Garvies Point Museum Celebrates Earth Day All Month Long in April

This year’s Earth Day will be celebrated at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve with a variety of related programming for the entire month of April, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

On Earth Day itself (Tuesday, April 22) at 1 p.m., museum geologist George Allgaier will lead a walk through the preserve, providing insight into the area’s geologic past as revealed through rocks, sediments and land features. In addition, the museum will show “The Man Who Planted Trees,” the fictional story of a solitary shepherd in a remote part of France who steadfastly plants 100 acorns each day for 30 years, nurturing and transforming the arid landscape. The film won an Academy Award for animation in 1987; it will be shown at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Other nature programs offered during the month are as follows:

Eco-Craft: Making New Paper from Old, April 23, 1 p.m.: Paper is a renewable resource, but did you know that some 4 billion trees are cut each year to produce it? Participants will learn how to make special paper from discarded publications (all materials provided).

Identify Your Rocks and Minerals, April 24, 1 p.m.: Can you identify the rocks in your collection or around your yard? Curious about minerals or gems? Visitors can bring their rocks and minerals to museum geologist George Allgaier for identification.

Beach Ecology, April 25, 10 a.m.: Participants can take in the scenery along Hempstead Harbor as they learn about the marine creatures in the intertidal zone, including the adaptations that allow them to inhabit this beautiful but hostile coastline. The program will be followed by a beach cleanup for those who wish to participate.

Nature Walk Commemorating the Birth of John James Audubon, April 26, 10 a.m.: This springtime nature hike celebrates the birthday of John James Audubon, America’s most famous naturalist and painter of North American birds and mammals. The walk will explore the beautiful woodlands and shoreline of Garvies Point Preserve.

The following nature films will be shown at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., unless otherwise indicated:

Eyewitness: Weather (35 mins.), April 3, 3:15 p.m.: This whirlwind tour of Earth's turbulent atmosphere, narrated by Martin Sheen, reveals the forces that are constantly at work altering weather patterns, causing floods, heat waves, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow, hail and lightning.

The Way of the Trout (30 mins.), April 5 - 6: As trout season opens, this film follows the life cycle of that fish through the eyes of an angler. The film was donated to the museum by Long Island Trout Unlimited.

Eyewitness: Butterfly and Moth (35 mins.), April 10, 3:15 p.m.: How did the Death Head Moth get its name? Which bizarre caterpillar spurred the building of empires? Enjoy a flight of fancy with nature’s most beguiling creatures in this video narrated by Martin Sheen.

Ancient Sea Turtles: The Last Voyage? (20 mins.), April 12 - 13: For over 150 million years, sea turtles have roamed the oceans, but these creatures may soon disappear as a result of commercial exploitation. With fascinating footage, this video provides an overview of the extraordinary natural history of sea turtles, the threats they face, and international efforts to save them.

Eyewitness: Bird (35 mins.), April 17, 3:15 p.m.: Soar through the sky and around the world in this video chronicling the variety, habitat and evolution of birds; narrated by Martin Sheen.

Butterfly World: Jewels of the Sky (35 mins.), April 19 - 20: Filmed worldwide, this exceptional video presents a comprehensive picture of some of the most varied and exotic butterflies in nature.

Eyewitness: Tree (35 mins.), April 23: This video, narrated by Martin Sheen, shows the variety of trees populating the earth.

Eyewitness: Rock and Mineral (35 mins.), April 24: This video describes how rocks hold a constantly changing record of our planet’s fascinating history and explains why minerals are at the very core of our civilization; narrated by Martin Sheen.

Eyewitness: Seashore (35 mins.), April 25: What happens to a crab that loses its claw? How did one low tide wreck the entire Greek army? This video, narrated by Martin Sheen, dives into the explosive front line between land and sea, from crashing waves and blasting winds to placid tide pool.

Pale Male: The Story of a Red-Tailed Hawk (55 mins.), April 26, 1 p.m.: This documentary follows the daily routine of “Pale Male,” a red-tailed hawk who has been called New York City’s most audacious resident.

Eyewitness: Bird (35 mins.), April 26 - 27: Soar through the sky and around the world in this video chronicling the variety, habitat and evolution of birds; narrated by Martin Sheen.

Garvies Point Museum Presents New Exhibit Exploring "The Story of Crystals"

Visitors examine the Garvies Point Museum mineral collection.

Did you ever wonder how crystals form? Why they are shaped geometrically and what they are made of? The Garvies Point Museum and Preserve answers those questions and more in its new exhibit about crystals, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

The exhibit includes items used in everyday life, along with the minerals that are mined in order to produce them, as well as gemstones and jewelry with the natural mineral types from which they are made.

A “mineral of the month” birthstone will be a regular feature of the exhibit. As part of the exhibit, museum geology curator George Allgaier has also assembled diagrams and photos of unique but lost geologic features throughout the U.S., such as Spirit Lake (no longer in existence) at Mount St. Helens.

“This is a beautiful and intriguing exhibit for both youngsters and adults,” says Kathy Natalie, curator of Garvies Point. “In particular, visitors can view the rough crystals and see how they metamorphose into the gemstones that are ultimately purchased by consumers.”