New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

St Lawrence County

St Lawrence Rock Ridge: Comments Sought on Management of 15 State Forests

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DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the draft Unit Management Plan (UMP) for St. Lawrence Rock Ridge is out for public comment through April 30th.

The 21,575-acre St. Lawrence Rock Ridge planning unit is located in southwestern St. Lawrence County towns of DeKalb, Depeyster, Edwards, Fowler, Gouverneur, Hammond, Hermon, Macomb, Pitcairn, and Rossie, and in the northeastern Lewis County town of Diana. [Read more…] about St Lawrence Rock Ridge: Comments Sought on Management of 15 State Forests

“Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad

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Gainesville Midland track maintenance crew, CA 1890The St. Lawrence & Adirondack Railroad, also known as the Mohawk & Malone – eventually owned by the New York Central and called the Adirondack Line or the Adirondack Railroad ran directly through the Adirondacks from Herkimer (near Utica) to Malone connecting the rail lines along the Mohawk River to the Main Trunk Line running into Montreal. The line is often attributed to William Seward Webb, but it was the men who actually built the line that are the subject of this essay.

On March 29, 1892 a Boston Globe article titled “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks” reported that Utica “resembled Washington during war times, hundreds of penniless and destitute Negroes are camped out tonight in the temporary places of shelter given them, and the citizens of Utica are consulting as to the best means of returning them to their homes.”

The Globe told readers that all night, “runaway slaves” had been coming into town. One hundred and fifty of them, mostly black laborers from the Deep South, but some recently arrived European immigrants as well. [Read more…] about “Labor’s Slaves in the Adirondacks”: Building the Adirondack Railroad

A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

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early Adirondack snowmobile raceIn the motor toboggan era – the time before the advent of the modern snowmobiles we know today – motor sleds had been too slow for racing excitement. As a result they remained strictly utilitarian vehicles racing only occasionally for promotional purposes. Motor toboggan and later snowmobile maker Polaris traveled each year at the end of the 1950s to trapper festivals at The Pas, Manitoba where they helped organize ad hoc races.

“We tried to rig them a little bit so we had a zig-zag effect,” David Johnson said, remembering one of the first informal races, “one guy ahead, and then the other, and so on, at a terrific speed of about 20 miles per hour.” In February 1959, Johnson won the first organized men’s race on an oval at The Pas and in 1960, the first cross-country race was held there. [Read more…] about A History of Snowmobile Racing in New York State

New Road To Open Access To St. Lawrence County Wild Areas

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DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the amendment of the Kildare Conservation Easement and the Five Mile Conservation Easement Recreation Management Plans (RMPs) to include new opportunities for public access to recreation in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about New Road To Open Access To St. Lawrence County Wild Areas

New Glasby Creek Footbridge Installed

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Glasby Creek footbridge courtesy DECA 30-year-old footbridge in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the town of Fine, St. Lawrence County has been replaced. The newly installed Glasby Creek footbridge is located on the High Falls Loop Trail, which is part of the popular Cranberry Lake 50 trail system. [Read more…] about New Glasby Creek Footbridge Installed

DEC: Some Camps Will Remain at Long Pond Easement

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DEC LogoThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and JT Granshue LLC have announced the completion of a modification to the Long Pond conservation easement, which is located in the towns of Colton and Clare, St. Lawrence County. The modification allows for 15 hunting, fishing, and recreation camps originally slated for removal to remain on the property in perpetuity. [Read more…] about DEC: Some Camps Will Remain at Long Pond Easement

Final Management Plan for St. Lawrence Foothills Issued

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St. Lawrence Foothills Unit Map courtesy DECThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the finalization of the St. Lawrence Foothills Unit Management Plan (UMP).

The St. Lawrence Foothills Unit is located outside of the Adirondack Park in the central portion of St. Lawrence County, including the towns of Colton, Hopkinton, Parishville, Potsdam, Pierrepont, and Russell. [Read more…] about Final Management Plan for St. Lawrence Foothills Issued

Proposed National Marine Sanctuary Highlights Lake Ontario Maritime History

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proposed-lake-ontario-nms-alternative-1-mapThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released a draft proposal for a national marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. The proposed sanctuary designation celebrates Upstate New York’s unique maritime heritage and provides a national stage for promoting the region’s tourism and recreational opportunities. [Read more…] about Proposed National Marine Sanctuary Highlights Lake Ontario Maritime History

Recreation Plan In Works For Western Lassiter Tracts

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Beers Lot EasementThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced they are seeking public comment on the development of a draft Recreation Management Plan (RMP) for the Western Lassiter Tracts, which is comprised of two privately owned conservation easements-the Beers Lot and Pine Hill conservation easements-that encompass approximately 2,200 acres in the town of Edwards, St. Lawrence County.

DEC is encouraging the public to comment until June 30th, 2021. [Read more…] about Recreation Plan In Works For Western Lassiter Tracts