Protect Our Woods
A Community Effort to Support Ecosystem Restoration Projects in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
Get Involved
On March 16th 2024, over 100 volunteers helped usher out deer from Hillside Woods' new 30-acre exclosure. The exit was subsequently closed, and the area is now protected from deer browsing. This was a pivotal moment for the Hillside Woods Restoration Project.
Read more about the drive, see pics, and review the Community Zoom slide deck or its recording.
News
Ravensdale Micro Forest
Thanks to funding and inspiration from the HoH Youth Climate Action Fund 2024 (HoH-YCAF), Kai Ghalib, Joe Drake, Greg Weiss and Kareem Ghalib planted 8 red maples and two swamp white oaks adjacent to the source of Boutillier's Brook, which is @Ravensdale Road on the site of the former Ice Pond. Learn more about the project here.
Dear Fencing
The Village deer exclosure in Hillside Woods is complete, and will protect 30 acres of the woods from deer. "S" gates allow people and dogs to walk through at trail intersections. Bartlett Tree Company has been hired to manage the large invasive plant communities. Over the next several years, we will be able to watch ecosystem diversity return to this section of the woods through tree regeneration and replantings. New to the project? Read the founding study here.
Many people expressed concerns that exclosing the deer will impact their properties. The exclosure is actually only 10% of the contiguously forested area - 100 acres of Hillside Woods and Park and 200 acres owned by Children's Village (calculated excluding open areas and buildings).
FENCE MAP
Learn about Hillside Woods and the Restoration Project
Despite its ragged condition, Hillside Woods still supports a variety of native birds, mammals, insects and plants. Learn more about our northeast woodland ecosystem and share what you learn with others. You can add your own observations using iNaturalist and eBird to contribute to our crowd-sourced collective understanding.
Plus! See the nearly 30 adopted Spots around the Village installed by volunteers. These Spots, which are roadsides, parts of parks or medians, all feature native plants and add to the ecosystem health of our Village and region.
The Hastings volunteer Vine Squad removes invasive vines from public trees throughout Hastings, including in Hillside Woods, from November to March. Visit the Hastings Conservation Commission's Vine Squad page for more info and schedule. The Vine Squad supplies equipment and training and can award students community service hours. Questions? Email: vinesquad@hastingsgov.org.
Protects Our Woods supports the Hastings-on-Hudson:
Questions? Email hillsidewoods@hohny.gov or protectourwoods@gmail.com