Public tours of North Woods announced

Skidmore will offer two guided tours of its North Woods on Sunday, June 24, and on Thursday, and July 12, to provide information to the public about this resource. The free tours are open to the public. 

The North Woods stewards, two students who work with the Sustainable Skidmore Office throughout the summer, will lead the June 24 tour. The stewards' responsibilities include trail maintenance and the removal of invasive plant species, as well as educational programs and advocacy about the property. This tour will focus on various aspects of local history, flora, and fauna. The walk will start at 1 p.m. and will meet at the kiosk near the Falstaff's pavilion on the Skidmore campus.

The July 12 tour will focus on the cultural history of the North Woods. The program will begin at 6 p.m. with an information session in Room 282 of Bolton Hall on the Skidmore campus and the walk will start from the Palamountain Hall lobby at 6:30 p.m. Robert Jones, associate professor of economics at Skidmore, will lead the walk, which will follow some of the area's historic carriage trails.

Jones will explain that the current Skidmore campus is located on land that prior to 1960 was known as Woodlawn. Its grounds contained largely forested land with several estate homes, a large lawn, and more than 20 miles of carriage trails dating back more than a century.

Skidmore's North Woods property is home to numerous native species, including migrating songbirds and 33 types of ferns. With southern oak, hickory, and northern hardwoods as well as ponds and marshes, the woods support a biologically diverse animal and plant population that is important to faculty and student research. Much of the area is available for public use.

For further information on the North Woods, contact Riley Neugebauer, sustainability coordinator at Skidmore at 518-580-5865.