Swift Wetland and Van Dyke Preserve

Recreation and Education Close to Home

By Tom O’Grady

We’ve completed nearly two months of quarantine in order to combat the effects of Covid-19. There have been many adjustments that families have had to make in these two months in order to earn a living, educate their children and stay active. With school closings and teachers adjusting to online learning there are likely to be hiccups along the way. With quarantine guidelines tightening to flatten the curve, families that may have wanted to hike in farther away destinations are faced with limited options. One option in these times is to multitask and get out to one of the many preserves available in the Capital Region.

The Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy was founded in 1992 and offers 18 preserves with recreational, educational, and fitness opportunities in four local counties: Albany, Schenectady, Montgomery and Schoharie. Swift Wetland and Van Dyke Preserve are two MHLC parcels in the Town of Bethlehem that are ideally near the Bethlehem High School, and offer great opportunities for families with young children to get out for a short hike, and supplement the online learning that their children are completing.

Swift Wetland – This wetland is located within walking distance of the high school off of Delaware Avenue. If you are driving there you can park at the high school or in the lot off of Evelyn Drive. Regardless of age, the preserve is perfect for supplementing science lessons your children may have, particularly those that involve earth science and biology. The wetland area was made available through a grant in conjunction with Bethlehem Central High School science department with the idea of creating an outdoor classroom area. Much of the facility was made possible through volunteer work. The trails were built as part of an Eagle Scout project by a local Boy Scout and the main kiosk at the entrance was donated by The Friendship Singers and built with the help of local volunteers. 

The wetland itself covers about 22 acres of land and has a little over one-mile of trails for walking. The main trail is marked in blue with two loops added on marked in yellow and red. The trails themselves are very flat and cover easy terrain allowing the whole family, regardless of age, to slowly make their way along. Although this was not our first time here, there were several immediately noticeable things to point out during our visit in April. As the name would suggest the wetland was fairly wet and muddy. Wetlands get their names because the ground water, or water table, is very close to the surface of the soil – particularly during growing season. The Swift Wetland habitat is considered a forested swamp because it is dominated by trees and shrubs. This differs from marsh wetlands that are dominated by herbaceous vegetation or wetland meadows which are dominated by tall grass and wild flowers. 

Wetlands are important for providing natural water filters that help to remove sediment and other precipitates. Swift is at the headwaters of a small stream called the Vloman Kill that eventually enters the Hudson River. Despite the water and mud, you could navigate through most of the trails without getting too dirty. As we made our way, the other noticeable feature was the re-emergence of birds in the area. We particularly noticed a lot of downy woodpecker activity. We spotted two different woodpeckers at different areas of the preserve pecking on the trees during our visit. Many trees also had markings of past and present woodpecker activity. Some other birds you are likely to spot there during the spring are robins, orioles, blue jays, goldfinches and grosbeak. 

Some other nice things we spotted included freshly cracked acorns from squirrel or chipmunk activity. We also spotted what a large patch of white paper birch bark. But there was no birch tree to match the bark in close proximity so this likely represented the last remains of rotted and decaying tree. Students of the high school have painted rocks and left messages to visitors. We spotted several of these including a few that were painted brown and orange for school spirit. Despite the short distance we spent approximately 45 minutes exploring the area and talking about the different features of the wetland we saw. 

Van Dyke Preserve – This preserve is approximately one-mile east of the high school on Van Dyke Road. The entrance to the preserve can take you by surprise if you aren’t paying attention. From the high school, if you pass Meads Lane you’ve gone too far. Van Dyke covers a little over a mile of trails and approximately 33 acres of land. The preserve is a newer addition, added in 2012, as a partnership between the Town of Bethlehem and the Van Dyke Spinney housing complex association. Prior to being a nature preserve, the land was agricultural and a mix of abandoned forests and floodplains for the Phillipin Kill, and watershed of the Vloman Kill. Both streams are very noticeable as they make their way around and through the preserve. The water eventually makes its way to the Hudson River, and the creation of the preserve has reduced flooding and erosion, and has also improved water quality for fish and wildlife habitat. 

If you’re lucky, you may spot one of the various amphibians that call the preserve home. We were not lucky on our trip but spotting one would make for a good lesson on animal lifecycles and transformation of young into adults. The vernal pool pockets make particularly good breeding grounds for the amphibians and its likely tadpoles will be visible in the coming month or two. We were also a bit early for flowers and missed the native cutleaf toothworts and non-native rose, bittersweet and phragmites that will be blooming soon. 

While we missed the amphibians and wild flowers we spotted the large beech, oak, hickory, and hemlock trees that were visible throughout the woods. There were a few patches that appeared to have been cleared by volunteers. The Phillipin and Vloman kills are a constant presence and you walk by and around them. The two streams snake in and around the preserve and there are several areas where very large trees and branches have fallen to make a natural bridge or walkway. We did not cross any of these but it caught our children’s attention and they wanted to try their luck balancing on the fallen trees. There are several newly constructed bridges to cross as well as a bench to sit and quietly enjoy the surroundings. We likely spent another 30 to 40 minutes at the Van Dyke Preserve.

Within nearby driving distance, these two nature preserves make for a little over two miles of walking trails. While there you can take your time to learn some new facts and teach your children some interesting things about earth science and biology. The whole trip will likely take two hours and you’ll get some much-needed sun and exercise. We went mid-morning and were the only ones on the trails during our visit. It was a nice respite for everyone in the family. 

Tom O’Grady, PhD, MPH (thomas.james.ogrady@gmail.com) of Slingerlands is an avid runner, hiker and lover of the outdoors. Learn more at ogradystrategies.com.