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Bear Mountain Zoo amphitheater nears completion - 15 September, 2007
By LAURA INCALCATERRA
THE JOURNAL NEWS
BEAR MOUNTAIN - A canopy of trees will serve as the ceiling and mounds of boulders will act as walls when the new amphitheater opens at the Bear Mountain Zoo and Trailside Museum.
Even the seating will be natural, with the placement of hand-crafted "knickerbocker benches" made from downed locust trees found within Bear Mountain and Harriman state parks.
Ed McGowan, who serves as science and executive director of the zoo and its museums, said the amphitheater was the latest effort to serve the public.
"I think we're trying to live up to the original mission, which is to educate park visitors about local natural history," McGowan said.
An amphitheater once served the zoo, but it fell into disuse about 20 years ago. The new amphitheater will be on the same site and will be a venue for educational programs.
A three-day effort that ended yesterday brought volunteers from the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference and interns from the Student Conservation Association to the site.
A new, 150-foot long trail was built to provide access to the amphitheater. The laborious process involved removing boulders, brush and several inches of decayed organic material to uncover the harder soil below.
The visitors will sit on "knickerbocker benches" crafted over the three-day work session, said Timothy Englert, development specialist for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission at Bear Mountain State Park.
Englert helped create three similar benches at Rockland Lake State Park, which he named in honor of the historic Knickerbocker Ice House.
Palisades commission maintenance workers helped cut the logs for the new benches, Englert said.
McGowan said he hoped the programs to be offered at the amphitheater will help people connect to issues that have regional and international consequences.
Becky Crane, a Student Conservation Association member working as a zookeeper and education intern, said an osprey had come to live at the zoo after becoming entangled and injured by fishing line. Visitors who learn about the incident will understand the impacts of tossing trash into waterways.
"So people can see that throwing their fishing line into the water can have consequences," the Cortland, N.Y., woman said.
The Student Conservation Association members, who belong to the SCA's Hudson Valley Corps, earn a salary and a housing stipend while serving internships. SCA is part of the national AmeriCorps program.
SCA workers also helped expand the zoo's new butterfly garden and installed 250 feet of fence to keep out deer.
Englert said the amphitheater could be completed within the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, Englert is looking forward to the opportunity to sit on one of the new benches while sitting in the woods.
"I've always found solace in the outdoors," Englert said. "I've always found a great comfort in nature."
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