How well do you know the Eastern Grey Squirrel?

“Get to “Gnow” your Gnawers” and more at Teatown in Ossining

An Eastern Gray squirrel holding a peanut. Photo credit: iStock images

By Dave Mueller

January 10, 2025

The small mammals with slender bodies, bushy tails, large eyes, and grey fur scurry around everywhere all year long making it a delight, in most cases, for people to see the Eastern Grey Squirrel. Some folks enjoy their presence as the cute mammals sit down on their hind legs and eat nuts and berries, while others complain they are taking up residence in their attic insulation causing home damage issues.

Dogs love to chase them and give them a good run for their money year round, but somehow the little critters always seem to win, bursting up a tree with a top speed up to 20 mph. Just like the Road Runner always beep beep-ing at Wile E. Coyote once the coyote thinks he wins, the Eastern Grey Squirrel always looks back down at the ground tee-heeing that they out beat the canine once again.

How well do you know the Eastern Grey Squirrel and its relatives like Chipmunks and Woodchucks, all of which we have right here in the City of Peekskill? If you want to know more about these local animals that exist in the City of Peekskill and in our local woods and backyards, take a 15 minute trip south and visit Teatown in Ossining at the “Get to ‘Gnow’ your Gnawers” presentation this Sunday, January 12th from 1 to 2 p.m. There the Teatown staff will present a lively program about the Eastern Grey Squirrel and its relatives. Of course, you will also get to meet a few Animal Ambassadors too. The cost of the program is $5 for members of Teatown Preserve and $10 for non-members. Tickets are limited to 30 people so make sure to get your tickets fast using this link.

Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit nature preserve and environmental education center with over 1,000 acres of land, 15 miles of hiking trails, a 42 acre lake, a two-acre island refuge for over 230 species of native wildflowers, with year-round programming, wildlife exhibits. Their animal ambassadors are animals that were injured and non-releasable back into the wild but serve to teach the public about our local wildlife. Some of the animals include opossums, snakes, turtles, and birds of prey including great horned owls, red-tailed hawks.

To learn more about Teatown and its history, visit their website at www.teatown.org, and follow Teatown on Facebook and Instagram.

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About the Contributor

Dave Mueller

As a Peekskill native, Dave is thrilled to be working with the Peekskill Herald showcasing featured calendar events. A 1999 graduate of PHS, he remembers reading and enjoying the original weekly print edition of the Peekskill Herald every Thursday. He especially liked the political stories, local features and sports coverage when it was written by Peekskill Runner columnist Jack Burns who always managed to weave history into the running times. An avid hiker, he enjoys exploring the local trails as well as the concrete ones in his job as a conductor for Metro North Railroad. He’s a former teacher and co-founder of the Friends of the Peekskill Dog Park, where he frequently can be found with his Koda. He’s happy to be part of the Herald’s growth as the source of local news for Peekskill and looks forward to highlighting a few of many of the events and happenings in Peekskill and the surrounding communities. Reach Dave at [email protected]