Company Profile
Mohonk Preserve
Company Overview
Who We Are
Located in the beautiful Hudson River Valley, Mohonk Preserve is New York’s largest nonprofit nature preserve. We manage over 8,200 acres of mountain cliffs, forests, fields and streams through four integrated programs – Conservation, Education, Stewardship, and Visitor Experience – and welcome over 300,000 members and visitors each year who come to hike, run, rock climb, boulder, bike, enjoy winter recreation and experience nature.
Based in a vibrant university community, Mohonk Preserve offers a great working environment in one of New York’s greenest counties, with all-season recreation, access to Preserve lands, a dynamic, committed team of conservation professionals and long legacy of conducting ecological research and environmental education. The Preserve is also the “Home of the Gunks,” one of America’s premier rock-climbing destinations.
Our Mission & Vision
Our mission is to protect the northern Shawangunk Ridge and inspire people to care for, enjoy, and explore the natural world. Mohonk Preserve supports thriving and resilient natural environments that are welcoming to all who explore, play and work here, and those who seek peace, wellbeing and inspiration amid its lands. To read more about our Vision and learn more about the Preserve visit https://www.mohonkpreserve.org/.
Our Core Values
• Teamwork: We trust each other and value collaboration and accountability.
• Transparency: We are clear, honest and ethical in our decision-making and communications.
• Belonging: We welcome everyone and treat all with respect and compassion.
• Exploration: We value curiosity, education and innovation as pathways to learning and growth.
• Stewardship: We are committed to responsibly stewarding Mohonk Preserve in service to the land and the community.
Equal Opportunity Employer:
Mohonk Preserve is an equal employment opportunity employer dedicated to creating a culture where employees from various backgrounds can thrive and support our mission. Mohonk Preserve encourages applications from women, minorities and/or other underrepresented groups. We provide reasonable accommodations to individuals who require them based on disability, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, and religion. Accommodations are meant to enable employees to perform the essential functions of their positions without imposing an undue hardship on our operations. If you require an accommodation, please contact human resources.
Company History
The origins of the Mohonk Preserve date back to 1869 when twin brothers Albert and Alfred Smiley purchased Mohonk Lake. The Smileys established the Mohonk Mountain House, a resort dedicated to offering a contemplative experience of nature as a means for spiritual growth. By 1963, when the Mohonk Preserve (called the Mohonk Trust until 1978) was founded, the Smiley family had assembled an estate of 7,500 acres. In order to protect this unique natural landscape for future generations, a charitably funded, non-profit entity was established; separate from the commercial enterprise of the Mountain House. Over time, the Mohonk Trust would purchase most of the Smileys' land holdings and administer them in perpetuity with respect for Mohonk's spiritual and philosophical ideals.
Possessing the highest possible biodiversity rating from the New York State Natural Heritage Program, this protected landscape is the subject of the only large-scale, long-term ecosystem record of the Shawangunk Mountains and Hudson Valley region. The Preserve is the custodian of a set of continuous weather records and other scientific data that had been compiled by Dan Smiley and other members of the family for over a century. The Conservation Science staff and Research Associates at the Preserve's Daniel Smiley Research Center (DSRC) have continued to build onto what is now over 100 years of daily weather data and more than 70 years of natural history observations. The Preserve disseminates this ecosystem information via collaborations with research partners through the Hudson Valley Environmental Monitoring and Management Alliance, Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership, Global Lakes Ecological Observatory Network, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York Natural Heritage Program, Hawk Migration Association of North America, National Weather Service, National Oceanic & bAtmospheric Administration, Environmental Data Initiative (National Science Foundation), and through our Research Associate program.
The Daniel Smiley Research Center is headquartered in the historic Elms Cottage near Mohonk Lake. The DSRC houses the Preserve's collection of over 60,000 natural history specimens and its baseline ecosystem data about the Shawangunk Ridge. Much of this material is rare and one-of-a kind. The Preserve's Conservation Science staff, aided by Research Associates, volunteers and summer interns, continually monitors the environmental systems of the Shawangunk Ridge. In recent years, much of the DSRC's statistical data have been computerized, greatly increasing access. Annually, the DSRC also responds to several hundred requests for environmental information from the general public.
DSRC accomplishments include:
• The Peregrine Watch Project, through which scientists, rock climbers and other recreationists work together to ensure the undisturbed breeding of Peregrine falcons (on the NY Endangered Species List), which returned to the ridge in 1998 to breed locally for the first time in over 40 years.
• New species discovered on the ridge, such as a bryozoan (fresh water animal that feeds on plankton), and a northern red-bellied snake.
• New protocols developed to monitor the impact of people and other high-impact species (such as deer) on Preserve natural communities and trails, in order to inform the development of management strategies that will allow the Preserve to continue ensuring public access while protecting the ridge.
• Digitization of the Daniel Smiley Research Center Archives makes the contents of our specimen collections and research archives publicly available via web platforms.
• The Watershed Conservation Assessment, a multi-year study combining resources from Conservation Science staff, Research Associates, and Citizen Scientists to monitor and protect the Coxing Kill, Humpo Kill, and Kleine Kill watersheds.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
BBB Accredited Charity
Land Trust Alliance Accredited Land Trust
Guidestar Platinum
Leave No Trace Partner
Certificate of Excellence - Trip Advisor
Best of Hudson Valley - various awards
Benefits
403(b) Retirement Plan with employer contribution
Hybrid work schedule available
12 1/2 paid holidays
Life Insurance & AD&D
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employee Assistance Program
Membership to Mohonk Preserve; employee reciprocal privileges with Mohonk Mountain House resort
Employee recognition programs
Staff outings and other activities