Spring 2019

Brand New Open House Event!

On Friday, July Sth, Amberations will host an evening of entertainment with the lively sounds of Phil Pitroff and Friends. Anchors of the group are the brother and sister team of Phillip Pitroff on trombone and Caroline Pitroff on soprano saxophone. Phillip and Caroline are “music staples” of the CNY jazz scene, having played with the Lock 52 Jazz Band and the Harbor Lights Dance Band. They are in demand as solo artists around the area and enjoy jamming with a vast array of very talented friends! The July 5th program will range from Dixieland to Big Band Swing tunes, from “St. Louis Blues” to “Stardust”. You’re sure to enjoy your Friday evening with this entertaining group. Bring your friends, a favorite chair and your dancing shoes. Music will start at 7:30 PM.

If you have not yet visited Amberations, come a little early and take a peek. Our barn is adjacent to the Community Center. We will have volunteers on hand from 5 till dusk to show you around. We have animals, a pond teaming with frogs, sand for the kids (and kids at heart), a stream and hiking trails.

Refreshments will be available; donations are appreciated.

Phil Pitroff and Friends, at the Otisco Lake Community Center: 2223 Amber Road in Marietta - 7:30 PM Friday July 5th Amberations’ Open House, at our barn: right next door to the Community Center — 5:00 PM to dusk.

After hosting the most fun bike ride and most delicious brunch around for over ten years, Amberations is taking a break. We hope all our supporters will join us July 5th for our evening of entertainment.

Plan ahead for Fall. Amberations’ Fall Festival will be October 6th this year, we have some new attractions planned and we have been told Kambuyu will be here once again!

Denise Oster: Meet the new Amberations Secretary!

What does a retired music teacher, avid gardener and animal lover do with all that spare time in retirement? Become the secretary for Amberations, of course!

Denise Oster’s property adjoins the Amberations acreage and she is excited to join this group of caring individuals who do so much to maintain this wonderful natural space. Denise has enjoyed the animal resident’s company and “help” while working in her flowers over the years. Chickens and guinea hens have been frequent visitors as the soil is turned over, snacking on the insects that appear. One day she was intent on weeding when heavy breathing was heard behind her; donkey Joe had sauntered down for a visit! One apple was all it took to entice him back inside the safety of his gate! (There’s now a new secure gate!) Denise encourages everyone to come visit the animals, hike the trails, visit Marmot Village, and enjoy this lovely area that we are so fortunate to have here in Amber.

Barbara Soper: Meet the new Amberations Treasurer!

I am thankful to be the new treasurer for Amberations. I feel blessed because I have had the opportunity to meet several wonderful new people. I love making connections with people and I thoroughly enjoy conversations that include honest, helpful, and supportive ideas. The past several board meetings have been just this!

I live on Onondaga Hill with my husband and our two children. James is studying architecture at Syracuse University and Julia will be graduating in June from West Genesee High School. She will begin her college studies at Le Moyne.

I am thankful for the patience and understanding of Nancy, Amberations’ former treasurer, during this time of transition. I am currently working hard on transferring all the current records to Quick Books. This will help in maintaining a more cohesive budgeting system for our organization. I am looking forward to working alongside each of Amberations' volunteers.

Our Animal Caretakers: Our Dedicated Volunteers Share Their Stories!

Jim
Jim Frary continues to serve as our Animal Caretaker. While Jim visits the barn almost every day, oversees the purchase and care of the animal’s feed and supplies and covers many of the morning shifts himself—Jim has a wonderful crew of volunteers helping.

Carrie
I always wanted to run a farm as a child. As an adult with a family of my own, instead of having my own farm with animals, we take care of the animals at Amberations. Animal care has always been a dream of mine, so when I heard about being a barn feeder volunteer at
Amberations I quickly jumped on the opportunity. It has been a wonderful experience to watch my children care for the animals there. They have learned compassion and patience from the animals and look forward to spending time with Luna the bunny every week. My family plans on volunteering at the Amberations bam for a long time! Peace—Carrie

Kim
Kim Dunn has volunteered since August of 2018. She lives right in Marietta and not only feeds the animals most nights, she has also been working with others to help them discover how rewarding animal care can be. Kim is the first to volunteer when extra help is needed. She tells us that her interests are nature, gardening, a sense of community and most importantly a love of animals. If you happen to run into Kim on one of your visits, please give her a big thank you.

Travis and Mary
Travis and Mary moved to the Auburn area fairly recently from Naples, NY, with their son; Rune, who is now one and a half. Mary went to FLCC for Natural Resources Conservation, graduating with Rune in her belly! She interned and then assistant taught at the Cumming Nature Center Forest School program, and was looking for something similar in this area for her and Rune to attend, which they found at Amberations with Outdoor Life Learners! After hearing that volunteer feeders were needed, they signed up as a family to help. Mary grew up in the city of Rochester but always longed for and loved the country life and animals. Travis grew up in Elbridge, went to Ranger School (ESF) and then traveled out west to become a Wildland Firefighter. He grew up around horses, as well as volunteering for a cat shelter along the way. His life has always involved saving and helping animals. Their love and respect for the natural world runs deep and they want to instill the same in Rune.

Armando, Jocelyn, and Delaney
Hello, we are the Arroyos and we have just joined the animal feeding team. My husband, Armando, our daughter Delaney and myself, Jocelyn, recently relocated to the Syracuse area from Western New York. Armando is a physician with Boston IVF, Jocelyn is a Registered Nurse and Reiki Practitioner, now homeschooling mom, and Delaney is an adventurous lover of animals and nature. We were introduced to Amberations when we enrolled our daughter in Outdoor Life Learners. We have explored the woods, walked through the creeks, meditated in peace, become friends with all the animals and just found joy in such a lovely community
of people. Whether stopping by for a couple minutes to give Joe a carrot and a hug or wandering through the trails, our best moments have been here at Amberations. There is something beautiful about being here. You can feel the energy of all the love that has been poured into everything that is Amberations and we are so grateful to be a part of it all.

As the saying goes...many hands nake light work!

It takes a lot of people, input and energy to keep Amberations going; to keep our grounds open and looking good and our animals well cared for. This newsletter highlights some of the volunteers that help make this happen. We would like to extend an offer for you to support our mission—which is basically providing opportunities for everyone to get out and enjoy nature. Amberations is a 50-acre site of hiking trails, streams, wildlife, a pond, a family of farm animals and as some people say...magic. Please come visit if you haven't, support us if you can & contact us if you'd like to help.

Earth Day, Every Day: Outdoor Life Learners Partners with Amberations

Outdoor Life Learners (OLL) is a women-founded and women-owned company headquartered here in Central New York. We have been fortunate to call Amberations our “Nature Home” since the fall of 2017. Together, OLL and Amberations continue to further intertwining missions aimed at connecting people of all abilities back to the earth and fostering the next generation of environmental stewards. OLL believes young, developing minds need sunlight, fresh air and dirt in copious amounts and on a daily basis. To this end, OLL provides Nature Immersion & Project-based Enrichment Programs for children of all ages. OLL also facilitates a weekly Nature Club that is free and open to the entire family. Every Thursday this spring, OLL’s Nature Club families are coming together to “Give back to Amberations.” Families new and old have come out to help clean up and beautify the trails, meadows, creeks and pond area. A growing, caring group of families who wish to teach their children by example how to care for this special place on Earth; we are committed to show our community and beyond that Earth Day is every day.

For more information about our program offerings, please visit www.outdoorlifeleamers.com, email outdoorlifelearners@ gmail.com or call 315-707-8057.