Explore Our Woods, Waters, and Fields

Become a Rensselaer Naturalist this Year!

A joint program with the Rensselaer Land Trust and Rensselaer Plateau Alliance

As you wander through the woods have you ever wanted to identify the mysterious bird call from the tree tops? Or the ferns growing in the squishy bog floor?

Download the color brochure or black and white schedule

Learning Goals
At each outing in the series you will learn about a specific aspect of the natural history of Rensselaer County, such as birds, wildflowers, trees, and bogs. There will be a learning goal related to each of the outing’s topic; for example, learn 10 birds, or learn 10 wildflowers, or learn about what makes a bog a bog.

Whether you’re a beginner or already have experience with a given topic, you’ll learn something new from a Rensselaer Naturalist program. Participants will be provided with resources to review before each outing, and a list of resources for further exploration.

Open to All
The series is open to adults and teens. There is an option* of earning a customized Rensselaer Naturalist patch! For participants who complete learning goals for at least eight of the Rensselaer Natural Series programs they will receive a patch.

Online Registration and More Information
To register and learn more follow the "Register Here" links for each program listed below.

Naturalist Learning Resouces Library: Click HERE

*Learning Goals and Optional Credit Requirements: Click HERE

SPRING • SUMMER SCHEDULE

4/14 • 1–4 pm: Amphibian Walk at Poestenkill Community Forest. Leader: Jeff Briggs. Register HERE.

4/27 • 7 am–10 am: Birds and Bird Song at Poestenkill Community Forest. Leader: Jim de Waal Malefyt. Register HERE.

5/11 • 9 am–noon: Invasive Plants Program and Workday with Capital Mohawk PRISM at Staalesen Vanderheyden Preserve, Troy. Leader: Joe Durkin, no fee. Register HERE.

5/18 • 10 am–1 pm: Spring Wildflowers at RPI Tech Park, North Greenbush. Leader: Tom Phillips. Register HERE.

6/1 • 1 pm–4 pm: Wetland Plants/Ecology at Quacken Kill Marsh in Grafton. Leader: David Hunt and David Gaskell. Register HERE.

6/8 • 9 am–1 pm: Old Growth Forests at Wyomanock Center for Sustainability. Leader: David Hunt. Register HERE.

6/22 • 9:30–11:30 am: Trees at Kinderhook Creek Preserve. Leader: Dave Hart and David Gaskell. Register HERE.

7/13 • 9 am–Noon: Geology at Kinderhook Creek Preserve Leader: Bill Kelley and David Gaskell. Register HERE.

7/14 • 10 am–1 pm: Ferns and Mosses at Poestenkill Community Forest. Leader: Tom Phillips. Register HERE.

7/20 • 1–4 pm: Peatlands/Bogs (site to be announced). Leader: David Hunt. Register HERE. Register HERE.

7/27 • 9 am–3 pm: Invasive Species/Peatland Restoration workday at Wyomanock Center for Sustainability. Leader: David Hunt, no fee. Register HERE.

8/10 • 7–8:30 pm: Annual Hudson River Fish Count at Schodack Island State Park. Leader: Fran Martino, no fee. Register HERE.

8/ 17 • 10 am: Field and Meadow Plants at Grafton Lakes State Park. Leader: Rich Ring. Register HERE.

8/24 • 10 am–Noon: Mushroom Walk with John Wheeler. Contact: Marcy Steinberg, extra fee. Register HERE.

9/28 • 10 am–Noon: Mushroom Walk with John Wheeler. Contact: Marcy Steinberg, extra fee. Register HERE.

10/19 • 10 am–Noon: Mushroom Walk for Beginners. Register HERE.
            1–3 pm: Learn to Key Mushrooms, Intermediate. Leader: Sue Van Hook, extra fee. Register HERE.

The Board of Directors and Staff of the Rensselaer Land Trust recently developed a new strategic plan to guide our intentions and actions for 2019 to 2021. The plan includes 24 activities under three priorities:

1) Protecting Key Lands
2) Stewarding Land and Water for Conservation and Community
3) Building RLT for the Future

It also includes a set of performance indicators, implementation schedules, and a set of organizational values to guide our work.

As has been our history over the past 31 years, we seek to engage our members, conservation partners and allied organizations, government at all levels, and the citizenry in protecting the important land and water in Rensselaer County and the surrounding area. Together we can ensure that the high quality of life in our region is maintained and that the protection of open space and biodiversity is balanced with the need for economic growth for our community.

We invite you to join us as a volunteer, donor, or to become a Board member to help.

Click HERE to DOWNLOAD our eight page Strategic Plan.

On December 4, the Hudson River Watershed Alliance awarded the Rensselaer Land Trust (RLT) with their 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Awards. RLT was selected in the small organization category because of their 31 years in conserving the open spaces, watersheds and natural habitats of Rensselaer County, for the benefit of our communities and future generations. RLT’s recent successes which made them key award recipients include:

• RLT completed a county-wide Natural Resource inventory and Conservation Plan, which puts climate resiliency and water quality front and center in the prioritization of future conservation efforts. This conservation plan will lead to the protection of county-wide water resources as its target of preserving 10,000 additional acres by 2030 is achieved.

• RLT finalized a Hudson River Access Plan for Rensselaer County, the first county-wide plan to advance the Hudson River Estuary Program’s goal of “getting people to the river." People are motivated to protect places that they love and have access to. This plan provides the blueprint to increase the connection between people and the river in this region.

• RLT implemented a citizen scientist water quality monitoring project in local streams and tributaries in Rensselaer County. Riverkeeper’s boat can’t go up Rensselaer County tributaries, but the Rensselaer Land Trust's many volunteers can! Partnering organizations involved on this project included Rensselaer County; the Cities of Troy and Rensselaer; Watershed Assessment Associates; United States Geological Survey; Riverkeeper; River Haggie, and Capital District Regional Planning Commission. In one case, the data collected led to citation and remediation of a sewage leak in the City of Rensselaer.

Read more: RLT Receives 2018 Watershed WaveMaker Award