The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Croton Point Park

Northern Westchester: A Kayaker’s Paradise

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PHOTO BY ROSS EAGLE
aquilinestudios.net
Wampus Pond is popular with kayakers.

Looking for a way to relax, reconnect with nature, soak in the sun, and get some exercise, all at the same time? Try kayaking. Northern Westchester, with its beautiful ponds, lakes, and river, offers various kayaking experiences, ranging from easy outings to more challenging adventures.

Where to Go

Kayakers can look no further than Wampus Pond in Armonk for an easy, serene adventure. Wampus Pond, part of the 102-acre Wampus Pond Park, is open to kayakers throughout the summer. The natural water pond was once a reservoir that fed the New York City water supply. The park surrounding the lake is particularly peaceful and filled with history, including early 20th century rock shelters.

For beautiful, endless views of blue, and a chance to experience the more challenging Hudson River waters, head west to Ossining Beach. In 2011, a kayak launch was opened at the Louis Engel Waterfront Park. This launch enables kayakers to launch off the beach rather than off a dock. Head west for a view of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

Travel about four miles north to Croton Point Park and kayak on the Croton River, which ardent kayaker Paul Okura calls “a local gem…so clean and beautiful.” The Croton River is crystal clear, peaceful, and scenic, and it offers exquisite views of the Palisades. Croton Point Park is one of the oldest parks in the Westchester County system. According to Mary Kaye Koch, Director of Marketing for the Westchester County Parks Department, “Croton Point is a beautiful spot for bird-watching while you are kayaking down the river. On the clearest of days, you can even see all the way down to New York City.” Visitors can plan to picnic or camp out at the park as well.

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park, right off of Crompound Road in Yorktown Heights, offers two lakes for kayaking. Bring your own kayak to Crom Pond or Mohansic Lake, the two freshwater ponds in the park. The park itself, known for its spacious picnic areas, pool, hiking trails, basketball courts, and playgrounds, offers a chance to enjoy a range of other activities as well.

George’s Island Park, located off of Dutch Street in Montrose, offers another easy, scenic launch spot in Westchester County. “If you’re looking for a tranquil spot for kayaking, George’s Island is perfect,” according to Koch.” With a boat launch for boats up to 21 feet long, George’s Island gives kayakers an opportunity to connect with nature and observe the diverse wildlife. Boat fees vary by park. Check out parks.westchestergov.com for more information.

Touring Options

Throughout Northern Westchester, kayakers can go at it alone or sign up with a service for a more guided kayaking experience. Between May and October, Hudson River Recreation offers two to three hour expeditions on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Tours meet at Croton Point Park or the Echo Canoe and Kayak Launch in Croton on Hudson. Kayak along the Croton River, passing historical sites like Van Cortlandt Manor.

Hudson River Recreation tours are geared towards adults, but if you are looking for a family kayaking experience, try Hudson River Expeditions. Hudson River Expeditions takes you a little farther north to Peekskill and the Bear Mountain area. Kayakers can either navigate their way through the Peekskill Bay and see the city from a new perspective or travel through the Bear Mountain region, visiting the historical site of Fort Montgomery. They offer both family tours with single and tandem kayaks in the Peekskill region and custom tours that can be booked for six or more participants.

Safety Precautions

John Clark, program director of Hudson River Recreation, suggests that kayakers “expect the unexpected and plan for it.” He suggests that kayakers always wear a US Coast Guard approved life jacket, take lessons, and learn rescue techniques. “You have to know what to do if you fall out!” Clark warns. Paying careful attention to the weather and tide conditions is also extremely important. Dress for the water, not the air. Finally, for a successful trip, Clark says to make sure that someone else knows where you are and where you are going.

Okura has one final suggestion to ensure that everyone on the water enjoys their experience. “People should respect the no noise zone and bring headphones if they want to listen to music.” This way people can serenely connect with their natural surroundings and enjoy the ride.

Eagles to Return to Hudson Valley for 14th Annual EagleFest Celebration

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Teatown to Celebrate Eagles Return to the Hudson River Renowned Bird Experts

and Singer-Songwriter Dar Williams 

The 14th Annual EagleFest is scheduled for February 10, 2018 

Discounted General Admission Tickets Are Available Now

OSSINING, NY – The grand celebration of the bald eagle will soon descend upon Croton Point Park, a Westchester County park. The 14th annual “EagleFest” has been scheduled for Saturday, February 10, 2018, a highly anticipated event that will once again take flight over the Hudson River with expanded programming, including a performance by Dar Williams, who The New Yorker calls “one of America’s very best singer-songwriters.”

Additionally, bird experts Bill Streeter and Brian Robinson will make special presentations of their own. EagleFest is hosted by Teatown, a nonprofit environmental education center and nature preserve. Also, State Senator Terrence Murphy, an outdoorsman and a lover of wildlife, will partner with Teatown to sponsor EagleFest. He has secured a $500,000 appropriation for a critical meadow restoration project at Croton Point Park, a sanctuary for bald eagles and other wildlife. This year, the event is poised to be an even bigger celebration than ever before.

“This event is a fun and celebratory way for Teatown to pursue its mission of inspiring our community to lifelong environmental stewardship,” said Kevin Carter, Executive Director of Teatown. “With so much divisiveness in the world, it is a joy to bring people together with hope and purpose.”

The annual EagleFest celebration allows visitors to see live birds of prey and provides opportunities to view the national symbol in its natural setting.  Various birds of prey species will be featured in a special program led by nationally renowned experts in the handling and care of the birds. The birds in captivity have been rehabilitated after suffering various injuries and are no longer able to live in the wild.

Environmental experts will lead other nature-related workshops and presentations to guests of all ages as well as host educational shows. Guests will also be able to enjoy cuisine from a variety of food trucks and enjoy live music inside heated tents along the river. Even more, Teatown educators will lead two-hour bus tours along the Hudson River to various eagle viewing sites where an eagle expert will be stationed with spotting scopes. This feature has limited seating.

New this year is a performance by Dar Williams. Known as much for her staunch progressive ideals as her raw acoustic energy, Williams has been captivating audiences with her folk-pop songwriting since the ’90s. Her growth as an individual over her two-decade-long career has gone hand-in-hand with her evolution as an artist, touring along the way with such distinguished peers as Joan Baez, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, Loudon Wainwright III and Shawn Colvin among others. Dar’s most recent album, Emerald, “deals as bluntly as ever with the shadowy, subtle corners of humanity” according to Rolling Stone, and was recorded with friends such as Richard Thompson, Jill Sobule, Jim Lauderdale, the Milk Carton Kids, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Suzzy Roche, the Hooters and others in various studios across the U.S.

Additionally, Bill Streeter, Director of the Delaware Raptor Center (DVRC), has over 30 years of experience as a raptor rehabilitator, falconer, and educator. He has a BA in Biology and MS in Zoology, and has completed Tuft’s University Veterinary School’s Leadership Program in Wildlife Medicine and Rehabilitation. He will provide a presentation to guests with his golden eagle and bald eagle. He trains and uses live hawks, eagles, falcons, and owls for more than 120 presentations to schools, camps, scouts, and a variety of other groups each year. He is responsible for the care of the birds in residence at the center. And, Wildlife Educator Brian Robinson will also present various birds of prey. Robinson has been providing wildlife education programs to schools, libraries and museums since 1993.  His animals have been featured on many national television shows such as Regis and Kelly and The Today Show.

EagleFest 2018 will be held at Croton Point Park, 1 Croton Point Avenue in Croton-on-Hudson from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Pre-sale tickets are $17/adults (12+), $10/children (6-11) and free for children 5 and under.  Tickets sold at the venue on the day of the event are $22/adults (12+), $12/children (6-11) and free for children 5 and under. To purchase tickets, visit teatown.org/eaglefest

Attendees coming from Manhattan or Poughkeepsie can take Metro-North trains to Croton-Harmon Train Station. Special EagleTrain Cars will depart from Grand Central at 8:50 a.m. from Poughkeepsie and 9:20 a.m. from Grand Central Station. During the trip, on-board naturalists will point out various Hudson Valley birds to riders.  Free shuttle buses will bring attendees to/from the Croton-Harmon Train Station to Croton Point Park. To participate in this event, guests must purchase a regular train ticket from Metro North.

The 14th Annual Teatown EagleFest is generously sponsored by Westchester County Parks & Recreation, Westchester County Tourism, Westchester Magazine, ConEdison, WHUD, Tracer Imaging and Wheelabrator Technologies.  The event is made possible with the support of our partners, Westchester Parks Foundation and the Westchester County Parks & Recreation Department. For details visit: www.teatown.org.

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ABOUT TEATOWN: Teatown, an environmental education organization with a 1,000-acre private, not-for-profit nature preserve in Westchester County, is one of the largest and most active environmental education and science centers in the region.  Teatown impacts more than 20,000 adults and children every year through its full schedule of year-round programs and nature-focused summer camp, as well as through 15 miles of hiking trails.  Teatown’s mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship.  It has grown continuously since it was established on 194 acres in 1963, more than 50 years ago.  More information about Teatown is at www.teatown.org.