The Amazing 94-Year-Old Research Project at Mohonk Preserve

For nature lovers, there are few places as magical as the Hudson Valley. That magic extends to scientists, too.

Each spring, research projects across the area focus on everything from building nests for the world's fastest predator to cataloguing the amazing eels that travel over 1,000 miles to Ulster County every year. There's one project, however, that's been going strong for nearly 100 years.

The Mohonk Preserve in Ulster County, NY

The Mohonk Preserve, which acts both as a nature conservancy as well as a destination for hikers, bikers, and rock climbers, is always working hard to act as a steward for their protected land. That includes a project that began back in 1931.

Mohonk Preserve's 94-Year-Old Research Project

The project centers around the preserve's vernal pools, the ideal location for amphibians like the wood frog to lay their eggs. As they explain below, tracking the frogs' reproduction is an important part of protecting the land. It's also not the only decades-long project.

Mohonk Preserve Continues Legacy Research Projects

While the Mohonk Land Trust was formed in 1963, the Mohonk Preserve has continued research projects that began much earlier, including weather observations beginning in 1896 and biological cycles of the land that started in 1912.

As the preserve shared, monitoring land features like vernal pools is essential in not only tracking the health of local animal populations, but in getting more accurate pictures of how elements such as climate change affect our local species.

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Land on the preserve ranges from forests and marshes to rock scrambles and cliffs. Check out what you can find during a visit to one of the highlights of the Hudson Valley below, and keep scrolling to see the beauty of Mohonk's nearby neighbor, Minnewaska State Park.