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Chestnut Ridge Rd. Bedford Corners, NY. 10549 / 914-666-8448
OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRTS ARE ON SALE NOW. CLICK HERE TO VIEW.
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OUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRTS ARE ON SALE NOW. CLICK HERE TO VIEW.
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Telephone: 914-666-8448 HOURS OF OPERATION: Monday - Friday: 9:00-5:00 Saturday: 9:00-5:00 Sunday: 10:30-5:00 Admission is free. * museum will be closed when staff is in the field. TRAIL RULES: Trails are open 7 days a week-dawn to dusk. We do NOT allow dogs Pick up a trail map at the KIOSK in the parking lot. STAFF: Director: Stephen Ricker Naturalist: Adam Zorn Naturalist: Lisa Ricker
| Westmoreland Sanctuary was established in 1957 as a private not-for-profit corporation. Surrounded by wooded countryside and suburban areas, Westmoreland's unspoiled acres offers a variety of activities to its more than 20,000 annual visitors. SPECIAL E-MAIL NOTICE Please note we have a new e-mail address.
Programs for July 26th and 27th July 26th - 9:00am / Cole Kettle Hike July 27th - 1:00pm / Turtle Monitoring See our calendar pages for further details.
Our FacilityA reconstructed 200 year-old building serves as a museum and nature center. This former Presbyterian Church in Bedford Village was dismantled and rebuilt at the Chestnut Ridge Rd. entrance in 1973. The central room is used as an auditorium for public, school and scout programs and its periphery and second story balcony contains exhibits of flora and fauna of Westchester County. Nearby is an outdoor lecture area, a center for maple sugaring, old cemetery, wildlife garden and composting demonstration area. Located just outside the museum is the entrance to the EASY LOOP TRAIL. This trailhead is the beginning of more than 7 miles of trails. The trails lead visitors past the many rocky cliffs, ponds and streams within the boundaries of Westmoreland. Please visit our KIOSK located in the parking area for your trail map.
Westmoreland Kiosk
What we doOur primary focus is the great variety of programs which are offered each year. Westmoreland has over 30 programs for school and scouts during the week. Click here to check out our School and Scout program page. These programs are mainly hands-on and participatory. Programs include Bluebird house building, bird banding with live native birds, insects, pond study and mammals. We have various programs for the general public on the weekend. Please see our Calendar section for public programs offered seasonally. At various times each year, the staff of Westmoreland conducts a number of ongoing study programs. These studies include: 1. Management of Eastern Bluebird fields and nesting boxes: Over the property, we have over 40 Eastern Bluebird houses which need to be maintained yearly and checked regularly during the breeding season for nesting birds. We also build Bluebird houses each January and February with school and scout groups. 2. Wood Duck house monitoring: Wood duck houses have been erected throughout Westmoreland by various eagle scouts. 3. Turtle Monitoring Program: Slowly growing each year is our turtle monitoring program. Beginning in April and continuing until Late September, various turtle traps are placed in Bechtel Lake. The first is a simple underwater net trap and the second is a basking trap. These traps do not harm the turtle, but allow us to catch them, record various things like weight, length and distinguishing characteristics. We then mark them for future identification and release them at the site of capture. Look to our calendar for dates and times we are holding programs around this ongoing project. Westmoreland also have a number of yearly SPECIAL EVENTS. 1. Sugarfest: This is a combination pancake feast / maple sugaring demonstration designed to bring families in to learn about the art of Maple Sugaring. Held at the height of sugaring season in March, it consists of an all-you-can-eat pancake feast followed by a demonstration on colonial maple sugaring.
2. Amphibian Night Hike: This is an event that is a favorite among families. This night hike is held during the first 2 weeks of April. The highlight is a trip up to a vernal pool in search of salamanders and their eggs. 3. Outdoor Cooking Extravaganza: Held in Late August, participants cook food out on an open fire and learn about safe and fun cooking outdoors. Highlights include snake bread, pineapple upside down cake and the famous egg on a rock. 4. Easter Egg (Candy) Hunt: Held each year the weekend before Easter. Candy galore for ages under 12. This program is co-sponsored by the Bedford Village Chowder and Marching. 5. Fall Festival: This festival offers, food, pony rides, petting zoo, live animals and demonstrations all day. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO CAME TO OUR 24th ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS of Festival 2007 All of these programs can be found in our Calendar. CLICK HERE to jump to our main calendar page. You can also become a member of Westmoreland and receive our seasonal calendar by mail. JOIN OUR YAHOO GROUPS MAILING LIST IF WANT TO RECEIVE UPDATES ON PUBLIC PROGRAMS, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND RECENT SIGHTINGS OF BIRDS, MAMMALS, ETC.
Westmoreland Sanctuary is a non-profit corporation established under the laws of the State of New York. It has an annual operating budget of approximately $120,000 per year, all of which is raised from a broad spectrum of individuals, corporations and foundations. Donations help us maintain and improve the current quality of our programs and are always welcome and tax deductible. Contact InformationTelephone: 914-666-8448 Fax: 914-242-1175 Postal address:
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Making Maple Syrup at Sugarfest 2007