This regional award spotlights Bonticou Crag as an outstanding hiking destination with stunning views. The Preserve has since won several awards from the publication.
Photo: Hikers on the summit of Bonticou Crag by Michael Neil O’Donnell
Preserve receives a national award from the Coalition for Recreational Trails
This award, one of seven given nationwide, is for the construction and design of the East Trapps Connector Trail.
Photo: Bernard Kirchner (left) and Peter Jansen (right) of Open Space Management, fitting stones together for the construction of the East Trapps Connector Trail. Photo by Ed Reppert.
Preserve Volunteer Roland Ellis is selected for the Volunteer Educator Award by the New York State Outdoor Education Association
Volunteer Educators assist Staff Educators in leading school field study programs outdoors
in the Spring and Fall. Since the Preserve’s beginnings, tens-of-thousands of school children have participated in hands-on, inquiry-based lessons at the ponds, fields, forests, streams, and ridge-tops of the Mohonk Preserve.
Photo: Volunteer Roland Ellis leading an outdoor education program by David Ramage
Director of Research Paul Huth is recognized for his years of service as a Cooperative Weather Observer by the National Weather Service (NOAA)
The Daniel Smiley Research Center provides daily weather data to the National Weather Service, collecting such information as temperature, precipitation, snowfall, snow on the ground, fog, ice pellets, glaze, hail, and damaging winds.
Photo: Director of Research Paul Huth collecting rain samples at the Daniel Smiley Research Center by John Mizel
Director of Education Kathy Ambrosini is selected for the National Biodiversity Education Leadership Institute
Kathy is one of 43 education leaders from around the world selected for this award by the World Wildlife Fund and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Photo: Director of Education Kathy Ambrosini (front row, 6th from left) receiving her award at Disney World. Photo provided by Kathy Ambrosini
Preserve lands sustain significant damage from Hurricane Irene
This storm exacts a heavy toll on the Preserve’s over 7,000 acres. Carriage roads and trails are impacted by flooding, washouts, fallen trees, and debris. Rangers, staff, and volunteers mobilize quickly to support recovery efforts.
Photo: Flooding on Undercliff Carriage Road by John Mizel
Mohonk Preserve purchases Giant’s Ledges
With this purchase, the Preserve expands into the northernmost Shawangunks.
Photo: Giant’s Ledges by Renée Zernitsky
New Cedar Drive Bridge constructed over Mohonk Road
This bridge replaces a crossing that was displaced by road widening over 40 years ago and reconnects the Northern Preserve with the rest of the historic carriage road network, providing safe passage for hikers, runners, bikers, equestrians, cross-country skiers, and local wildlife.
Video of the Cedar Drive Bridge Grand Opening
Cliff rescue training for rangers is initiated
The Preserve recognizes the need for a well-trained cliff rescue team and implements a one-day-a-week training for rangers from April through September annually. The Preserve now has one of the premier vertical rescue teams in the country.
Photo: Rangers conducting a cliff rescue training by Thom Scheuer
The Eli Van Leuven Cabin is restored as an interpretive site
This cabin is one of the few remaining homes of the nearly vanished Trapps Mountain Hamlet, a subsistence hamlet listed on both the New York State and National Register of Historic Places.
Photo: Van Leuven Cabin in the Trapps Mountain Hamlet by Bob Fisher