Hallet Nature Sanctuary began opening to the public this past Tuesday. Though Central Park Conservancy was offering guided tours of the area last fall, this was the first time in decades visitors were allowed to freely explore.
The 4-acre nature preserve had been left untouched and closed to the public since 1934, as part of an experiment to see what would happen if a woodland area in the middle of a large city was left unmaintained. With only the protection of a chain link fence, the result was an area overgrown with invasive species such as Wisteria and Japanese knotwood and congested with litter.
In 2001, the conservancy began a plan to revive the preserve by controlling the growth and removal of plants and trees.
The preserve will be open 1-3 every Tuesday in May, and a schedule for June through August will be available on the Central Park Conservancy's website. Hours will remain limited to keep the area protected.
"We are protected with a fence," explained Central Park gardener Shana Blanchard. "We don't have 40 million people coming through here every year. A lot of these flowers have a short window of getting all their energy for the year, so if you have someone trampling on them, or someone's dog going through, they're not going to do that well."
The Conservancy's work in the sanctuary is ongoing, with the hope that it will feel like an escape to a natural woodland, not a contrived park space.
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Photo Credit: Metro