The Mianus River Gorge
Photos By William Abranowicz
Forever Gorge+ous
About 12,000 years ago, when what is called the Wisconsin Glacier transfigured the face of the earth as it last receded from this area, the Mianus River Gorge was created.
The ever-evolving ancient and native landscape around the B&NC area left in the Wisconsin’s wake was not mechanically and materially altered until the 19th Century …when almost the entire landscape was stripped to make way for the farming that covered the terrain.
…But not in the Gorge! The steep and rocky shape and nature of the Gorge was prohibitive for farmers and farming…and so, while a couple dozen homes were built on the banks of the Mianus River and in the vicinity of the Gorge during the 19th and early 20th Century, the Gorge and its surrounding environment have been almost completely untouched and unchanged by other than natural forces for time immemorial.
Then came Gloria Hollister Anable, one of America’s greatest conservationists - and a local to the New York and Connecticut area - who walked the Mianus River Gorge in 1952, and began to champion its preservation. Anable was a Research Associate at the New York Zoological Society - now the Wildlife Conservation Society - specializing in fish osteology, and she first made headlines for record-setting oceanic dives in her ‘bathysphere’ in the 1930s. In a day when environmental conservation, beyond the establishment of the first National Parks, was nascent, and when women had little to say about just about anything, Gloria was able to call national attention to forever preserving the Gorge as a precious natural resource.
Anable helped form the committee that is today the Board of Directors of the Mianus River Gorge, and in 1953, when a 60-acre parcel in the Gorge came up for sale, Anable led the acquisition of the property by the Mianus River Gorge Conservation Committee. Anable was then instrumental in having the Gorge designated, in 1964, as one of America’s first Natural History Landmarks, by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Today, the Mianus River Gorge Preserve includes over 1,000 contiguous acres, representing the amalgamation of 90+ acquisitions in the 70 years since inception. It is the cornerstone of the Mianus Greenway surrounding the Mianus River - which, unusually, flows in a northerly direction from its origin in Banksville until its northernmost terminus near Bedford Village…and then in a southerly direction through the Gorge and out to the Long Island Sound. The land in the Gorge is maintained exclusively by the Mianus River Gorge, Inc. A robust Board runs this 501(c)(3), directs a full-time staff of five, maintains the Preserve’s offices - and the principal point-of-access to the Gorge - at 167 Mianus River Road, and oversees the preservation of the Gorge.
Rod Christie, Executive Director of the Mianus River Gorge Preserve since 1999, explains, “We have three fundamental goals: Protection, Stewardship, and Research and Education. …Although folks always tell me that that’s really four goals…and that I haven’t even mentioned the enormous benefit of providing a recreational asset for the community. The trails in the Gorge are open from 8:30am. to 5:00 p.m., April 1 to November 30.”
“The Gorge hosts thousands of tree, shrub, and wildflower species, including one of the finest groves of ancient Hemlocks remaining in the Northeast United States, and many other examples of otherwise rare hardwoods. A hard-to-find handbook from the 1970s, called Flora and Fauna of the Mianus Gorge, lists thousands of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, lichens, mosses, liverworts, mushrooms, birds, and mammals. And the Mianus River - a source of drinking water for more than 100,000 people, is home to countless species of fish and invertebrates. Our duty to protect all these precious natural resources is paramount, and I take tremendous satisfaction from knowing that we’re involved in preserving these lands and waters forever, and for generations and generations to come,” Christie proclaims. “And our responsibility to be good stewards goes hand-in-hand with our duty to preserve and protect. We devote critical attention, countless volunteer hours, and substantial financial resources to ongoing stewardship programs, including programs for Deer management and to extirpate invasive species of vegetation. We’re even one-by-one treating the trunks of each of our ancient Hemlocks, at a cost of about $1,500 per tree, and with 3,000+ Hemlocks treated to date, hoping this will keep the Hemlocks alive until we establish other biological wooly adelgid controls.”
“And I’m particularly proud of our educational offerings,” Christie continues. “The Gorge is a tremendous resource for research. We’re recognized as part of the New York State Research In The Classroom. We run a Wildlife Technician program for high schoolers, a College-level Internship Program in Suburban Ecology, and a graduate program to support advanced research in ecology, wildlife biology, and conservation. And the Gorge serves as a lab for a myriad of ongoing studies, including our analysis of forest undergrowth, utilizing almost a hundred acres of Deer-free fenced areas.”
John Needham is an enthusiastic Member of the Board of the Mianus River Gorge Preserve…and a neighbor. “My wife, Leslie, and I moved to Bedford in 1990, attracted by the area’s rural qualities, which we found to be unique for any area within 50 miles of Manhattan. Leslie is a Landscape Designer, and we were both immediately taken by the unspoiled beauty of the Gorge…and charged with the feeling that we needed to do whatever we could to help preserve - and even continue to grow - this spectacular geologic and botanic resource,” Needham explains. “With the advance of man in our times as it is, it actually takes a lot of work to keep a natural resource such as the Gorge the way it is. Preserving the Gorge is a critical part of maintaining the character of the whole Bedford area. And once it’s gone, it’s gone forever!”
“And I don’t want to be a shameless barker, but the Mianus River Gorge is so important that I must say a few things to take care of business,” Needham continues with a friendly smile. “First, please volunteer! Come help us remove invasive species. Or take-up the cause in any way you can help. And although our Board is full with an impressive group of devoted and supportive folks, we try to continually bring in younger Members who have a passion for conservation, and we also seek out specific competencies, such as marketing and environmental law. …And the other thing…please donate! I’m really proud to say that the Gorge is accredited by the Land Trust Alliance, which is the highest national standard for conservation excellence, and that the Mianus River Gorge, Inc. has a platinum four-star rating on Charity Navigator. Preservation like this simply doesn’t come cheap, and while we are extremely fortunate to have the support of loyal donors, we can always use additional monies to help sustain our current operations and to fund the acquisition of key parcels that will complete the profile of the Gorge when they, from time-to-time, become available.”
