| Thompson Pond | |
|---|---|
 Thompson Pond in summer | |
  Thompson Pond | |
| Location | Pine Plains, New York |
| Coordinates | 41°57′40″N73°40′43″W / 41.961118°N 73.678737°W /41.961118; -73.678737 |
| Type | kettle pond |
| Primary outflows | Wappinger Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 75 acres (30 ha) |
| Designated | May 1973 |
Thompson Pond inPine Plains, New York is a 75-acre (30 ha) 15,000-year-oldglacialkettle pond at the foot of 1,403-foot (428 m)Stissing Mountain. It is thesource ofWappinger Creek, atributary of theHudson River that drains much ofDutchess County.
The pond and mountain are part of a 507-acre (205 ha) nature preserve managed byThe Nature Conservancy.[1] The pond was designated aNational Natural Landmark in May 1973[2] for itscalcareousbog,[3] unlike the more common acidic bogs in the Northeast.[4]
Thompson Pond and two other nearby bodies of water,Stissing Lake, andTwin Island Lake, were all originally connected, but separated over time.
The pond is supposedly named for Amos Thompson who settled in the area around 1746.[5]
Thompson pond and Stissing Mountain were the inspiration for the New York State Environment displays in the Warburg Memorial Hall at theAmerican Museum of Natural History built in 1951.[5][6]
In 1958 the Executive Secretary of the Conservancy, Elting Arnold, convincedBriarcliff Farms to sell the land to the Conservancy for $20,000 which was raised from public donations.
The preserve is open dawn to dusk, every day of the year for passive recreational and educational use. There are hiking trails around the pond and one that goes to the top of Stissing Mountain. There is afiretower at the summit that is open to the public.[7]
There are more than 387 species of plants in the preserve includingpipewort,round-leaved sundew,St. Johnswort andcattails. The surrounding woods includeoak,sugar maple,ash,hemlock andhickory trees.
The preserve is part of the migratory flyway, over 162 bird species have been spotted here. There are also 27 types of mammals identified in the preserve.
Year designated: 1973
