Huyck Preserve

05/29/2026

Welcome 2026 Ranger Aidan Brown! Ranger Aidan recently arrived at the Preserve to serve as its third Seasonal Ranger, and he will be here on the trails, at our events, and in the Visitors’ Center until November! Aidan graduated from the University of Vermont with a Bachelor's Degree in Forestry. He is especially interested in plant identification and forest succession and has a background in climate adaptive sugar maple and forest farming research. Aidan says, “I'm working at the Huyck Preserve this summer because of my love for forests and water. If you see me out on the trails or in the Visitors’ Center, say hello, and ask me any questions you have!”
The Seasonal Ranger position is supported in part by a Professional Development Grant from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) and New York's Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

05/28/2026

Interested in participating in the Rensselaerville Ramble Trail Run and Walk? Register now before prices increase on June 1!
The Ramble raises money for the Huyck Preserve and the Rensselaerville Library and is a great community event. There are many ways to participate – you can run, walk, sponsor, or volunteer! Learn more here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/rensselaerville-ramble-trail-run.html.

05/27/2026

A few days ago, Huyck Preserve member Laura Churchill captured this beautiful sight at the Rensselaerville Falls! A Great Blue Heron was wading in the water on the falls during a sunny day. Great Blue Herons are the largest of New York’s heron species with an average height of 3-4.5 feet and a wingspan of 5.5-6.5 feet! Keep an eye out – they are frequent visitors of the Preserve, though are not often seen at the falls!
If you capture a photo at the Preserve and want to share it with us, email [email protected].

05/21/2026

Join us in welcoming our new Stewardship Coordinator, Ben Prigg! Ben joins the Preserve after working for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, where he led a team that managed invasive species across Long Island's state parks. Ben has a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Binghamton University, where he focused on plant ecology and stewardship. He has a deep love for the outdoors and is passionate about responsible land management and fostering healthy ecosystems, enhancing access to the outdoors for all, and strengthening the bond between human communities and the natural world in which they reside. You can find Ben out on the trails of the Huyck Preserve, or in the office planning his next field excursion.

05/20/2026

We had a great first meeting of our Read + Hike Book Club on Sunday! Thank you to everyone who participated in the first book of the season. The next book club will take place on Sunday, June 14 from 2:00-3:30 PM at the Eldridge Research Center.
The June Book is Dispersals: On Plants, Borders and Belonging by Jessica Lee. This book challenges us to think about how humans and plants belong in the world and in our borders using lyrical, meditative, and beautiful prose. Register here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/events.html

05/14/2026

Today we hosted our first field trip of the spring 2026 season! Greenville Kindergarten came to learn about what animals need to survive and thrive in our forest and pond ecosystems! We love hosting our local school groups every season, and it is so nice to see both new and familiar faces! Today’s favorite finds included Dragonfly nymphs, tadpoles, snails, a Northern Leopard Frog, crayfish, Canada Geese, a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and “baby pine cones” (Eastern hemlock cones)!
We look forward to the busy weeks ahead with schools from across the region visiting, and the fun continues into summer. If your kids love outdoor play and learning, we still have some spots left in our summer education programs. Learn more and register here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/summer-programs.html.

05/12/2026

Readers, birders, adventurers, and explorers rejoice! We are less than a week away from the first meeting of our 2026 Read + Hike Book Club! The May book is, The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan which explores the ways we can find refuge in the natural world around us. Join us on Sunday, May 17, 2:00 - 3:30 PM at the Eldridge Research Center, 284 Pond Hill Road for an easy walk and book discussion. Register here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/events.html

05/07/2026

Science Spotlight! Congratulations to Luciana Guimaraes de Andrade, Ph.D., 2019 and 2020 Huyck Research Grant recipient on her recent publication, Environmental DNA monitoring of waterfowl reveals community changes during migration. As a post-doctoral associate at Cornell University, Dr. Guimaraes de Andrade used eDNA samples from the Preserve’s Lincoln Pond and Lake Myosotis to monitor bird diversity.
Learn more about the research here: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0337508.

Large-scale monitoring of wildlife populations is a cornerstone of effective conservation and resource management, particularly for highly mobile taxa whose distributions shift rapidly across space and time. In this paper we explore the possibility of using environmental DNA-based surveys as a cost-...

05/06/2026

Since 1993, National Trails Day has been celebrated the first Saturday in June across the country with events focused on the importance of getting outdoors and maintaining the trails that connect us with the ecosystems around us. Every year, the Huyck Preserve celebrates with a day of volunteer trail work.
Join us 10 AM - 12 PM on Saturday, June 6 for a volunteer trail event to help us ready our trails for the busy season ahead!
More information and registration can be found here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/events.html.
If you cannot make this event but are interested in volunteering with the Preserve in other ways, email us at [email protected].

05/04/2026

Our membership year has officially begun! We are looking forward to our favorite activities of the summer: swimming and non-motorized boating on Lake Myosotis! Current 2026 members now purchase 2026 beach passes and boat rack rental spaces online. The beach opens June 20th, and passes may be purchased throughout the summer. The rack rental season runs from today until September 7, and spaces are first come, first served - act now before they are gone.
Membership, beach passes, and boat rack spaces can be purchased here: https://www.huyckpreserve.org/donate.html.