BCJN hike and snack in Van Cortlandt Park.

*WHAT:* A BCJN hike and snack in Van Cortlandt Park.

*WHEN:* *Sunday, October 2, 2016, 3:00-5:30 pm*. If it’s raining
significantly or lightning is possible/likely, we’ll cancel again. If it’s
raining only lightly and the forecast isn’t grim, let’s be brave and walk
with umbrellas!

*WHERE:* Meet at the golf house, between the southern parking lot and the
southern end of Van Cortlandt Lake. The entrance to the access road for the
parking lot and golf house is on Van Cortlandt South, about 1/2 mile east
of Broadway. Cars can be parked (for free) in the first lot that you reach,
the one to the south of the golf house (see #1 on the attached map). If
driving, please carpool!

*THE HIKE:* We’ll gather by the Van Cortlandt Golf House at 3 pm, setting
off on the lower portion of the Putnam Trail at 3:15. We’ll head for the
Birder Bridge (#2 on the map), a lovely spot over a marsh-land that is
wonderful for birding and turtle-sighting. Bring your binoculars! We’ll
have one or two naturalists with us who will point out birds and other
fauna and flora.

Then we’ll do a little more walking to get a sense of historic Tibbetts
Brook (#3 on the map). A plan to “daylight” the southernmost portion of the
brook is an important part of the NYC Parks Department Van Cortlandt Park
Master Plan, which you can read about HERE

and HERE .

Finally, we’ll picnic on a grassy area west of the Trail (#4 on the map).

*THE PICNIC:* We suggest a snacks-and-drinks picnic, rather than a meal so
that you don’t have too much to carry, and to avoid having perishable food
out in the heat. Bring-your-own, as well as something to share if you’d
like, and a blanket. We ask BCJN members to bring only vegetarian and/or
vegan food to BCJN events (due to the global environmental and climate
impacts of meat production and consumption). There are several bathrooms in
the areas of the park we’ll be in.