You may see a mucky swamp when you look into your backyard, but it could actually be a kettle shrub pool, home to a diverse ecological habitat including rare and endangered species. Ever wonder if you have a Blanding’s turtle on your property? If you live in the northern region of Hyde Park, now’s your chance. A group of volunteers, including professional biologists, are in the midst of conducting a mapping study to identify rare habitats in one of Hyde Park’s more undeveloped areas.
Hyde Park councilman Robert Linville (D-1st Ward) and the Hyde Park Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) hosted a wildlife habitat mapping information session at FDR High School on June 5 to explain how biologists hope to discover rare species in the neighborhood. Michael J. Rubbo, a volunteer member of the CAC and the Daniel Kampel Director of Environmental Stewardship at the Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, spoke at the presentation and explained that Hyde Park has many unique environmental features, including large unfragmented tracts of forests and wetlands, Hudson River shorelines and tributaries, and large clusters of vernal pools. These natural environments are homes for rare species, said Rubbo, including the Blanding’s turtle, swamp cottonwood tree and Indiana bat.
Through a $22,815 grant from the Hudson River Estuary Grant Program, administered by the Department of Environmental Conservation, volunteers and biologists will identify and map areas and species of significance within the town. This project is being coordinated with the CAC, which will share its findings and build on what has already been discovered about areas of ecological importance throughout Hyde Park.
The town will utilize biologists from Hudsonia, Ltd. to identify essential ecosystems and evaluate existing data, including aerial photos and topographic information. Hudsonia’s professionals will also conduct an on-the-ground examination of the terrain and wildlife. According to Rubbo, the area covers 5,000 acres of property north of Fallkill and South Cross roads.
CAC members, including Lou Lelyveld, Rubbo and Amy Heiter, along with members of Hyde Park’s planning board and shade tree commission, will be trained about upland habitats, mating/nesting areas and migratory patterns for various species. Biologists, including Kristen Bell from Hudsonia, have begun fieldwork, involving on-site visits to properties within the 5,000 acres. Bell has contacted 150 property owners who have ecological important land to grant access for the study. “We don’t have to visit every property in the field,” said Bell, who added that the project is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year.
A microcosm of diversity
Bell explained that habitats are described as “the place where an organism or community occurs,” and can be used as a surrogate for species diversity. Bell and the team of biologists want to map all of the significant habitats in the northern Hyde Park area to better identify rare or declining habitats. This information is important, Bell says, in helping to determine land use and set conservation priorities.
Many declining habitats are not fully protected by federal, state, or local statutes, said Bell, and identifying rare habitats will allow town planners to steer future development away from ecologically sensitive areas. Once the fieldwork is complete, biologists and volunteers will create geologic and topographic maps that will identify habitats; the team will also suggest priorities for conservation of rare habitats.
This information, said Bell, will be a tremendous resource for landowners as well as town leaders. “This town still has a real opportunity because the northern end still has undeveloped land,” said Bell.
One such habitat that Bell said she will be looking for is a kettle shrub pool, the core habitat for the Blanding’s turtle. The northern habitat may also be a home for rare plants and other rare species of salamanders, butterflies, mollusks, dragonflies, and everyone’s favorite – the copperhead snake. Hardwood forests, said Bell, may also be found in Ward 1, as well as rare songbird habitats.
Residents were given an opportunity to ask questions about the habitat mapping project. Staatsburg resident Ann Paleveva voiced concern regarding potential development that could impact Hyde Park’s environment. “It always worries me how much growth is projected,” she said. “I understand we need to build, and I understand people need houses, but we need to balance it.”
Linville noted that in conversations with constituents, he hears arguments from both sides of the spectrum. “I speak to both property owners who like to protect species and those who want to develop,” he said. The habitat mapping, says Linville, will be helpful for everyone. “The town is going to change and develop … how do we do that well?” he asked. Bell explained that some landowners could consider conservation easements on their property if rare habitats are identified.
She added that Hyde Park’s Ward 1 mapping is the first assessment of biodiversity done on a town-wide scale. In another phase, 2,500 more acres, from South Cross Road to Mill Road, will be mapped in the future.
“Hyde Park is a very special place,” said Mike Rubbo.
For more information, contact the Hyde Park Conservation Advisory Council at 698-0297.