User:MattWade/Dyken Pond

Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is a conservation-oriented park and recreation area in Rensselaer County, New York. It is situated on the southwest end of Dyken Pond in the town of Grafton. The Center educates locals on environmental conservation and puts major emphasis on educating students with respect to local habitats and ecology. Many students take part in the popular summer camp held annually at the Center, which educates these students in basic survival skills, environmentalism, adaptation, and ecological identification.

History
The Center has been under the control of Rensselaer County since 1973. At that time, Manning Paper Company donated its land holdings on Dyken Pond to the county. Dyken Pond is a natural pond. In 1902, Manning Paper Company dammed the headwaters of the Poesten Kill, which flooded the area and brought the lake to the size it is today.

Trails
The Center offers 4 mi of hiking trails open to the public. Most are labeled by colored blazing though in some cases numbered posts lead the way. Below is a complete list of the trails found at the Center, complete with the color that blazes each trail: