|  | Events & Updates for February and Beyond |  | Photo by @vanessa_miyu on Instagram | It’s chilly outside, but we’re warmly inviting you to mark your calendars since there’s a lot happening in Ithaca, Stewart Park, and along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail in the next few months. We hope you will join us for some of these events presented by FSP and our friends and partners. | | PHOTOGRAPHY AND MUSIC FUNDRAISER |  | Experience stellar images of the natural world taken by accomplished local photographers and presented on the big-screen accompanied by live string music at Wild About the Waterfront, Thursday February 29 at 7:30 PM.
This one-of-a-kind multimedia experience highlights the landscape and inhabitants of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail, Stewart Park, and the waterfront beyond, while celebrating many local photographers and musicians inspired by our natural world. Proceeds benefit Friends of Stewart Park in support of the Cayuga Waterfront Trail: enhancing the trail and the many gardens that make up this well-known local pollinator pathway.
Wild About the Waterfront will feature beautiful curated photographs by many talented photographers projected on the Cinemapolis’s big screen with live music. Themes include waterfront history, winter on the waterfront, local and regional native plants, the landscapes of the Finger Lakes region, birds and wildlife of the Cayuga Lake, and the Wharton Studio era.
Featured Music and Visual Artists Include: Tenzin Chopak, Dave Davies, Benny Bleu, Thom Hodgson, Rick Manning, Dede Hatch, Frank Muller, Dan Segal AND MANY MORE! | | | SEND IN YOUR PICTURES |  | Friends of Stewart Park is excited to announce the Wild about the Waterfront Community Photo Contest!
Submit your high resolution photos taken in Stewart Park or along the Cayuga Waterfront Trail by emailing up to five images to info@friendsofstewartpark.org.
Winners will be featured on the big screen at the Wild About the Waterfront FSP fundraiser at Cinemapolis on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM.
Winners will be notified by email by Wednesday, Feb. 21. Submissions may also be used in other promotional materials by Friends of Stewart Park. | | BIRD WALK IN STEWART PARK | | Friends of Stewart Park invites you to a free guided bird walk with Meena Haribal, Saturday, March 2, at 10am.
This walk will be on level terrain the entire time — no hills. We'll start along the lake shore and should see a variety of ducks, geese, mergansers, loons and gulls. Then we'll head into the woods in the adjacent Renwick Sanctuary--looking for forest birds such as wrens, nuthatches, titmouse and many other species. LEARN MORE HERE. |
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| | ITHACA NATIVE PLANT SYMPOSIUM | | Both Wild About Stewart Park and the Stewart Park Bird Walk are presented in conjunction with the Ithaca Native Landscape Symposium (INLS).
This year's INLS runs February 29 - March 2. The INLS educates professionals from various fields, as well as enthusiastic homeowners and gardeners, about native plants in the wild and their role in sustainable landscapes. Join The Plantsmen's Dan Segal and other respected professionals to learn more about the natural world around us. All are welcome! Learn more and register. |
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| | SPLASH PAD AND BATHROOM UPDATE |  | | Construction is moving quickly work has started on a new Splash Pad and Playground Bathroom in Stewart Park.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all who contributed to help make this happen! Friends of Stewart Park and the City of Ithaca are aiming for the project to be completed for a July 4, 2024 opening.
A Groundbreaking Ceremony was held on Wednesday, January 10, to kick off the start of construction. Remarks were made by Ithaca Mayor Rob Cantelmo, NYS District 125 Assemblymember Anna Kelles, Amanda Marsh of NYS Parks, and FSP’s Rick Manning.
Funding for the Splash Pad project includes $500,000 awarded from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund; $250,000 of NYS funding made possible by Assemblymember Kelles; $50,000 from Tompkins County Tourism Program; and $100,000 in private donations.
The new Splash Pad will complete the Stewart Park Inclusive Playground which was built in two phases over several years and completed in 2020. The new Splash Pad provides an opportunity for free water play for kids of all ages since lake swimming is not allowed in Stewart Park due to safety and water quality concerns.
The park’s current splash pad, a concrete sprinkler area, was installed in the early 1950s. While it still functioned, it was small, inaccessible, and its drainage was no longer up to code.
The new Splash Pad will be 50% bigger than the existing one and will offer engaging features such as a spinning overhead fountain and dynamic overhead and in-ground sprayers. There will be no curbing, making it accessible to children and their caregivers in wheelchairs or with mobility issues. The Splash Pad will have two zones: a sensory-friendly zone where water flow is more gentle for younger kids and those with sensitivity, and a zone where water activity is more lively. A mural of the Finger Lakes will be painted on the surface of the attraction.
Additionally, the new Splash Pad will be more environmentally friendly, with push-button water activation that will “time-off” when no-one is playing, and a spray-to-drain system that will loop the water into a sanitary waste system.
The new adjacent Seasonal Bathroom Building building will feature three accessible bathrooms with space to change, including an all-gender/family bathroom with an adult changing table. Conveniently located near the playground, these bathrooms will be open April-November when the park receives the most visitors.
| | GETTING READY FOR SPRING |  | Join Friends of Stewart Park for the annual waterfront cleanup, Saturday, April 6 from 10 am to noon!
Together we'll practice good stewardship of our park and Cayuga Lake’s waterfront. Dress for the weather, wear boots, and bring gloves, garbage bags, litter grabbers or anything else that will help. Meet at the Picnic “Large” Pavilion. If the weather is terrible, we’ll reschedule to April 7th.
Stay tuned for more details! | FREE VIRTUAL PRESENTATION |  | Join FSP, Kristi Sullivan, and Brandon Hoak for a virtual Pollinator Pathway presentation Wednesday, April 17 at 7pm.
You may remember that the Cayuga Waterfront Trail is part of the Pollinator Pathway.
Our guests will share experiences and strategies for engaging community members and partner organizations in creating pollinator gardens, promoting local conservation, and mapping and sharing information on native plantings to develop a pollinator pathway.
The Tompkins Pollinator Pathway (TPP) is a collaboration between Cornell University and the Tompkins County community. Its mission is to bring people together to plant, conserve, and connect pollinator habitats across the county. Pollinators are critical for growing our food crops and supporting natural ecosystems. By connecting people with nature and safeguarding local food supplies, we also aim to support the health and well-being of people throughout our communities. Stay tuned for details and registration. | | MORE PARK AND TRAIL NEWS | | | CLOSED DURING CONSTRUCTION
Elayne’s Lending Library is temporarily closed as it is inaccessible while crews work on the Splash Pad and Playground Bathroom.
We’re sure the library will be available again before the construction work is done, but are unsure as to when that will be be. Thank you for your patience and understanding! |
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| | | WINTER ON THE TRAIL
The Cayuga Waterfront Trail receives winter maintenance in Cass Park.Winter is a great time to enjoy the waterfront trail; however, the only section that receives winter maintenance is the stretch along Cass Park, marked in NAVY BLUE on this map. City employees do their best to get the trail their cleaned off in a timely manner after every snow, so this is by far the safest section of the trail in cold weather.
Keep in mind that snow naturally melts more quickly on the black paved trail faster than on unpaved surfaces, so the entire trail can be enjoyed once temps go above freezing for a few days at a time. |
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| | | FAMILY FUN
Join our friends at the Ithaca Children's Garden for their annual Festival of Fire & Ice, February 3rd, 2024, from 3 to 6 PM. They’ll have a magical blend of fire performances, storytelling, an Arctic Animal Parade, and interactive snow activities. MORE INFO |
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| | | SAVE THE DATES
•Watermusic will return this summer- currently planned for Sunday August 4.
•The 9th annual Party for the Park will be Saturday, September 21.
More details to come. |
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| | | BIRDING CLASS
Registration is now open for the Cayuga Bird Club’s Spring Ornithology with Steve Kress. With stunning audio, video and photos, topics include bird ID, song, behavior, migration, conservation, attracting birds and more.
For 2024, classes will be held on Tuesday nights, March 26 through May 14, from 7 to 9 pm, at Kendal at Ithaca and simultaneously on Zoom. Busy on that evening? Classes also will be recorded so you can watch (or review) them at your convenience. Learn more and register. |
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| | | RACE ON THE TRAIL
Ithaca Garden Club and Ithaca Children’s Garden Second Annual Daffodil Dash at Ithaca’s Cass Park on April 13, 2024 is now open for the 1-mile fun run/walk and 5-K race! Experience the sights and smells of 130,000 blooming daffodils along the level, accessible course. Sponsors’ generosity allows every dollar raised to transform into more daffodils, planted by the City of Ithaca, Cornell volunteers and their unique equipment. To contribute to the fall 2024 daffodil planting, please visit Daff-a-Dazzle. Learn more and register. |
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