ABSTRACT
The 309-ha Mianus River Gorge Preserve (MRGP), located in northeastern Westchester County NY, was created in 1953 as the Nature Conservancy's (TNC) first land project. The linear, fragmented preserve lies at a suburban–exurban interface approximately 75 km northeast of New York City and is surrounded by large estates (>1.6 ha) and protected reservoir land (Figure 36.1). The preserve is composed of approximately 200 ha of 70–100 year-old second-growth northern hardwood forest encompassing a 100-ha core of old-growth hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) forest, both of which protect wetlands and tributaries of the Mianus River and provide drinking water for 130,000 residents of New York and Connecticut. Today, the preserve is managed by the Mianus River Gorge Inc., a separate not-for-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, protect, and promote appreciation of the natural heritage of the Mianus River watershed through land acquisition and conservation, scientific research, and public education throughout the region. The MRGP is currently staffed with three full-time biologists and a supporting part-time staff of four year-round employees. A Board of Trustees, composed primarily of stakeholders from the five towns of the Mianus watershed, oversees management of the preserve. I was one of the architects of the deer management plan and oversaw the program from 2004 through 2014.
