Teatown Lake Reservation
Encyclopedia
Teatown Lake Reservation is a nonprofit nature preserve and environmental education center in Westchester County, New York. The Reservation includes an 834 acres (3.4 km²) nature preserve and education center located in the Westchester Towns of Yorktown
Yorktown, New York
Yorktown is a town in Westchester County, New York, in the suburbs of New York about north of midtown Manhattan. The town lies on the north border of Westchester County...

, Cortlandt
Cortlandt, New York
Cortlandt is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census.The Town of Cortlandt is in the northwest part of the county...

, and New Castle
New Castle, New York
New Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 17,569 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water. New Castle is bordered by the towns of Mount Pleasant...

. About 25,000 people come each year to hike the preserve’s 15 miles (24.1 km) of trails, attend an education program, visit the Nature Center, or tour 'Wildflower Island'. Teatown’s educators offer adult, family and children’s programs to 10,000 participants annually, including nearly 6,000 schoolchildren and 700 summer camp students.

Known by locals as simply, “Teatown,” the organization works to conserve biodiversity, teach ecology and promote nature-friendly living. Located in the heart of the Lower Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...

’s Hudson Highlands
Hudson Highlands
The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay, which form the northern region of the New York - New Jersey Highlands....

 bioregion, Teatown Lake Reservation’s mission is to conserve open space, educate citizens about the environment and involve the public in order to sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations.

Annual Festivals

Teatown conducts three annual celebrations that are open to the public: the Hudson River EagleFest, the Plant Sale, and The Fall Festival. The Eagle Fest takes place in February each year, when winter conditions make eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

s easier to spot as they search for prey on the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...

. The EagleFest offers visitors live raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

 demonstrations in tents at Westchester County's Croton Point Park
Croton Point
Croton Point is a Westchester County park in the village of Croton-on-Hudson.The park has several public attractions including:*Miniature Aircraft airport*Boat launch*Cabin Rental*Cross country skiing*Fishing*Group picnicking*Hiking/walking*Museum...

. Short bus tours from Croton Point that take visitors to local eagle spotting sights up and down the lower Hudson Valley require reservations. Guides with scopes are located at the bus stops along the tour as well as at the Croton Point. About 2,500 visitors took part in EagleFest 2008, and about 4,000 visitors took part in 2009. Several dozen non-profit organizations, governmental agencies and municipalities participate. Other nearby nature and culture centers, such as the Beczak Environmental Education Center, Croton Point Nature Center, Van Cortlandt Manor and Constitution Marsh Audubon Center hold concurrent eagle-themed programs during the EagleFest week. Before and during the event, 5,000 free eagle spotting maps are distributed.

The annual Nature Friendly Plant Sale celebrates the Cliffdale Farm legacy of Teatown and is a well-known source for local hardy and diverse garden plants. The Annual Plant Sale takes place each spring.

The annual Fall Festival takes place at the Nature Center grounds each autumn, exploring harvest related activities from 'the cider mill' to pumpkin carving.

Conservation Outreach: Saving the Nature that lies between the Parks

Teatown is rapidly developing a reputation as the foremost environmental organization in the Hudson Hills and Highlands, providing conservation leadership to this bioregion, which encompasses most of Westchester and Putnam Counties, and parts of Dutchess, Orange and Rockland Counties. Teatown takes an active role in state, county and community efforts to protect open space and natural areas.

Through sponsorship of the Hudson Hills and Highlands Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA), Teatown provides assistance to civic leaders in crafting practical solutions to environmental issues and helps land owners and residents become more “nature friendly between the parks.” ELLA’s mission is to bring together town-appointed members of environmental commissions from across New York’s Hudson Hills and Highlands to strengthen environmental protection at a regional level, through environmental training, sharing lessons learned, and fostering collaboration. Launched in 2008 under a multiyear grant from New York's Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...

, the Alliance has good representation from the several dozens towns and villages whose conservation advisory council members are the principal beneficiaries. At each ELLA workshop, citizens who serve on their town or village’s environmental review committees receive training and insight into specific local challenges such groups face each month. For example, ELLA workshop topics have included background of locally invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

, and detecting and protecting vernal pools. ELLA members have access to a resource library.

In 2008, Teatown and the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference established a partnership on a new effort to provide assistance to local trail programs in Putnam and Westchester Counties. Launched in July 2008, the “Hudson Hills and Highlands Community Trail Program” is one part of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference’s larger effort to expand its reach east of the Hudson River from New York City to Columbia County. For nearly 100 years, New York-New Jersey Trail Conference volunteers have helped public agencies provide safe and responsible access to open space from New York City west to the Delaware Water Gap and north to the Catskills.

Environmental Education

An important part of Teatown’s mission is to teach ecology and encourage responsible interaction with nature. About 25,000 people come each year to attend an education program, visit the Nature Center, hike its trails, or tour Wildflower Island, a 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) island sanctuary located within Teatown Lake that is home to over 230 native and endangered species of wildflowers.

Teatown’s educators offer a variety of environmental education programs including weekend family and adults only programs, multi-week children’s series, school programs, school vacation camps, a summer camp, and special programs for Scouts and others organizations.

Over 10,000 participants annually attend one or more such educational programs, including nearly 6,000 school children and 700 summer campers. Annually, over 15,000 hikers traverse Teatown's 15 miles (24.1 km) of trails that span abundant fields, mixed forests, lakes, streams, swamps and farm land. Teatown volunteers also participate in the 'Great Backyard Bird Count' sponsored by Audubon
Audubon
Audubon may refer to:* John James Audubon , French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter-Places in the United States:* Audubon Canyon, California* Audubon, Iowa, city* Audubon Township, Montgomery County, Illinois...

 each winter.
Teatown’s Nature Center is a source of wildlife knowledge and home to a variety of amphibians, birds of prey, mammals and reptiles. The Nature Center also houses a store with books and small gifts. The Center often hosts gallery shows of art by area painters and photographers related to environmental themes.

Land Stewardship

Teatown Lake Reservation serves as an 834 acres (3.4 km²) oasis for many of the plants and animals that inhabit the Hudson Hills and Highlands. Teatown’s recently expanded its Environmental Stewardship Program to manage the flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...

 and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...

 living in the preserve for the benefit of nature conservation and regional ecological health. What began as a gift of 190 acre (0.7689034 km²) in 1963 has quadrupled in size including many different habitats, from aquatic and wetland locations to upland woods and meadows.

The foundation of Teatown's Stewardship Program is built on science and environmental management. Staff, collaborating scientists, students, and volunteers work together to document, monitor, and study the Reservation’s habitats, plants, and animals and to assess their ecological health and conservation status.

Based on these data, Teatown staff is developing new management activities to better protect the ecological communities and enhance Teatown’s contribution to local nature conservation. Long-term ecological monitoring using scientific methodologies will track the impact of the conservation efforts and allow for on-going adjustments and improvements. Scientists call this environmental stewardship process adaptive management
Adaptive management
-What is Adaptive Management ?:Adaptive management , also known as adaptive resource management , is a structured, iterative process of optimal decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reducing uncertainty over time via system monitoring...

.

Strengthening nature-friendly living through improved stewardship of private lands will be a key to ensuring regional sustainability. Hence, Teatown hopes to develop models that other land holders in the 4 counties of Hudson Hills and Highland may learn from and follow.

Science in a Living Laboratory

The Stewardship Program requires Teatown to conduct its own scientific studies of the Reservation’s habitats, plants, and animals. Teatown’s Stewardship Program depends on the work of many scientists for its general understanding of the physical world (e.g. geologists and hydrologists) and the biological world (e.g. biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...

s and ecologists). This Program is an example of interdisciplinary work of modern conservation ecology
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...

.

In recent years, sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

ing development, climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...

, invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....

, and other environmental threats in Westchester County and the Hudson Hills and Highlands region call for more proactive land management practices. These efforts include setting management priorities and deciding on specific responses to environmental challenges. Teatown’s science-based conservation efforts involve staff as well as students, collaborating scientists, partnering organizations, and volunteers.

One current scientific focus of Teatown’s Stewardship Program is to document, assess, and begin formal monitoring of the Reservation’s biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

 and natural resources. The monitoring portion of these studies will be on-going, so that population trends of flora and fauna can be detected over time. For example, the Stewardship Program team will be focusing its long-term monitoring efforts on habitats and organisms shown to be particularly sensitive to environmental change. These include the lakes, vernal pools and fens, lakeside dragonflies and damselflies, forest-interior birds, stream salamanders, turtles, and rare wildflowers.

Data

Basic Data for Teatown Lake Reservation

Date opened: June 20, 1969 (190 acres)

Size Today: 834 acres (338 hectares)

Location: 1600 Spring Valley Road, Ossining, NY 10562 USA

Executive Director: Fred Koontz, Ph.D.

Website: http://teatown.org

GPS coordinates (for Teatown Lake close to the Nature Center Building): N 41.21454 and W -73.83264

Memberships/Partnerships: New York New Jersey Trail Conference
New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
The New York – New Jersey Trail Conference is a federation of approximately 10,000 individual members and about 100 member organizations...

, Land Trust Alliance
Land Trust Alliance
The Land Trust Alliance, originally formed in 1982 as the Land Trust Exchange, is a national conservation organization representing more than 1,700 land trusts across the United States...

, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Association of Nature Center Administrators, and Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities

Distance to Teatown from White Plains, NY
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...

: 16 miles (26 kilometers)

Distance to Teatown from Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...

 in New York City: 37 miles (60 kilometers)

Nearest railroad station: Croton Harmon (Metro North & Amtrak)
Croton-Harmon (Metro-North station)
The Croton–Harmon Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of Croton-on-Hudson, New York via the Hudson Line. It is the main transfer point between the Hudson Line's local and express service, and it is also served by almost all Amtrak trains on the line. Metro-North trains leave for New...

 4.7 miles (7.5 kilometers)

See also

  • Sustainability
    Sustainability
    Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...

  • Biodiversity
    Biodiversity
    Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

  • Ecology
    Ecology
    Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...

  • Earth Science
    Earth science
    Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...

  • Natural environment
    Natural environment
    The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

  • Nature
    Nature
    Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...



Articles that include Teatown:
  • Croton-on-Hudson, New York
    Croton-on-Hudson, New York
    Croton-on-Hudson is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 8,070 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Cortlandt, in New York City's northern suburbs...

  • Hudson Highlands
    Hudson Highlands
    The Hudson Highlands are mountains on both sides of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York, between Newburgh Bay and Haverstraw Bay, which form the northern region of the New York - New Jersey Highlands....

  • New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
    New York - New Jersey Trail Conference
    The New York – New Jersey Trail Conference is a federation of approximately 10,000 individual members and about 100 member organizations...

  • List of nature centers in the United States#New York
  • New Croton Dam
    New Croton Dam
    The New Croton Dam, part of the New York City water supply system, stretches across the Croton River near Croton-on-Hudson, New York, about north of New York City. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1906. Designed by Alphonse Fteley , this masonry dam is broad at its base and high...


Trail links that mention Teatown

Teatown Hill
Teatown Lake Loop
Hiking Meetup
Are we there yet?
Maps at Topozone
Fishing (Please note that fishing at Teatown Lake is prohibited, except for the once annual Fishing Day!).

Sites with images taken at Teatown

Marc Baumser
Lenny56759

Books that mention Teatown Lake Reservation (in chronological order starting with most recent)

Walkable Westchester, Jane and Walt Daniels, 2009, ISBN 978-1-880775057-8, New York New Jersey Trail Conference

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: New York City, 2ed, Christopher and Catherine Brooks, 2008, ISBN 978-0-89732-982-8, Menasha Ridge Press

The Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains: An Explorer’s Guide, Fifth Edition, Joanne Michaels, 2004, ISBN 0-978-0-88150-595-1, The Countryman Press, (pages 381-2, 400)

Teatown Lake Reservation: Images of America, Lincoln Diamant, 2002, ISBN 978-0-7385-1068-8, Arcadia Publishing

50 Hikes in the Lower Hudson Valley, Sheila Greenland and H. Neil Zimmerman, 2002, ISBN 978-0-88150-557-9,County Guides (pages 40–44)

The Best of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains: An Explorer’s Guide, Fifth Edition, Joanne Michaels and Mary-Margaret Barile, 2001, ISBN 978-0-88150-490-4, Countryman Press, (page 269)

New York State Handbook, Second Edition, Christiane Bird, 2000, ISBN 978-1-56691-201-6, Moon Travel Handbooks, (page 328)

External links

Association of Nature Center Administrators

Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities

Federated Conservationists of Westchester County

Land Trust Alliance

New York New Jersey Trail Conference

New York State Parks

Teatown Thoughts (director's blog)

Westchester Land Trust

USGS on Hudson Highlands

NY-NJTC: Teatown Lake Reservation Trail Details and Info
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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