<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0q1EPP_1GqXqQff00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0q1EPP_1GqXqQff00" width="281" height="375" ></figure>My wife, Susan, and I attended an “Overlook Talk” at Thacher Park given by Mike Nardacci on Saturday, Oct. 31. He educated us and others about the many landscapes and mountainous regions you can see on a clear day from the park.Thacher Park is a National Natural Landmark that is unique for its topography and the views it affords, unlike others in the United States.Mike informed us with many examples of rocks he had brought with him, about how the landscapes we observed in the distance were formed and the rock types they were made of.He told us of the ancient history of the countryside before us and how the entire Northeast was covered by glaciers that advanced and retreated multiple times, shaping the terrain that is now home to us. Mike has a wealth of information and is articulate and eloquent at disseminating the facts and details of the Earth’s history that surrounds Thacher Park.He is a geologist, cave explorer, and educator actively involved in teaching geology, English, and American literature. He works at the Thacher Park Visitor Center, on Friday and Saturday, as the geology interpretive assistant.He is widely recognized today for his extensive knowledge of geology, caving, and environmental education, although his formal classroom background began in the humanities. He was given an assignment early in his career that connected his literary background with his fascination for the natural sciences.While teaching high school English, Mike began assisting the Earth Science teacher on field trips into the Helderberg Escarpment. While there, he learned along with the students and pursued the allure of natural history.This intersection of his fascination with exploring regional landscapes merged with his instructional skills and helped him to become the master educator and storyteller that continues to this day.He has relayed his skills to many including through his youth instruction programs at the Heldeberg Workshop. He has been the author for many years of a column often found in the pages of The Altamont Enterprise titled “Back Roads Geology.”Mike Nardacci’s column explains geological information to the newspaper's readers using well-known and not-so-well-known local sites and landscapes, with regional history, and his global travel experiences, to explain how our physical Earth developed.We are grateful to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation for inviting experts like Mike Nardacci to explain to us, the general public, about all the different facets of Thacher Park and its history and formation.Two other men of note who have been informing us for decades about the background history of Thacher Park are Dr. Charles “Chuck” Ver Straeten who is a sedimentary geologist, and among many responsibilities, also serves as the curator of sedimentary rocks at the New York State Museum.And also, Thom Engel, well known geologist, experienced caver, and cave-rescue advocate affiliated with the Northeastern Cave Conservancy, having served as a trustee and vice president.All three men have authored books and columns relative to their professions and pursuits of the different fields of natural science.We appreciate that they commit time to helping all of us expand our knowledge of this region we call home by inspiring and compelling our imaginations to visualize what was here before, and explain what is here now.So the next time you see in the Enterprise Community Calendar that one of them is speaking at Thacher Park, please go and attend. You won't be disappointed!Thank you gentlemen!Timothy J. AlbrightMeadowdale</div></body>

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My wife, Susan, and I attended an “Overlook Talk” at Thacher Park given by Mike Nardacci on Saturday, Oct. 31. He educated us and others about the many landscapes and mountainous regions you can see on a clear day from the park. Thacher Park is a National Natural...

Visualizing what was here before, and explaining what is here now

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My wife, Susan, and I attended an “Overlook Talk” at Thacher Park given by Mike Nardacci on Saturday, Oct. 31. He educated us and others about the many lan

Visualizing what was here before, and explaining what is here now

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