Mountain Laurel Hike

Sunday, June 9, 2013, 1PM

Mother Nature decorates our woodlands in celebration of summer with the pink and white blossoms of the mountain laurel. This evergreen shrub is common on Kent’s steep slopes, and now is the time to see the forest dotted with confection-like flowers. Join members of the CAC on a walk in Wonder Lake State Park. Learn about the extraordinary pollination mechanism and interesting history of the laurel while exploring this little-known state park — right here in Kent!

Hikers should wear sturdy shoes and bring water for a moderate three-mile, two-hour excursion. Meet at the parking area on Ludingtonville Road. Heavy rain would postpone the hike with an email alert to Kent CAC hikes subscribers and a posting on our home page by noon that day. Call Beth at 228-5635 for more information.

Hike to Hawk Rock and the Mead Farm Ruins

Sunday, May 12, 2013, 11 AM

Join members of the CAC for our annual hike to two of the Town of Kent’s most interesting landmarks. We’ll meet at the DEP parking area at the end of Whangtown Road.

If you haven’t been to Hawk Rock, you’re in for a treat. When the glaciers retreated northward at the end of the last ice age, they were carrying some really big rocks that sometimes ended up in odd positions when the ice melted. One of these so-called “erratics” is Hawk Rock. Local lore has it that long ago the Native Americans named it and used the site as a meeting place. It is certainly a believable story; the setting is beautiful and it’s one impressive rock. You can see a picture of it here.

The Mead Farm, like the rest of this hike, is on land that was originally part of the hunting grounds for the Nochpeem tribe of native Americans, a part of the Wappinger Confederacy. After passing through various people’s hands, sometime in the 1860s Moses F. Mead purchased the eastern part of the farm where the ruins are today. The site includes a number of interesting features, including the foundations of the house, the stone portions of a cow barn and one of the most beautiful corbelled stone chambers anywhere.

This is a moderate hike that takes three hours or so round trip including stops for lunch and to look around the farm site. If weather forces us to cancel or postpone the hike, we’ll let everyone who subscribes to our hikes list know by email and post the news here. For further information contact Dave Ehnebuske, or call him at 878-7592.

Woodcock Walk

Sunday, Apr 14, 2013, 7 PM

Nothing beats the thrill, for a natural history enthusiast, of witnessing the bizarre, intricate, impressive mating flight of the American woodcock. Join naturalists for a gentle walk to the singing grounds of this small game bird.

Come learn about this extraordinary behavior and the woodcock habits and haunts. Spend twilight on a spring evening overlooking Pine Island and the Great Swamp. Meet at the parking area for the Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area in Patterson.

This walk is cosponsored with FrOGS. Heavy rain would postpone the walk with an email alert to Kent CAC hikes subscribers and a posting on our home page by 5 PM that day. Call Beth at 228-5635 for a reservation.

New Year’s Day Hike 2013

Aside

New Year’s Day Hike 2013

It’s becoming a tradition, I think! For some years now, the CAC has held a hike to some interesting location on New Year’s Day. It’s a great way to welcome in the new year and to see what’s going on in the woods during the winter.

This year fifteen people joined the three-mile hike around White Pond. It was cold, but not bone-chilling cold, and, as you can see, snow covered the ground. But it was a good snow for walking on without special equipment — packed down enough that we didn’t break through and not at all slushy. The day was bright with the occasional break-through of sun. A perfect day for a winter hike.

Group picture of hikers in the woods

On the trail we saw numerous signs that many of our wild neighbors are active throughout the winter. We spotted canid and feline tracks, probably coyote (they were too big for a fox and too straight for a dog) and bobcat (pretty big, straight and leading under branches close to the ground without disturbing the snow on them).

For one of the hikers, there was even an opportunity to relax in comfort while waiting for the slowpokes in the rest of the party to catch up.

Boy sitting in chair in front of a TV in the woods

Start the new year with nature and neighbors!

Tuesday, Jan 1, 2013, 1 PM

Please join members of the the Kent Conservation Advisory Committee for their annual hike on New Year’s Day. Meet at 1 PM in the parking area for the White Pond Multiple Use Area. There is ample parking, a big sky view, and a vast water landscape. This moderate three-mile hike will circumnavigate the lake, through hardwood and hemlock forests, atop stone walls, and along the shoreline. It is an extraordinarily beautiful place right here in our home town. Come join this excursion through the winter world and learn some history too – the water from White Pond powered numerous mills just a half mile west of the outflow and supported a now vanished community just a few generations ago.

Wear good hiking shoes for a few rock scrambles, and bring water, too. A light snowfall would provide a canvas for animal tracks, but an icy coating would postpone the hike with an email alert to Kent CAC hikes subscribers and a posting on our home page by 11 AM that day. Call Beth at 228-5635 for further information.

Mount Nimham Fall Foliage Family Hike

Sunday, Oct 14, 2012, 10:30 AM

Finally! Nice weather for a hike. Enjoy a pleasant, moderate family hike through the woods capped by a climb up the restored 90-foot fire tower.

Meet at the Mount Nimham DEC parking lot on Gypsy Trail Rd. We’ll hike about one mile through the Nimham forest to the DEC gate at the end of Mt. Nimham Court and then through the woods another 0.7 miles to the tower. This is a moderate hike, nothing very steep, but it’s more or less all uphill on the way to the tower. The elevation gain is about 500 feet.

It’s hunting season, so wear bright clothing and stay together. Bring lunch and beverage and wear comfortable hiking boots.

If we have to postpone for bad weather I’ll send an email to Kent CAC hikes subscribers and post the news on our home page about an hour before the scheduled start. For further details contact Dave by phone at 878-7592 or by email.

Invasive Plant Walk

Sunday, Aug 19, 2012, 11 AM

Invasive plants can overtake our gardens, encroach on our yards, and diminish biological diversity in our woodlands. Some plants are more aggressive than others, and “new” invasives are coming soon.

The Kent Conservation Advisory Committee is sponsoring an informal walk and talk about these troublesome plants. On the walk you’ll learn to spot them in your own yard and find out the best strategies for control. Be a first responder for the newest arrivals and learn about IPANE‘s regional effort to control them.

This is a gentle one-mile walk in the Nimham Mountain State Forest and the Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park. Meet in the DEC parking area on Nichols Street. Bring water, lunch and sunscreen. Space is limited, so please reserve your spot by calling Beth at 228-5635. If weather forces us to cancel or postpone the hike, we’ll let everyone who subscribes to our hikes list know by email and post the news on our home page.