Hart’s Falls Nature Preserve
The waterfall and surrounding property has continued to grow in popularity as a local hiking and picnic spot. Picnic tables receive regular use, and the boardwalk over the wettest section of trail works to keep the trail accessible even in wet months. Each fall/spring we host community members to help remove litter and improve the trails. Each summer our interns also assist with this initiative on a weekly basis. Other community groups have begun using Hart’s Falls for activities; for example, Nature Up North uses the Falls for its citizen science water quality survey.
Protecting Land through Easements
In the last year, the St. Lawrence Land Trust completed a conservation easement on Portaferry Lake. The Land Trust is working with landowners to establish new conservation easements on Brandy Brook and the Little River, and some form of conservation protection (easements or ownership) on two other properties along the Oswegatchie River. These easements will protect important riparian forests, lakeshore, and headwater wetlands. We are also in the initial discussions about conservation easements with several other landowners across St. Lawrence County.
Carbon Sequestration
The St. Lawrence Land Trust continues to partner with Clarkson University and the Thousand Islands Land Trust to investigate the use of conservation easements as a way for colleges and universities to meet their goals to offset climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. Universities, such as Clarkson, subsidize the costs of conservation easements, in exchange for carbon credits. In 2019 we presented the concept at a statewide meeting of land trusts. We investigated a number of possible partners, and we are currently working with a landowner who is interested in collaborating on a pilot project.
Friends of the Watershed
The St. Lawrence Land Trust has been working on a program called Friends of the Watershed - specifically, the St. Lawrence Watershed, stretching out to the Grasse, Little and Raquette Rivers. Taking a multi-pronged approach, the Friends program helps steer citizens towards actions that help rejuvenate and protect area waterways.
