Tree walk with a dendrophile*

KEN CHAYA -- tree expert extraordinaire

Last night from 6:30pm to about 8:45pm  I  and about 25 other fortunate people went on a Tree Identifying walk with tree expert and naturalist KEN CHAYA. I'll write again with more details of that we learned on Ken's walk, but now all I can say is that It was one of the most educational, inspiring and delightful experiences I've had in all my years as a park enthusiast. Ken is a marvelopuys walk leader, with an infectious passion for nature in general and trees in particular  The walk, given under the aegis of  Outdoorfest [www.outdoorfest.org]    began outside Strawberry Fields at 72nd Street and Central Park West, and ended up at Oak Bridge, the lovely structure  connecting Bank Rock Bay with The Ramble.  The participants, a group that included one well-behaved canine, were exceptionally well-behaved themselves. Very few engaged in private conversations with fellow walkers -- and everyone ended up with a different attitude towards trees. For a small group of New Yorkers who went on that transformative walk with Ken Chaya yesterday, trees will forever be transformed  into objects of reverence.

KEN CHAYA and co-author EDWARD SIBLEY BARNARD with their masterpiece map - CENTRAL PARK ENTIRE

Here's what the map looks like. It's folded in a clever way, and made of some kind of waterproof paper.  To buy map: http://www.centralparknature.com/store/index.html

*PS A dendropbhile is simply a tree lover