Get ready for a great pre-Autumn weekend with two unique hikes at the Huyck Preserve! In part scheduled for the "Discover the Hilltowns Farm and Artisan Tour" sponsored by the Helderberg Hilltowns Association, we invite you to join us for a Saturday and Sunday morning hike the weekend of September 16th. 

First, join us Saturday September 16th from 9am-11am with a Naturalists Hike with local naturalist, Chris Schiralli. With extensive background on the varied flora and fauna in and around the Huyck, Chris will take hikers on a guided journey highlighting all the seasonal wonder nature provides during late September. This hike is scheduled to begin at the Research Center, located at 284 Pond Hill Road, Rensselaerville NY 12147. 

Then, join us Sunday September 17th at 10am for a very special History Hike and Tour of Eldridge Research Center! Led by long-time Huyck Preserve staff member, Adam Caprio, this hike will begin at the Visitor's Center and lead participants along the Falls Trail, around the east side of the lake trail and then to the Research Center. Here, participants will get to see where our researchers do their work, as well as learn the historical significance of our facilities. Come along and explore the history of the Huyck Preserve and the bygone days of the milling industry of Rensselaerville with a Sunday morning hike at the Preserve! This hike will begin at the Visitors Center, located at 5052 Delaware Turnpike, Rensselaerville NY 12147. This hike will last approximately 2hrs with a total distance of ~2 miles of varied terrain. 

Please wear comfortable, sturdy shoes and dress in layers for all hikes.

For question about these hikes, please contact [email protected] or call our office at (518) 797-3440.

Now accepting proposals through our online application!

Open to researchers at all stages of their careers, Huyck Research Grants support work in basic and applied ecology, conservation biology, taxonomy, animal behavior, evolution, geology, land use history, and other areas of natural science. Typical grant awards are for $2000, but can be as much as $3500 for projects that involve extended residencies. Applications for the 2017 Huyck Research Grant program are due Friday, February 17.

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For more information on Huyck Research Grants and how to apply, please visit our website: http://www.huyckpreserve.org/huyck-research-grants.html
 
Please address inquiries about the Huyck Research Grant program to William Eldridge, Research Committee Chair, [email protected]

The New Year is almost upon us and we at the Huyck Preserve are ever so excited. The New Year always brings new faces and sometimes new programs, and we just can't wait to get started on earnestly planning for next summer. Yes, that's right, even with snow gently falling, fireplaces roaring, and numerous mugs of cocoa consumed, we're thinking ahead to warmer months.

This year, there is an extra thread of joy running through the office as we race towards our Annual Fund goal. Some might say $30,000 is a lofty goal for such a small organization but small as we may be, we have BIG supporters and they have stepped up an answered our call to action- putting us within $3,000 of our goal!

Perhaps you've been following our progress over email and this blog and are well aware of all that we can do with your continued support. $5,000 meant staff to cover monitoring efforts, or partially staffing the Lake Myosotis beach program, or equipment for school field trip programs and the Winter Festival. $10,000 meant completely covering our school field trip program or the beach program, or funding the continued maintenance of our 12-miles of trials, or ten gudied hikes, two festivals, and Wildlife Family Hour. Did anyone start humming "The 12-days of Christmas" or notice a lot of "ORs?" For the Huyck Preserve, reaching our $30,000 Annual Fund Goal means we can fund conservation monitoring AND the school field trip program AND the maintenace of our trail system AND Wildlife Family Hour... you get my point. Your support is the difference between our small organization doing small things or our small organization doing BIG things.

Big support also means better defense and protection of the wilderness that makes up the Huyck Preserve. You may have donated because you love the beach program or because you are dedicated to providing science education to local schools but just like those who donate because they are committed to the protection of green spaces, we at the Huyck Preserve welcome you as an Environmental Defender. Recreational access encourages stewardship as clean water is not only necessary for swimming but for wildlife to thrive. Science-based outdoor education builds knowledge and understanding in our younger generations who will be at the forefront of environmental protection in the future. If you haven't yet donated to the Huyck Preserve, do so today and join our ranks of Environmental Defenders who have put the Huyck Preserve on track for a very successful New Year. 

To all who have already shown their support in a big way in 2016, thank you. We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year and can't wait to see you all out on the trails in 2017!