Join Us for Informational Tours!
For the seventh year in a row, we are happy to offer informational tours. Join our staff and other experts for outdoor activities featuring diverse ecological themes in the Ausable, Boquet, and Saranac River watersheds. These tours are designed to engage people of all ages and abilities in outdoor recreational activities, while also inspiring participants to be active stewards of their local environment. Celebrate or kindle your appreciation for the natural beauty of the northern Adirondacks and leave with a better understanding of threats to our local environment – and what you can do to protect these diverse habitats.
What to Expect
All tours are free and open to the public, though donations are accepted. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Tours will last two to four hours and we only cancel programs if the weather is dangerous, so programs will be held rain or shine. We like to keep these group small, so tours are capped between 10 and 15 participants and registration in advance is required.
For questions and to register, please email events@ausablecenter.org.
Upcoming Tours:
Glacial Lakes in the Valley of the East Branch Ausable River - September 24, 2025
At the close of the last Ice Age, glacial ice formed a dam across the valley of the East Branch Ausable River, creating a series of lakes that overflowed into adjacent watersheds through mountain passes. Our watershed tour will visit sites that help tell the story of these ancient lakes and the legacy of sediment they left behind. Generations of geologists have studied these areas since the 1800's and worked to unravel the complex history of a melting glacier and large bodies of water that never existed in the historical record. Over the past several decades, Dr. David Franzi, recently-retired Professor of Geology at SUNY-Plattsburgh, has built on the foundational work in this region and prepared maps that show the limits of the glacial lakes and the outlets where they spilled into neighboring watersheds. Our stream restoration manager, Gary Henry, will use these maps to guide our trip through the East Branch Ausable valley and to help us visualize the long-vanished glacier and its effects on the landscape. The tour is scheduled for Wednesday, September 24th, and space is limited. Participants will meet in Au Sable Forks at 10am and be driven to the tour sites in a passenger van by AFC staff. Expect an email the week before the tour to confirm details and provide more information. The tour is expected to last approximately 4-5 hours.
For questions and to register, please email events@ausablecenter.org or call 518-637-6859.
Stay tuned for more tours!
Recent Tours:
Ausable Conservation Nursery Public Opening - June 26, 2025
Join the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) for the public opening of their Ausable Conservation Nursery on Thursday, June 26th. Learn why AFC started the nursery project, how it supports AFC's goals, and what goes on behind the scenes.
For over 15 years, AFC has restored damaged streams, reducing floods and enhancing ecosystem resilience in the Adirondack region. Replanting native vegetation is essential to these efforts. To address the growing demand for native plant stock grown in the northeast, AFC launched the Ausable Conservation Nursery in 2024. AFC, in partnership with the Uihlein Foundation, established the Ausable Conservation Nursery at Uihlein Farm in Lake Placid with funding through the Lake Champlain Basin Program, NEIWPCC, and private donations. The Ausable Conservation Nursery focuses on propagating native plants that support sustainable restoration, bolster climate resilience, and improve habitat connectivity for AFC's stream restoration projects in the Ausable River watershed and beyond. Ausable Conservation Nursery's long-term goals include enhancing native habitats, improving climate resilience, and engaging the public.
AFC will provide guests with demonstrations and tours 5:00pm-6:00pm and 6:30pm-7:30pm. Demonstrations will include wild seed collection protocols, native seed and cutting propagation techniques, bareroot production methods, and riparian restoration planning and implementation. Light snacks and refreshments will be available
Spotlight on Mirror Lake - May 17, 2025
May is a beautiful time of year to explore Mirror Lake, one of the most iconic lakes in the Adirondacks. Join Ausable Freshwater Center staff on Saturday, May 17th from 9 am until noon to learn about the health of the Mirror Lake ecosystem. The outing begins with a 1.6 mile round trip hike to the top of Cobble Hill to get a birds-eye view of the Mirror Lake and Ausable River watersheds. The hike gains 450 feet in elevation on uneven terrain over a moderately difficult trail with a few steep sections. After the hike, participants will gather along the edge of Mirror Lake where everyone will have an opportunity to participate in an interactive demonstration of water sampling techniques. This is a free event, but space is limited and registration is required.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (LC00A01141-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Matching funds generously provided by guest naturalists.
