Environmental Studies Program to Sponsor Trip to Canadian North Woods for UB Alumni

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo will sponsor a four-day trip April 20-23 in the Canadian North Woods, a vacation that blends the comfort of fully equipped cottages with a close look at the wonders of an untouched North Country natural reserve.

The trip, which is sponsored by UB's Interdisciplinary Degree Program in Environmental Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences, is open to UB alumni, who will travel to the Blue Spruce Inn on Oxtongue Lake, just outside the western entrance to Algonquin Provincial Park in Central Ontario, Canada.

Cost is $395 per person, and includes all programs, canoe rentals, lodgings and dinners. Participants are responsible for all breakfasts and lunches. Full kitchen facilities are available in each cottage.

Highlights of the trip include:

-- Hike through expansive northern hardwood and boreal forests.

-- Enjoy beautiful early forest wildflowers.

-- Observe moose as they migrate to roadside marshlands.

-- Experience the secretive "sky dances" of the American Woodcock.

-- Hunt for signs of wolves and bears.

"As a professional naturalist, I've spent my life traveling to many places to explore the wonders of nature," says Sanford Geffner, coordinator at the Environmental Studies Program who is organizing the trip. "Algonquin Provincial Park is one of my favorites, especially in springtime. Early woodland wildflowers, hungry moose, dancing timberdoodles, singing frogs.... all provide us with an opportunity to immerse ourselves in nature's language and lessons. I never tire of it, always look forward to it and like most naturalists, enjoy sharing this world with others."

The trip is open to all UB alumni and their families. Confirm a spot by sending a $100 deposit payable to the UB Foundation Inc. to: Lee Dryden, IDP Social Science, 203 Clemens Hall, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, and include name, address and e-mail with your check. The balance of fees will be due at a preplanning meeting to be scheduled in late March. Registration is limited to 20 participants.

For more information, contact Geffner at 716-645-2245, ext. 3, or e-mail igeffne@buffalo.edu.