A Generous Gift of Land Expands Preserve, Increases Watershed Protection
Huyck staff visit the newly acquired property.
Tall red pines line the entranceway
to the property.
In February, the Huyck Preserve received a generous, heartfelt gift from a member in the form of a beautiful 23-acre parcel adjacent to existing Preserve land. The property, located off Pond Hill Road, is an important addition to the Preserve as we continue to meet our conservation goals.
Protecting the watershed of Lake Myosotis is a central component of the Huyck Preserve’s mission. In addition to safeguarding the drinking water supply for the hamlet of Rensselaerville, working to conserve land across the 4,000-acre watershed protects important ecological communities, allows public enjoyment of the trails, views, and waterways in the area, offers opportunities for researchers and visiting students to learn and study in the region, and builds connections between other protected lands — itself an important goal for ecosystem resilience. This new property, which falls solidly within the watershed of Lake Myosotis, was one of the Preserve’s highest priorities for land protection, and we are fortunate and grateful to have received it.
Tom Lyons, chair of the Preserve's Land Conservation Committee, reflected on the value of the property to the Preserve. "The donation of this land is important in so many ways for the conservation of natural resources within the Preserve. It protects water quality and serves as a protective buffer to biological resources further to the east. It also provides access to views to the south of the Preserve. The donation can serve as a model for other property owners within the Lake Myosotis watershed who wish to protect their lands by adding to the Preserve. We are immensely grateful for the donation and all it does to further our entire mission, as well as the positive impacts it will have on Rensselaerville."
Trout Creek near the Eldridge Research Center
The land includes mixed hardwood forest, wet meadow, shrub wetland, planted red pine forest, and an open field. The diversity of habitats supports a broad range of wildlife, with American Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse and tracks of several other native animals seen on a recent visit. Many of our visitors have enjoyed crossing the xylophone bridge over Trout Creek across from the Preserve’s Eldridge Research Center. Trout Creek gets its name from a trout hatchery built into the stream by Edmund Niles Huyck, the ruins of which are still viewed from Pond Hill Road. Below the bridge, Trout Creek meets Ten-Mile Creek whose waters then flow into Lake Myosotis before spilling over the Rensselaerville Falls as they make their way to the Catskill Creek. This new property includes and protects part of the upper reaches of Trout Creek that meander through shrub wetland and successional northern hardwood forest. Because of the ecological importance of the lands through which Trout Creek and Ten-Mile Creek flow, and because Lake Myosotis is a public water supply, protection of the water quality in the upper reaches of Trout Creek is extremely important.
The donor of the property is a kindred spirit who values “the Preserve’s stewardship of the land for wildlife habitat” and shares our goal of protecting the watershed and our focus on biological research, education, and conservation.
Future management of this parcel will be valuable in the prevention of the spread of invasive species downstream into our existing land. Keep an eye out for how you can be a part of that effort. We also look forward to the potential that this donation has for educational programming including public events. We hope to begin with a celebratory “landwarming” event to be held when we can all come together again.
The donor of the property is a kindred spirit who values “the Preserve’s stewardship of the land for wildlife habitat” and shares our goal of protecting the watershed and our focus on biological research, education, and conservation.
Future management of this parcel will be valuable in the prevention of the spread of invasive species downstream into our existing land. Keep an eye out for how you can be a part of that effort. We also look forward to the potential that this donation has for educational programming including public events. We hope to begin with a celebratory “landwarming” event to be held when we can all come together again.
