What’s next for our beech trees? 🌳📉
Join Dr. Andrew Reinmann ( @asrc-gc.bsky.social ) on 4/14 (7 PM) for a virtual talk on the rapid spread of Beech Leaf Disease & its impact on future forests.
💻 Register:
www.blackrockforest.org/event/black-...
#Forestry #Science #Conservation #BlackRockForest
Isabel and Jessica visited Urban Assembly AMS Bronx on Monday! 🏫🌲
We shared forest camera trap footage with students across all grades and brainstormed upcoming field trips with the science team. Can’t wait to see these Bronx students out on the trails! 🦊📸
#BlackRockForest #STEM #OutdoorEducation
Celebrate Earth Day @ Black Rock Forest! 🌳✨
📅 Wed, April 22 | 3-5 PM
Help restore the woods by removing invasive species and planting native trees. All ages and students welcome!
Register: www.blackrockforest.org/event/earth-...
#EarthDay #BlackRockForest #Stewardship #Conservation
Winter is beautiful, but snow makes roads tricky. ❄️ We use sand instead of salt to protect our ecosystem. Rising salt use has spiked environmental salinity ➡️ groundwater, rivers, lakes.
Reminder: Avoid parking in the Public Lot during/after storms so we can plow.
#BlackRockForest #Conservation
📸 Calling all nature photographers! Submit your best high-res photos from Black Rock Forest for our 2027 Calendar Competition. Deadline: October 1st.
Details & link to submit: www.blackrockforest.org/blog/calling...
#NaturePhotography #BlackRockForest #PhotoContest
BRF staff under the new picnic pavilion behind the Science Center
Happy New Year from Black Rock Forest! 🎉
Start 2026 with a First Hike of the Year! We have trail suggestions on our website & our FREE map is on Avenza.
➡️ Hike Info/Map: www.blackrockforest.org/trail-map
➡️ Become a Monthly Donor: www.blackrockforest.org/donate #BlackRockForest #SupportConservation
Scott setting up transects to measure oak acorn productivity
Hanna sharing her research on maples at the Friends of Forest Hike day
Nancy Lowe teaching how to incorporate art & nature into the classroom for teachers
Aaron teaching water ecology during the Educator Open House
Wishing all our friends and neighbors a safe and inspiring New Year 2026! 🎉
We are grateful for the individuals whose support helped sustain our mission throughout 2025, making our work possible.
See you on the trails in the New Year! 🌲
#HappyNewYear #BlackRockForest #Conservation #BRF2026
White-tailed deer from BRF Research cameras
Entrance to Sibyl’s Path
Red-bellied woodpecker observed during Project FeederWatch
Upper Reservoir
Happy Winter Solstice from Black Rock Forest! ❄️ Even during the longest night, our research continues.
Help us support these vital programs — make your solstice gift today to power our work into the new year! www.blackrockforest.org/donate #WinterSolstice #BlackRockForest
Students nature journaling on a hike around Upper Reservoir
Practicing watercolors en plein air
Leaf prints art
Teaching students different nature art techniques
📢 Hiring 📢 Join the Black Rock Forest Education team as our Part-Time Outdoor Educator for 2026. Deadline to apply is November 30, 2025.
➡️ Apply now via our website: www.blackrockforest.org/work-with-us-2 or reshare with your network.
#OutdoorEducation #Hiring #BlackRockForest #K12Science
Thank you to Black Rock Forest and Dr. Angelica Patterson for partnering with Hudson Highlands Land Trust on this inspiring event. 🌲 #lovethehighlands #conservation #hhltny #ClimateResilience #blackrockforest
Lead bird-watching tours with students!
Create community and leadership opportunities for students!
Develop students’ skills in observation and nature journaling!
Teach how to encounter wildlife on our hikes!
We're hiring! 📢 Join the BRF Education team as a Part-Time Outdoor Educator for 2026.
Do you love connecting K-12 students with nature through hands-on science?
➡️ Submit via our website! Applications due 11/30. #OutdoorEducation #Hiring #BlackRockForest #K12Science
Oak trees with leaves in various shades of orange are reflected on the surface of a calm pond in early November. The sky is blue with a few white wispy clouds.
November vibes…🍁
#scape #ForestFriday #November #HudsonValley #BlackRockForest #hiking
Dr. Hanna Makowski using a LI-COR photosynthesis instrument
Dr. Rachel Cox supervises a METER Weather Station installation by Riverdale students at a BRF field site.
A clutch of juvenile timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)
Reconstruction of the old pump house by Pecks Road
The Fall Newsletter is OUT! 🍁 Feat: Riverdale students doing salamander research, a recap from @hannahgais.bsky.social , and forest updates. Read it now: www.blackrockforest.org/newsletter #BlackRockForest #FieldResearch #Science #FieldStation
Close-up of a Spotted Lanternfly adult
Adult stage of Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)
3rd instar (early stage nymph) in July
This Halloween, beware the forest's "tree-vampire"—the invasive Spotted Lanternfly 🧛♂️. They pierce and drain sap from our trees, leaving sticky honeydew behind.
To learn more: www.lhprism.org/spotted-lant... #BlackRockForest #SpottedLanternfly #InvasiveSpecies
Little brown bat. Photo by Kevin Dumont
Bat boxes donated by the The Dalton School Wildlife Club
Photo of bat exhibit at American Museum of Natural History
Dalton School bat box set up at BRF Old Headquarters!
It's #BatWeek !🦇 Did you know Black Rock Forest is a crucial haven for these incredible creatures? Surveys suggest BRF is home to EIGHT of the 9 bat species known to reside in New York State! Let's celebrate these vital, insect-eating neighbors. #BlackRockForest #WildlifeConservation
Join "The Shotgun Scientist," Dr. Patterson, here on Saturday, Nov 8th (10:00 AM) for a FREE talk! Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/roots-of-r... #BlackRockForest #TheShotgunScientist
Due to Sept. low rainfall (just 1.4" — less than half of normal!), New York is under a temporary burn ban until October 15th. 🔥 Dry conditions & gusty winds mean fires spread quickly. Help us protect the forest by conserving water 💧 & complying with the ban! #BlackRockForest #Conservation #BurnBan
Matthew Donahue, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. Student at the University of Connecticut
Hanna Makowski, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Black Rock Forest
Isabel Ashton, Executive Director, Black Rock Forest
Thanks to everyone who joined our Friends of the Forest Hike last Sat! 💚 We loved connecting & sharing latest science updates. We discussed the spread of beech leaf disease, the science of changing leaf colors, and even got to see (and pet!) local bees. #BlackRockForest #FriendsOfTheForest
White cabbage moth (Pieris rapae) on the thin-leaf sunflower (Helianthus decapetalus)
Great spangled fritillary (Argynnis cybele) on Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
A sweat bee on New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Full garden colors! (Front to back: cardinal flower, great blue lobelia, New England aster, thinleaf sunflower, hoary mountainmint, common boneset, wild bergamot)
The native pollinator garden is in full swing! 🌻 We're seeing everything from 🐝 bees to butterflies on our latest blooms, including New England aster and Common boneset. There's still time to catch the Cardinal flower, Great blue lobelia, and more! #BlackRockForest #PollinatorGarden #NativeFlowers
✨ An Enchanting Evening in the Forest ✨ Join us for a special dinner under the stars! 🍂 Enjoy wood-fired pizza, a bonfire, live music on Sat, Sept 20. Space is limited -- reserve by Sept 13! www.blackrockforest.org/event/into-t... #BlackRockForest #FallFoliage #HudsonValley
Contact Diana Bernal at 845-245-4035 or dbernal@newburgharmory.org for questions
Free for Newburgh residents! 🚌 Guided hike at Black Rock Forest on Wed, July 16. Bus from #Newburgh Armory (9 AM pick-up). Explore plants, animals, water with expert staff! Register via QR code. #NewburghNY #Hiking #BlackRockForest
Scouts Troop 118
Swamp Trail turnpike completed by Bob the builder
Thursday workday volunteers in action on Sibyl’s Path
Great news! Our volunteers finished Swamp Trail with new turnpikes etc! Big thanks to Bob (NYNJ Trail Conference) & Troop 118 Scouts. 🛠️ Join our new Thursday Workdays (3-5 PM) for volunteering! Learn & sign up: www.blackrockforest.org/volunteer-at... #BlackRockForest #TrailWork #Volunteers
Feeling the glow from our May 14 Benefit Luncheon at Tavern on the Green! 🌿 Honored John Brady & heard an amazing keynote from Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno @amnh.org on bats & biodiversity. ✨ www.blackrockforest.org/blog/2025-bl... #BlackRockForest #Nature #Forests #Conservation #SaveTheDate
Janey
Janey studying soil
Janey with an assistant digging at a study site
Welcome to BRF, @janey-lienau.bsky.social ! Janey from @yale.edu is investigating whether soil macrofauna drive the variability of wood decomposition in eastern temperate forests. Thrilled to have you!
#ConservationScience #BlackRockForest #ReddenAward #ForestEcology #SoilScience #GraduateResearch
🌳 Forest Update – May 23 🌧️ Spongy moths are back (less intense!), and we've had 7" rain this May! Beech trees are struggling with disease, but a new fenced area near Upper Reservoir is part of a restoration project thanks to Partners for Climate Action. #BlackRockForest #ForestHealth #Conservation
Newburgh high school students participate in digging for artifacts
Equipment for archaeology
Saturday volunteers from the public helped and learned archaeology.
Archaeology fun in the Forest with Dana Linck & Newburgh Free Academy-Main! Forest historian John Brady joined in. Big thanks to our awesome volunteers! ⛏️🌳 #BlackRockForest #Archaeology
We’re thrilled to announce our 2025 Redden Small Grant awardees!🧑🔬 Our 2025 Redden Conservation Small Grants support grad students from @cuny.edu NY (#trees), @uconn.bsky.social (#bees), Yale University (#soil), & @natural-history.bsky.social (#dragonflies). #BlackRockForest #Research #Conservation
Spring bloom at @BlackRockForest! 🌸 Our new newsletter has forest research, education updates, & events (turtle tracking, citizen science, trails!). Read it here: www.blackrockforest.org/blog/spring-... #BlackRockForest #Spring2025
