Clearpool Model Forest - Green Chimneys

It’s a Girl: Farm Welcomes Foal

May 15, 2019

Clearpool Model Forest

Green Chimneys’ Clearpool Campus is an established location for the study of best practices in forest management and water conservation. A partnership with the Watershed Agricultural Council sets aside 264 acres of the privately-owned forestland to support environmental education and forest stewardship within New York State’s Putnam County and the New York City Watershed, the largest surface water supply system in the world.

Welcome to the Clearpool Model Forest

In October 2011, Green Chimneys and the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) announced the designation of the Clearpool Model Forest as the fourth, and second largest, Model Forest established in and around the New York City Watershed region. The foundation of the Model Forest outdoor education experience incorporates water quality, biodiversity, forest ecosystems and human interaction with the natural landscape.

The Clearpool Model Forest Steering Committee is comprised of key Green Chimneys staff and Clearpool, Town of Kent officials, Putnam County Cornell Cooperative Extension, local environmentalists, foresters and educators, Quality Deer Management Association representatives, and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). With WAC as a primary advisor, the Committee develops ongoing forest management plans, educational workshops, and projects to improve and cultivate the forest site for optimal use.

Barred Owl

This barred owl fell from his nest and ended up on the ground in New Paltz, NY where he was rescued and cared for but it was quickly apparent that he was severely disfigured. He had a twisted, crooked beak, his wing feathers weren’t fully developed and one eye was shut while the other did not look as it should. This was not a bird that could be released back into the wild. Green Chimneys wildlife specialists worked with a local veterinary hospital to improve the bird’s health and determined that the owl was totally blind in one eye and 80-90% blind in the other.