Teatown Lake Reservation

Teatown Lake Reservation Teatown is an environmental science, research, and education organization and accredited land trust, protecting 1,000 acres in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Our mission is to inspire our community to lifelong environmental stewardship. Teatown is an environmental education organization offering programs to 20,000 adults and children each year. We manage over 15 miles of hiking trails on our 1,000-acre preserve and hold public and education programs for families and schools as well as special events.

06/02/2026

🌳 Week 4 of the Challenge: Plant a Keystone Native Tree or Shrub!

🌿 Slide 1: explains why keystone plants matter.

🛒 Slide 2: Teatown team member Jessie takes you along on a shopping trip at to find a keystone native plant for her yard.

🫐 Keystone native plants do the heavy lifting for local ecosystems. They support hundreds of species of butterflies, moths, bees, birds, and other wildlife that depend on them for survival.

📱 Not sure which keystone species are right for your area? The app can help you find the best options based on your soil type and sun conditions.

🪴 The best part? Even one well-chosen tree or shrub can make a real difference.

🌱 It’s free, and it’s not too late to join the challenge at LessLawnMoreLife.com.

Tell us about your planting experience! Newbies and seasoned green thumbs welcome to share tips & questions in the comments below ⬇️

🥾 Two ways to hit the trails this weekend at !🇪🇸 Saturday, May 30 | 10am–12pm
Teatown ¡en español! (familias con niños ...
05/29/2026

🥾 Two ways to hit the trails this weekend at !

🇪🇸 Saturday, May 30 | 10am–12pm
Teatown ¡en español! (familias con niños de 5+)
Explore the nature of Teatown on a hike guided completely in Spanish. Each outing features a different theme like amphibians & reptiles, insects, tree identification, spring flowers, and more!
Members: $10/family | Non-members: $15/family
Limited to 6 families.

🌲 Sunday, May 31 | 10am–12pm
Three Lakes Hike (Adults)
Lace up your boots for the longest loop in the Teatown trail system! Join Environmental Educator Elissa Schilmeister for a moderate hike along the Three Lakes Loop trail. Don’t forget water, snacks, sun protection, and bug spray.
Members: $5 | Non-members: $10
Limited to 15 participants.

👟 Advanced registration is required, to register visit teatown.org

Exciting news! A few spots are available for Summer Camp and we’d love to welcome more young explorers to the preserve....
05/28/2026

Exciting news! A few spots are available for Summer Camp and we’d love to welcome more young explorers to the preserve.

Availability currently includes:

Half-Day Discoverers (Pre-K–K) — Sessions II & III
Half-Day Trekkers (Grades 1–2) — all sessions
Nature Girls (Grades 3–7) — Session I
Junior Naturalists (Grades 5–7) — Sessions II, III, & IV
Explorers (Grades 8–9) — Sessions II, III & IV
If you’ve been thinking about camp, now’s a great time to secure a spot. Camp groups fill quickly and availability is subject to change.

💻 Sign up at teatown.org

05/23/2026

Hemlock doing his part to help fight invasive plants! That pretty white plant you see EVERYWHERE has a surprising name and a shocking effect…

🧄 What’s in a name?: Meet “Garlic Mustard”

🌱 Toxic relationship: It releases harmful chemicals into the ground, disrupting the soil microbial community that our native plants depend on.

👿 It’s a bully: Aggressively crowding out our native wildflowers that need to be here to feed beloved local wildlife.

🎲 It’s playing the long game: Garlic Mustard is blocking tree seedlings, like oak, at this very moment, from ever getting established.

🚫 Persona non grata: It’s actually a prohibited species in New York State, so if you spot it, pull it up and trash it (not compost!).

🖐️ Weak roots: It’s satisfyingly easy to pull up and clear within a few minutes.

🍃 Meet Helmock: Hemlock is a non-releasable North American porcupine. While porcupines are not native to Westchester, they are native to NY state. Porcupines are stict herbivores depending on native trees and vegetation.

📱 Follow for more tips on easy and impactful ways to support local!

📍1600 Spring Valley Rd, Ossining, NY.

👟 Open to the public dawn - dusk.

05/22/2026

Challenge 3 inspiration for the Less Lawn More Life challenge, hosted by Rebecca McMackin, Ecological Horticulturalist & Garden Designer at , followed by member Austin as he shows you how to prepare your planting spot.

🌱 This week’s challenge: plant some natives. You’ve picked your spot. Now it’s time to get something in the ground.

🌱 Here’s how to make it happen:

Figure out your ecoregion’s plants. There are books, websites, and the free Wildr app to help you find what belongs where you live. Start there.

Find your plants. Local nurseries and online retailers carry natives, but plants can also be free! Ask neighbors, friends, or your local native plant society. Someone nearby probably has more than they need.

Get them in the ground.

Native plants aren’t just pretty; they evolved alongside the birds, bees, and butterflies in your region, and those relationships are breaking down. Every plant you add helps knit that web back together.

It’s free, and it’s not too late to sign up at LessLawnMoreLife.com.

🌺 May 23rd: Pressing Workshop at - full details ⬇️🌺 Join Environmental Art Educator Caroline Erb for a Plant Pressing W...
05/22/2026

🌺 May 23rd: Pressing Workshop at - full details ⬇️

🌺 Join Environmental Art Educator Caroline Erb for a Plant Pressing Workshop this Saturday, May 23 from 10:00am - 11:30am

🌺 Cliffdale Farm

🌺 Open to all ages. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

🌺 We’ll build our own miniature plant presses, enjoy a collecting walk, and press our own flowers and plant material to take home.

🎟️ Members $10 | Non-members $15 (materials included)

🔗 Link in bio to sign up or teatown.org

🍃 Want to enjoy member discounts and exclusive perks? Join today!

What’s the tea at ? Swipe for scenes from recent public events and learn how you can join in on what’s coming up next. ...
05/21/2026

What’s the tea at ? Swipe for scenes from recent public events and learn how you can join in on what’s coming up next. ➡️➡️➡️

🍄 Visitors enjoyed a sold-out Wild Mushroom Walk with Environmental Educator Elissa Schilmeister in collaboration with

🎤 Teatown’s Stewardship and Conservation Manager, Meghan Leverock, traveled to Glens Falls, NY, to participate in the New York Land Conservation Conference. Meghan co-presented with Darcy McDowell of the on native plant propagation for restoration initiatives.

🐦 Raptor Open Gate Day gave visitors a free chance to see our Animal Ambassadors in their temporary homes at Cliffdale Farm. We look forward to the return of the raptors — and Hemlock the porcupine! — to the main campus once construction is complete. Until then, we hope to host more Animal Ambassador events, and you can always meet and learn about wildlife during a Teatown birthday party.

📺 Teatown at ! Director of Education Emily Edmonds-Langham visited the Big Apple to promote upcoming events, provide hands-on encounters with ambassador animals, and recruit volunteers and members at NBC’s staff Earth Day Fair.

🇺🇸 Teatown celebrated America’s 250th birthday with the on the commemoration of the Battle of Pines Bridge, where we shared the Teatown neighborhood’s connection to the American Revolution.

🌱 Senior Science Advisor Dr. Amy Karpati brought NYC to Westchester. Amy teaches in the master’s in Sustainability Management program at , and students from her Reversing the Biodiversity Crisis course and members of the Columbia University Biodiversity Club visited Teatown to learn about on-the-ground conservation, habitat restoration, and biodiversity monitoring.

🦋 Teatown at night! Volunteer Charlie Roberto led visitors through the magic of moths at Cliffdale Farm.

📱 Visit teatown.org for upcoming events and membership details!

05/18/2026

Challenge 2 inspiration for the Less Lawn More Life challenge, hosted by Jess Zander, Garden Coach of , followed by team member Jessie as she picks her spot.

🌱 This week’s challenge: pick your spot. Choose one small patch, just 5 ft x 5 ft, that you’re going to fill with native plants. Don’t worry about what to plant yet — that’s next week.

🌱 Here’s how to pick the right one:

Pick a high-impact location. Choose somewhere you can see from a window or walk by every day. You’re going to want to watch it change.

The best spot is one that’s already asking for it: where your lawn struggles to grow, under a tree where leaf litter is doing half the work, or an existing bed you’re ready to rewild. Balcony? A container works too.

Assess your conditions. Roughly estimate how much sun the spot gets: full sun (6+ hours), partial sun (3–6 hours), or shade (under 3 hours). Notice if it stays wet or dry after rain. This will matter when you choose plants.

Start small. A 5x5 patch is easy to maintain and can still pack a real ecological punch.

It’s free, and it’s not too late to sign up at lesslawnmorelife.com.

Address

1600 Spring Valley Road
Ossining, NY
10562

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19147622912

Website

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