Outdoor Education Center (OEC)

Location: The Genesee Valley Outdoor Education Center (The OEC) is located on land primarily owned by Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES and partly owned by the Genesee Valley Central School (GVCS). Access to the OEC is by turning into the GVCS, going to the ‘Y’ and bearing left. There is a parking area across from the GCS bus garage area. The GVCS entry road, named Jaguar Drive, is just north of Belmont, NY on County Road 48, the Belmont-Angelica Road. Visitors will see a GVCS sign on Route 48. After turning in and bearing to the left at the “Y” visitors will see a large three-part sign on the left at the OEC entry. Parking is a bit further on, on the right.

Public Access: The OEC is a school-community project. As such, the public is welcome to enjoy the site at their leisure, as well as to attend planned events. Groups greater than a few people, and/or groups that want to arrange a guided site walk, should contact the OEC Planning Committee via Joan Sinclair at 585-593-1759 or Erica Fleischman, Horticulture Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, at 585-268-7644, to make arrangements. When there is other than incidental parking needed, GVCS will be contacted by the OEC for approval.

VISITORS NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THE SITE IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Trails are in various stages of development and have differing surfaces, from natural grasses to packed stone. 2007 plans call for some surfaces to be edged and surfaced with limestone dust. 2007 plans also call for a wetland enhancement project through the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. At times, therefore, there will be heavy equipment operation going on and other work that requires visitors to exercise extra caution. Some of the lowland areas are marshy and, therefore, visitors should wear appropriate footwear and/or should call one of the individuals, above, to get directions, so as to avoid these areas.

Site Safety and Preservation

Following are the basic rules for OEC site safety and preservation. A copy of the full policy may be obtained by phoning one of the above-named individuals.

• No hunting, fishing or any disturbance of the wildlife found on site is permitted.
• No swimming is allowed.
• No disturbance of the plant life found on site is permitted.
• Visitors are not allowed to deface or remove any of the structures or natural resources on the site.
• No motorized vehicles are allowed, except to assist individuals whose mobility is limited due to a medical condition.
• No fires are allowed.
• Dogs are allowed, if the owner cleans up after them, as needed.
• Visitors must exercise caution on site and be particularly aware that stairs, banks and wetland trails may be slippery at times and the lowland areas marshy. Use of the site is ‘at your own risk’.

OEC Programs

Family–oriented educational programs are being offered, for the most part on periodic Saturday mornings, between May and October. If there needs to be a program change or if programs are added, you will find the change on this website, other partner websites and, to the extent possible, in local media.

2007 PROGRAMS
10:00 a.m. to Noon, unless otherwise stated

Free of Charge: Donations of Any Amount Gratefully Received

May 26, 2007: “Friends with Feathers” birds of prey, featuring live owls and hawk.

June 30, 2007: “Site Walk” with experts in forestry and horticulture. The walk will introduce participants to the trail system and focus on the wide variety of trees, shrubs and plants of interest on the site.

July 28, 2007: “Native Butterflies”, featuring the fascinating monarch butterfly, just in time for the monarch annual season in our area. Interactive education. Trail tour follows, for those interested.

August 25, 2007: “Wetlands of the OEC”: Wetland experts will introduce attendees to the current wetlands, as well as the wetland enhancement project going on at the OEC. Tour included.

September, 2007: TBA: Program for teachers and youth group leaders. Interactive learning games, use of the OEC with school classes and youth groups, and connecting with other resources for natural resource education will be covered. A site tour will follow, for those interested.

October 13, 2007 (tentative): ‘The Wild Turkey’ Experts from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation will present history, habit and habitat of the wild turkey. Lots of visuals! Also, turkey calls and how to make them, in a variety of ways, will be featured.

OEC Partner Schools and Agencies Community Members

Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES Paul Kretser, Forester
Genesee Valley Central School John Tucker, NWTF
Cornell U. Cooperative Extension-Allegany County Michele Hluchy, A.U.
Allegany County Soil and Water Conservation District Sue Myers
Allegany County Youth Bureau Joan Sinclair

Turkey program' at OEC last fall with Emelio Rende of the DEC, John
Tucker rep. of Wild Turkey Federation, and Paul Kretser.