Neversink Preserve

PLEASE NOTE: Neversink Preserve is open during hunting season (Oct 1 - Dec 22). Written permission is required to hunt on Conservancy lands. To learn about our hunting program or to obtain permission to hunt, please visit our New York hunting information page.

Just two hours from New York City, the Neversink River is a pristine ecological jewel — 60 miles of rushing waters brimming with an outstanding array of life. Theodore Gordon, considered the father of modern American fly fishing, perfected his dry-fly techniques here in the 1800s.

Along this spectacular river lies the Neversink River Preserve which includes one of the most outstanding examples of a large intact floodplain forest in New York. Floodplain forests provide important wildlife habitat and allow for species movement which is especially important in the face of climate change. Floodplains can absorb flood waters and reduce the severity of floods, filter water pollution and reduce stormwater runoff. 

Before you visit, download a trail map.

Why We Chose this Site

The Neversink River, one of the most important tributaries to the Upper Delaware River, is home to a variety of migratory fish including American shad and eel and a globally endangered freshwater mussel. Its floodplain forest hosts a number of rare plants and wildlife including bobcat, bald eagles and black bears. The Neversink River is considered to be the birthplace of American dry fly fishing and today its headwaters are the source of some of New York City’s highest quality drinking water.

What We Do Here 

In 2004, The Nature Conservancy took the bold step of removing the Cuddebackville Dam. This dam no longer served a purpose and had blocked migratory fish such as American shad from their spawning grounds for nearly 200 years and hindered the dispersal of an endangered mussel.

Our current conservation priorities include the intriguing American eel and its captivating life history. Having completed a three-year American eel population and distribution study in the Neversink River and other Delaware River tributaries, we are working to improve the management and conservation of this migratory species along the Atlantic Coast. We are also working to restore floodplain forests and reconnect floodplains on Conservancy-owned former agricultural properties along a stretch of the Neversink River.