Joe's Hill Road Property Donated To Putnam County Land Trust

Press release from Putnam County Land Trust:

Jan. 13, 2021

Putnam County Land Trust has accepted the donation of 31 acres on Joe’s Hill Road in the Town of Southeast.

The property is 90% woodland and consists of mature maple-beech and oak-hickory trees, many of which are two to three feet in diameter (estimated to be 100 to 150 years old). Plant communities are Red Maple Swamp, Oak-Hickory Forest and Maple-Beech forest. There are also rock outcroppings which make the preserve interesting to walk and explore.

Joe's Hill, 847-foot in elevation, is .5 miles to the south. This property's land slopes westward to the reservoir from a peak elevation of 670 feet near the road along the eastern boundary to a low point of 430 feet at the wetlands and reservoir at the western boundary. This wetland along the western boundary is part of New York State DEC wetland BR-31. A wetland just east of the property feeds a stream that runs across the property's southern section, emptying into the East Branch Reservoir.

These woodlands and wetlands provide high quality breeding, nesting, foraging and stopover habitat for birds, reptiles, amphibians, beneficial insects and a variety of other wildlife. Birds observed on a June 18, 2018 visit include Wood Thrush, Red-Eyed Vireo and Veery, all of which are interior-forest dwelling migratory birds that require large, un-fragmented blocks of woods such as these in which to breed.

Spotted turtle, bobcat and river otter may breed here or use this habitat.

This property helps to protect the quality of the water entering the East Branch Reservoir and provide much needed wildlife habitat. Over the past 50 years, 3 billion birds have disappeared due to loss of habitat and use of pesticides. By conserving this property, PCLT is helping to provide undisturbed habitat for them.

The property requires work to make it accessible for visitors and plans to have it open for walks by early 2022.

This press release was produced by Putnam County Land Trust. The views expressed here are the author's own.