When we first came to Mount Kisco in 1958, a resident professional naturalist, Stanley Grierson, led a group of us through the Gorge in spring. I remember that we went all the way to Havemeyer Falls at the head of the reservoir. We had no idea until then that such beautiful wilderness existed here in […]
Follow some simple rules to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 Refrain from visiting the preserve if you are exhibiting symptoms. If the parking lot is full or people are congregating, choose a different park or preserve, or choose another day and time to visit. Visit in small groups limited to immediate household members. Keep […]
Chris Nagy, Ph.D., presented his talk, “Coyotes of Gotham,” via Zoom to enthusiastic participants at the Harris Center for Conservation Education on August 28, 2020. Click here to enjoy Chris’s talk. Checking the camera traps
The Mianus River and its tributaries form a riparian corridor that is vital for wildlife and whose health and function contribute to a clean drinking water supply for over one hundred thousand. MRG aims to repair and improve the functional ability of this riparian buffer to filter and prevent water contamination by removing detrimental invasive […]
The final component of the Save the Hemlocks initiative is to improve the health and buffering ability of the younger forest that surrounds the Mianus River Gorge old-growth forest. Mianus River Gorge Preserve (MRGP) is a linear preserve and past agricultural activities came very close to the core old-growth forest. As pasturelands and farm fields […]
Perhaps you know that part of Mianus River Gorge’s mission is to “protect over 1,000 acres … including one of the last stands of old-growth forest in the northeast US.” But what exactly is an old-growth forest, and why is it so important? “Old-growth forest is a structurally complex forest, hundreds of years old, that […]
By Andy Cortese As you hike in the Mianus River Gorge Preserve, you may have noticed a stark contrast between the old-growth hemlock forest that dominates the gorge itself and the maple dominated post-agricultural forest farther up the ridge. Approaching the top of the ridge from the bottom of the gorge, the dark evergreen canopy […]
July 22, 2020 Needless to say, the summer of 2020 is unlike any other. Mianus River Gorge and the Preserve had their ups and downs when the season opened with a surge of visitors desperate to get out of the house. Today, MRG is glad to provide the community with a peaceful, restorative experience on […]
Research and education at MRG never stop, even in Covid times. Originally planned as a project to be done in the field, WTP student Eileen Dockery (Harrison High School) worked out from home how to create the project using the popular iNaturalist app and with help from citizen scientists. About the project in Eileen’s words: […]
2019 RAP Award SUNY ESF – Doctoral Candidate Study of mycorrhizae fungi in the forest soil RAP student, Andy Cortese from SUNY ESF, is studying the mycorrhizae fungi in the forest soil in Mianus River Gorge Preserve. The soils have developed a complicated underground network of mycorrhizal fungi that are hundreds of years old (visible […]