Clearpool Model Forest - Green Chimneys

Green Chimneys Students Benefit from OT on the Farm

Scavenger Hunt Meets Farm Exploration for Green Chimneys Student

March 30, 2018

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.

Brook Lyn the Sheep

Found abandoned in a box with her brother in Brooklyn, NY, this sheep was rescued as a newborn. After she was stabilized by a wildlife rehabilitator, she was driven up to Green Chimneys Farm where the children hand fed her with bottles of warm milk. The responsibility of becoming a caretaker for a little animal like Brook Lyn gives students a chance to recognize their own ability to make a contribution. Many of the children have been “taken care” of all of their lives by caring parents, concerned teachers and mental health staff, but stepping up and holding a bottle for this little orphan lamb transforms them from service receivers to service providers.