News
The Flora of the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Project Update
by Patricia Butter If you hiked past the mill pond near the Michigan Road parking area this past spring, you may have noticed an abundance of unusual-looking plants. These plants
Curator’s Corner
by Danniela Ciatto Trailside Nature Museum has been very busy this past year! There have been so many exciting things happening, and I’d love to share some highlights with you
Bluebirds
by Hayley Lewis Ward Pound Ridge Reservation’s diverse ecosystems provide ample habitat for a wide variety of avian species, with our meadows in particular being known for our abundance of
Thinking Outside the Box: Turtle Conservation Efforts
by Leah Cass With its habitat mosaic of forests, meadows, wetlands, ponds, and streams, Ward Pound Ridge Reservation provides ideal habitat for many important wildlife species. One such species is
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Launches 100-Mile Hike Challenge
Celebrate Ward Pound Ridge Reservation’s 100-Year Anniversary with a 100-Mile Hike. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation will celebrate its 100th year in 2025 and, to kick things off, is launching a 100-Mile
Until Next Time
by Mindy Quintero Six and a half years sure have flown by! I arrived at Trailside Nature Museum excited and overwhelmed with the idea of managing the oldest and busiest
Notes from the Friends of Trailside President
by Philip Petronis, Board President Dear Friends: This is a time of transition for the Friends of the Trailside Museum. We are transitioning into spring with all the pleasure it
Sweetest Season’s Summary
by Leah Cass As the snow fell and chilly winds blew from January-March, we were warm in the sugar house making winter’s sweetest treat! It was another successful sugaring season
Legends and Lore of the Pink Lady Slipper
by Robyn Graygor Finding a Pink Lady Slipper may spark a yearning for cozier shoes than your rigid hiking boots. It does, after all, resemble a tiny magenta moccasin. The
Animal Profile: Wood Turtle
by Patrick Harmon Spring finally makes its debut with flowers blooming and trees growing their leaves, the landscape transforms into an emerald wonderland as plants come back to life. With
The Next Curator
by Mindy Quintero You may be wondering by now who the next curator of Trailside Nature Museum will be. It is my pleasure to introduce Danniela Ciatto as your next
The American Beech Tree and Beech Leaf Disease
by Felix Gonzalez The American Beech Tree, Fagus grandifolia, is a native deciduous tree found abundantly in New York and the surrounding areas of the Northeastern United States. The native
Weeding Out Invasives One Bite at a Time!
by Robyn Graygor Seasoned foragers from far and wide seek out nature’s treats within the Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, and it’s about time we give back to this oasis of
Welcome!
It is our pleasure to introduce our new naturalist, Leah Cass. Learn a little more about Leah, in her own words: Hello! My name is Leah Cass and the new
Animal Profile: Groundhog
by Leah Cass Groundhog day is rapidly approaching when famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil will issue his prediction on the changing of the seasons. Legend says he will either see his
Notes from the Friends of Trailside President
by Philip Petronis, Board President Our annual meeting was held Saturday, December 11. In attendance, in addition to our Board and our Trailside Museum curator, Mindy Swope Quintero, were Jeff
View from the Porch
by Jeff Main As we enter a new year, we look forward to some of the social restrictions giving way to opportunities for interacting with you, our Reservation visiting community.
Attack of the Lanternflies: Dogs to the Rescue
by Taro letaka For a human, finding a small object in a large area is dependent on luck and good eyesight. But for a dog, a sniff is enough to
Notes from the Friends of the Trailside President
Philip Petronis, Board President Dear Friends and neighbors: On all our behalf, I would like to give A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to the County for keeping open our Ward
Using iNaturalist to Learn About Our Favorite Park: WPRR Biodiversity Club
by Sarah Walkley Trailside Nature Museum staff have been cataloging the biodiversity of Ward Pound Ridge Reservation’s 4,300 acres for decades. More recently, we have begun doing so through an
Animal Profile: Great Blue Heron
by Luca Trotta The Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest species of heron found in North America. It can be identified by its white head and neck, black
Pandemic Reflections
No matter how our world changes, especially as it has during these months of pandemic quarantine, we look for constants, we search for something to give us comfort, and for
New Friends-Supported Research!
by Nick Comparato This summer marked the first season of bat monitoring at parks across Westchester county. Though delayed by the onset of COVID, our monitoring efforts successfully collected data
Confronting 2020 Challenges
by Mindy Quintero With the nature center closed since mid-March, we were challenged with coming up with creative ways to offer safe programming to the public. For over thirty years,
View from the Porch
The Pandemic and the Park, by Jeff Main We got through the worst of it back in April and May, when the Reservation was one of the very few places
