This parcel, eventually known as the Spring Farm Trailhead, is home to the Slingerland Pavilion and Lenape Longhouse and is often used for education programs and special events.
Photo: View of the Catskill Mountains from Spring Farm fields by David Ramage
The arrival of the black vulture makes the Preserve its most northerly known location in the United States. Preserve Research Associate Joe Bridges is the first to document the bird’s breeding in 1997, and continues to study how this generally southern resident is able to expand its range, complete its breeding cycle, and feed, forage, and carry out other activities.
Photo: Black vulture with chicks by Bob Elsinger
The Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center houses over a century of unparalleled research, collections, and natural and cultural history data.
Photo: Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center by Justin Key
The Appeals ruling becomes a landmark case in New York conservation and property tax law.
Photo: Mohonk Preserve lands by Dafna Tal
With the recovery of hemlock-northern hardwood forests and a burgeoning Porcupine population, Dan Smiley collaborates with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to reintroduce Fishers to Preserve lands. The first Fisher, a young male weighing 7.7 pounds with card tag number one, is released in the Rhododendron Swamp area.
Photo: Fisher by Clay Spencer
With the extinction of peregrine falcons throughout the Northeast due to the effect of the pesticide DDT on their reproductive systems, efforts are made to reintroduce peregrines using captive-bred chicks from Cornell University.
Photo: Research Associate Dr. Heinz Meng (right) of SUNY New Paltz and a colleague banding a peregrine falcon for release. Photo from the Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center archives.
The Mohonk Trust founders pledge to “reemphasize the humanitarian concern for life and to promote the integration of spiritual values with physical needs and mental activities both in man’s relationship to his physical environment and the interrelationship of humans.”
Photo: The Mohonk Trust Newsletter No. 20, Spring 1974
Duck Pond is a haven for wildlife and a study site for groups and summer camps.
Photo of Duck Pond by Susan Lehrer
The study of water chemistry – in lakes, streams, and springs, as well as rain and snow – establishes the topic of acid rain as a major research interest.
Photo: Trust Founder and Co-Administrator Dan Smiley taking samples at the acid rain collector. Photo from the Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center archives
Thom Scheuer is hired as the first full-time ranger and holds this position until his death in 1999. Previously, the Trust’s work was accomplished by trustees, volunteers, and hourly employees.
Photo: Head Ranger Thom Scheuer from the Mohonk Preserve archives