Halle Ravine
Preserve Details
Amenities
Wooden and stone benches at scenic vistas, 4 wood bridges crossing brook that wends through preserve, information kiosk at North entrance
Features and size
The 38.2-acre Halle Ravine Preserve is an exceptionally scenic preserve accessible via two looped trails, which offer a nature walk along the banks of a natural gorge cutting through a towering Eastern hemlock forest. Two man-made ponds spill into cascading waterfalls and into the meandering forest stream that runs the length of the preserve, all crossed by four wooden bridges. A fifth bridge bisecting the ponds will be installed Fall 2019. The entrance to the preserve is surrounded by a mixed deciduous forest. Wetlands frame both the North and South ends of the preserve and support a wide variety of moss and ferns. Old stone walls dating from the 17th and 18th centuries run along the west side of the ravine and along the north side of the emergent marsh. An audio tour of the preserve, accessible from your mobile device, starts at the kiosk.
History of the Preserve
The land which is now the Halle Ravine preserve was purchased by Pound Ridge’s premier philanthropist, Hiram Halle, in 1928. In 1968, the Halle family formally created the preserve under the auspices of the Halle Committee and The Nature Conservancy, which donated the preserve to PRLC in 2004. Halle Ravine Preserve celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018.
Flora & Fauna
PRLC maintains the Halle Ravine Preserve as an outdoor museum for enjoyment by the public. Many of its trees are marked with Tree Identification plaques, including: Red maple, Sugar maple, Yellow birch, Black birch, American Hornbeam, Pignut and Shagbark hickory, American beech, White and Green ash, Tulip poplar, American sycamore, Black cherry, White, Red and Black oak, Basswood, Eastern hemlock, American elm, Witch hazel, Ironwood and Common sassafras.
The rich and varied flora of the Halle Ravine Preserve support a level of biodiversity not found in other parts of Westchester County. The Preserve lies within the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor, a series of connected habitats that sustains wildlife in this region. Among the animals seen on the preserve are: bobcat, Four-toed salamander, a variety of toads and frogs, as well as squirrels and White-tailed deer.
As part of a large greenbelt connecting multiple tracts of open space, the Halle Ravine offers migratory bird stopover sites and nesting habitat for seasonal resident species. Bird species observed in the Preserve include: Mallard and Wood duck, Great blue heron and Green heron, Screech owl, Barred owl, Pileated woodpecker, American redstart, Baltimore oriole, Black-and-white warbler, Black-throated blue warbler, Black-throated green warbler, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Brown thrasher, Canada warbler, Eastern bluebird, American goldfinch, Eastern king bird, Eastern wood-pewee, Indigo bunting, and Rose-breasted grosbeak.
Halle Audio Tour
Halle neighbors Bruce Kramer and Ellen Grogan created an audio tour of the preserve, accessible using your mobile device by scanning the QR codes found at 9 stations around the preserve. The tour starts at the kiosk. Instructions on how to scan the QR codes can also be found on the kiosk, details are also there to download a QR reader app. The PRLC wishes to thank Bruce Kramer and Ellen Grogan for the conception and realization of the Halle Ravine Guided Nature Tour. Audio was created and produced by KramerVox.com.