Baxter Pond’s diverse habitats and wildlife including open water, American eel, scenic forest stream, and wildflower garden

Join the Baxter's Pond Foundation on Saturday, September 20, at 9 am for our Early Fall Clean-Up followed at 10 am by a Guided Nature Walk along Baxter’s Pond and through the Barbara Johnson Park & Preserve with expert field biologist David Jakim of the Port Washington Coalition for Biodiversity and Director at New York Wild Walks. We are proud to co-sponsor this event with the Port Washington Public Library!

Meet at the flagpole at Baxter’s Pond wearing comfortable clothes. We will provide collection bags, gloves, and snacks. Families are welcome! The free, guided 45-minute nature walk alongside Baxter's Pond and creek will take participants through a forested path of majestic trees, fascinating wildflowers, and diverse flora and fungi. The pond is alive with animals including frogs, fish, turtles, and dragonflies. You might spot fish and frog-eating birds like the reclusive great blue herons, black crowned night heron, green heron, great egret, and snowy egret.

Baxter's Pond Creek is nourished by springs and streams from as far as Beacon Hill and Main Street. This creek, rich with a woodland canopy of tulip trees and white oak trees up to 5 feet in diameter, also supports the sole habitat for two-lined salamanders in Port Washington. As you traverse the woods, you'll encounter both edible and medicinal plants.

Baxter’s Pond Foundation (BPF) is the nonprofit environmental steward of Baxter’s Pond and the surrounding Barbara Johnson Park & Preserve, which are owned by Nassau County. BPF holds regular events including clean-ups, plantings, birdwatching and flora/fauna tours, educational lectures, and even painting classes. Follow BPF on Facebook and Instagram for event news. Visit baxterspond.org for more information.