Trails of Freedom is proud to bring you this fascinating look at the Mianus River Gorge Preserve in Bedford, New York. Incorporating interviews with Preserve staff and field footage, Trails of Freedom seeks to bring viewers a first-hand look at this unique natural treasure and the tireless research and management that goes into maintaining its ecology.
Nestled in the forests and suburbs of lower New York, The Mianus River Gorge Preserve is only one of many hundreds of nature preserves in the Northeastern United States, but this 750-acre stretch of protected land and water along the Mianus River is particularly unique in many ways.
The Mianus River Gorge Preserve was the first project of The Nature Conservancy, which has since grown to become an influential international leader in the protection of ecologically important natural areas world-wide. The United States Department of the Interior dubbed this stretch of the Mianus a “National Natural History Landmark”, the first superlative of its kind at that time.
But beyond these impressive firsts, the Mianus River Gorge Preserve also operates with a brand of unique “science-based” management that can only be truly appreciated when you learn about it first-hand from today’s MRGP staff like Rod Christie, the Executive Director of the Preserve, and Mark Weckel, the Director of Research and Land Management. In this film, you’ll meet both of these individuals and hear what they have to say about the lands and waters, wildlife, and research at the Preserve, as well as the challenges that they are facing in their efforts to sustain the area’s ecological soundness.
