- Mianus River Gorge
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Entrance
The Mianus River Gorge is a 755-acre (3.06 km2) nature preserve jointly owned by the Nature Conservancy and the Mianus River Gorge Preserve. It is located in Bedford, New York. The first 60 acres (0.24 km2) were purchased by the Preserve, with help from the Conservancy, their first land preservation deal[1]. It has grown over the years and is still managed by the Preserve. In March 1964, it was designated a National Natural Landmark[2] for its old growth climax hemlock forest and the gorge of the Mianus River.
Contents
History
In 1954, Gloria and Anthony Anable[1] reached out for help from Conservancy which pledged $7500 to help purchase 60 acres (240,000 m2) of land in the gorge, its first land preservation purchase.[3]
In 1990, 17 acres (69,000 m2) were donated as part of a development deal[4]
In 2007, the Conservancy purchased 8 acres (32,000 m2) of adjacent wetlands to protect the gorge and its watershed.[5]
Geology
The gorge is a periglacial formation, carved by streams as the glacier retreated. It contains several types of bedrock including Bedford Augen Gneiss (an igneous intrusion from the Late Devonian period[6]), Hartland Schist, Precambrian and Cambrian gneiss and quartzite. Cameron's Line passes through the preserve.
The old Hobby Hill pegmatite quarry is located in the northern section of the preserve.[7] The Havenmeyer Falls is also part of the preserve.
Wildlife and vegetation
In 2003, the Preserve began to manage its deer population via limited bow hunting. They did so decrease the risk of excessive deer populations causing damage to the vegetation. They believed that very small scale reductions could effectively manage the population without adversely affecting neighboring populations due to the rose petal hypothesis of deer populations.[8]
There are numerous species of trees, shrubs, vine, herbs, and ferns.[9]
Access
It is open from April to November, 8:30am to 5pm. There are approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) of well marked hiking trails.[10]
References
- ^ a b Nature Conservancy success stories
- ^ NPS NNL Summary
- ^ Nature Conservancy and the Mianus River Gorge Preserve
- ^ New York Times, "New Routes to Westchester Preservation", November 4, 1990, Mary Mcaleer Vizard
- ^ Press release of purchase
- ^ USGS Catskill Geology
- ^ GORP.com Hiking description
- ^ Mianus.Org Fall 2007 newsletter
- ^ NYNJCT Botany description of site
- ^ USGS Summary of park
External links
Coordinates: 41°11′09″N 73°37′17″W / 41.185951°N 73.621394°W
Categories:- National Natural Landmarks in New York
- Nature Conservancy preserves
- Protected areas of Westchester County, New York
- Nature reserves in New York
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