On June 20th, Yonkers Crestwood Public Library and Yonkers Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC) collaborated, offering the wonderful opportunity to take a tour of Lenoir Preserve, a 40-acre nature preserve overlooking the Hudson River, strolling through the woods. Lenoir Curator Julia offered insights into the surrounding environment, including impacts of any invasive species of plants growing by the trails, the butterflies resting on the milkweed, and the Turkey Vultures and Eastern Swallows flying above the meadows.
Originally Lenape land, two mansions made up the estate until the 1970s when one of them, Ardenwold, burned down. The other, Lenoir Manor, was owned by C.C. Dula, president of Liggett & Myers tobacco company. He named it after his hometown of Lenoir (pronounced Lenore), North Carolina. In 1977, the Yonkers Board of Legislators bought it from the Boyce Thompson Institute and made it park land, which protected the land from being developed. The preserve is maintained by Westchester County Department of Parks with assistance from the Hudson River Audubon Society. They provide free public nature-themed hikes, workshops, exhibits, nature-education camps, scout events, and festivals.
We had a great time on our outing and encourage others to visit the preserve, as entry is free to the public. Over the summer, the Nature Center is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and trails are open every day dawn to dusk. Starting July 7th, they also offer summer camps from children grades Pre-K through 9th grade to give kids hands-on experience with the natural world. July is also National Park and Recreation Month, so visiting is a great way to celebrate!
We hope you have as great a time as we did!
Hanora Woodruff is a Part-Time Clerk and patron of Yonkers Crestwood Library since childhood. She recently graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Biology and Creative Writing. Her favorite books at the moment are Alison Bechdel’s series of memoirs (Fun Home, etc).