Flying Deer Nature Center

11/12/2026

🌺 We're seeking items, experiences, and services for Flying Deer's holiday auction! 🌺

🌿Do you have something special to donate? 🌿

🌺 The auction opens NOVEMBER 19TH—please contact us with your donation by then!

🌺 We'll feature your logo and information about your business or practice on our auction website. Plus, you'll be supporting Flying Deer's mission and our financial assistance program.

🌿 Here are some of the most popular offerings we've received in the past🌿:

🌱 Stays at beautiful homes in our area and far afield
🌱 Massages and other wellness treatments
🌱Experiences and adventures—like guided hikes, sailing trips, and more
🌱 One-of-a-kind handcrafted items
🌱Artisanal food items
🌱Gift certificates for your restaurant, store, or other offering
🌱Tickets to local theaters and concerts

🌺 Thank you for your support! Contact us to donate🌺:

[email protected]

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11/06/2026

Autumn has its own special energy, and this one is truly feeling generous with its moody golden light, sweet woody fragrance, and awe-inspiring skies.

Our FD students have been tuning in to the change of seasons and how the season change makes us all feel within.
Most would say they feel hungry!

Others are excited for snow; some are feeling peaceful; others notice new kinds of animal tracks at their sit-spots and hear new bird behaviors too.

What is it about autumn that makes us feel a kind of excited yet peaceful energy?

The way the sunrays lay over the land, it feels as if we were getting a farewell chance to feel gratitude for this beauty.

Soon the crunchy leaves and their trees will be covered in the snow. Winter has its own kind of awe with a different kind of crunch, though!

For now let us take it all in, grab a sit spot, feel some gratitude, and leave the leaves for our small critters to thrive; we will see them in the spring.

10/26/2026

Thank you again to all of you who joined us to celebrate our 30th birthday ! 🥳

While we were planning for the big event, our educators and students were busy as beavers, chipmunks and squirrel’s ! Enjoy these snaps from the field from these last few weeks.

If you know a Flying Deer student give them a loud caw-caw and some high-fiving paws!

These kids are deep thinkers , love their Earth and try their very best at projects which even adults find difficult. The weather never deters their tenacity or their marvel of what every season offers.

They are gentle with creatures very small and patient when projects feel slow. Creation of tools, structure, fire, food, art and medicine takes time.

We are proud of our young naturalists and thankful to share the land with these future Mother Earth stewards.

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10/26/2026

Rest your eyes on some bear family cool weather bath in the beaver pond!

10/26/2026

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Violet Clinton is doing award-winning entomological field research. Her dad still has to buy the b**r for her moth bait.

10/19/2026

It was a beautiful day of reunion, reconnection, and remembering! It was wonderful to see everyone who came out for the gathering—and we missed those of you who couldn’t make it!

So much gratitude to our storytelling host and coach, Sheela Clary, and all our amazing storytellers: Ravi Seibald, Noah McCarter, Valentina Luccardi, Nathaniel Walcott, Devin Franklin, Liam O’Gara , Marigold Matlin, Esme Ruiz, Tes Reed, Meg Agnew, and Cindy Parrish!

Thank you to PS21 for hosting us, to the B**r Diviner, This and That, and Cafe Holli for providing delicious snacks and beverages, and to Agway and Taft Farms for our flower and pumpkin decor!

10/16/2026

If you have children in FOREST and FOREST K programming, Devin Franklin led the groups this past week in creating this beautiful banner to celebrate our 30th year.

All the children participated in this beautiful collaboration using natural dyes made from grass, pokeberry, black walnut, & barberry root.

Come see it in person at our party, and snap a photo with your young artists, foragers, and naturalists with their lovely creation!

And, YES, you can still buy tickets at the door tomorrow, and bandanas will be distributed with tickets, so come get your free gift!

This will be an unforgettable autumnal experience for families. Fall will be in the air. Dress warmly and bring a blanket as you cozy up for storytelling, snacks, and warm beverages!

🌿 At 2:30pm ticket sales begin, lawn games, hot beverages, and crepes.

🌿 3:15–4:45 pm: Storytelling event hosted by former Board Member Sheela Clary

🌿 4:45–7:00 pm: Cafe Holli and This and That food trucks; w**e and b**r available

Click our BIO for the link to info and or --------->:

https://givebutter.com/flying-deer-30th-anniversary-celebration-rqcbbf

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10/16/2026

🔥 Take a look at all of our great storytellers! 🔥 Did you get your tickets yet?🔥

🌺Ravi Seibald, age 7, has been attending camp since 2023, starting as a Forest Kindergartener, and is now in our homeschooling program.

🌺Noah McCarter started as a homeschool student in 2002. He quickly became a leader in the community and stepped into the role of Summer Camp director after a decade of learning, playing, and teaching.

🌺 Valentina Luccardi was one of Flying Deer’s earliest summer campers and returned as a counselor in the early 2000s, soon becoming a beloved instructor. She is traveling from New Orleans to be part of this event.

🌺Nathaniel Walcott joined our homeschool program in 2011 and became a skilled peer mentor and instructor.

🌺 Meg Agnew and Cindy Parrish are parents of former Flying Deer students and were participants in our Women in the Woods program. They have supported and inspired new programs at Flying Deer and nurtured its growth for the past 25 years.

🌺Devin Franklin joined the Flying Deer team in 1997 and has been a dedicated mentor, friend, and community member ever since.

🌺 Liam O'Gara started as a camper in 2009, graduated from the Sacred Fire rites-of-passage program, and became a cherished member of our staff.

🌺 Marigold Matlin, age 10, has been a summer camper since 2020!

🌺Esme Ruiz, age 15, first came to Flying Deer as a camper at age 4! She’s now a staff member and a participant in our Luna Moth girls’ rites-of-passage program.

🌺 Tes Reed’s daughters began attending Flying Deer programs in 2003, and Tes started teaching her own programs in the woods soon after. She has served as a Flying Deer board member and staff member, and is currently the co-director of the Luna Moth program.

🔥 Come celebrate 30 years of nature education and community connection. 🔥

When: Saturday, October 17, 2026, 2:30–7:00 pm

Where: PS21, 2981 Route 66, Chatham, NY

Tickets: $10, including a 30th-anniversary bandana (while supplies last); 3 and under free. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

TICKETS in our BIO. Or go directly to our site: https://flyingdeernaturecenter.org/programs/30th-anniversary-celebration/

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10/15/2026

Every single one of our students has their own Flying Deer story, and we’re so excited to hear some of them this Saturday at our 30th Anniversary gathering at PS21 in Chatham! In this video, longtime Flying Deer parent and board member Sheela Clary explains how she’s helping our storytellers prepare to share their tales for an audience. There’s still time to grab tickets!

10/14/2026

🔥🔥 It's almost here! Our 30th Anniversary Celebration is this Saturday, October 17, at PS21 in Chatham, 2:30–7:00 pm! 🔥🔥

🌺 Get your tickets now, plus a free bandana while supplies last! 🌺

Meet Three More Storytellers, and Our Host! :

🔥 Cindy Parrish is the mother of two former Flying Deer students and was a participant in our early Women in the Woods program. She's nurtured Flying Deer's growth for the past 25 years.

🔥 Meg Agnew is a former Flying Deer participant, mother and grandmother to Flying Deer participants, and a former Board member who played a key role in our move to East Chatham.

🔥 Devin Franklin joined the Flying Deer team in 1997 and has been a dedicated mentor, friend, and community member ever since!

🔥Sheela Clary is a former Board member and Flying Deer parent who will host the storytelling event, and is supporting all our tellers to share their tales!

🌺Event Schedule 🌺

2:30 pm: Grounds open for lawn games, hot beverages, and crepes

3:15–4:45 pm: Storytelling event hosted by former Board Member Sheela Clary

4:45–7:00 pm: Cafe Holli and This and That food trucks; w**e and b**r available

🌿 GET YOUR TICKETS AND GET YOUR BANDANA 🌿

Visit our website to see all the storytellers who will share their tales on Saturday and reserve your tickets now!

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