Lower Hudson PRISM

Rain or shine it’s still a good time! What an amazing turnout we had at yesterday’s Lower Hudson PRISM Partner Meeting held at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.

The day was brimming with activities including a bioblitz of meadows to determine species diversity found in both burned and unburned (control) portions of meadows from Westchester County Park’s prescribed burn last fall, an eye-opening tick talk from Cornell Integrated Pest Management Program's Joellen Lampman, a field gear show and tell with some incredible demonstrations, and a career panel. Phew!

Thank you so much to Westchester County Parks for hosting, and to all of our partners and field staff who joined us!

The glory of learning and the living world unite at new Lower Hudson PRISM partner Library Field, an “open-air laboratory” in New Castle, New York. Nate Hill, Executive Director of the Metropolitan New York Library Council, recently gave us a tour of this site where we learned about its future filled with author “stump talks,” a nature-inspired library building, and restoration work that prioritizes native species. Redefining what a library can be!

Library Field is excited to begin this project and hopefully be open to the public in the spring of 2027. As a part of the Metropolitan New York Library Council, they are excited to bring nature, librarians, archivists, and cultural workers together. Thank you, Nate, for this unique tour, and we are so excited for the public to see this amazing space!

Learn more about this incredible project at libraryfield.org

Written content by: Caitrina Kiel and Krysti Sabins

Photos by: Krysti Sabins

We're LIVE with the NY-NJ Trail Conference Conservation Dogs team for New York Invasive Species Awareness Week! Watch as Conservation Dog, Lady, hones in on the scent of Scotch broom, an invasive plant species with only a few dozen populations in the Lower Hudson Valley.

These talented pups are helping us locate and remove this species in places like Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks, preventing its spread and protecting our local ecosystems - particularly meadow habitats!

Tune in tomorrow at 1:00 pm for a Facebook LIVE featuring the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference Conservation Dogs! Watch them demonstrate their ability to detect and hone in on the scent of Scotch broom, an invasive plant species these talented pups are helping us locate and remove!

Check out PRISMs across the state throughout the week to see their Facebook Lives, as well!