and monitoring studies to benefit rare animals and plants, or to slow down the spread of harmful non-native species.  Examples include breeding bird surveys, native pollinator surveys, or early-detection efforts for invasive aquatic plants and forest pests. Click here for more information on current and upcoming training opportunities

Please contact Amy Hudson, Assistant, Operations and Administration for more information on any of these programs, or to schedule a class at (716) 665-2473, ext. 227 or ahudson@rtpi.org.