The woods around Westchester are teaming with wildlife, and Hackley students had the chance to explore the natural world nearby. On January 11, the Advanced Forest Ecology Research classes took a field trip to Teatown, a nature preserve and education center in Ossining, NY. The class spent the first part of the day scouring the preserve for various signs of wildlife. Students were challenged to identify the animals associated with each marking that they found.

The class also attended an intriguing lecture covering the biodiversity of the Westchester area and some of the changes that the ecosystem has endured recently.

“My favorite part of the day was when the wildlife educators showed the class an opossum. We got to watch it eat and I thought it was so cute,” said senior Olivia Listokin.

Overall, the class enjoyed spending the day applying their knowledge and getting hands-on experience outside the classroom.

Gallery • 11 Photos

Credit: Olivia Listokin

Photos courtesy of Olivia Listokin.