Black Rock Forest Consortium

Conservation: for fiscal year 2023, conservation work targeted the removal of invasive species and restoration plantings. Staff and volunteers removed 6 dump truck loads, or over 11,000 stems of invasive shrubs from the Forest. A severe storm in july 2023 caused damage to roads, trails, and buildings and was declared a federal emergency. Staff worked in the immediate aftermath to repair storm damage, remove debris, and allow access to the Forest. Ongoing storm recovery efforts were coordinated with fema and new york state.

Research: during fiscal year 2023 the research department continued our efforts in Forest monitoring, ecology, and wildlife conservation, including continued work with road ecology and mitigation partners. The department also facilitated field research activities by external collaborators and provided funding to 6 new research projects through the david redden conservation science fund. Eleven peer-reviewed journal articles and two books that utilized Black Rock Forest data, facilities, and/or staff were published.

Education: for fiscal year 2023, Black Rock Forest had 8,768 student-days, including everything from k-12 classes to volunteer boy scouts to undergrad and graduate students. Newburgh enlarged city school district had 91 students registered for the Black Rock stem program during the summer of 2023. We hired a new director of education and hosted our first educator open house in august 2023, where 18 educators from elementary to college institutions shared their experiences and discussed future directions for trips and curriculum goals. The storm on july 9 prevented 179 students from visiting the Forest.