$1.8 Million Project Adds Three New Exhibits at Bear Mountain Zoo

M.C. Millman

The Bear Mountain State Park's Trailside Museums and Zoo officially opened three new mammal exhibits. 

The new, expanded, state-of-the-art exhibits are for bobcats, red foxes, and porcupines. The displays were carefully integrated into the landscape, along with rustic animal night houses, keeping the natural look of the zoo. 

The project was a joint venture of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. According to the OPRHP press release, funding for the project was sourced from a $680,000 endowment, with the remainder from New York State Parks capital funds and grants.

Trailside's featured animals are all local, native species (such as black bear, eastern coyote, beaver, bald eagle, various owls, and hawks, etc.), and virtually all are non-releasable and could not survive in the wild. Thus, unlike conventional zoos, Trailside functions both as an environmental education and native animal rescue facility.

The Trailside Museums and Zoo is now operating on summer hours. It is open daily from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. For more information, see the website here. 

Photo Credit:  Trailside Museums and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park