Thank you volunteers!

I would like to take this time to mention our hard working, dedicated group of volunteers. They donate time and money to help us run properly. Thank you everyone!

There is a volunteer luncheon every year and here are a few pictures from that.

Yummy Food





Thanks to everyone who brought food!

Also thank you Lauren for keeping our minds sharp with brain teasers..



All in all, a wonderful time.

From all of us here at Tifft,
We would like to say some thanks,
For giving up your time,
And the money from your banks,
To help us grow and prosper,
And spread our wings and fly,
We hope that you love your time here,
So much that you never say goodbye,
So thank you from our hearts,
For all the things you do,
We could never be so great
Without people like you!

Thank you volunteers!
From:
-Lauren, Dave, Karen, Nate, Brandon, Meghan, and Caryn

Photo Contest Winners

On January 18th, we announced the winners of our first annual Friends of Tifft photo contest. The photos were judged by Les Krims, a noted conceptualist photographer and professor at Buffalo State College. Winners were announced on Sunday January 18th at a small ceremony at the preserve. First place was awarded to Joe Martin of Grand Island for his colorful photo of a Northern Cardinal. Second place was awarded to Ian Webber of Getzville, third place was awarded to Michelle Dottore of Lake View, and honorable mention was awarded to Jeff Marotto of South Buffalo.

1st Place



2nd Place



3rd Place



Honorable Mention



All together now!



here are some pictures of the event.





Due to the unanticipated success of this one, we are planning on having another one soon! Check back often for updates, the decision should come down soon and I promise this will be the first place it will break! Happy Shooting!

Brrr

As many of you WNYer's know, last week we were hit with an arctic blast. Here are a few pictures from the preserve last Thursday. Bundled in 5 million layers, I bring Tifft to you in from the cold.

Snow blasted tree on the mounds



Buried grasses in the snowdrifts



Making my own path through the snow



And the wind who made our wind chills dip down in the negative double digits

Cooooold

It's going to become arctic the next couple of days, with single digit temps and below zero wind chills. If you do decide to wander our way, please dress in layers and do not expose any flesh to the elements. Also, if it ever gets too cold, don't hesitate to stop in and warm up by the fire.

We have a few mink traps out on the preserve at the moment, so please do not go touching weird boxes out in the middle of the preserve. Although I believe they are not armed at the moment, its better safe than sorry.

The Volunteer Luncheon is tomorrow and I hope to get some photos to show everyone out great volunteers who come out and donate their time and money to make Tifft great. We appreciate all that you do for us.

Ice on the Mind, Fire in the Cabin

A reminder to get to get your photos in by Jan. 15th, (this Friday) for the photo contest.

Check us out and become of fan of Tifft on facebook now.


A slight ice storm graced us last week and here are some photos of a leisurely stroll I took in the aftermath. Be prepared for a whole bunch of close-ups.





It was warming up when I went out so there was a layer of fog settling over the city and preserve













Here comes the black and white.







Other worldly. This is the pond that the beaver lives in.

















See you soon folks. This week is the volunteer potluck luncheon.

A New Year At Tifft

Happy 2009!

Here's a few updates..

The Library is going up slowly. Me and Brandon are computerizing the card catalog and it is a slow and tedious process, but nonetheless going along.

The photo contest for Friends of Tifft is this January the 18th. We have been slowly getting photos in and I can't wait to see even more.

We are now selling Hot Cocoa and coffee along with our normal complement of drinks and snacks. See the new snack bar sign with the giant red cardinal.

Get your bird sightings in to make the new 2009 bird list here at Tifft! I think I got the first cardinal.

We are doing weekly deer counts and the current high score is 45 by Brandon much to the dismay of Lauren and Dave who went and tried to beat it last week.

We are now completely covered with a nice fluffy blanket of white snow.

Cross country skiing is welcome as well as snowshoeing. Spread the word and come on out and burn off those holiday cookies.

The Northern part of Heritage is currently undergoing construction, but due to ice, has been stopped. The goal is to raise the boardwalk so it does not flood. Well, it flooded and then froze over due to the sequence of crazy snow then warming then freezing temperatures. So be CAREFUL and stay between the new posts, as that is thick ice on top of the old boardwalk, outside of the posts it is deep water and thin ice... As I found out first hand as I stepped out ever so slightly and found water to my knee. Thank heavens for underarmor and the fire.

Like I said, due to the crazy snow then thaw, the water level in the marsh is up and is slowly draining.

The cabin smells of cinnamon and its lovely.

Thats all I can think of right now.

Here are a few photos taken over the last few weeks. Enjoy!



Marsh Draining...



You don't want to know how many deer photos I have..



These are the new posts on the North end of Heritage. Stay in between them!



Path to Lisa



Puffy Robin




(I had to shrink it to fit in the last "T"...)

See you on the trails!