By now people in the area are probably quite familiar with Stony Brook’s annual Big Night Extravaganza, which this year will be held Saturday, April 9th, from 6:00-8:30pm.
It’s a way to draw attention to the remarkable journey that hundreds of thousands of salamanders, wood frogs and spring peepers make from their winter burrows to the vernal pools of their birth, there to spawn a new generation of amphibians that will delight youngsters throughout the summer. Anyone who has actually seen the migration on the first rainy night of the spring, when the temperatures rise to about 45-50 degrees, knows why it can stop traffic or draw lines of spectators for miles. It’s as if the earth rises up to announce the fact that life is beginning anew.
We will again have costumed characters and lantern-lit trails. We’ll try to educate and entertain, make you laugh with bellowing bull frogs and dancing salamanders, give out prizes and offer refreshments. But our real purpose is two-fold: to celebrate the miracle of Nature coming back to life, and to bring families together to experience the wonder of being outside after dark, listening to the sounds of the night, trusting to senses that may have lain dormant all winter. There’s really nothing like it!
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Tours are every 15 minutes, and we ask that individuals and families pre-register for the time-slot best suited to their needs. The cost is $6 per person for members (maximum of $24 for a family) and $8 per person for non-members (maximum of $32 for a family). We hope you will join us that evening. Call us to schedule a time: 508-528-3140.
