New Year, new discoveries! Every winter we deploy dozens of cameras across the Forest to collect data on the resident wildlife. Our New Year’s resolution? To better understand which species live in our forest and to share more pictures with all of you.

Happy New Year from Black Rock Forest! 🎉 Start 2026 with a First Hike of the Year! We have trail suggestions on our website & our FREE map is on Avenza. ➡️ Hike Info/Map: www.blackrockforest.org/trail-map ➡️ Become a Monthly Donor: www.blackrockforest.org/donate #BlackRockForest #SupportConservation

Wishing all our friends and neighbors a safe and inspiring New Year 2026! 🎉 We are grateful for the individuals whose support helped sustain our mission throughout 2025, making our work possible. See you on the trails in the New Year! 🌲 #HappyNewYear #BlackRockForest #Conservation #BRF2026

Happy Winter Solstice from Black Rock Forest! ❄️ Even during the longest night, our research continues. Help us support these vital programs — make your solstice gift today to power our work into the new year! www.blackrockforest.org/donate #WinterSolstice #BlackRockForest

We hope you enjoy this highlight reel of 2025—from a Prairie Warbler to a black bear to the Ruby-throated Hummingbird. ✨ Help us protect this magic for 2026! If you are able, please consider a year-end gift to support our programs. ➡️ Donate here: www.blackrockforest.org/donate

Please apply and share! #Funding! We're offering $10000 grants to do #research with #conservation application here in the Forest. Send us your proposals: www.blackrockforest.org/david-redden... Deadline: January 30. 2026

The Black Rock Forest is OPEN! 🎉 Welcome back! Renew your 2026 Parking Pass TODAY! Passes expire 12/31/25. Your donation supports vital stewardship: trail maintenance, invasive plant removal, and road care. Become a Friend of the Forest to get FREE parking & free admission to public programs.

Find peace in the winter stillness! 🌲 Join us for a Silent Walk led by @Jackie Skrzynski at Black Rock Forest. Disconnect from the rush and connect with nature at twilight. Date: Fri, Dec 19, 2025 Time: 5:30 PM EST Register on www.blackrockforest.org/events Dress warmly & bring a headlamp! 💡

It's #GivingTuesday! Your gift makes Black Rock Forest's science curriculum more inclusive. Students say: "I really loved BRF so much, I created new bonds, connected with nature, had fun, experienced new things." Support hands-on learning today! www.blackrockforest.org/donate

As the holiday season begins, we send our sincere thanks to our researchers, educators, partners, & supporters. We are grateful for the dedicated community that helps us protect this vital ecosystem. May your Thanksgiving be filled with peace & connection to nature! 🦃 & #OptOutside on Black Friday

Thankful for our community of friends and supporters! Your belief in Black Rock Forest allows us to advance research and protect this vital Hudson Highlands ecosystem. Every donation makes a difference. 💚 You can support Black Rock Forest today at Year’s End: www.blackrockforest.org/donate

📢 Hiring 📢 Join the Black Rock Forest Education team as our Part-Time Outdoor Educator for 2026. Deadline to apply is November 30, 2025. ➡️ Apply now via our website: www.blackrockforest.org/work-with-us-2 or reshare with your network. #OutdoorEducation #Hiring #BlackRockForest #K12Science

Black Rock Forest is closed November 15 through December 7 for the NYS Regular Deer Hunting Season. The Forest will reopen to the public on Monday, December 8th at sunrise. For more information on deer management, visit our website: www.blackrockforest.org/research/con...

We're hiring! 📢 Join the BRF Education team as a Part-Time Outdoor Educator for 2026. Do you love connecting K-12 students with nature through hands-on science? ➡️ Submit via our website! Applications due 11/30. #OutdoorEducation #Hiring #BlackRockForest #K12Science

Acorns are a vital food source for many of our resident wildlife, but production can vary drastically year to year. We've monitored acorn production for decades to better understand, and this year, our oaks produced practically zero acorns 🌰. We'll see what this means for our wildlife this winter!

The Fall Newsletter is OUT! 🍁 Feat: Riverdale students doing salamander research, a recap from @hannahgais.bsky.social , and forest updates. Read it now: www.blackrockforest.org/newsletter #BlackRockForest #FieldResearch #Science #FieldStation

This Halloween, beware the forest's "tree-vampire"—the invasive Spotted Lanternfly 🧛‍♂️. They pierce and drain sap from our trees, leaving sticky honeydew behind. To learn more: www.lhprism.org/spotted-lant... #BlackRockForest #SpottedLanternfly #InvasiveSpecies

It's #BatWeek !🦇 Did you know Black Rock Forest is a crucial haven for these incredible creatures? Surveys suggest BRF is home to EIGHT of the 9 bat species known to reside in New York State! Let's celebrate these vital, insect-eating neighbors. #BlackRockForest #WildlifeConservation

Join "The Shotgun Scientist," Dr. Patterson, here on Saturday, Nov 8th (10:00 AM) for a FREE talk! Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/roots-of-r... #BlackRockForest #TheShotgunScientist

Explore the science behind the scenery! Join our October 25 guided 6+ mile hike to see fall foliage and learn about the forest’s ongoing research and restoration efforts. Space is limited - register today: www.blackrockforest.org/event/peaks-...

Due to Sept. low rainfall (just 1.4" — less than half of normal!), New York is under a temporary burn ban until October 15th. 🔥 Dry conditions & gusty winds mean fires spread quickly. Help us protect the forest by conserving water 💧 & complying with the ban! #BlackRockForest #Conservation #BurnBan

Thanks to everyone who joined our Friends of the Forest Hike last Sat! 💚 We loved connecting & sharing latest science updates. We discussed the spread of beech leaf disease, the science of changing leaf colors, and even got to see (and pet!) local bees. #BlackRockForest #FriendsOfTheForest

It was great to be at #OBFS2025, connecting with colleagues and collaborators from field stations around the world at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. We're proud to represent the education and research work happening at Black Rock Forest! #science #conference #rmbl #fieldstation #obfs

New paper from @hannamakowski.bsky.social ! They studied tiny hairs on the American Bellflower and found that longer hairs promote self-fertilization, while faster hair retraction helps attract #pollinators to ensure outcrossing. bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Our 6th Annual Friends of the Forest Hike on Saturday, September 27th! This exclusive event for FOF to learn about wild bees, tree phenology, and forest restoration from scientists. Space is limited! Register individually: www.blackrockforest.org/events #Research #Conservation #Science

We’re so thrilled to share this beautiful day with 28 educators on our 2025 Educator Open House. We talked updates, heard from veteran teachers on their many stories of the benefits of outdoor learning, and experienced the benefits of nature firsthand on our guided exploration of the Forest.

🍕🔥✨ Wood-fired pizza, a bonfire, and live music… all in the heart of Black Rock Forest. Join us Saturday, Sept 20 for Into the Woods! 🌲🌌 Get your tickets now → app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/...

The native pollinator garden is in full swing! 🌻 We're seeing everything from 🐝 bees to butterflies on our latest blooms, including New England aster and Common boneset. There's still time to catch the Cardinal flower, Great blue lobelia, and more! #BlackRockForest #PollinatorGarden #NativeFlowers

We’re hiring -- please share! Join us this winter as a #wildlife #ecology technician. 6 months at $18/hr with subsidized housing available. Maintain a #cameratrap array, #bobcat and #fisher live trapping transects, and #telemetry. More: blackrockforest.org/work_with_us

✨ An Enchanting Evening in the Forest ✨ Join us for a special dinner under the stars! 🍂 Enjoy wood-fired pizza, a bonfire, live music on Sat, Sept 20. Space is limited -- reserve by Sept 13! www.blackrockforest.org/event/into-t... #BlackRockForest #FallFoliage #HudsonValley

Join archaeologist Dana Linck & BRF historian John Brady on August 22, 9-11:30 AM, for a hands-on archaeology volunteer event! ⛏️ Help us uncover local history by digging & cataloging artifacts. Learn more & register: www.blackrockforest.org/event/archae... #Archaeology #Volunteer

Free Guided Hike for Newburgh residents! 🌳 Explore our Forest with expert staff on Wed, Aug 13. Learn about plants, animals, & more! 🚌 Pick up at Newburgh Armory: 9:00 🚌 Return: 1:30 PM Must register via QR code! Contact Diana Bernal: 845-245-4035 or [email protected]. #Hiking #NewburghNY

We're happy to share a new publication led by Lindsay McCulloch and co-authors (including former BRF staff!) in @funecology.bsky.social on the potential for canopy tree 🌳 mortality to affect soil fungal 🍄 diversity. To learn more, read here: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#Dragonfly mating behaviors & reproductive bio are incredibly complex & borderline weird! @cuny.edu and @amnh.org grad student Kate Montana investigates this with support from our small grants program. Her team in the @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social has documented 25+ spp of dragonflies in our Forest

It was great to hear Dr. LaDeau speak about this project at our Newburgh Teacher Center course on July 1st!

Thunderstorms are a major — and growing — threat to tropical trees, reports a new analysis in Ecology Letters led by Cary’s @evangora.bsky.social. Insights are critical to guiding decisions about forest restoration and conservation www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...

Free for Newburgh residents! 🚌 Guided hike at Black Rock Forest on Wed, July 16. Bus from #Newburgh Armory (9 AM pick-up). Explore plants, animals, water with expert staff! Register via QR code. #NewburghNY #Hiking #BlackRockForest

Fantastic PD with Newburgh teachers at Black Rock Forest (July 1-2)! 🌿 13 teachers learned outdoor best practices, & planned field trips. One teacher raved: "Filled with helpful information... I can't wait to take my class to the forest this year!" #OutdoorEd

Many thanks to all presenters & attendees for battling the heat and making the 14th Hudson Highlands #Research Symposium a success! Topics ranged from soils to #bats, #genes to #populations, and millennia ago to future predictions. See our program report here: www.blackrockforest.org/past-researc...

City of Newburgh Recrecation is heading to the Forest this Sat, June 28! Explore plants, wildlife, & water. 🥾 Email [email protected] for details. Bring water, lunch, sturdy shoes, bug spray, sunscreen. #Newburgh #OutdoorAdventure #summerscience #outdooreducation

Happy Summer Solstice! ☀️ Celebrate the longest day by spotting our breeding birds! @BlackRockForest is now part of the @dec.ny.gov NYS Birding Trail! Look for Indigo Bunting, Yellow Warbler, and more. 🦃 🦉 🦅 For more info, visit: dec.ny.gov/things-to-do... #Birding #SummerSolstice

We're buzzing for #PollinatorWeek! 🐝 PhD student Matthew Donahue @uconn.bsky.social was back in the Forest collecting ground-nesting #bees 🐝 as part of his Redden #Conservation Grant project. He’s studying how #urbanization impacts #bee evolution to help shape future conservation.

🌳 Cornwall 3rd graders helped us plant Tulip, Black Gum, & Sycamore trees! They learned about threats like Beech Leaf Disease. We're planting native trees thanks to Partners for Climate Action #HudsonValley & Lower Hudson PRISM grants! #TreePlanting #Conservation

Great news! Our volunteers finished Swamp Trail with new turnpikes etc! Big thanks to Bob (NYNJ Trail Conference) & Troop 118 Scouts. 🛠️ Join our new Thursday Workdays (3-5 PM) for volunteering! Learn & sign up: www.blackrockforest.org/volunteer-at... #BlackRockForest #TrailWork #Volunteers

Feeling the glow from our May 14 Benefit Luncheon at Tavern on the Green! 🌿 Honored John Brady & heard an amazing keynote from Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno @amnh.org on bats & biodiversity. ✨ www.blackrockforest.org/blog/2025-bl... #BlackRockForest #Nature #Forests #Conservation #SaveTheDate

Welcome to BRF, @janey-lienau.bsky.social ! Janey from @yale.edu is investigating whether soil macrofauna drive the variability of wood decomposition in eastern temperate forests. Thrilled to have you! #ConservationScience #BlackRockForest #ReddenAward #ForestEcology #SoilScience #GraduateResearch

🌳 Forest Update – May 23 🌧️ Spongy moths are back (less intense!), and we've had 7" rain this May! Beech trees are struggling with disease, but a new fenced area near Upper Reservoir is part of a restoration project thanks to Partners for Climate Action. #BlackRockForest #ForestHealth #Conservation

A huge thank you for donating, engaging, and helping us raise over $1000 for Black Rock Forest. #HVGives #GivingDay #SupportLocal #GiveWhereYouLive

Got a few minutes for your lunch break and want to do some good to feel good? Support @blackrockforest.bsky.social on Hudson Valley Gives! Donations matched 10 AM - midnight, extra match 12-1 PM. 🫶 www.hvgives.org/organization... #HVGives #GivingDay #SupportLocal #GiveWhereYouLive

Lunch break tomorrow? Support @blackrockforest.bsky.social on Hudson Valley Gives! Donations matched 10 AM - midnight, extra match 12-1 PM. www.hvgives.org/organization... #HVGives #GivingDay