It seems that Tom Walker has always been passionate about Tug Hill. As part of the Tug Hill Trekers outdoor group Tom will tell you stories of his adventures skiing or snow shoeing in the middle of “nowhere” in all that glorious snow that Tug Hill is famous for.
He’s one of those people whose enthusiasm is contagious, with a commitment for land conservation that is ingrained in his personality.
It’s that kind of life-long love of Tug Hill, and unwavering support year after year, that made Tom the obvious recipient of the “Top of the Hill Award” at the 2017 Annual Dinner held at the Tug Hill Vineyard.
“I was a bit stunned, but I guess it’s true: I love this area, and I love helping others conserve their lands by my support of the land trust” exclaimed Tom, “because once this land is gone, it’s gone for good and we can’t let that happen.”
This is the second time we have presented the Top of the Hill award. It was first awarded to board member Dick Hill, on his 90th birthday. The award now to recognizes a donor of a certain age who embodies Dick’s dedication to nature and Tug Hill, honoring Dick’s legacy.
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust told the New York State Public Service Commission that it is concerned a major industrial wind energy facility proposed for the center of the Tug Hill region will harm the region’s forests, wildlife, water quality in the Salmon River, hunting and fishing opportunities, economy and the future of Fort Drum.
The Land Trust’s concerns focus on the proposed Mad River industrial wind energy facility that is proposed for the Tug Hill core forest in the towns of Worth and Redfield, east of Sandy Creek and Pulaski, New York.
“We support wind and other renewable energy that can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and help protect our environment, but that does not mean that every location is right for wind energy facilities, especially large industrial facilities like those proposed by Atlantic Wind LLC in the Tug Hill core forest,” said Land Trust Executive Director Linda Garrett from the organization’s headquarters in Watertown.
Recent public notices about the Mad River proposal have referred to a 200-acre footprint on the Mad River site. Noting this description does not accurately portray the proposed project, Garrett states that the project will entail “88 wind turbines on towers much taller than those we are used to at the Maple Ridge facility outside of Lowville, NY, placed across the entire 20,000 acres of the site.”
Photo by Carol Hutchinson.
Why is the Core Forest special?
Tug Hill’s core forest covers about 175,000 acres in the middle of the Tug Hill region, known to locals, hunters and anglers as the “Big Woods” or “Lesser Wilderness.” The area is the size of about 3 or 4 upstate towns, and is characterized by few paved public roads and a wild feel that to many is the essence of Tug Hill and what many local people and visitors value most about the Tug Hill region.
Efforts to protect the Tug Hill core forest started almost 50 years ago when the New York State Tug Hill Commission was created in part in response to local concerns about the core forest getting broken up and developed, losing its wild character and perhaps jeopardizing hunting, snowmobiling and jobs in logging.
About 25 years ago, towns of the core forest, through their Cooperative Tug Hill Council, worked with sportsmen’s groups, snowmobilers and environmental organizations to protect the core forest.
Today, nearly half the core forest is protected through State forest lands, State-held conservation easement, county forest land ownership, the largest conservation area in New York State owned by The Nature Conservancy, and conservation easements held by Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust.
Water Quality, Fort Drum
The Land Trust cites recent work at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse that industrial wind energy facilities, especially facilities of the scale proposed at Mad River, in forested areas is a relatively new practice, and as a result that we know little of the immediate or long term impacts of such development. “If the Mad River project is ultimately approved, it will have to be carefully monitored throughout its lifetime to learn more about impacts on forests,” said Garrett.
Photo by Robert McNamara.
The Land Trust also has concerns over potential water quality impacts of the project, especially since it is in the headwaters of Salmon River, one of the nation’s premier sport fishing rivers, and an essential part of the economy. The proposed wind facility project is also close to the Tug Hill aquifer, a groundwater resource vital to homes and businesses in the region.
While the Land Trust’s focus is on the Mad River proposal, it also has concerns about the number of industrial wind facilities proposed for the portion of Tug Hill close to Fort Drum. “No one seems to be looking at cumulative impacts of the wind facilities proposed on wildlife, the National Weather Service’s advanced forecasting radar in Montague, NY, and impacts on Fort Drum, a top military training facility in eastern U.S.,” said Garrett.
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust works with the Army, Ducks Unlimited, and New York State to limit development on farm and forest lands near Fort Drum, so as to minimize conflicts between essential training operations at the Fort and residents who live near the base and its airfield and bombing ranges.
“We can’t take chances with limiting training options at Fort Drum. That could jeopardize the future of the Fort, its more than $1 billion contribution to the economy every year, and our national defense,” commented Garrett.
“By participating in New York State’s review of the proposed wind facility we hope to see mitigation of all or many of the potential negative impacts, and to provide a means of eventually keeping this 20,000 acres of Tug Hill core forest undeveloped,” said Garrett.
For more information review this website or call 315-779-8240.
Mitch Yerdon has spent much of his life—40 years of it—out hiking these woods, hunting with friends and spending time at the camp. There have been bitterly cold mornings, up before dawn, where you can feel the cold snap at your eyeballs, making them prickle in the early light. Other times, there’s been lunch over the stove at the camp, telling stories and discussing what it was like as a boy, to grow up here in Tug Hill.
One thing is certain. For Mitch, and those who belong to the Stavemill Hunting Club, LLC, a small hunt club, the lands they have historically leased is part of who they are; “it’s become like family,” remarked Mitch.
All that was put at risk when Harden Furniture, which owned over 3,000 acres of forestland the club leased in the towns of Redfield and Orwell, in Oswego County, sold the land to a forest investment company who in turn, needed to sell the land.
Redfield Kendall Property Working Forest Fund NY. “It’s a really good solution,” said Michael Yerdon, President of the Stavemill Hunting Club, LLC. “Hunting is part of the culture and heritage of Tug Hill, and local camps are often a major part of that.”
Once it’s gone…
The towns, and the hunt club, recognized an opportunity to keep the land intact for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and other recreational activities, rather than seeing it get chopped up by scattered development.
“We see this land is an important part of the economy—people come to this region to hunt, fish, hike, and snowmobile,” explained the Town of Orwell Supervisor, William Potter.
The Conservation Fund, a national conservation organization, stepped up to purchase the land and transferred it to the State to become part of the State Forest System this past spring; the state continues to pay the property taxes as part of its conservation agreement with local towns in Tug Hill.
Not that easy
But even then, the hunt club might have lost its camp. That’s because state law requires that private leases be phased out even if they’ve been there for generations.
Working with The Conservation Fund, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Tug Hill Commission, and our land trust, a strategy was created to allow the hunt club to keep its camp and ensure the land wouldn’t be developed in the future in an incompatible way.
Now, thanks to this creative plan, the hunt club will purchase six-acres of the land around their camp at the conservation value, subject to a conservation agreement held by Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust.
“We want to find a way to allow the important forest lands to be conserved for these uses, and honor the heritage of the long-term hunting camps,” remarked Michael Yerdon, President of the Stavemill Hunting Club, LLC. “This is a great example of a partnership that’s making that goal possible.
Have you sensed that Tug Hill’s been missing something? As beautiful as it is, as lucky as we are living here, we’ve been lacking something that other special places treasure in their community and tout as economic development.
Unlike other areas, we haven’t had a long-distance trail to allow people to experience the wildness, beauty, and solitude of Tug Hill. Bob McNamara, a local naturalist and passionate birder, is working to change that. Bob, along with a dedicated group of volunteers, is leading a community effort to design, and construct, a 20-mile primitive hiking trail right down the center of Tug Hill.
Known as the core forest, this area is dense and at times hard to navigate —but it’s full of beautiful mature trees, and the East Branch of the Fish Creek flows through the forest.
“This is a region where Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust has been partnering with a variety of stakeholders to protect this land for a long time,” remarked Bob, who is also a board member for the land trust.
Locals know how special this place is, and in 2006 through a unique collaboration of local communities, hunting and other recreation groups, conservation groups and the state, over 45,000 acres were protected.
The deal secured the drinking water for the City of Rome, hunting and other recreational activities for the public, and allows timber management.
A partnership and shared vision
“It has been a real team approach to making this trail a reality,” noted Bob, “crossing lands owned by New York State (NYS), private lands subject to NYS easements requiring public access, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy.”
Until now the Tug Hill core forest has been devoid of a foot trail that is open to public access. This trail will allow hikers and skiers to explore the heart of Tug Hill and visit a wide variety of wild Tug Hill landscapes.
The trail is off to a great start, with initial design and flagging taking place last fall to kick start the project. We can’t wait to work with you to make this dream a reality.
Want to help?
If you’d like to volunteer with trail creation and maintenance, please call Lianna Lee or email her at tughilloutreach@nnymail.com. You can spend as little as a couple of hours, or as much as a couple of days—we appreciate any time and talent you can offer.
Traditional Arts in Upstate New York hosts an opening reception on Saturday, February 11, 1-3 pm, for an expanded version of the traveling exhibit “Venerable Folks of Tug Hill.” The exhibit celebrates the resilient population of the snowy Tug Hill region and its many villages, farms, and vast wilderness located between Lake Ontario and the Adirondacks.
Last year, TAUNY, the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and Tug Hill Commission produced a traveling exhibit featuring residents of the Tug Hill and their life-long involvement in the region. That exhibit, which has been touring the Watertown region since last fall, features portraits of Tug Hill residents painted by artist Loretta Lepkowski as well as panels featuring the individuals interviewed and key aspects of life in the region, including surviving winter,and the importance of community life, and music.
Camilla Ammirati, Director Research and Programs at TAUNY, said the new exhibit is an extension of artist Loretta Lepkowski’s portrait exhibit.
Susan Jeffers, a teacher at Mount Markham Elementary School in West Winefield, NY, knows that birds can bring science to life—for many kids,
it becomes a highlight in their day. “Tangible, interactive learning is so important,” notes Susan. “We find the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust Bird Quest a spring highlight of our class.”
Research has shown that birds are a gateway to better observation and focus skills, important elements of education. It also can ignite a life-long passion for the out-of-doors. As Susan said, “It makes the kids more aware about what’s going in the world around them.” Learning to love wildlife, and have a great time in school doing it, is what the future of conservation is all about.
Through the Bird Quest students learn about the habits and habitats of birds, and how birds are important to our ecosystems. Donations from local businesses including Noble Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe’s of Watertown, Walmart Super Center, and White’s Lumber allows us to provide the bird seed and bird feeders, to over 30 schools and 15 homeschool families.
An excerpt from Land Trust Alliance article “Birdwatching from the School Window” by Rose Jenkins.
Two North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants led by the Thousand Islands Land Trust and Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust are supporting multiple wetland restoration and protection projects across the state.
Clayton, New York
178 acres of private land in the town of Clayton in the St. Lawrence River watershed will be enrolled into a new conservation easement with 15-acres of wetland restoration on the property slated for this fall. A conservation easement is a way to preserve property with conservation or historic wildlife value while keeping the property in its natural and undeveloped state while still maintaining private ownership of the property.
Completion: Fall 2016
Total cost: $122,000
Batavia, New York
Property 1: 87-acres of existing degraded wetland will be enhanced through reconstruction of an old berm, installation of two new water control structures and channeling and potholing to open up areas of invasive plants.
Completion: Fall 2017
Total cost: $100,000
Property 2: 45-acres of old agriculture field will be restored to wetland habitat through berm construction and placement of a water control structure to enhance management for the benefit of wildlife through improved wetland function.
Loretta Lepkowski is a warm, energetic, person who can coax a story out of just about anyone. She’s also the artist behind the “Venerable Folks of Tug Hill” portrait series profiling some of the most extraordinary people of the region in a multi-media history project.
Ben Coe, above, one of 20 people who are featured in the exhibition.
She’s teamed up with Camilla Ammirati, who works for Traditional Arts of Upstate New York (TAUNY), and together they have recorded video and audio interviews of these venerable folks to support the portraits.
These venerable folk are the hearts and souls of our communities, and inspire young and old alike. Their stories of farm life, epic snowstorms, and what life was like almost 100 years ago give us a glimpse into the people who helped define Tug Hill and what it is today.
In this age of fast-paced rapid change, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on the rich heritage of Tug Hill before it’s gone in what seems like just a blink of an eye.
This exhibit is a collaborative project between the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, the Tug Hill Commission, and Traditional Arts of Upstate New York (TAUNY) and will debut on October 20th at our 25th Anniversary Celebration. This project creatively captures the history, culture, and vitality of Tug Hill, a key part of our land trust’s mission.
Thanks to the generous support of contributors and the talent of Lepkowski and Ammirati, the history of Tug Hill will be brought to life through their stories for years to come.
Above photograph, Stanley and Benny Szalach recall a time in their lives at their homestead.
When we conserve thousands of acres of farms and woodlands with the landowners of Tug Hill—sometimes over 1,500 acres a year—we make a pledge to be here in partnership with them, and subsequent landowners, forever.
It’s a serious pledge, and one we don’t take lightly. Every conservation agreement is unique. They are tailored to the natural features of the land
and the goals of the landowner.
In accordance with national conservation standards, we meet with each landowner annually to ensure that vision is still intact and that they have the information they need to continue their conservation efforts.
Mission that might be impossible
As you can imagine, covering thousands of acres on foot would be an almost impossible task given everything else we need to do—but thanks to an extraordinary volunteer, we are able to observe the conserved lands by air.
Bob Keller is a long-time member of LightHawk, an international program of accomplished pilots who donate their time and their planes to assist conservation organizations.
Bob and his wife Carol have lived in Tug Hill for 25 years to the point where he’ll tell you that the woodlands and sounds of the ducks on his pond are what gets him up every morning. That and flying. Bob loves to fly. And so every year—for the past 10 years—Bob combines his passion for the air and the land by taking the land trust staff to view the landscape from above.
These annual flights take extensive planning to ensure we can locate each of the conserved properties from the air. Bob documents coordinates, juggles maps, ensures our staff avoid getting air-sick (as much as possible), and covers the costs of the gas and the plane ride.
But Bob remains undaunted. Year after year, Bob cheerfully takes on the task of Chief Conservation Pilot despite what can sometimes be a bumpy ride and a lot of work.
Our appreciation for Bob and what he offers local conservation spans thousands of acres, over years of amazing service. Please join us in thanking Bob for what may have been an initial fling but has become an annual ritual. Conservation in the Tug Hill wouldn’t be the same without him.
All over the country, including right here in Tug Hill, monarch butterflies have had it rough. As many as 11 million may have died this past spring due to freak weather and millions of others have perished due to loss of habitat both in this country and Mexico; extreme storms have battered them during their yearly migration.
Now considered an imperiled butterfly, the monarch is more than a beautiful flash of orange in the sky; it’s an important pollinator. With its survival in question youth and adults alike are taking action and planting the monarch’s main food source—milkweed—across the country.
Locally, the Thompson Park Zoo Teens are playing a part in this revival too. The teens are part of an enrichment program held every summer at the zoo to provide opportunities to explore animal and natural sciences.
This summer they took on the challenge of creating new habitat for the monarch at the Joseph A. Blake Wildlife Sanctuary located in Rutland, New York, leaving behind textbooks and memorization to get a taste of what science, land restoration, and wildlife habitat fieldwork might be
like in college.
Their hard work will ensure a new patch of milkweed for next year’s butterflies. For a butterfly that crosses hundreds of miles, and cycles through several generations before returning stateside, an extra patch of milkweed is more than a welcome treat—it can mean survival.
This collective effort, one patch at a time, across the country is starting to show hopeful results. For the first time in a long time, monarch numbers are on the uptick instead of steadily decreasing according to the non-profit Monarch Watch.
Donated to the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust by the North Country Bird Club a number of years ago, the Joseph Blake Wildlife Sanctuary has become a favorite place to hike, spend time with family and friends, learn about birds and wildlife. …and now it provides critical habitat to vulnerable butterflies.
“It has been a real team approach to making this trail a reality,” noted Bob, “crossing lands owned by New York State (NYS), private lands subject to NYS easements requiring public access, and lands owned by The Nature Conservancy.”
Now considered an imperiled butterfly, the monarch is more than a beautiful flash of orange in the sky; it’s an important pollinator. With its survival in question youth and adults alike are taking action and planting the monarch’s main food source—milkweed—across the country.