As part of Upstate Art Weekend, the East Branch Nature Preserve’s Outdoor Sculpture Series presents on-site, outdoor sculptures by artists Francis Cape and Daniel Weiner along the Preserve trail.
Working with EBNP and the Catskill Forest Association, Francis Cape repurposed invasive Norwegian spruce and Norwegian maple to construct a replica of an English blanket chest, echoing those once used by immigrant farmers in Delaware County. The work positions invasive species alongside contemporary immigration narratives, while invoking the site’s history as 19th-century farmland.
In response, Daniel Wiener presents a sculptural table for EBNP’s outdoor classroom that is both functional and expressive. Formed with epoxy clay into fantastical, animated forms, the table channels a shared emotional landscape shaped by uncertainty and dislocation.
Where Cape looks to the past – tracing histories of movement, settlement, and material transformation – Wiener gives form to the present tense: a collective state of being at a loss, wide-eyed with disbelief, open-mouthed with astonishment, and edged with quiet panic. Together, the works move between inheritance and immediacy.
Discover art, history, and the beauty of nature reimagined at the East Branch Nature Preserve.
Location: The East Branch Nature Preserve, 699 Co Rd 38, Arkville, NY 12406.
We are roughly one month into spring, with the spring ephemerals surviving despite the snow flurries and low temperatures yesterday. We have a patch of trout lilies, a little wilted but hanging in there:
This week board members walked the trail with a representative from the Catskills Forest Association and found out that we have several serviceberry trees on the trail, including one in bloom.
The East Branch Nature Preserve is special for many reasons, but one of them is that the western part of the trail is adjacent to the East Branch of the Delaware River. There’s nothing more calming for the spirit than walking past the river to the sound of rushing water and spring birdsong. The second reason is that fly fishing is permitted in the river from April 1st to October 15th. All visitors to the Preserve have permission to fly fish here. Go here to find out how to get your NYC fishing permit, which is very easy. Anglers are permitted up to five trout to take home and enjoy.
Today, the river was high due to last night’s epic storm that saw tornado warnings and a solid half hour of extraordinarily lively lightning that ushered in torrential rain. This morning it was humid and still, with a high temperature of 59F. At least one trout was spotted by the banks of the river.
Friday March 20th was the first day of spring and a collective sigh of relief was heard across the Catskills after this long, particularly arduous winter. Too many to count was the number of days that it was so dangerously cold that a hike was inadvisable even at low elevations.
At the East Branch Nature Preserve, wrinkled crab apples hang in the trees like forgotten Christmas ornaments and brilliant red leaves flicker in the wind beneath misty, rainy skies and a flock of geese were observed flying overhead.
Stay tuned this week to hear about what you can expect to forage on the trail this spring. Board member Jenny is excited to report back from the trial this coming week.
Happy New Year from all at the Catskills Water Discovery Center in Arkville. The East Branch Nature Preserve is open year-round, from dawn to dusk daily. Please keep your pets on a leash and pack out the poop!
Even in the winter, there is still so much to see here. The majestic goldenrod is much faded from its vibrant, glorious yellow to a ghostly husk, and the stately mullein still stands to attention, drained of its color, like a pencil sketch ready to be filled in with some vermillion come spring. The landscape reminds us that we all need to slow down in the winter months, appreciate our wizened selves, and save our seeds for our best work in 2026.
Best wishes to all visitors and see you on the trail!
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