PEEC’s New EcoZone Discovery Room
Author: jmorley
PEEC’s EcoZone! Grand Opening
November 14, 2011
Lehman Township, Dingmans Ferry, PA – The transformation is nearly complete! The old indoor pool at the Pocono Environmental Education Center has become the new EcoZone! exploration & discovery room. The EcoZone! will be open to the public for the first time November 20, 2011 from 12:00 to 3:00pm. Everyone is welcome to visit & explore during the grand opening.
Visitors will enter the EcoZone! next to a life-sized Bald Eagle’s nest & a giant eagle mural by Ken Batelman. The mural was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The eagle’s nest will show visitors what an actual eagle nest looks like and students will be able to climb into the nest to experience the world of the eaglets (baby eagles) after they hatch.
Another prominent exhibit is the bat cave. Visitors to the bat cave will crawl through the serpentine tunnel and enter the “decorated” big room. The big room is decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and rimstone. Visitors can explore the cave exhibit and learn about cave ecology and troglobites (cave dwelling animals).
The black bear skeleton display is a “puzzle”. Kids and adults will be able to see and understand the difference between bear & human skeletons as they manipulate the 75 magnetized bones to complete the skeleton of what was a 450 pound bear. Visitors will be able to examine the large teeth and claws, but the relatively small skull and students will be able to see how the shape of the skeleton helps bears to adapt & survive in their environment.
Other exhibits include a beaver lodge, an aquaponics display, a fossil pit, a recycling display, a watershed display, “The Lab”, a “Skins & Skulls” display, and the “Critter Corner”.
PEEC’s mission is to advance environmental education, sustainable living, and appreciation for nature through hands-on experience in a national park. PEEC provides unique, year-round environmental experiences to families, school groups, scouts, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. The environmental center is located near mile marker 8, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in Dingmans Ferry, PA (Lehman Township). For more information call (570) 828-2319 or visit PEEC on the web at www.peec.org. PEEC is close to home, where learning comes naturally!
PEEC has Bats in the Belfry … I Mean the EcoZone
October 31, 2011
Lehman Township, Dingmans Ferry, PA – Stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and rimstone?? These are all features of the Pocono Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC’s) new bat cave. The bat cave is only one of the exhibits at the soon-to-open EcoZone! – a hands-on discovery room where visitors can experience & learn about the natural world.
Visitors to the bat cave will crawl through the serpentine tunnel and enter the “decorated” big room. The big room is decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and rimstone. Visitors can explore the cave exhibit and learn about cave ecology and troglobites (cave dwelling animals).
The EcoZone, with its varied display exhibits, will officially open Sunday, November 20, 2011. Everyone is welcome to explore the EcoZone from 12 to 3pm.
PEEC’s mission is to advance environmental education, sustainable living, and appreciation for nature through hands-on experience in a national park. PEEC provides unique, year-round environmental experiences to families, school groups, scouts, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. The environmental center is located near mile marker 8 along Route 209, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in Dingmans Ferry, PA (Lehman Township). For more information call (570) 828-2319 or visit PEEC on the web at www.peec.org. PEEC is close to home, where learning comes naturally!
The Eagle has Landed… at PEEC
October 11, 2011
Lehman Township, Dingmans Ferry, PA – A life-sized Bald Eagle’s nest is one of the new exhibits located in The Pocono Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC’s) soon to open EcoZone! The Bald Eagle’s nest is located next to a giant eagle mural by Ken Batelman. The mural was supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. The nest will show visitors what an actual eagle nest looks like. Students will even be able to climb into the nest to experience the world of the eaglets (baby eagles) after they hatch.
The nests of the Bald Eagle are typically 5 feet in diameter, though some can reach 9 feet. The nests can be 12 feet deep & weigh up to 2 tons. Even though PEEC’s nest seems extremely large, it is actually very close in size to one that would be found in nature. Since most people never get to see a real Bald Eagle’s nest, PEEC added one to the EcoZone! as a component of the discovery room.
The EcoZone will officially open on Sunday, November 20, 2011 and all are welcome to explore its wonders from 12 to 3pm.
PEEC’s mission is to advance environmental education, sustainable living, and appreciation for nature through hands-on experience in a national park. PEEC provides unique, year-round environmental experiences to families, school groups, scouts, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. The environmental center is located near mile marker 8, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in Dingmans Ferry, PA (Lehman Township). For more information call (570) 828-2319 or visit PEEC on the web at www.peec.org. PEEC is close to home, where learning comes naturally!
New Lodging in PEEC EcoZone
October 3, 2011
The beavers have completed work on the beaver lodge in the Pocono Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC’s) new EcoZone Discovery Room. Three thousand two hundred seventy three sticks were individually gnawed as raw material and 2.29 tons of pond muck were tail slapped in the creation of the lodge in the deep end of the old indoor pool. The beavers were paid at full prevailing wage in white birch trees and high bush blueberries and had full dental benefits.
Although the beavers refused to be interviewed on the record, one was heard to say, “Yeah, it was a “dam” solid project, but why anyone would want one of these lodges inside was a mystery to us. With these environmental types, you never know what drives them.” The beavers’ safety record was admirable, but the legs of several picnic tables were slightly chewed up one evening after a rousing rendition of “I’m a beaver and I’m OK.”
The EcoZone will officially open on Sunday November 20, 2011 and all are welcome to explore its wonders from 12 to 3pm.
Bear Bones in the EcoZone?
September 26, 2011
Lehman Township, Dingmans Ferry, PA – The bear skull is connected to the first vertebra (the Atlas). The Atlas is connected to the Axis, and the Axis is connected to the…you get the picture. In the Pocono Environmental Education Center’s (PEEC’s) new EcoZone, you will get to do the assembly.
The black bear skeleton is a “puzzle” that visitors to the nearly completed EcoZone will be able to put together. Kids and adults will be able to see and understand the difference between bear & human skeletons as they manipulate the 75 magnetized bones to complete the skeleton of what was a 450 pound bear.
Visitors will be able to examine the large teeth and claws, but the relatively small skull. Students will be able to see how the shape of the skeleton helps bears to adapt & survive in their environment.
Please note that no bears where harmed in the creation of this exhibit; this bear died of natural causes in the wild. After staff& volunteers transferred the bear to PEEC over a year ago, the bones were cleaned by dermestid beetles, then sealed & preserved. Now, the bones are being arranged into a hands-on exhibit.
You can see photos of the work in progress on PEEC’s Facebook page or visit PEEC to hike our trails and check on the EcoZone! The windows into the room have been uncovered & visitors to PEEC can observe the daily progress. The grand opening of the EcoZone is planned for late November 2011.
PEEC’s mission is to advance environmental education, sustainable living, and appreciation for nature through hands-on experience in a national park. PEEC provides unique, year-round environmental experiences to families, school groups, scouts, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. The environmental center is located near mile marker 8, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in Dingmans Ferry, PA (Lehman Township). For more information call (570) 828-2319 or visit PEEC on the web at www.peec.org. PEEC is close to home, where learning comes naturally!
PEEC Ecozone Opening Soon!
September 13, 2011
Lehman Township, Dingmans Ferry, PA – Did you ever want to go inside a Beaver Lodge or a Bat Cave? The Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is in the process of transforming its indoor pool into an EcoZone! – a hands-on, discovery room. The new interactive exhibit room at PEEC will open this November and will include a bat cave, beaver lodge, eagle’s nest, fossil pit, and much more. The displays will be hands-on and interactive; visitors will crawl through the bat cave, walk through the beaver lodge, and dig for fossils.
PEEC’s old indoor pool has been closed for some time due to the high cost of maintenance & repairs. In an effort to make use of the large space in a way that would complement PEEC’s mission, Executive Director Jeff Rosalsky visualized a room where the thousands of children that visit PEEC each year could learn about nature in a fun, hands-on setting. Through the efforts of PEEC staff & volunteers, and with many generous donations of funds, time, and materials, the room is nearing completion.
You can see photos of the work in progress on PEEC’s Facebook page or visit PEEC to hike our trails and check on the EcoZone! The windows into the room have been uncovered & visitors to PEEC can observe the daily progress.
PEEC’s mission is to advance environmental education, sustainable living, and appreciation for nature through hands-on experience in a national park. PEEC provides unique, year-round environmental experiences to families, school groups, scouts, and nature enthusiasts of all ages. The environmental center is located near mile marker 8, within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in Dingmans Ferry, PA (Lehman Township). For more information call (570) 828-2319 or visit PEEC on the web at www.peec.org. PEEC is close to home, where learning comes naturally!