Meet 10am at the refuge visitor center for a slide presentation and hike around the gardens and ponds with naturalist Don Riepe to look for Phoebes, Ospreys, Laughing Gulls, Oystercatchers, other migrants and early signs of spring. Free. For more info call (718) 474-0896; e-mail: donriepe@gmail.com

Don Riepe has been the Littoral Society’s Jamaica Bay Program Director since 1985. With 25 years as a naturalist and manager of the National Park System’s Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Don is knowledgeable about and a staunch defender of wildlife and habitat in the urban littoral zone. Don frequently  leads domestic and international field trips for the Society. He has led the Society’s efforts to coordinate the International Coastal Cleanup for the state of New York for more than 30 years, and initiated the derelict boat removal program known as Jamaica Bay Clean Sweep. In 2004 he assumed the role of the Jamaica Bay Guardian. He holds a Master of Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of New Hampshire.