Rice Creek Field Station to welcome visitors throughout winter

SUNY Oswego’s Rice Creek Field will plow on right through the winter, offering nine naturalist-led hikes, monthly story hours, winter bird study and tours of the state-of-the-art main building.

Rice Creek Ramble hikes are scheduled to take place at 11 a.m. on the following Saturdays: Jan. 7, 14 and 21; Feb. 4, 11 and 18; and March 4, 11 and 18. Those planning to attend these informative, family-friendly walks need to call 315-312-6677 the morning of each hike to check trail conditions. Since program size is limited, the rambles are not able to accommodate groups for these free Saturday programs. An adult needs to accompany children.

Elementary-age children—an adult needs to accompany them—can hear tales of nature, animals’ wild ways and how humans relate to the world around them at 11 a.m. Saturdays Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 25. The program’s size is limited, so Story Hour cannot accommodate groups. Rice Creek Field Station offers Story Hour in support of SUNY’s partnership with the Read Aloud 15 Minutes national initiative, according to Dr. Diann C. Jackson, administrator of programs at the station.

Those interested in the birds of winter may stop by most Saturdays, and can help as citizen scientists, counting the birds at Rice Creek’s feeders from an indoor viewing area. This is a project for all ages and the entire family.

Rice Creek Field Station, on Thompson Road about a mile south of SUNY Oswego’s main campus, is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Tours of the sustainably designed facility, including displays and artwork inside, are available. Trails are open during daylight hours, and parking is available near the field station and the main gate.

For more information, visit oswego.edu/ricecreek or call 315-312-6677.