27. Greenport Conservation Area

Distance:	Dayhike
Difficulty :	Easy to moderate for children
Distance :	2.5 miles, loop
Hiking time :	2.5 hours
High point/elevation gain :	50 feet, 50 feet
Hikable :	March-December
Map :	USGS Hudson North

Do you have a kid going through a bug phase? (Every kid does.) If you do, this is definitely the place to come. The beautiful meadows here are full of insects of every sort. So pack the jam jars, the butterfly net, an old white towel or sheet, and a magnifying glass, and bring your budding young entomologist to Greenport Conservation Area for a creepy-crawly expedition combined with a family hike.

From New York City, take the Thruway (I-87) north to Exit 21 in Catskill. Follow the signs for the Rip Van Winkle Bridge and the city of Hudson. On the east side of the bridge, continue approximately 2 miles east on NY-23 to the intersection with NY-9. Follow NY-9 north for 4.5 miles to the town of Greenport (just south of the Hudson city line). After passing the Healy Boulevard intersection, turn left at the next light onto Joslen Boulevard. Bear right on Joslen Boulevard, heading southwest, and follow it for 0.25 mile to gravel Daisy Hill Road. Turn right onto Daisy Hill Road and follow it for 0.3 mile until the road ends in the parking area.

This beautiful area is one of the newest public-access natural sites in the Hudson Valley. The land you're now enjoying was farmed continuously for 300 years, from 1661 to 1991. In 1992 the Columbia Land Conservancy, in partnership with the Open Space Institute, purchased approximately 400 acres of meadow, forest, and wetland to create the Greenport Conservation Area (GCA). In 1999 the area was enlarged through an additional land purchase by the Beaverkill Conservancy, and the GCA now consists of 600 acres.

Three major ecological communities exist on the site: upland meadow, mixed deciduous forest, and freshwater tidal wetland. Railroad tracks block access to the wetlands, but easy trails take you through the meadows and woods and give you excellent views out over the wetlands.

Before you begin your hike on the Blue Trail, pick up a nature trail pamphlet at the information kiosk. It will explain the numbered signposts you'll see on this portion of the trail.

The Blue Trail leads you through the gate by the information kiosk and out into an expansive meadow, where it continues as a broad, mowed path through the vast field of wildflowers and grasses. The meadow habitat is ideal for birds such as bobolinks, killdeer, and meadowlarks. These birds hide their nests on the ground among the thick, grassy vegetation. Mowing too early in the year destroys the nests, so at Greenport the meadows are mowed on a rotational plan in late summer or early fall to give the young birds time to mature. Mowing is necessary to keep the meadows open; otherwise, shrubs and small trees will take over and the fields will eventually become woodlands again. Other birds attracted to the meadows include bluebirds, tree swallows, phoebes, red-winged blackbirds, and a variety of sparrows. In all, more than eighty bird species have been seen at Greenport Conservation Area.

The many wildflowers of the meadow are highly attractive to insects. Plants with composite, flat-topped flowers, such as Queen Anne's lace, joe-pye weed, goldenrod, and milkweed, are particularly attractive to butterflies, which can easily feed on the flower nectar. As you walk along the path in the summer, you'll stir up all kinds of grasshoppers, including plenty of the very common spur-throated grasshopper (look for a large grasshopper with reddish or yellow legs).

To get an idea of just how many different kinds of insects a mature meadow such as this holds, have the kids each grasp an end of a white towel or sheet and walk along the path near the edge, holding the cloth as close to the ground as possible—much like walking with a net through water. Some of the insects that spring up will end up on the cloth, where they can easily be seen. Use a jar or net to capture the bugs that look like they can jump away; the rest can be examined on the cloth. Of course, you will handle the bugs gently and release them as soon as possible. You probably won't catch many butterflies, but they can easily be seen as they rest briefly on the flowers.

Continue following the blue-blazed mowed path west toward a wooded bluff overlooking the Hudson. Short side trails here take you to a rustic gazebo and an overlook bench. If you've brought binoculars, you can also do some birdwatching from the bench—it looks out over the wetland. See if you can spot a Canada goose or a great blue heron.

Return to the mowed path and follow it north between woods and meadows. You'll soon come to a trail intersection marked by a post with a blue trail marker. Turn left (west) here and follow the Blue Trail, winding between the woods and the meadow, to a picnic shelter and the junction of the Blue and Green Trails. The Blue Trail continues straight here for 0.25 mile along the mowed path; instead, bear left on Green Trail for a 0.5-mile loop through lovely woods with excellent river views. In the summer the trail here (and throughout the preserve) may be a bit overgrown with raspberry bushes. As they gleefully gather the berries, the kids will hardly see this as a problem.

The Green Trail leads gently up and down and over a couple of runoff streams (dry in the summer) crossed on stepping stones. Some of the oak and maple trees in this wooded area are very large. The woods here were never cleared for fields, although the farmers did occasionally cut some trees for fuel over the years.

The Green Trail curves right (east) again to meet the mowed path of the Blue Trail. Turn left to continue. Shortly after rejoining the Blue Trail, you'll come to a pair of bridges in the woods. The left bridge leads onto the Red Trail, a hilly, 1-mile loop trail through dense cedar groves. The loop is a little much for short legs, however, so continue over the right-hand bridge to stay on the Blue Trail. The path will again take you along between woods and meadow. As a pair of old silos, a reminder of the farming heritage of this site, come into view, look on your left for a huge old pear tree. It's probably all that's left of a former orchard. The Blue Trail continues on through the meadow for just under 0.5 mile and brings you back to your starting point.

Note: Deer ticks, which carry Lyme disease, are found in the meadows at the GCA. Use insect repellent and check everyone carefully for ticks after your hike, especially if you spent any time bug hunting. And watch out for poison ivy—it's everywhere here.