Designated March 1964 Phone +1 914-234-3455 | Area 3.055 km² | |
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Location Town of Bedford, New York Governing body The Nature Conservancy
Mianus River Gorge Preserve Address 167 Mianus River Rd, Bedford, NY 10506, USA Hours Open today · 8:30AM–5PMMonday8:30AM–5PMTuesday8:30AM–5PMWednesday8:30AM–5PMThursday8:30AM–5PMFriday8:30AM–5PMSaturday8:30AM–5PMSunday8:30AM–5PMSuggest an edit Similar Haverstraw Beach State Park, Sayville National Wildlife R, Clinton House, Bristol Beach State Park, Kate Mullany House Profiles | ||
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. It has grown over the years and is still managed by the Preserve. In March 1964, it was designated a National Natural Landmark for its old growth climax hemlock forest and the gorge of the Mianus River.
Contents
Hiking at mianus river gorge
HistoryEdit
In 1954, Gloria and Anthony Anable reached out for help from The Nature Conservancy which pledged $7,500 to help purchase 60 acres (240,000 m2) of land in the gorge, its first land preservation purchase.
In 1990, 17 acres (69,000 m2) were donated as part of a development deal.
In 2007, The Nature Conservancy purchased eight acres (32,000 m2) of adjacent wetlands to protect the gorge and its watershed.
GeologyEdit
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), 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. The Havenmeyer Falls is also part of the preserve.
Wildlife and vegetationEdit
In 2003, the Preserve began to manage its deer population via limited bow hunting. They did so to 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.
There are numerous species of trees, shrubs, vines, herbs, and ferns within the preserve.
AccessEdit
The preserve is open from April to November, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There are approximately five miles (8 km) of well-marked hiking trails.