Emmons Pond Bog

History: The history of the pond and bog goes back 11,000 years when the retreat of the last glacier left a depression which was soon filled with water.  Sphagnum moss and other bog plants grew in the shallow water around the edge of the pond.  Plant materials broke down slowly because of the acidity and low temperature of the water.  As a result, the plant materials accumulated to form a floating doughnut-shaped mat around the pond.  Beavers dammed the outlet stream in the late 1970s, so the bog mat is now ringed with water.  The Chapter acquired this 150-acre preserve in 1970.

Location: In the Town of Davenport, Delaware County, about 4 miles southeast of Oneonta, which is 78 miles west of Albany.  From the Albany area, take the Thruway west to Exit 25A, then I-88 west to Exit 15 (Oneonta).  From the ramp at Exit 15, turn left toward Route 28 South, then right on 28 South.  In 0.7 miles, at the first traffic light, turn hard left onto Southside Drive.  Continue for 0.9 miles, then turn right on Swart Hollow Road.  Continue 2.7 miles on Swart Hollow, then turn left on White Hill Road.  The preserve entrance, which is well marked, is on the left in 1.0 miles.
                                                                                                                                              Trails: The preserve loop trail starts downhill across a meadow, crosses a brook and enters the woods.  Here you will find the sign-in box and an interpretive sign.  Follow the trail down to the bog where a 200-foot boardwalk loop was constructed in 2003 by an Eagle Scout.  This short trail will allow you to look at bog plants up close without damaging the sensitive vegetation.  Once you have completed this loop, head back up to the sign-in box and follow the orange markers.  This is a 1.4 mile long trail that circles the pond in a counter clockwise direction.  preserve's self-guided trail allows you to learn as you go. At the trailhead, you will find a pamphlet containing blocks of information corresponding to each of a series of numbered markers along the trail.

Noted Attractions: There is a pretty view of the pond from the parking area.  Shortly after the long loop trail starts, it approaches the east side of the pond.  There is a striking and somber view of the pond and bog from here: dead trees, blackbirds, frogs, perhaps a few flowers.  This was the result of beaver activity that raised the water level.  The rising water did no damage to the floating bog but killed many trees around it, including the poplars, the beavers’ principal source of food.  The resulting lack of food caused the beavers to abandon this site.                                                                                         

Sphagnum moss, which can absorb up to 25 times its weight in water, makes up most of the floating mat.  The absorbed water doesn’t circulate, and the mat blocks out the warming sun.  With plant decay slowed, the open water turns the color of tea because the plant material steeps in the cold acidic water for decades.  Nutrients, which would normally be released by decay, remain locked up in the dead plant material.  It takes a special kind of plant to survive in this environment, such as leatherleaf, buckbean, cottongrass, pitcher plant and sheep laurel

How to Prepare for Your Visit
Please see "Preserve Visitation Guidelines"