Richard Mandelbaum, RH:
Sat June 15 fern walk, Wurtsboro, NY, 1:00-3:00 PM this is a public event, hosted by the Mamakating Environmental Education Center and will be free with a small donation to MEEC.
Registration info to follow.
Thurs June 20 Solstice Evening Paddle at the Basha Kill, Wurtsboro NY – like last year, we’ll celebrate the summer solstice on the water of this local treasure of protected wetlands and getting to know our local aquatic plants. The sun and earth do the same thing every solstice, so why shouldn’t we? This is a public event, hosted by the Mamakating Environmental Education Center and will be free with a small donation to MEEC. BYOB: bring your own boat! Exact launch time TBD (probably 5:30-6:00 PM-ish) Registration info to follow.
Sat June 29 – Aquatic Plant Day at the Basha Kill, Wurtsboro, NY – we’ll spend the entire day out on the water (with breaks to stretch our legs) really getting to know the
freshwater aquatic plants and wetland plants growing on the shoreline and margins. BYOB: bring your own boat! (I can offer space in my three-person canoe to the first three people who ask for it.) 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun July 14 Prospect Park, Brooklyn NY – I am so excited to return to Prospect Park, a place I know well and love. There is a wonderful diversity of plants to see, both native and non-native. We’ll explore some of the out-of-the-way corners of this magnificent park and see many plants including prickly ash, blue cohosh, bloodroot, and some massive ginkgo trees. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat Aug 10 Peatland Bog Adventure, Forestburgh NY – using my home as our meeting location, we’ll carpool over to spend most of the day at the nearby Neversink Gorge Wilderness Area, with a focus on walking off-trail to a peat bog to explore this unique ecosystem. This class will involve some walking over uneven ground, pushing through shrubbery, and traipsing through the spongy, squishy bog. (Many people wear high boots or waders for this kind of thing – I wear a bathing suit and tight-fitting water shoes!) 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat August 17 Crater Lake, NJ – after a five year hiatus I am returning to this special place in northwestern NJ. We’ll walk the trail around the beautiful lake, overlapping briefly with the Appalachian Trail, and visit an ancient Lenape ledge overhang, seeing a wonderful assortment of flora along the way. If the weather cooperates, we can end the day with a swim. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Sat August 24 Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx NY – this is imho the most wild of the city parks. There are some wonderful trails through the forest that we’ll explore, with large, old trees, and clusters of black cohosh, bloodroot, Solomon’s seal, and our native prickly pear cactus – and much more. 9:30AM – 5:00 PM
Sunday September 22, Equinox Celebration at Harriman State Park – celebrate the fall equinox in one of our regional gems. I can’t get enough of Harriman, with its endless trails, beautiful views, and wonderfully diverse flora. If you’re up for it, you can join me for a pre-dawn hike to a Lenape site to watch the equinox sunrise. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
TO REGISTER, contact Rich by email. Your place in the course is secured when payment is received (see below).
*Please note that the two MEEC-hosted events, on June 15 and June 20, you will register with MEEC directly as the date gets closer. But you can still let me know you have interest if you like!.
More information will be sent to all registered participants, including: list of what to bring and what to expect, handouts, and detailed directions / google map links to meeting locations. Everyone is expected to arrive 10-15 minutes early; once we are walking off down a trail you may not find us
Class fee:
The fee is kept low to be as accessible as possible, and is discounted when you sign up for multiple classes.
If you need a scholarship to be able to attend, reach out to me and we will make it happen.
If you are able to pay a higher amount, I will reserve 100% of it for scholarships for people who need it!
– If you sign up for one all-day class: $75
– If you sign up for two all-day classes: $70 each class ($140 total)
– If you sign up for three or more all-day classes: $60 each class.
Payment can be made by paypal, venmo, check, or cash.
– Paypal: send payment to nyherbalist@gmail.com
– Venmo: send payment to @Richard-Mandelbaum-1
Cancellation policy: because I keep these classes small and affordable, I am unable to guarantee a refund for canceling. If I am able to find someone to fill your spot, I can refund you minus a small processing fee, but I can’t make promises and it’s unlikely if you cancel at the last minute.
Wendy Warner, MD, FACOG, ABIHM, IFMCP: