The Pawling Nature Reserve is located in the northern section of the Town of Pawling

Pawling (town), New York

Pawling is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 7,521 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Catherine Pauling, the daughter of Henry Beekman, who held the second largest land patent in the county. A misprint caused the U to change to a W and the name...

, New York, United States. It is a 1060 acres (429 ha) area located along the top of Hammersby Ridge, near Quaker Lake owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....

.

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

Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...

 in New York, such as the Devil's bit

Succisa pratensis

Succisa pratensis Moench, also known as Devil's-bit Scabious, is a flowering plant of the genus Succisa in the family Dipsacaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has 4 lobed flowers, whereas Small Scabious and Field scabious have 5 lobes and hence it has been placed in a separate...

, soapwort gentian

Saponaria

Saponaria, also known as soapworts, is a genus of about 20 species of perennial herbs in the Caryophyllaceae, native to southern Europe and southwest Asia. The most familiar species in Europe is the Common Soapwort , locally simply known as "the Soapwort". They grow to a height of 10-60 cm, with...

, maidenhair spleenwort

Asplenium trichomanes

Asplenium trichomanes is a small fern in the spleenwort genus Asplenium. It is a widespread and common species, occurring almost worldwide in a variety of rocky habitats. It is a variable fern with several subspecies.-Description:It grows in tufts from a short rhizome...

 and some salamander

Salamander

Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...

 communities. It also helps protect the watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 of the Great Swamp

Great Swamp (New York)

The Great Swamp in eastern Putnam and Dutchess counties is one of the largest wetlands in the U.S. State of New York.-Geography and ecology:...

 to the east.

More than ten miles (16 km) of hiking trails

Trail

A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...

 cross the preserve, including a section of the Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

, which provides access for hikers who take the Metro-North

Metro-North Railroad

The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...

 Harlem Line

Harlem Line (Metro-North)

Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County...

 from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and get off at the nearby stop

Appalachian Trail (Metro-North station)

The Appalachian Trail Metro-North Railroad station serves campers and hikers destined for the Appalachian Trail in Dutchess County, New York via the Harlem Line. Trains stop at Appalachian Trail on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays only. It is the only train station along the 2,175 mile length of...

 along NY 22

New York State Route 22

New York State Route 22 is a north–south state highway in eastern New York in the United States. It runs parallel to the state's eastern edge from the outskirts of New York City to a short distance south of the Canadian border. At , it is the state's longest north–south route and...

/55

New York State Route 55

New York State Route 55 is a state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale...

. 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.

External links

• Pawling Nature Reserve page at the Nature Conservancy website
• Map Of the Pawling Nature Reserve Map of the Pawling Nature Reserve on The Oblong Land Conservancy Web site