Continuing a Tradition of Conservation Science
In order to protect and perpetuate life on the Preserve’s lands, we use the latest generation of scientific research techniques, and support our research staff, visiting scientists, and interns who monitor the environmental systems of the Shawangunk Ridge as part of our “living laboratory.”
The Preserve is also extending the rich legacy of the Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center by adding to one of the best long-term phenological records in the country. Combined with more than a century of daily weather data, we provide a tremendous dataset that is shared with scientists and students, and published in scholarly and scientific journals worldwide.
Researchers actively monitor the changing ecology of the Shawangunks and are using this information to sustain a regionally important ecosystem. Ongoing bird and vegetation surveys have documented changing wildlife populations and changes in the habitats on which they depend. Through forest management, staff are working to build integrity and resilience in our habitats against ecological threats.
Over a century of unparalleled research, collections, and natural history are embodied in the Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center. Applying this data to understand our changing world is of utmost importance. Your support today will ensure that this renowned resource will continue to contribute to our knowledge of nature into the next century.
Banner photo by John Mizel