OCCA Nature Walk Introduces Homeschool Students to Emmons Pond Bog
By ISABELLA BELMONTE
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA
Local children and families explored one of Otsego County’s most unique natural areas on April 10 during a spring nature walk at Emmons Pond Bog Preserve, led by the Otsego County Conservation Association and designed especially for homeschooled students.
The educational walk introduced participants to ecological concepts, native plants and human stewardship of local lands, blending hands-on learning with outdoor exploration. The program is part of OCCA’s ongoing efforts to provide environmental education opportunities for families across the region.
Shelby MacLeish, OCCA’s director and the leader of the Friday afternoon event, said the monthly homeschool nature walks began four years ago after she noticed a gap in outdoor programming for local students learning at home.
“We started the homeschooled walks in 2022,” MacLeish said.
Inspired by her own background of homeschooling her kids, MacLeish explained how she noticed “there wasn’t a lot of homeschool nature connection in this area.”
The two-hour walk began at 1 p.m. with youthful energy and excitement. Zoey, one of the young students participating in the event, captured the mood of the group when she exclaimed, “Hooray! I’m ready to start!” as the group set off down the trail.
Along the route, MacLeish encouraged curiosity and discussion, pausing often to connect what the children were seeing with broader ecological ideas.
At a wide-open wildflower field, she invited students to think about how landscapes change over time, explaining, “Those are good examples that we like to call successional fields. Has anybody talked about that yet in science, succession?” She then described how the area had once been farmland and was gradually returning to forest after being abandoned.
As the group moved deeper into the preserve—a 140-acre parcel maintained by The Nature Conservancy—they examined a variety of tree species and plants, including white pine, eastern hemlock and hay-scented fern. To help the children remember what they were learning, MacLeish shared simple memory tools, such as pointing out that white pine needles grow in bundles of five, which can be remembered by spelling “W H I T E,” one letter per needle.
The walk also addressed conservation challenges facing local ecosystems.
MacLeish told the group, “The Eastern hemlock is something that OCCA cares a lot about. In this area, we have an invasive species that is attacking it.”
She then explained the impact of the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect from Asia, adding that “we’ve started releasing little wasps that kill the adelgid” as a biological control effort.
Participants also learned about the preserve’s history and geology. The trail looped past Emmons Pond Bog, estimated to be 11,000 years old and formed during glacial retreat, as well as a beaver dam and a small cascading stream that drew admiration from hikers.
“We’ve gone all the way around the pond a couple times [before], but this year feels more picturesque,” a man and woman, local residents of Delaware County, said to the students as the groups passed each other on the trail.
OCCA organizers said programs like the homeschool nature walks highlight the value of community-based environmental education. By encouraging exploration, observation and discussion, the community-based conservation nonprofit organization aims to help local children build meaningful connections with the natural world.
Emmons Pond Bog Preserve is located at 2028 White Hill Road in Oneonta. Future dates for the homeschool sessions can be found on OCCA’s website, occainfo.org. Other upcoming OCCA public programming includes an Earth Festival scheduled for Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at SUNY Oneonta; the full day event offers hands-on activities and environmental education opportunities for community members of all ages.
This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.
