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 that were available for people to get out of their houses and enjoy the fresh air. We were literally at the end of a bottleneck with people arriving from as far away as Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey, not to mention our neighbors from Connecticut. And while gradually other opportunities arose in the weeks to follow, newcomers had discovered for the first time the amazing destination that the Reservation has been to many of us for years. And rightly so, with its landscape of meadows and forests, viewpoints supreme and a river that runs through it; why wouldn’t’you come back to such a bucolic and pacifying respite?
“Oh….you can camp here?” Another great discovery for new visitors was that we allow camping, albeit limited. An excellent way to extend your time in nature to bond with your family, coupled with the occasional opportunity to engage with Westchester Amateur Astronomers members on a clear night to gaze the heavens. That and a hearty meal cooked over a fire in our newly installed fire rings and you have been transported to a different time and space. It’s a chance to slow down and embrace the planet we live on and keeps us alive.
We hope to capitalize on this opportunity to educate the public in an effort to raise environmental literacy. There are a number of strategies in development. One is the collaborative exhibit, “A River Runs Thru It”, in the WPA Gallery at the park entrance. We have partnered with Trout in the Classroom, and a talented young fish artist from NH, to highlight the Cross River and the fish that depend on it. We will also emphasize how this very watershed contributes to the greater NYC/Westchester drinking water system and the protection offered by the natural ecosystem that surrounds it vs. the impacts from human cultural activity. After all, we do all live in a watershed.
So, though we are more frequented than in past years, the intensity of the spring has relaxed a bit. The Res-ervation is still the place to find that peace and solace or inspire your curiosity as it always has. With that….
See you on the trails!