Each winter, thousands of birds migrate "south" in search of warmer climates and in particular, warmer and unfrozen waters. These waters become a sanctuary for birds to congregate and use for hunting during the winter months. In the past, bald eagles were unseen in our area. Now these giant birds of prey are making a triumphant return (over 100 are seen at Croton Point Park each year).

How can you catch a glimpse? Teatown Lake Reservation is hosting its 6th Eagle Fest at Croton Point Park to celebrate not just bald eagles, but all raptors that make their way back "home" for the winter. EagleFest-ivities take flight at 8am on Saturday at Van Cortlandt Manor with a FREE bird walk and tour of the Croton River by the Hudson Valley Audubon's Michael Botonick. After your tour of the grounds, meet in Van Cortlandt Manor's visitor center for hot beverages, light snacks, and a number of hands-on craft activities. Then migrate over to Croton Point Park for the Birds of Prey show, storytelling, heated tents for eagle viewing, and much more. Don't forget your binoculars!

Click here for a complete listing of EagleFest-ivities

Several eminent Hudson Valley philanthropists have pledged $675,000 over five years to Historic Hudson Valley to enhance public programming and access to Montgomery Place, an historic architectural landmark designed by Alexander Jackson Davis featuring an expansive landscape influenced by Andrew Jackson Downing.

We are thrilled about this, as the gifts enable us to open the property more broadly to visitors and will hopefully generate additional local involvement and support of the historic site, the only HHV property in Dutchess County. It has been operating with a reduced schedule in recent years.

Effective immediately, the grounds are open to everyone (except pets, apologies to our furry friends), FREE OF CHARGE, daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The main house on the estate (above, and dining room, below) will be open for tours Thursdays through Sundays from May 15 to October 31, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a $10 ticket price (free for HHV members and kids under 5). House tours take approximately 45 minutes and will be available on the hour, with the last tour beginning at 3. Group tours with advance reservations, student group visits, wedding receptions and other private events will continue to be available by appointment 7 days a week.

Michael Hegarty, Chairman of HHV's board of trustees, said the commitments totaling $675,000, so far, will support programming for a period of five years (2010 through 2014) and are the foundation for launching a campaign to raise volunteerism and visitation, as well as additional financial support.

"These financial commitments come after a very difficult year when the museum community faced exceptional financial challenges to steward and operate historic properties in the shadow of a remarkable national recession," said Mr. Hegarty. "While we can not yet thank our generous donors by name, as the process of formalizing their commitments is ongoing, we're very pleased to share the news of the expanded program offerings that their gifts will make possible this year."

Mr. Hegarty continued, "We are very grateful for the outpouring of interest and support, and to the leadership of NY State Assemblyman Marcus J. Molinaro, Town of Red Hook Supervisor Sue Crane, and Sally Mazzarella, constituent services representative for State Senator Stephen Saland."

Waddell W. Stillman, president of HHV, said, "The work of maintaining and operating Montgomery Place to the standard which we apply to all our properties, and launching a full roster of programming at the property, seemed daunting. We are delighted that now, instead of having to continue to operate on a reduced schedule this year as we feared, these financial commitments will permit us to embark on an exciting program to increase programming at Montgomery Place and provide a more meaningful experience for visitors."

"HHV is in continued discussions with additional funding sources, and we are now launching a campaign to encourage small donations, as well as invaluable donations of time from new volunteers," he added.

HHV maintains 17 major structures at Montgomery Place, as well as 380 acres of landscape, orchards, trails and gardens (above), with an annual budget of a half-million dollars.  It is HHV's largest site by acreage and number of buildings, and the only one with its own buildings and grounds staff, but its distance from a large population center and the other historic properties in the HHV network has adversely affected attendance in the past.

Over its 23 years of ownership, HHV has invested more than $24 million in the property, most from its unrestricted endowment, on significant necessary improvements.  Most recently, it completed two major grant-funded projects, the exterior restoration of the Swiss Factory Lodge and installation of water, sewer and electrical infrastructure. The top preservation priority for 2010 is continuing restoration of building exteriors in Annandale, including the AJ Davis-designed farmhouse.

This year, HHV will pilot a new educational plan to enrich the experience for visitors by exploring the changing relationship between Americans, landscape and nature over time. It will also install a dozen new interpretive panels in the Montgomery Place landscape and, early in 2011, launch a new online program exploring topics arising from aspects of the site. You can see the site's incredible garden elipse here. 

A Call for Volunteers
Your hands are needed! Using these leadership gifts as inspiration, Montgomery Place site director Raymond J. Armater is issuing a call for local volunteers to be trained as site guides and docents, as well as volunteer gardeners on which the beauty of the landscape has long depended.

A class from Belleville High School in Belleville, N.J. recently visited Washington Irving's Sunnyside to take advantage of one of the site's many educational programs. After the students returned to the classroom, their teacher asked the students to write letters to their family and friends describing what they had learned on their field trip, an exercise we recommend as part of this kind of field trip. 

The result: each letter and sketch represents a fascinating translation of history through the mind of a student. Below is one student's noteworthy interpretation of a classic Irving story coming to life at Sunnyside. I think it's pretty impressive stuff!

 

When can you enjoy tours and cultural activities at four of Westchester's historic sites, all for free?  For just one day, doors at Historic Hudson Valley will open with FREE admission to select sites with special activities to boot. Free Arts Day is this Sunday, December 6^, and will take place at Washington Irving's Sunnyside, Philipsburg Manor, Union Church, and Van Cortlandt Manor (full listings below), as well as other cultural attractions throughout Westchester.

Now in its eighth year, Free Arts Day, organized by Arts Westchester, has been become a community-must for the holiday season.

"Free Arts Day gives new residents an extra incentive to discover, for the first time, cultural sites and organizations that are in their backyard," said ArtsWestchester Executive Director Janet T. Langsam. "It also encourages people to re-discover cultural venues that they have appreciated in the past, but haven't visited lately....and see what's new."

Visit www.artswestchester.org and take advantage of all that this Sunday has to offer.

Historic Hudson Valley Listings

Phillipsburg Manor, Sleepy Hollow (hours: 10am-4pm)
2:30pm Sankofa African Drum & Dance Ensemble, led by Maxwell Kofi Donkor

Sunnyside, Tarrytown (hours: 10am-4pm)
12& 1:30pm Living Theatre Museum Company performing Gift of the Magi

Union Church @ Pocantico Hills (hours: 2-4pm)
3pm Bas Duo performs Piazzolla

Van Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson (hours: 10am-4pm)
2pm Jim Keyes will perform holiday and classical favorites

Let's hear it for Mike Gross, this week's Blaze YouTube
Video contest winner. Mike has won his very own iPod touch courtesy of WHUD radio. Congrats Mike!

To all you Pumpkin-heads attending this weekend: don't forget to bring along your video cameras for a chance to win your very own iPod touch too! (You won't win an iPod if you bring a tripod or mono-pod, so please please please leave them at home.)

Check out Mike's winning entry below.