Nature retreat provides place to experience God, says environmentalist

She was referring to her position as school program coordinator for the Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar. An active lay minister at her parish, she has been involved with the center for 16 years but has been going there since the 1970s.

"When I first brought my young family to the center," she reminisced, "it was a place for us all to be together and enjoy nature. After my husband and I found Five Rivers, we fell in love with the place. As time passed, we just kept returning."

Special place

"Five Rivers is a place where you really can experience being Catholic," she said. "It is a place where individuals and families can come to walk among wildlife, visit the pond or just amble through the meadow, all the while opening themselves up to the smells, sounds and experience of God's creation and the wonders of nature."

Five Rivers was designed and developed nearly 30 years ago by New York State to provide a wildlife habitat for animals indigenous to the area. The State Department of Environmental Conservation works in cooperation with an active citizens group, Five Rivers Limited, to further public awareness of the link between human beings and the environment.

Chance to visit

For Mrs. Snyder, though, the festival holds a deeper meaning. She sees it as a continuing celebration of God's awesome creation.

"Miracles happen here, all the time," she said with conviction. "When families come here, they are surrounded by the beauty of nature. They can get 'up close and personal' with the wildlife that abounds throughout the preserve. They can walk to the pond and observe deer drinking water, or listen to the frogs, crickets and katydids. Birds fill the trees and the air, their beautiful song filling the stillness. Five Rivers should be a part of every family's life, not just a place to attend a festival."

Deeper meaning

"This place frees a person to empty out their stresses and worries, and provides them with the opportunity to fill themselves with God's healing breath," Mrs. Snyder said. "I've seen it happen time after time over the years. People leave here with a sense of renewal, a sense of peace."

She added that children who usually have trouble in the classroom seem to "shine" in the outdoor setting that the center provides. They also have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities inside the center, such as petting turtles or observing the habits of certain birds.

Communing

"If you look at the small, green clover, you see individual flowers which, when in full bloom, stand tall, each one on its own," she noted. "Singularly, they are insignificant. But together -- and there are about 12 of them which form the complete flowerhead -- they attract a bee for pollination. Once the bee extracts the pollen and the vital process is complete, the clover can continue its own life, while giving sustenance to the bee through the pollen."

In the same way, she continued, a person who visits Five Rivers becomes full witness to the singular miracle of creation in watching deer, insects, beavers and other animals. As people walk through the preserve, taking in all of the natural wonders, she believes they can experience the total impact of God's awesome power. They become deeply refreshed and return to everyday life with a healing sense of renewal and deepened faith.

"Emotionally, physically and spiritually," concluded Mrs. Snyder, "it's where I feel the best."

(Five Rivers Environmental Education Center in Delmar will hold its fall festival on Sept. 16, noon-4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 475-0291).

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