The Pawling Nature Reserve is located in the northern section of the
Town of Pawling, New York, United States. It is a area located along the top of Hammersby Ridge, near Quaker Lake owned and managed by
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US.
Founded in 1951, The Natu ...
.
Acquired in 1958 from a local citizens' group, it is preserved to protect several diverse communities, including plant and animal species considered rare or
threatened
Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensat ...
in New York, such as the
devil's bit
The Devil's Bit or Devil's Bit Mountain (, historically anglicized as 'Barnane Ely') is a large hill in County Tipperary, Ireland, which rises to . It lies north-west of the town of Templemore. The mountain is usually climbed through the townla ...
,
soapwort gentian,
maidenhair spleenwort and some
salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All ten ...
communities. It also helps protect the
watershed of the
Great Swamp to the east.
More than of
hiking trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. The ...
cross the preserve, including a section of the
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
, which provides access for hikers who take the
Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, is a suburban commuter rail service run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), a public authority of the U.S. state of New York and under contract with the Connecticut D ...
Harlem Line
The Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York and Harlem Railroad, is an commuter rail line running north from New York City to Wassaic, in eastern Dutchess County. The lower from Grand Central Terminal to Southea ...
from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and get off at the nearby
stop
Stop may refer to:
Places
* Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States
* Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Facilities
* Bus stop
* Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck d ...
along
NY 22/
55. The preserve's main access is a large parking lot on Quaker Lake Road. In addition to the natural environments, the trails also offer scenic views of the Harlem Valley region.
References
External links
Pawling Nature Reserve WebsiteThe Nature Conservancy: Pawling Nature ReserveMap of the Pawling Nature Reserve
{{Protected areas of New York
Nature reserves in New York (state)
Nature Conservancy preserves in New York (state)
Pawling, New York
Protected areas established in 1958
Protected areas of Dutchess County, New York