Cold Spring's long-time tale-teller, Jonathan Kruk, will engage and enchant families with the lore of the Hudson Highlands during River Imps and Fairy Tales of the Hudson, an HHLT Take-A-Hike! event. Find out why the Hudson flows both ways. Who is the "Culprit" faerie? Why do sloop skippers tip their hats before sailing through the Highlands? You'll not only listen, but step into each tale.



The hour-long hike meets at 10:00am at Glenclyffe Drive in Garrison. Participation is free, but pre-registration is required. Please email info@hhlt.org

For a fifth year, HHLT partners with Constitution Marsh Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Cold Spring to highlight local students' nature-inspired poetry with a River of Words Poetry Trail installation from August 1st through August 28th. The Hudson Highlands Nature Museum will host a Poetry Trail installation in late September.

The River of Words Poetry Trail is a series of unique, temporary installations that wind through inspiring natural settings and celebrates the poetry of local students. The featured works were selected by award-winning poet Irene O'Garden and represent hundreds of poems created by public school students throughout HHLT's mission area during HHLT's free Regional River of Words environmental education workshops. Each Poetry Trail will feature a different set of poems written by children from both sides of the river.

The self-guided tour of the Poetry Trail at Constitution Marsh is free, open to the public, and available to explore from dawn to dusk. Details on the Nature Museum's Poetry Trail installation will be available closer to its opening.

You will get an exclusive look at what is involved in daily animal care when you go Behind the Scenes at the Wildlife Education Center on Sunday, July 17, at 10:00am. 

This new and unique program allows visitors to see animal enrichment activities first hand, and learn how the Nature Museum staff designs ways to keep the animals happy and healthy. 

Program is for adults and families with children ages 5 and up. Admission is $7/adult and $5/child (Museum members, $5/adult and $3/child. For more information, visit the website or call 845/534-5506.

HHLT is proud to host a volunteer Student Conservation Association (SCA) trail crew later this month while they clear a trail on the recently expanded Putnam Highlands Audubon Society (PHAS)  Watergrass Sanctuary. 

Last year HHLT partnered with PHAS, Scenic Hudson and Open Space Institute to add over 19 acres to the sanctuary. 

"The Student Conservation Association is the natural partner for this phase of the project, building a trail to enhance public access," MJ Martin, HHLT's Director of Outreach and Development explained. "The SCA's mission is to inspire lifelong stewardship of the environment and communities by engaging young people in hands-on service. We are pleased to work with them and look forward to their arrival." 

The trail route has been designed to connect residents and visitors to the land while safeguarding wildlife habitat.

 

Dr. William Schuster, Executive Director of Black Rock Forest Consortium and HHLT Board Member, and Erin Crotty, Executive Director of Audubon New York, recently announced that Black Rock Forest had met the criteria for an Important Bird Area designation.

"We are delighted to receive the Important Bird Area designation because it will help us safeguard threatened bird species, including five that are on Audubon's Watch List, but which studies show are thriving in Black Rock Forest: cerulean warblers, wood thrush, and blue-winged, worm-eating and prairie warblers," said Dr. Schuster.

The Important Bird Area (IBA) Program was initiated by the organization BirdLife International in Europe in the 1980s. These sites and millions of acres have received better protection as a result. Audubon launched its Important Bird Areas initiative in 1995, establishing programs state by state. There are now 2,757 IBAs in the U.S.