Jump to the intro.

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The green sections of the roof are the areas with plants.

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The real, living owl.

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A living bee colony.

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There's a surprise for small people under the terrarium.

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Walk past the sensors and audio of the mounted animals perched above emanates from the speakers.

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A classroom.

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Multi-purpose space.

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Gawking at the new Five Rivers visitor center

new Five Rivers visitor center exterior

The new $8.9 million visitor center is now officially open at the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar. The "green" building includes interactive exhibits, classrooms, multipurpose space, restrooms, and staff offices. It's open Monday through Saturday 9 am to 4:30 pm.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has an Outdoor Day event there this Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm with activities such as animal demonstrations and guided walks.

Here's a look around the new building...

Photos

Look up, they're at the top in large format -- click or scroll all the way up.

A few bits

+ The new visitor center is 9,500 square feet -- that's a little more than twice the size of the old center.

+ The exhibit includes interactive sound displays, mounted specimens, and living animals -- including a barred owl. (The owl can't be released into the wild, so apparently it's been assigned to desk duty.)

+ It's a "green" building, with geothermal heating, solar panels, a rainwater collection system for flushing toilets, and a green roof made up of plants.

Find It

Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
56 Game Farm Rd
Delmar, NY 12054

Comments

They still have a ban on dogs?

Yes, and with luck they'll enforce it.

The visitors center is gorgeous! You should come and see it! The whole area is great. I can't wait to come back and spend more time!

Such a great addition to one of our favorite local outdoor spots! The design is really lovely and I'm glad they didn't just throw up a chunk of concrete.

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