APEC is doing right by nature

A walk in the woods - Alley Pond Park woods - and the dismal conditions there so dismayed a group of educators 30 years ago, that they formed the Alley Pond Park Environmental Center (APEC).
APEC, located in Douglaston at 228-06 Northern Boulevard, in a former patio furniture store, has served the community of Queens by teaching respect and reverence for nature.
Irene Scheid, Executive Director of APEC said that &#8220dismayed by the conditions of the woodlands,” the founders took matters in their own hands, forming a coalition to reverse and prevent further damage to the area which encompasses 600 acres of woodlands and 150 acres of wetlands.
From the initial group of educators/volunteers, APEC has developed into a center with a full-time staff of nine and more than 1,000 members. In 1979 APEC was designated a National Environmental Study Area.
A former intern at APEC, Scheid says the private, non-profit organization is a wonderful resource for New Yorkers, which is apparent by the 50,000 people the center serviced during their last fiscal year. Open year-round, the environmental center offers an array of programs for children as young as 18 months to adults, with animal, science and nature programs during after-school hours and weekends, ranging from one-day seminars to three months.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the classes on impressionable young minds, Scheid recounts a story that she has told many times. While upstate to visit her family, her nephew noticed running well water and said to his grandmother, &#8220GG is wasting water.”
&#8220It's never too early to learn,” Scheid said.
The most popular classes of the center's nature education series are any class that features an animal, for both adults and children, Scheid says. Obtained via various means the center owns rabbits, snakes, guinea pigs, turtles, snakes, and doves. Animals are confiscated from unlicensed owners and given to the center by the city and state, as well as owners no longer able to care for their pets.
APEC courses cost as little as $12 for a single class to $300 for a series of classes. Eager to reach out to the community, the center also travels to local schools to teach lessons on nature and animals to students.
For more information on APEC, call 718-229-4000.