Hemlock trees are the foundation of the Catskill’s ecosystem. The hemlocks are beautiful and strong, providing homes for animals and shade to keep our streams cool enough for trout and other fish native to our area. Without the hemlocks, our region would be an entirely different place.

To better appreciate and protect these trees, Mountainkeeper is joining forces with experts at Cornell to get out into the woods, learn more about the trees and how we can help protect them from succumbing to their biggest threat ever: the hemlock woolly adelgid.

Magic Meadow is on the front line of the fight to protect the hemlocks. In addition to being a beautiful place, the meadow was a silver fly release site this year for Cornell's New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI). The silver fly is one of the hemlock woolly adelgid's natural predators and NYSHI released 120 flies in 12 bags at the site on May 15, 2018. While the bags are gone, NYSHI left fly larvae on the unsampled foliage and hope to return next year for another release, aiming at establishing a local, sustaining population of HWA predators in the area.

This will be an easy walk in the woods, suitable for hikers of all ages. We hope you’ll bring friends and family and join us!