RENSSELAERVILLE — On Saturday, winter enthusiasts shoveled snow from portions of Lincoln Pond, transforming it into a skating rink. Young men used it as a hockey arena, shooting slap shots down the ice.

At the nearby porch of the Eldridge Research Center, children, dressed in layers of clothing, took turns sledding down the snow-covered steps.

An abandoned auger stuck part way into the ice, a testament that winter, which until recently had been unseasonably warm, was in full swing.

Those on hand for the annual Groundhog Day festivities were gearing up for the cold months, perfecting their sports, because, according to the furry, mystical prophet, the groundhog, a long winter lies ahead.

The Groundhog Day Carnival, held at the Eldridge Research Center on the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, has been a long-standing event where attendees enjoy winter recreation, learn about rehabilitating wildlife, and venture in the snow-laden trails on the heavily-forested land.
"It’s more for community relations," said Education Coordinator Chris Schiralli. Schiralli, who has been on the preserve’s staff for three years, estimated the annual event was started 15 to 20 years ago. The carnival was jumpstarted by the preserve’s former director, Shiralli said, as a way to build relationships between the community and the not-for-profit research and biological center.
The preserve, which has 2,000 acres, he said, covers "a large chunk" of the town.

On Saturday, the preserve took donations, but the event was free to the public. Schiralli, in his first year as coordinator of the carnival, led guided hikes on the property.

Inside the Eldridge Research Center, youngsters hid from the cold and sipped from their cups of hot chocolate. On the top floor of the building, Kelly Martin, president of the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, and Michele Segerberg, a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, gave a wildlife seminar, stressing the importance of preserving wild animals and their natural habitats.
"We have to think about the consequences of our actions and how our actions affect other things," said Martin.
Roswell Eldridge, M.D., trustee and honorary director of the preserve, also stressed preservation. Eldridge displayed some of the many Audubon prints in his collection, insisting lovers of John James Audubon’s artwork consider purchasing one of his prints instead of buying one from a "cannibalized" Octavo volume.

The Octavos are the seven-volume sets of The Birds of America, and the three-volume Quadrupeds of North America, which contain Audubon’s hand-colored prints as well as the famous painter’s written descriptions of the birds he observed.

The prints have been torn out of the Octavos and sold on eBay. Eldridge had voiced his concerns about the damaged Octavo sets earlier, in November, at the Rensselaerville Institute’s world premiere of the Public Broadcasting System’s John James Audubon: Drawn From Nature.
"I’m trying to demonstrate to these dealers to keep these intact," said Eldridge, adding that he has 655 Audubon prints and will be traveling to Charleston, N.C. in May.
"We’re taking this message to Charleston," he said, lamenting the marred Octavos. "They’re torn, so they’re destroyed," Eldridge said.

Fourteen of Eldridge’s Audubon owl prints are on sale at the Palmer House Café, located in the Rensselaerville hamlet.

Rehabilitation

Before a group of youngsters and adults, Martin and Segerberg, who care for sick, injured, and orphaned animals, lectured on the relationship between human beings and wildlife.
The pair regularly works together, both in the field and during wildlife presentations and seminars. They showed a slideshow of animals in the wild — birds, raccoons, turtles, ducks, deer, and bald eagles among them. Photographs of animals flashed upon a screen, accompanied by a folksong repeating, "My friend, you will be wild again."

The duo often addressed the younger audience members, some of whom they have taught.

As they removed animals from their cages, showing the crowd rehabilitated hawks, owls, and a woodchuck, inquisitive children peppered them with questions. Martin and Segerberg have cared for many of the animals for years.
Segerberg said the hawk she handled had a "human imprint," adding that the hawk could no longer survive in the wilderness."His head got whacked pretty hard," Martin said of the woodchuck, adding that he was hit by a car and now can only walk a few steps before falling over.
Woodchucks, Martin said, "can give you a nasty bite." Martin said she had seen a woodchuck in a 45-minute struggle with a bobcat, and the groundhog prevailed.
"He wouldn’t know how to survive on his own," Sederberg said of the kestrel hawk she held. Kestrels are the smallest birds in the falcon family, she said.
"They hunt during the day, and they have very, very good eyesight," Martin added. "They like those wide open spaces," Martin said of the hawks’ nesting habits.
"What would happen to an animal to need our help"" Martin asked the children in the audience, explaining some of the many ways animals are injured.

Red-tailed hawks, she said, often nest on the ground, and, when the grass is mowed, their nests may be destroyed. If there are any young in the nests, they can be killed.
Birds, she said, can suffer from "secondary poisoning" by eating a poisoned animal, such as a rat or a mouse; birds also suffer broken wings by flying into windows or when hit by cars.

Martin warned the children, informing them that animals may have rabies, and she stressed the importance of getting an adult after discovering an injured animal.
"Your health and safety is our number one concern," said Martin, adding that it’s not easy to identify "little pink birds," and it’s difficult to resist them since they’re cute and small.
"It’s not our duty to tame them," Martin told the children.