Cranberry Lake Preserve is a 190-acre nature preserve operated by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation.
Since 1967, the park has been a safe haven for animals and plants, including migratory birds, turtles, and dragonflies. Within the preserve are a variety of habitats including a four-acre lake, cliffs and scrubland, mixed hardwood forest, vernal pools, and a swamp.
Visitors can learn about the area's human history by following the History Trail to the remains of a 19th-century farmhouse and early 20th-century stone-mining operation.
The Nature Center offers family-oriented nature programs most weekends and houses a variety of interactive, educational displays. In July and August, the park hosts a children’s ecology camp for children in grades 1-9.
Educational Programs
Interpretive programs are available year-round to school, scout, and community groups. Programs are approximately 90 minutes long and content can be tailored to all grade and interest levels from pre-school to adult. We also offer a variety of naturalist-led birthday party programs with optional campfire and s’mores roasting. The fee varies based upon the program and number of attendees, but is always affordable.
For more information or to schedule a program, call the Cranberry Lake nature center at (914) 428-1005. Also inquire about assistance for school bus fees available from the Friends of Parks.
Programs include:
| Grades 3-9 | Wilderness Skills | Fire-making, shelter building, edible and medicinal plants, map reading, and compass skills are all important skills and we can make learning them fun. |
| Grades K-9 | Intro to Geology | 235 million years of geological history compressed into 90 minutes. Learn about tectonics, glacial action, and the most common minerals in our area. Includes a visit to the Quarry where stone for the Kensico Dam was mined. |
| Grades K-Adult | Forest Exploration | Learn to recognize common trees, find out what animals live in the woods, and how forests have helped people throughout history. |
| Grades 1-Adult | Pond Exploration | Learn about adaptations for life in the water and then go to the pond to catch pond creatures and see how they’ve evolved. |
| K-9 | Basic Botany | There’s so much to cover, from algae to trees, so we’ll cater the program to your interest: medicinal plants, wildflowers, mosses, tree ID and more. |