Wildlife & People in the Hudson River Valley

Part of the Fall Lecture Series 2024: The Natural Science of the OCA Trail

Join us at the Keeper’s House to talk about relationships between wildlife and people in the Hudson River Valley. Our conversation will be led by Scott Craven, an environmental historian. We’ll explore the wildlife of the trail and how animal populations have changed over time. Scott is not a wildlife biologist so you won’t learn about the gestation period of a white tailed deer (he doesn’t know what it is), how to identify “confusing” fall warblers (they’re just LBJs to him) or even tips on catching stripers (he’s an awful fisherman). Instead, Scott will explore how humans have coexisted with animals in the lower Hudson Valley and note some ways in which we have adapted to each other. For example, he will discuss the ancient relative of the modern elephant that was swimming around Haverstraw Bay in 2006 and what species of tusked deer was unsuccessfully reintroduced into the Highlands. We’ll talk about the threat of the white-tailed deer population, how we can live with beavers, why the grey squirrel population should be worried, and why a new canid hybrid has found a home in local woodlands. Don’t miss this special conversation about non-human creatures who share the trail with us.