Save the Date

The Hudson River Environmental Society (HRES) is pleased to announce our spring 2025 field trip of the Normans Kill region near Vorheesville, NY on Saturday, May 17, 2025 (no rain date). The trip is organized by Simon Litten.  There will be stops at the Thacker Park Overlook; the Watervliet Reservoir; the Norman Vale Mansion and the Heldeberg Workshop.

The Nomans Kill tour will start at 9:00 am at the Thacher Park Overlook.  The spectacular view from the site includes most of the Norman Kill watershed. Thacher Park geologist Mike Nardicci will tell us what we are seeing and provide information about the geological history of the place.  From there we drive off the escarpment, through the Village of Altamont, and on to the dam that creates the Watervliet Reservoir on the Normans Kill. The Watervliet Reservoir, while in the Albany County town of Guilderland, is owned by the City of Watervliet. Jim Besha (former consulting engineer for the City of Watervliet) and Stephen Wilson (the former Executive Director of HRES) will tell us about the dam and the reservoir. From there we go to Norman Vale, an historic mansion, for a box lunch on the grounds and a history of the mansion. Matt Rueter, owner of the Norman Val, will tell us about his home and Jeff Perlee (Albany County Legislator) will talk about the native and colonial history of the Normans Kill. Jeff is a descendant of the Norwegian (“Norman”) settler after whom the river is named. The last stop on the tour will be the Heldeberg Workshop. The Heldeberg Workshop, a children’s summer camp, lies below the Overlook. Heldeberg’s Workshop Director, Al Briesch (formerly a NYSDEC Herpetologist) will talk about the flora and fauna of the escarpment. Marshall Lefebvre of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy will talk about his work with the invasive hemlock woody adelgid.

Energetic tour participants can return to Thacher Park for a hike on the Indian Ladder Trail.  The path winds along the side of the escarpment passing under two waterfalls. This one-mile and forty-minute walk packs in a lot of beautiful scenery to experience. Less energetic participants might consider foregoing the hike and enjoying a glass of wine at Jim Besha’s Clover Pond Winery located on the other side of the Watervliet Reservoir.

We will email out more details next month regarding registration for this event. The logistics required for coordinating this tour will limit the number of people who will be able to attend. A box lunch will be included in the cost of the event. Lunch options will be available during registration.