As we navigate the uncertainty surrounding the spread of COVID-19, Lake Placid Land Conservancy (LPLC) has offered some suggestions on ways to enjoy the outdoors from inside your own home or yard.
Take a virtual tour of the outdoors
The LPLC Conservation Monitoring Program StoryMap gives an overview of one LPLC projects that you can get involved with, and shares some of the great imagery that volunteers throughout the Adirondacks have captured via trailcams and photographs. You can also tour the native pollinator gardens they helped plant as an Adirondack Pollinator Project partner. The Wild Center will offer a virtual tour of the museum and Wild Walk.
View a nature livestream
Explore.org has dozens of animal and nature livestreams that allow you to get a closer look at your favorite wildlife. If you are looking for an Adirondack experience, check out the Ausable River Association’s livestream of Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake. The Cincinnati Zoo is also hosting daily educational livestreams featuring their vast array of animals.
Read a good nature book
Finally pick up that book about trees or the world’s ecosystems that’s been sitting on your shelf for years or check out some of these recommendations: The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, The Way Through the Woods by Litt Woon Long, A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy, and, A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold.
If you have a local library card, you can sign up to gain access to hundreds of free e-books and audio books. And if you’re a New York resident, you can access even more titles by signing up for a library card through New York Public Library.
Watch some nature TV
If you haven’t seen these inspiring nature documentary series, now would be a wonderful time to catch up on Planet Earth, Life, Blue Planet, and Ken Burns’ The National Parks. Local PBS channels offer great science programming, like Nature and NOVA, and streaming services offer unique documentaries like Birders on Netflix and Jane, the story of conservationist Jane Goodall, on Disney+.
Catch up on nature podcasts
Some popular nature podcasts include: The American Birding Podcast, Gaze at the National Parks, Ologies, Out-LAND-Ish, The Alpinist, and the 46 of 46 Podcast.
Get a head start on your garden
Now is the perfect time to start sprouting your own seeds inside your home. Sprouts are super easy and fun to grow. With a mason jar, seeds, and a bit of water, you can enjoy them in your salad in less than a week! Salad greens grow quickly and the young leaves make for great eats from windowsill pots. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant have longer growing seasons, so starting them inside in the next few weeks will give them a great head start before transplanting them in your garden.
Explore iNaturalist
Check out iNaturalist to learn about what critters and plants are found locally and around the world. If exploring iNaturalist sparks your citizen science flame, keep an eye out on our events page as we offer trainings annually on how to become an iNaturalist pro.
Get crafty
One of the best ways to enjoy the world around us is through art. Sketch the view from your window – if you need brushing up on your drawing skills, the Kennedy Center is releasing daily lunch doodle videos. The first episode features how to draw a pigeon. Relieve some stress with a nature coloring page or test out your backyard photography skills. If you’re up for a challenge, try your hand at making a felted animal. And check out PBS’s free educational art videos for more inspiration at The Art Assignment.
Photo of felted wood duck courtesy of Kerry Crowningshield.
Leave a Reply