Some of the earliest settlers to Cayuga County were drawn by the region's vast natural resources.
The Cayuga Museum is revealing a number of these resources in its newest exhibit, Cayuga Wild.
Set to open Saturday, the exhibit will explore the diverse effects of the natural environment of Cayuga County.
The exhibit will celebrate native animals, trees, birds and plants with displays of vanished inhabitants of the region, including the remains of a mastodon uncovered in Ledyard. It will feature mounted species of once-common animals such as bears, beavers and foxes.
The exhibit will explore the question of why some animals and plants have survived while others have become rare or extinct to the area.
"A few years ago, we had a fishing exhibit that featured a mounted beaver," said Eileen McHugh, museum director. "The kids just loved the beaver the best."
The family-friendly exhibits will feature many hands-on activities for children and adults alike to discover the role that the natural ecosystem has had on the human race and how the people have affected the natural world.
The exhibit traces the changes that the ecosystem has faced over time.
"We have been trying to reach more families with children," McHugh said. "We want to end the days of look, don't touch within a museum. We have several hands-on exhibits as well as family-friendly programs within this exhibit. We want to give people a sense of how nature and people affect each other."
Hunting, for example, was once an important survival skill that has grown into a recreational sport significantly impacting economic factors within Cayuga County.
The exhibit will display these changes as well as explore deeper conservation issues as varied as the controversy over the use of cow manure as fertilizer and the protection of beaver dams.
"There is a science as to why the deer count in hunting varies from year to year," McHugh said. "The exhibit will also explore the way the turkey population has changed over the years. It is a very large exhibit, covering many aspects of the natural world."
As a part of Cayuga Wild, the Cayuga Museum is sponsoring the Cayuga County big tree search. The search is a part of a nationwide effort to identify the largest living specimens of each tree species.
Each nominated tree will be formally measured and then nominated to the New York state big tree search. Nominated trees may qualify for the national big tree register.
Forms for the big tree search may be obtained from the museum.
Cayuga Wild hopes to give its guests a better understanding of the tremendous diversity of natural life that makes Cayuga County such an interesting place to live.
Set to open Saturday, the exhibit will explore the diverse effects of the natural environment of Cayuga County.
The exhibit will celebrate native animals, trees, birds and plants with displays of vanished inhabitants of the region, including the remains of a mastodon uncovered in Ledyard. It will feature mounted species of once-common animals such as bears, beavers and foxes.
The exhibit will explore the question of why some animals and plants have survived while others have become rare or extinct to the area.
"A few years ago, we had a fishing exhibit that featured a mounted beaver," said Eileen McHugh, museum director. "The kids just loved the beaver the best."
The family-friendly exhibits will feature many hands-on activities for children and adults alike to discover the role that the natural ecosystem has had on the human race and how the people have affected the natural world.
The exhibit traces the changes that the ecosystem has faced over time.
"We have been trying to reach more families with children," McHugh said. "We want to end the days of look, don't touch within a museum. We have several hands-on exhibits as well as family-friendly programs within this exhibit. We want to give people a sense of how nature and people affect each other."
Hunting, for example, was once an important survival skill that has grown into a recreational sport significantly impacting economic factors within Cayuga County.
The exhibit will display these changes as well as explore deeper conservation issues as varied as the controversy over the use of cow manure as fertilizer and the protection of beaver dams.
"There is a science as to why the deer count in hunting varies from year to year," McHugh said. "The exhibit will also explore the way the turkey population has changed over the years. It is a very large exhibit, covering many aspects of the natural world."
As a part of Cayuga Wild, the Cayuga Museum is sponsoring the Cayuga County big tree search. The search is a part of a nationwide effort to identify the largest living specimens of each tree species.
Each nominated tree will be formally measured and then nominated to the New York state big tree search. Nominated trees may qualify for the national big tree register.
Forms for the big tree search may be obtained from the museum.
Cayuga Wild hopes to give its guests a better understanding of the tremendous diversity of natural life that makes Cayuga County such an interesting place to live.