Burke Estate Wetland's
Museum in the Woods
New signs for the public, thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund
By Erik Ghalib
Embedded Files
Burke Estate Wetland's
The inviting Welcome Sign, which is designed to entice visitors into the area
Digging and filling holes
I began volunteering with the Hillside Woods Restoration Project in middle school, blazing trails and picking up trash with my father and brother. As I entered high school, I realized how important it was to convey restoration project info the the public, and began creating signage denoting trees to be removed, trail detours, and historical information. Often, I put up the signs myself after I finished designing them. But one project, a collection of signs containing historical information about the Burke Estate (the former home of world-renowned actress Billie Burke), I never got the chance to install. A Youth Climate Action Fund microgrant gave me the chance to update my signage and officially establish the “Burke Wetland Museum in the Woods.”
The “Museum in the Woods” consists of three different historical “exhibits”: The Daffodil Field, Duck Pond, and Burkeley Crest. Each “exhibit” has a sign posted at the precise location where something—specifically, a flower-filled meadow, a man-made pond, and the palatial Burke mansion—used to exist. The signs contain detailed information about each site, all sourced directly from the Hastings Historical Society.
In addition, I designed a large sign to be placed at entrances to the area to welcome visitors to the wetland. It is fitted with the logos of the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson and the Hastings Conservation Commission, which are the lead agencies overseeing the restoration work, the Hastings School District as the wetland is on school property, and the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Youth Climate Action Fund. With my YCAF microgrant, I was able to purchase three different versions of entrance sign, one to place at each access point to the wetland.
The main benefit that the “Burke Wetland Museum in the Woods” will provide to Hastings residents will undeniably be educational. Thanks to the new signage, visitors will be able to learn the history of an area about which most are likely to be entirely unfamiliar.
In addition to their educational benefits, the new signs will “elevate” the feel of the wetland area and, hopefully, attract more visitors. The aesthetically appealing entrance signs invite pedestrians in, and the historical information signs convey how interesting and cared-for the area of land is.
Procedure
Back in 2020, I designed the initial versions of the “Museum in the Woods” using information sourced from the Hastings Historical Society by Hastings resident Avery Erwin-McGuire.
After receiving my YCAF grant, I revamped my initial designs, keeping the information the same but creating a more elevated and cohesive aesthetic and a new entrance design. 3. I purchased the physical signs, as well as the posts on which to mount them, from SignExtreme, a sign production business located in Sleepy Hollow.
As the wetland is technically on school property, I contacted school administration to get permission to install the signs.
Then finally, with the help of Don Erwin, who has led the Wetland restoration effort, I installed each “exhibit” sign at the location where its contents used to exist and placed the entrance signs at the locations where the most pedestrians enter the wetland.
Numerical Output Summary
Three 22” wide by 17” tall aluminum historical information signs, marking the locations Duck Pond, Burkeley Crest, and The Daffodil Field
Three 33” wide by 15” tall aluminum entrance signs welcoming visitors to the Burke Wetlands
Four 2’’ square by 7’ tall painted aluminum posts to hold four of the signs ● One increasingly educational, elevated, and aesthetically pleasing wetland area, benefiting hundreds of Hastings residents!
I’d like to express my gratitude for the invaluable help and support of Mayor Armacost, Village Manager Murphy, Burke Estate expert Don Erwin, and Conservation Commission Chair Haven Colgate, as well as Avery Erwin-McGuire, Superintendent of Schools Bill McKersie, District Business Manager Maureen Caraballo, and School Facilities Director Joe Martorana.
Don Erwin marking a post to screw in a sign.
Welcome sign installed at the southern entrance to the wetland area.
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