Otsego Outdoors

Uplands Center Bird Walk
2025-06-07 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Uplands Center, 241 Dunk Hill Road, Walton, NY
Join DOAS Director Charlie Scheim, Bird Sightings author Sandy Bright, and the Environmental Director of the Uplands Center Renee Hardenkamp for a morning bird walk at the Uplands Center in Walton, NY (2641 Dunk Hill Road) on Saturday, June 7 at 8:00am. Our focus will be on observing birds and their breeding behaviors., will accompany us on this walk. The Uplands Center (www.uplandscenter.org) has acres of fields and forests, great habitat for breeding birds. We will meet just outside the main lodge. The walk will begin on a mostly level grassy path through a large field where we will likely find a number of grassland species. We will then follow a path through a wooded area with some gentle uphills and downhills, seeking woodland inhabitants. There are accessible rest rooms at the walk’s beginning and end and some rest spots along the way. The walk will likely last about an hour and a half. This program is free and there is no pre-registration required. You may call Charlie Scheim at 607-434-4880 for more information or for any last minute weather concerns.

Image: Bobolink; photo by Jennifer Hyypio.

Race the Lake Marathon, 1/2 marathon, 10K and 5K
2025-05-31 07:00 - 14:00 | Glimmerglass State Park, 1527 County Highway 31, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
Race The Lake marathon and half marathon will take racers around beautiful Otsego lake in Cooperstown NY. You will run past such landmarks as the Otesaga Hotel, The Farmers Museum, The Fenimore Art Museum and The Baseball Hall of Fame. The lake will always be on your right with awesome views of the surrounding area, running through small villages down challenging county route roads.
The marathon (26.2) and the half marathon (13.1) are certified by the USATF. These races can be used as a Boston Marathon Qualifier.
This year the Half Marathon has been selected to be part of the USATF Adirondack Grand Prix Series.
The courses are also completely staffed with many local volunteers. There are numerous water and aid stations as well as bicycle patrols throughout the course that ensure a safe and directed run. There will be aid stations no more than two miles apart.
A post race lunch is included for all racers and other choices available for sale. Awards to the overall male and female plus the top three in each age group will be handed out for all four races. Tech shirts to those who register before May 5, 2024 are guaranteed. All finishers will receive a medal as well.
7:00am: Marathon Start (Glimmerglass State Park)
8:00am: Half Marathon Start (Yellow Trolley Lot)
9:00am: 10K/5K Start (Glimmerglass State Park)
10:00am-2:00pm: Post Race Afterparty
Sponsored by the Clark Sports Center

OCCA Spring Mushroom Walk with Shane Gardner
2025-05-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Morris, NY
Join OCCA and expert forager Shane Gardner for a guided spring mushroom walk through the Morris woods! This seasonal event offers a hands-on introduction to identifying wild mushrooms in their natural habitat, with a special focus on edible and medicinal species that emerge in spring.
Participants will learn:

How to safely identify common spring mushrooms.

Best practices for ethical and sustainable foraging

Habitat clues and seasonal patterns

Field tips from Shane’s extensive foraging experience

This walk is suitable for all experience levels. Please wear sturdy shoes, dress for the weather, and bring a basket or mesh bag if you’d like to collect specimens.
Space is limited, please register in advance at occainfo.org
Details on location in Morris will be sent to registered participants.

Clinton Canoe Regatta
2025-05-23 - 2025-05-25 | Susquehanna River
Join in or cheer on the world’s longest single day flat water canoe race from Brookwood Point on Otsego Lake in Cooperstown along the Susquehanna River for 70 miles to Bainbridge. Racers come from throughout the US, Canada, Europe and South America to paddle in this premiere canoe racing event.

There are a variety of races for pros to beginners, kids to adults. 15 mile and 30 mile and relay races also will be featured.

Hike with ADK: Twin Fawns at Gilbert Lake State Park
2025-05-20 09:45 - 12:00 | Gilbert Lake State Park, 18 CCC Rd, Laurens, NY, 13796, United States
Join the Susquehanna Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club for a guided hike open to all. Meet at 9:45 am for check in, hike begins at 10 am. The Chapter offers weekly hikes on Tuesdays and longer hikes once a month on Saturdays. See website for details.

Pine Lake Bird Walk
2025-05-20 08:00 - 10:00 | Hartwick College Pine Lake Campus, 1894 Charlotte Creek Road, Oneonta, NY, 13820
Join DOAS on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:00-10:00am at Hartwick College’s Pine Lake Environmental campus in Davenport Center. Suzanne Gaynor and Jane Bachman will lead the walk. We can expect warblers, ducks, other songbirds, and possible Bald Eagles who nest nearby.
Meet at 8am in the Pine Lake parking lot at 1894 Charlotte Creek Rd, Oneonta, NY.
This will be a 1 1/2-mile walk past a variety of habitats including Pine Lake, Charlotte Creek, woods, a swamp, and open field. There is one moderate climb and much of the walking is on uneven woodland trails. Sturdy footwear is recommended. A restroom is available at the start and end of the walk.

Contact Suzanne Gaynor at 607-435-2939 for more information. No pre-registration required.

Splash Path 5K and Fun Walk
2025-05-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Pathfinder Village, 3 Chenango Road, Edmeston, NY, 13335
Join Pathfinder Village for the 12th annual Splash Path and Fun Walk.
🏃‍♂️ A scenic, flat 5K route with non-toxic color station to kick off the run/walk
💃 A ZUMBA warm-up session to get you energized
🎶 Music, food trucks, ticket auction, and vendors featuring crafts & local businesses
🎁 T-shirts & goodie bags for all pre-registered participants
This vibrant event raises funds to support the construction of Pathfinder’s latest and most exciting initiative—The Farmstead Market & Community Center.

Glimmerglass Triathlon
2025-05-17 09:00 - 14:00 | Glimmerglass State Park, 1527 County Highway 31, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
Paddle, Bike and Run in the Glimmerglass Triathlon.
Racers will begin the race on a kayak or canoe with a 1.5 mile open water paddle at Glimmerglass State Park. Starting at the beachfront, the route will follow the protected Glimmerglass Bay on Otsego Lake. After the paddle and upon arrival at the beach, racers will transition to their bikes staged near the Lakefront Pavilion. The bike portion of the race will take riders 16.5 miles north of Glimmerglass State Park on secondary roads. Racers will dismount from their bikes and finish the last stretch of the race on foot. A 10k run will pass over the Hyde Hall foot bridge and be contained mostly in Glimmerglass State Park.
Race registration includes official timing from the Clark Sports Center events team, commemorative race sweatshirt, finisher medal, food and a free finish beer for those 21+. Compete solo or as three or four person teams

Birding with Becky
2025-05-17 08:00 - 10:00 | Mohican Farm/OCCA offices, 7207 St. Hwy. 80, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
With a mix of fields, woods, gardens and lakeshore, Mohican Farm is an excellent place for birding. Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Co-President, Becky Gretton leads this early morning walk at Mohican Farm in search of the early birds. This walk is suitable for beginners and experts alike. Bring binoculars, bird guide and be prepared for any weather (and plan for walking in wet grass). Program is free, but pre-registration is required using the form below Attendance is limited to 20.

Register at occainfo.org

Saturday ADK Hike: Landis Arboretum
2025-05-17 | Landis Arboretum, 174 Lape Road, Esperance, NY, 12066
On May 17th the ADK hike will be at the Landis Arboretum, 174 Lape Rd, Esperance, NY. The hike will cover approximately 5 miles over moderately hilly terrain through fields and forest with an elevation gain of about 700ft.
Hikes are open to all.

The chapter is offering seven longer all-day hikes on the third Saturday of each month, April through October. Below is a brief description of each hike and the leaders’ contact information, if you have questions.
These hikes require participants to plan accordingly. Bring a packed lunch, snacks, and water to last the whole excursion. Dress appropriately and bring equipment based upon the weather and hike conditions.
These hikes require pre-registration and will be limited to approximately 20 participants.
The hike leader will provide detailed instructions beginning about three weeks prior to the hike date for those registered.

Hike Leader: Laurie Pike (609-713-9338)
REGISTRATION LINK ( https://forms.gle/78qXhk5d7H2XNtmB9 )

Wildflower Walk at Gilbert Lake State Park
2025-05-15 10:00 - 12:00 | Gilbert Lake State Park, 18 CCC Road, Laurens, NY, 13796, United States
The 2025 Jean Miller Memorial Wildflower Walk at Gilbert Lake State Park, in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Central Region, will take place this year on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Participants will meet at the beach area at 10am.
The walk is approximately 2-3 hours in the park on easy to medium terrain and will be led by DOAS. Bring water, insect repellent, binoculars if on hand, and your curiosity!
This is a free program. Please register at https://doas.us/calendar/
Contact info@doas.us for additional information.

OCCA Homeschool Nature Walk at Emmons Pond Bog
2025-05-13 13:00 - 15:00 | Emmons Pond Bog Preserve, 2028 White Hill Road, Oneonta, NY, 13820, United States
Join OCCA for a beautiful spring hike through the Emmons Pond Bog trails! We will search for the first blooms of the season, discover a waterfall, and observe other signs of spring. Along the way, we’ll learn about flower and tree identification. Please note that the trails are usually muddy in spring, so be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Sign up at occainfo.org

Hike with ADK at Glimmerglass State Park
2025-05-13 09:45 - 12:00 | Glimmerglass State Park, 1527 County Highway 31, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States

Spring Bird Walk at the DOAS Sanctuary
2025-05-11 08:00 - 10:00 | DOAS Sanctuary and Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch, 52 Grange Hall Road Spur, Oneonta, New York, 13820
Join DOAS on Sunday, May 11 at 8:00am for a spring bird walk. Returning migrants at this location should include warblers, vireos, orioles, tanagers, and possibly waterfowl and raptors. The walk will last approximately two hours, and will require some hill-climbing and hiking over uneven and possibly muddy ground. A handicapped accessible port-a-john is available on site. Participants will meet at 8am at the DOAS Sanctuary, park on the left side of the driveway on Grange Hall Road Spur. Directions to the DOAS Sanctuary can be found at: https://doas.us

DOAS Co-President Andy Mason will lead the walk. Contact him with any questions at AndyMason@earthling.net or (607) 397-3815 (voicemail only).

Bird Walk at Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway
2025-05-10 08:00 - 10:00 | Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway trail (Silas Lane), Silas Lane, Oneonta, NY, 13820, United States
Join DOAS on Saturday, May 10 at 8:00am for a walk to view returning migrant birds on the Susquehanna Greenway Trail. Charlie Scheim and Sandy Bright will lead the walk. This is an easy hike on unpaved but level ground which may be slightly muddy. No restrooms are available. There are a few benches along the way.

Participants will meet at 8 a.m. in the parking lot by the fields near the school district bus garage, just past the transfer station for a two-hour walk to view returning migrant birds on the Greenway trail, located on Silas Lane, off Rte. 205 in Oneonta.

Contact Charlie Scheim at 607-434-4880 or scheimc@hartwick.edu for more information.

Hike with ADK on the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway
2025-05-06 09:45 - 12:00 | Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway trail (Silas Lane), Silas Lane, Oneonta, NY, 13820, United States

Butternut Creek Volunteer Event
2025-05-04 09:00 - 12:00 | 131 Peet Road, Morris, NY, 131 Peet Road, Morris, NY
Join the Butternut Valley Alliance and the Upper Susquehanna Coalition for a morning of riparian forest stewardship along Butternut Creek. Please register by completing this form or by emailing GlasserA@ tiogacountyny.gov

I Love My Park Day (Gilbert Lake State Park)
2025-05-03 10:00 - 15:00 | Gilbert Lake State Park, 18 CCC Road, Laurens, NY, 13796, United States
Come help get Gilbert Lake State Park ready for the summer! Tasks include painting (weather permitting), cleaning out flower beds, trimming decorative bushes, mulching in flower beds and playgrounds, and trail maintenance. Potential flower and tree planting. Community Garden work including but not limited to mulching walkways, tilling, weeding ,and planting.
Please park in the upper beach parking lot. Bring a wattle botte, garden gloves, sun hat/sunscreen. Lunch and refreshments will be provided for volunteers.

Register in advance: https://www.ptny.org/events/i-love-my-park-day

State Hwy 80 Clean Up with OCCA
2025-05-03 10:00 - 14:00 | Mohican Farm/OCCA offices, 7207 St. Hwy. 80, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
Join Otsego County Conservation Association on May 3rd, 2025 between 10am-2pm to help clean up a 2 mile stretch of State Highway 80. Refreshments will be provided as well as everything you need to participate, including visibility vests, bags, and gloves. Together, let’s keep the northwestern side of Otsego Lake beautiful!
Please sign up online at occainfo.org, or email Kendall Jacob, OCCA volunteer coordinator.

Fairy Spring Clean-Up
2025-05-03 10:00 - 12:00 | Fairy Spring Park, 221 County Highway 31, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
Join the Friends of the Parks and help get Fairy Spring ready for the summer season. Bring a rake and a friend

I Love My Park Day (Betty & Wilbur Davis State Park)
2025-05-03 08:45 - 13:00 | Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park, 133 Davis Road, Schenevus, New York, 12155
Volunteer and help get Betty & Wilbur Davis State Park ready for the summer. Tasks include beautification, planting flowers, mulching the playground, picking up litter, trail maintenance and pruning.
Volunteers should bring work boots, work gloves, and leaf rakes.
Register at https://www.ptny.org/events/i-love-my-park-day

Earth Festival
2025-04-26 10:00 - 15:00 | Milford Central School, 42 W Main Street, Milford, NY, 13807, United States
Spring is right around the corner and so is the Earth Festival. We can’t wait to see you at the annual OCCA event at the Milford School. For updates, go to occainfo.org

Morris Earth Day Clean Up
2025-04-26 09:00 - 12:00 | Morris Central School, 65 Main Street, Morris, NY
All are invited to join the Morris Rotary Club during their Annual Earth Day Roadside & Community Cleanup!Saturday, April 26th starting at 9 a.m. at the Morris Central School parking lot.Roadside Cleanup (Coordinated by Morris Rotary) & Recycling Drop-Off (Coordinated by Butternut Valley Alliance), recycling drop-off 9:00 a.m. until noon.List of materials to be collected 2025 Earth Day Cleanup:Textiles, Styrofoam, Sneakers, Tennis balls, Eyeglasses, Toothbrushes (not electric), toothpaste tubes, dental floss containers, Beekman 1802 products, Hasbro games & Gillette and Venus razorsBring your friends and family to help clean up our community!

Earth Festival Bird Walk at Riddell State Park
2025-04-26 08:00 - 10:00 | Robert V. Riddell State Park, NY-28, just north of I-88 Exit 17, Davenport, New York, 13750
Join DOAS Member and Area Birder, Bob Donnelly for the annual Earth Festival Bird Walk at 8am on Saturday, April 26. Participants should meet at the Milford Central School parking lot at 7:50am, near the Earth Festival Entrance. Carpools to Riddell State Park will leave promptly at 8am and will return in time for the 10am start of the Earth Festival. All are welcome to attend, regardless of age or birding experience.
Riddell State Park offers a variety of trails from easy to moderate to intermediate, that travel through acres of forested woodlands, and wide fields and along the Schenevus Creek. Our walk should cover about 2 miles total of easy walking, on a combination of flat to rolling terrain, with some trails having slopes and roots exposed.

Hike with ADK: Table Rock Trails
2025-04-22 09:45 - 12:00 | Table Rock Trails at Hartwick College, Hartwick Drive, Oneonta, NY, 13820
Join the Susquehanna Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club for a guided hike. Hikes are free and open to all. For details, please see https://susqadk.org/outing-schedule/

Hike with ADK: Saturday Hike
2025-04-19 | Catskill Scenic Trail
On April 19th the Susquehanna Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) hike will be on the Catskill Scenic Trail. The hike from Bloomville to Hobart is approximately 8.2 miles. The Catskill Scenic Trail is a level gravel path along the West Branch of the Delaware River. This hike requires shuttling cars to provide transportation from both ends of the hike.
Hike is limited to 20 people, please register at https://forms.gle/CFMJbnwStv6ojY667

Get the Kids Out: Mohican Farm
2025-04-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Mohican Farm/OCCA offices, 7207 St. Hwy. 80, Cooperstown, NY, 13326, United States
Join OCCA Assistant Director Shelby MacLeish for a few hours of fun during Spring Break! As the sun shines, plants begin to grow, and animals return from their winter slumbers, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the changing seasons and look for signs of spring. We will take a walk down to the lake to explore the grounds before participating in a fun activity.

Please sign up at occainfo.org

Hike with ADK: Riddell State Park
2025-04-15 09:45 - 12:00 | Robert V. Riddell State Park, NY-28, just north of I-88 Exit 17, Davenport, New York, 13750
Join the Susquehanna Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club for a hike at Robert V. Riddell State Park. Hikes are free and open to all. For details, please see https://susqadk.org/outing-schedule/

Woodcock Courtship Dance at Parslow Road
2025-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Parslow Road Conservation Area, 127 Parslow Road, Oaksville, NY, 13337, United States
Join Otsego Land Trust and Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society for our annual Woodcock Walk at the Parslow Road Conservation Area. DOAS locals Sandy Bright and Charlie Scheim will lead a walk to observe the spring courtship ritual of the woodcock.
Please sign up at https://otsegolandtrust.org/events/woodcock-courtship-dance
The woodcock usually spends its time hidden on the forest floor probing for earthworms in moist soil, but on spring evenings males perform a dance in scrub fields to attract potential mates. This wonderful display occurs in three parts: the strut, the launch skyward, and the spiral back to earth accompanied by buzzy calls and twittering wing sounds.

Trout Unlimited Meeting on Fishing Access
2025-04-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Heritage at the Plains at Parish Homestead, 163 Heritage Circle, Oneonta, NY, 13820, United States
The monthly meeting of the Dave Brandt local Trout Unlimited Chapter will be held Monday, April 14th, 2025, at The Plains Senior Living Center at 163 Heritage Place in Oneonta in the 3rd Floor Meeting Room. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm and is open to the public. If you are a fisherman or fisherwoman you don’t want to miss this meeting.

The speaker will be Joshua Choquette, Environmental Program Specialist 1 (Fisheries Access) in the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Region 4.
Josh will be giving a PowerPoint presentation on Fishing Access. Josh works to procure and maintain public access to our local Region 4 streams.
If you fish or want to fish our local streams, Josh’s presentation should give you needed information and new ideas for access to local waters.
This information is vital to all local stream fishermen.
