INTRODUCTION

The Westchester Wilderness Walk covers over 150 acres of rocky woods, hillside streams, lakes and wet­lands in Pound Ridge, NY. It offers 8 miles of walking and cross-country ski trails. The preserve was assembled over more than a decade by the Westchester Land Trust (WLT) under the leadership of WLT board member, Paul J. Zofnass, who conceived the idea, donated the initial properties, encouraged his neighbors to participate, and designed and financed the trail system.

The Westchester Wilderness Walk lies between Upper Shad, South Bedford, Pine Brook and Long Ridge roads. Parking is available at the Upper Shad Road trailhead, a quarter-mile east of Long Ridge Road.

Caution: This is a rugged trail that is steep, rocky and slippery in places. Do not hike in bad weather. Stay on trails. Dogs are permitted on a leash only. No vehicles or bicycles are allowed. Other preserve guidelines, such as prohibitions on hunting, camping and picnicking, are posted at the trailhead.


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LAND USE HISTORY

The history of human land use in this area probably began over 11,000 years ago, with the migration of Paleo-Indians after the last glaciation. These early peoples influenced the vegetation and wildlife through hunting, farming, and forest burning. The first European settlers arrived here in the early 1600s and practiced subsistence farming until the 18th century. As the population grew and roads were built, much of the land suitable for agriculture was cleared. The extensive network of rock walls you see around you suggests historical property boundaries and that some areas were cultivated or used as pasture for livestock. Because even small rocks can interfere with plowing, rock walls adjacent to cultivated fields often contain many small rocks. Rock walls containing larger rocks suggest that the area was not cultivated and was probably used as pasture for livestock.
GEOLOGY


The geological history of this area is very old and complex. Underneath the soil you are walking on is an ancient metamorphic bedrock of gneiss and schist that formed over 1.3 billion years ago. Past mountain building and erosion have sculpted the landscape and resulted in upland and lowland areas in the preserve. The many scattered rocks and boulders adorning the preserve were deposited by huge glaciers, which began to retreat northward from this region around 15,000 years ago.

In the eastern U.S., these rocks were often cleared for agriculture and stacked to form regular networks of stone walls. Glaciers were also responsible for forming the soils of this area, which arose from the deposition of glacial till. Although the soils in the preserve are relatively rich, they are generally unsuitable for cultivation because of the shallow and exposed bedrock and uneven slopes.

FOREST HABITAT


The preserve is a mixed hardwood forest exhibiting both upland and wetland conditions. Over 25 tree species are found in the preserve, including red maple, American beech, red, black and white oak, sweet and yellow birch, ironwood, flowering dogwood, and eastern hemlock. The preserve also hosts a variety of understory shrubs and herbs, including witch hazel, sweet pepper bush, partridgeberry and Indian pipes. An important feature of the preserve is the abundant wetland areas that occur here. Where water accumulates in lowland areas and depressions, wetland plant and animal species occur that are specifically adapted to these wet conditions.
WETLANDS


Wetlands are extremely valuable habitats for wildlife. They serve as breeding grounds for a wide variety of animals. birds, reptiles and amphibians and are important as feeding and resting areas. Wetlands are also valuable to humans because they absorb floodwaters, nurture wildlife, and purify water by acting as natural filters. The freshwater wetlands and temporary ponds along the trail can be recognized by their hydrology and certain plant indicator species, such as sphagnum moss, tussock sedge and skunk cabbage (above). If you happen to be visiting in early spring, you might hear the unmistakable high-pitched call of the spring peeper, a frog that frequents both permanent and temporary ponds in this area. This and other animal species in the preserve depend on these wetland habitats for their survival.
EDGE HABITATS


Edge habitat occurs at the boundary of two different habitats, such as that between a wetland and upland or forest and old-field. These distinct habitats offer species a diverse array of resources and are often good places to look for wildlife. For instance, at an old-field-forest edge, the old-field may offer foraging opportunities to forest dwellers and the forest might offer refuge in theform of cover to old-field species. Similarly the bounddry between a wetland and upland also offers a wider range of resources available to species. Coyote, red fox and wild turkey utilize edge habitat and have been observed in the preserve. If you walk quietly and keep your eyes and ears open. you may even spot one of these elusive species.
WILDLIFE


The preserve offers many opportunities to view a diversity of wildlife,including mammals, birds, rep­tiles and amphibians. As many as 48 species of mammals, 190 species of birds, and 33 species of reptiles and amphibians are known to occur in or migrate through southeastem New York State, many of which might be found here. Some might be common, like the raccoon, and others rare or occur in certain seasons, like warblers.
The diversity of animals found here is due to the variety of suitable habitats present in the preserve, ranging from streamside and wetland habitat to upland hardwood forest communities. The animals of the preserve interact with one another and with the plants and fungi that occur here in complex relationships that help maintain the ecological functioning of the preserve.

As an example, the pileated woodpecker (below left) excavates cavities in trees, either as nest holes or for feeding on grubs in the dead wood. Once the woodpecker is finished with the cavity, it becomes available to other animals that depend on these cavities for shelter and raising young. The cavity is also a route for fungi and other decomposers to enter the dead tree. Eventually the tree falls and its nutrients are recycled back into the soil. So, when you see a hole in a dead tree, look carefully because it may be home to an owl, a raccoon, or a flying squirrel. This is just one of countless complex ecological relationships that exist among life in the preserve.
FUNGI


Fungi are common here and most easily spotted growing out of decaying logs or springing up from the forest floor. They play a key role in recycling plant and animal debris and their nutrients back into the soil. Although we are mostly familiar with the exposed fruiting parts of fungi (namely mushrooms), the main body of a fungus actually lies within the substrate from which it is growing. For example, many fungi form beneficial connections with plant roots belowground, enhancing plant nutrient ptake and, in some cases, even protecting them from pollutants. You may notice various fungi along your walk, from turkeytail fungus (above) that specializes in decomposing plant debris, to the fly agaric, a mushroom that colonizes tree roots and aids in plant nutrient uptake. Fall and spring are great times to look for these fascinating forest occupants.

The Westchester Wilderness Walk Map