Muttontown Preserve Presents "Special Places" Guided Hike on January 13

The Muttontown Preserve will present a guided hike, “Special Places at Muttontown,” on Sunday, January 13, 2008, from 10 a.m. to noon, announced Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi.

The hike will cover several areas of the preserve, including: the “Succession Field Trail,” onetime farmland that has been reclaimed over the years by woods; the “Tall Conifers,” comprising white pine, spruce and larch planted in 1909; “Hidden Pond,” a kettle pond tucked away in the preserve where participants can engage in bird-watching; and “Glacial Kame,” a type of hilly deposit formed during the ice age. The walk will cover three miles over somewhat rough terrain.

Enrollment for the walk ($3) is limited and pre-registration is required by calling 516-571-8500 weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The walk will begin at the Bill Paterson Nature Center on the preserve. Muttontown Preserve is located on Muttontown Lane, south of 25A, in East Norwich.

Comprising 550 acres of fields, woodlands, ponds and estate grounds, Muttontown is Nassau County’s largest nature preserve and one of the most beautiful settings on Long Island. The preserve includes miles of marked nature trails with local wildflowers, trees, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Muttontown also has several structures, including the renovated Chelsea estate, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As part of its special “Best of L.I.” section, the Long Island Press has named Muttontown Preserve the “Best Nature Walk” on Long Island. The County’s 423-acre Massapequa Preserve on the South Shore was named “Best Nature Preserve.”