Description
PLEASE NOTE: The Eugene and Agnes Meyer Preserve is open during hunting season to bow hunting only. Written permission is required to hunt on TNC lands. To learn about our hunting program or to obtain permission to hunt, please visit our New York hunting information page.
This diverse preserve combines two distinct parcels containing a variety of geologic forms and an exceptional concentration of vernal pools. In the rugged east parcel, deciduous forest, hemlock stands and mountain laurel thickets crown rocky outcrops, and steep cliffs rim Byram Lake Reservoir. In the western parcel, native grasses and wildflowers blanket several meadows that provide excellent habitat for mammals, birds, and insects. A number of reptile and amphibian species thrive in the streams and red maple swamps throughout both parcels.
This preserve was donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1973 by the Meyer Foundation. The Nature Conservancy acquired 16 additional acres of swamp in 1978.
Meyer Preserve is a favorite venue for field trips among educators and researchers. Local school groups monitor and maintain a number of bluebird boxes in the meadows. Botanical clubs document and monitor occurrences of rare plants, and geology classes often visit the preserve to examine its exceptional display of glacial influence.