The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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A Bucolic Westchester Jewel that’s Fit for a Rockefeller

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Tucked away in Sleepy Hollow, only 30 miles north of New York City, the beloved jewel known as the Rockefeller State Park Preserve is resplendent in the natural beauty for which Westchester is renowned. It is, however, distinguished by a storied history and the meticulous support of the Rockefeller family.

The property, formerly the Pocantico Hills and Rockwood Hall country estates of the John D. Rockefeller family and William Rockefeller, dates back to 1886. In 1983, the Rockefeller Family generously donated over 1425 acres to the State of New York to safeguard these lands for future generations.

Today, the Preserve is home to forests, fields, streams, and wetlands that support a high diversity of native species of resident and migratory birds, mammals, insects, amphibians, reptiles, fish and aquatic species. Managed by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the Preserve is open to the public year-round, sunrise to sunset.

Friends Who Are Family

In 1996, to provide additional support to protect the Preserve, George Gumina, established the Friends of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. Serving as president and founder, Gumina is also a Rockefeller family member as his wife is the granddaughter of Nelson Rockefeller.

PHOTO BY JOE GOLDEN

Preserving the land is personal for him as he explains, “Since Uncle John donated the land to the state, Aunt Peggy acted as a steward of the land. It was her primary residence and she loved the land. When she passed, with the family’s support, I began the ‘Friends’ group in her honor.” The organization actively supports educational programs, major exhibits and maintaining the preserve’s unique system of its lovely carriage roads.

Those funds are instrumental in the upkeep of the extensive network of carriage roads that characterize the park. The well-engineered 16-foot-wide, crushed-stone, network of 65-mile carriage roads were designed by John D. Rockefeller Sr. and his son, John D. Jr., over a 40-plus year period from 1910 into the 1950s. The winding roads overlook stunning vistas and serve as the signature feature of the preserve.

Gumina adds, “The carriage roads are what bring everyone here. From Day One, these roads were built for the public to enjoy–they were never just for the family. They are ideal for runners, pedestrians, horseback and carriage riding. You could walk on wide, manicured roads for miles and bring your dogs without worrying about ticks.” Over 400,000 visitors concur and visit the roads from all around the world each year.

PHOTO BY JESSIKA CREEDON

Noble Endeavors

The Friends group hosts several fundraising events throughout the year, but the Peony Celebration, an annual cocktail event held in May, is one of the largest fundraisers. The peony garden was donated by a town in Shimane Prefecture, Japan following the tragedy of September 11th to express a gesture of healing and solidarity towards the United States. They sent a gift of 500 peonies, considered to be Japan’s “most noble of flowers.”

Planting this garden was a culmination of true partnership. The Friends initiated a major landscaping project around the park’s gateway to provide a worthy site for this generous gift, while gardeners from Japan came to plant the flowers and teach the preserve staff how to care for them. Each year, it serves as the stunning backdrop to raise funds for the Friends’ ongoing initiatives.

Gumina explains the importance of such events saying, “The state has an $8M endowment donated by the family that many parks do not enjoy that supplements budgetary needs, but maintaining the intricate details of this special property is costly. That’s why the family remains present to provide as much support as we can with four family members actively on the board. This year, we hope to raise enough funds to refurbish Brother’s Path, named for Uncle David and Uncle Laurance, which circles Swan Lake.”

PHOTO BY JESSIKA CREEDON

Preserving Beauty for Generations

Rockefeller State Park Preserve recently celebrated a major milestone! The New York State Historic Review Board unanimously designated it as a State National Registry of Historic Places listed in Washington D.C., in recognition of the unique beauty and character of the carriage roads.

According to Gumina, the accolade is well-earned, “I call it the Central Park of Westchester, although I think it’s much nicer than Central Park–I’ve been there. From the carriage roads to Swan Lake to the wonder of its natural setting, it’s just absolutely stunning. It’s a beautiful backdrop for being active as well as those who simply wish to sit and meditate. It’s quite magnificent.”

Nature Uprooted

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By Sarah Ellen Rindsberg

Around 4 a.m. on Monday, October 29, Bill Davies’s phone started ringing. The co-owner of Westchester Tree Life was ready. Thanks to accurate weather forecasts, he had already begun preparations for Hurricane Sandy and had taken precautions during the previous week to insure that his firm was well equipped to provide assistance to as many homeowners as possible. The equipment was in excellent working condition and crews had been working feverishly; steeling up weak trees and pruning.

Increased profits were far from Davies’s mind as he began assigning workers and divvying up tasks. “I hate seeing storms like this,” he noted. “Our business is preservation.” He spoke with reverence about the many trees his firm has planted and maintained for 27 years. To this avid hiker, seeing so many of them destroyed was devastating.

The destruction left in Sandy’s wake, gave Davies pause. As a veteran of his industry, he has definitely noticed a dramatic change in the severity of storms. “The four or five worst storms have occurred in the past two and a half years,” Davies said. The greatest number of sizable trees–in terms of diameter–were lost in this storm than ever before.

In Davies’s eyes, the character of the entire area has been altered by the storm, leaving a leafy suburb in need of reforestation. “It changes the whole suburban woodlot,” Davies began. “If I could suggest one thing to property owners, I’d say start to replace.” He urges everyone to place a high priority on replanting at least one or two trees a year to reconstitute landscapes.

Instead of rushing to replant here and there, Davies prefers a measured approach. As a certified arborist, he counsels people on choosing sturdy, disease resistant replacements and stresses the importance of “diversity.” When blights strike, an entire species can be wiped out. By choosing a variety of trees, the homeowner mitigates the chances of massive loss. An optimal mix also includes trees of different ages. While Davies cited oaks, maples and sycamores as being viable choices, he also stressed that different types will thrive on every site.

Wind Power

The process of deciding whether damaged trees can be saved is a delicate one. In last year’s October storm, heavy snow took a toll on many branches. This kind of destruction meant that many more trees could be saved. In contrast, vast numbers of trees were toppled by gusts of 75 to 80 miles per hour during Hurricane Sandy. “With enough wind, even healthy trees can fail,” Davies observed. Large numbers of white pines and Norway spruce fell due to their shallow roots.

Topography also played a major role during Sandy. Davies explained that many of the old oaks in Chappaqua are located on hillsides. The strength of their root systems is hindered by growing in rocks, thus rendering them too weak to resist gale force winds.

Two weeks after the storm, activity changed to clean-up mode. Due to the extraordinary amount of mulch generated from the fallen trees, it is first hauled away from individual sites and then picked up by a contractor. For those looking ahead to preparing beds in the spring or cushioning playgrounds, mulch may be left on site.

The environmental impact of the storm was monumental. The loss of so many trees means an increase in erosion. This affects not only the individual homeowner but their neighbors as well. “That’s why there’s a tree permit law,” Davies observed. This regulation requires property owners to obtain a permit before removing any trees.

Tree companies were definitely not the only ones working tirelessly in the aftermath of the storm. Workers from utility, cable, phone and heating companies flooded the area. Davies noted that everyone cooperated and helped each other whenever possible. His firm made sure that driveways were clear so that other workers could gain access to damaged properties.

On the subject of prevention, Davies mentioned the importance of having a solid maintenance program in place. One of the techniques his workers used before the storm was cabling. By securing elements of a tree together with cables, the entire structure is fortified. Another tool is the resistograph; a device that checks for decay. When significant weakness is detected, removal is recommended.

As the pace of his work slowed down a wee bit, Davies took a moment to reflect. “Go see the Bedford Oak,” he exhorted. This approximately 500-year-old treasure still reigns at the intersection of Hook Road and Old Bedford Road.

Sarah Ellen Rindsberg knows the importance of preventive maintenance first hand after losing a car to a tree.

Photo by Peter Martin

Nature Uprooted

by

Around 4:00 a.m. on Monday, October 29, Bill Davies’s phone started ringing. The co-owner of Westchester Tree Life was ready.  Thanks to accurate weather forecasts, he had already begun preparations for Hurricane Sandy and had taken precautions during the previous week to insure that his firm was well equipped to provide assistance to as many homeowners as possible.  The equipment was in excellent working condition and crews had been working feverishly; steeling up weak trees and pruning.

Increased profits were far from Davies’s mind as he began assigning workers and divvying up tasks.  “I hate seeing storms like this,” he noted.  “Our business is preservation.”   He spoke with reverence about the many trees his firm has planted and maintained for 27 years.  To this avid hiker, seeing so many of them destroyed was devastating.

The destruction left in Sandy’s wake, gave Davies pause.  As a veteran of his industry, he has definitely noticed a dramatic change in the severity of storms.  “The four or five worst storms have occurred in the past two and a half years,” Davies said.  The greatest number of sizable trees – in terms of diameter, were lost in this storm than ever before.

In Davies’s eyes, the character of the entire area has been altered by the storm, leaving a leafy suburb in need of reforestation.  “It changes the whole suburban woodlot,” Davies began.  “If I could suggest one thing to property owners, I’d say start to replace.”  He urges everyone to place a high priority on replanting at least one or two trees a year to reconstitute landscapes.

Instead of rushing to replant here and there, Davies prefers a measured approach.  As a certified arborist, he counsels people on choosing sturdy, disease resistant replacements and stresses the importance of “diversity.”  When blights strike, an entire species can be wiped out.  By choosing a variety of trees, the homeowner mitigates the chances of massive loss.  An optimal mix also includes trees of different ages.  While Davies cited oaks, maples and sycamores as being viable choices, he also stressed that different types will thrive on every site.

The process of deciding whether damaged trees can be saved is a delicate one.  In last year’s October storm, heavy snow took a toll on many branches.  This kind of destruction meant that many more trees could be saved.  In contrast, vast numbers of trees were toppled by gusts of 75 to 80 miles per hour during Hurricane Sandy.  “With enough wind, even healthy trees can fail,” Davies observed.  Large numbers of white pines and Norway spruce fell due to their shallow roots.

Topography also played a major role during Sandy.  Davies explained that many of the old oaks in Chappaqua are located on hillsides.  The strength of their root systems is hindered by growing in rocks, thus rendering them too weak to resist gale force winds.

Two weeks after the storm, activity changed to clean-up mode.  Due to the extraordinary amount of mulch generated from the fallen trees, it is first hauled away from individual sites and then picked up by a contractor.   For those looking ahead to preparing beds in the spring or cushioning playgrounds, mulch may be left on site.

The environmental impact of the storm was monumental.  The loss of so many trees means an increase in erosion.   This affects not only the individual homeowner but their neighbors as well.  “That’s why there’s a tree permit law,” Davies observed.  This regulation requires property owners to obtain a permit before removing any trees.

Tree companies were definitely not the only ones working tirelessly in the aftermath of the storm.  Workers from utility, cable, phone and heating companies flooded the area.  Davies noted that everyone cooperated and helped each other whenever possible.  His firm made sure that driveways were clear so that other workers could gain access to damaged properties.

On the subject of prevention, Davies mentioned the importance of having a solid maintenance program in place.  One of the techniques his workers used before the storm was cabling.  By securing elements of a tree together with cables, the entire structure is fortified.  Another tool is the resistograph; a device that checks for decay.  When significant weakness is detected, removal is recommended.

As the pace of his work slowed down a wee bit, Davies took a moment to reflect.  “Go see the Bedford Oak,” he exhorted.  This approximately 500 year old treasure still reigns at the intersection of Hook Road and Old Bedford Road.