Ranger Rachel Joins Huyck Preserve

RENNSELAERVILLE - Please join the Huyck Preserve in welcoming Rachel Colchete as the Huyck Preserve's 2025 Seasonal Ranger. Ranger Rachel will spend the next six months at the Preserve, acting as an important resource for visitors on our trails and in their Visitors' Center, while ensuring protection of the Huyck Preserve’s natural and cultural resources.

Rachel is excited to serve as the Preserve's second Seasonal Ranger, after recently completing a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). While she is new to the Huyck Preserve, Rachel brings a wealth of knowledge to the job. She has camped, backpacked, and led trail crews working across Vermont, Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Oregon. Her experiences helped her foster a sense of gratitude and respect for the natural world, and she looks forward to helping protect and connect others to the natural wonders of the Preserve.

The Seasonal Ranger position is supported in part by a Professional Development Grant from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) and New York's Environmental Protection Fund. The NYSCPP is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Come meet Ranger Rachel at opening day of the Lake Myosotis beach on June 21. Rachel will be available to chat over s'mores at the beach from 1-3 PM.

You can also find her at their Annual Membership Meeting and kick-off lecture on June 28.

Keep an eye out for other events that Rachel will lead throughout her time here, and visit her at the Preserve Visitors' Center on weekends and along our trails.

The next Huyck Preserve event will be:

The Secret Lives of Tiny Temnothorax Ants at the Huyck Preserve on May 31 from 10 AM - 11:30 AM at the Eldridge Research Center.

Did you know an entire ant colony can fit into one acorn? On Saturday, May 31 from 10-11:30 AM, join researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University on a walk in search of Temnothorax ants. You will learn about the team's research and facts on ant ecology and colony organization.