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Directions: From Route 32 in the Town of New Scotland turn east (left if you are coming from Albany) onto Route 301 (Cedar Grove Road). At about 2.4 miles, turn right onto Route 108 (Copeland Hill Road). At the top of the hill (about 1 mile) turn right onto Appleby Road. Keeping left at the Y proceed about 0.9 miles to the preserve entrance and parking area. (Do not drive further on this road; it is impassible by motor vehicle, but a nice walk.)
Features:
The softwood plantations and mixed hardwood forests, small clearings,
pond, meandering stream, wetland, and seasonal rivulets that flow from
seeps in the hillside into the underlying Onondaga limestone provide an
exciting amount of diversity. (See the Bennett Hill Preserve page
for a description of the geology.) From the bottom of the deepest ravine,
along the terraces and to the summit of the hill, the varied ecosystems
of this hillside are protected for the people of the .
The Preserve
contains remnants of dwellings and it is believed that the land was once
used as sheep pasture. Dr. Holt reforested open areas with 23,000
pine (red, austrian, scotch, white), white spruce, douglas fir and larch
and he managed these plantations for wildlife habitat. To increase
the land's value for wildlife, the Holts built the pond, which is probably
fed fed by a spring. The plantations are reaching maturity and it
has been suggested they be managed to encourage succession to a native
understory and canopy. Another suggestion is to maintain them as
plantations for their historic values as examples of a management strategy
no longer widely practiced. The area around the pond will be kept
cleared to maintain the integrity of the dam and spillway.
Hiking Paths: The parking area and trailhead provide access to hiking paths in the pond area and softwood plantations (820-970' above sea level). here there are isolated apple and pear trees, flowering dogwood, and small areas with pitch pine and scrub oak (reminders of the Albany Pine Bush). Along these trails, the most biological diversity seems to be in the pond area, a common occurrence when land is disturbed. Trails in the mixed hardwood areas lead to several views of the Helderberg Escarpment and surrounding land. Elevation at the highest point on one of the several plateaus is 1072'. Currently, only the trails on the upper part of the mountain are maintained. Trail maps are available at the sign-in box.