SHAWANGUNK WATCH Spring 2009 Preserving Open Space in the Shawangunks Volume 14 #1 Friends of the Shawangunks & The Shawangunk Conservancy Polishing the Jewel of the Shawangunks: Latest Acquisition helps Sam’s Point Preserve grow to almost 5,700 Acres NEW YORK, NY—April 7, 2009 Working Formerly known as Ice Caves Mountain, the steadily over the years, the Open Space area had been owned by the village and used Institute (OSI) is gradually assembling one of for a variety of purposes for almost a century. the largest nature preserves in the Hudson It was named one of the “75 Great Places in River Valley on the highest reaches of the the Western Hemisphere” by The Nature Shawangunk Ridge. The Sam’s Point Pre- Conservancy, which partnered with OSI on serve as it is now known, is a globally unique the Ellenville acquisition and helps manage ecosystem that protects thousands of acres of the properties today as a publicly-supported pristine ridge-top land and pumps vital tourist nature preserve. dollars into local economies every year. The OSI purchases have protected Earlier this month, OSI acquired 35 Sam’s Point, the highest summit in the additional acres of undeveloped mountain- Shawangunks; Indian Rock; deep, glaciated ous land on the eastern side of the ridge, as ice caves; the Verkeederkill Stream; and an the conservation group chips away at its goal immense, globally rare pitch pine barrens. OSI of a 7,500-acre Sam’s Point Preserve. Consist- anticipates that it will be able to purchase ing of two separate purchases from two of the enough adjacent land from willing sellers over preserve’s neighbors, the parcels protect the the next two decades to bring the preserve to headwaters of the Verkeederkill Stream and as much as 7,500 acres, protecting important the eastern escarpment of the Ridge as it looks plant and animal habitat and increasing access out over the town of Shawangunk. for recreation in the Shawangunks. Tens of thousands of people visit the Sam’s In 2007 OSI transferred a 4,000-acre portion Point Preserve each year for a variety of of Sam’s Point, consisting of rare dwarf pitch recreational opportunities, including hiking, pine barrens, stark quartz cliffs and under- cross-country skiing, hunting and other pur- ground ice caves, to the Minnewaska State Verkeederkill Falls photo Annie O’Neill suits. The recent acquisitions will protect Park Preserve scenic views from the hiking trail to Verkeederkill Falls, and contain This property had been off the tax rolls for nearly a century as village- extensive rock-walled crevices, slabrock and pitch pines. OSI will held watershed land, but with the transfer to the Minnewaska State eventually add the land to the adjacent Minnewaska State Park Pre- Park Preserve, New York State is now paying local real property taxes serve. to the Village of Ellenville, Ellenville Central school district, and other OSI’s land acquisition affiliate, the Open Space Conservancy, made local taxing jurisdictions. the acquisitions with funds from the Lila Acheson and DeWitt In addition to its rare ecological features, Sam’s Point is flanked by Wallace Endowment, a permanent fund that was transferred to the tens of thousands of acres of conserved land-Minnewaska State Park Open Space Conservancy in 2001. Preserve and Mohonk Preserve to the north, and several thousands of “The big picture here is that we started assembling the Sam’s Point acres of state forest preserve land stretching along the spine of the Preserve in 1991, and over the years, and through ten subsequent Shawangunk Ridge as it winds its way through Sullivan and Orange acquisitions, it’s grown to about 5,700 acres,” said Joe Martens, OSI’s counties to the New Jersey border near Port Jervis. president. “We’ve kept adding to it over the years, and we think in “The protection of the Shawangunk Ridge is one of OSI’s core pro- the next 15 to 20 years this is going to be one of the flagship preserves grams, along with the protection of the Adirondack Mountains, of the Hudson River Valley.” Catskill Mountains and other important jewels in and around the After conserving a handful of smaller, adjacent parcels in the early Hudson River Valley and the Capitol District,” Martens said. “It is a 1990s, OSI officially created the Sam’s Point Preserve in 1997 with a strikingly pretty and ecologically important landscape which hope- breakthrough purchase of 4,780 acres from the Village of Ellenville. fully will be enjoyed by the residents of the Hudson River Valley for many generations.” ALSO IN THIS ISSUE The Open Space Institute protects scenic, natural, and historic landscapes to ensure public enjoyment, conserve habitats, and sustain community Invasive Species on the Ridge by Robert T. O’Brien Page 2 character. OSI achieves its goals through land acquisition, conservation Black Vultures on the Ridge by Joe Bridges Page 4 easements, regional loan programs, fiscal sponsorship, creative partnerships, and analytical research. OSI has protected more than 100,000 acres in New Firewood Movement Threatens our Forests Page 8 York State. Through its Northern Forest Protection Fund and Conservation Firewise is Spreading Like Wildfire Page 9 Finance Program, Friends of the Shawangunks has worked collaboratively with OSI over Bats Toll in Rosendale by Chris Spatz Page 10 the last twenty-five years. 1 SHAWANGUNK ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS All That is Green... Robert T. O’Brien Invasive species are the greatest threat to the natural communities spreads easily via dogs, shoes, and especially heavy equipment. To date and native species of the Shawangunks in the next few decades, period. very little of this grass has invaded the interior of Minnewaska State The silent enemy is altering the biological diversity Park Preserve, Sams Point and the highlands of the profile of the Shawangunks right under our noses. ridge. Preventing its spread is a high priority for both For a moment, imagine a Shawangunk forest of just the State Park Preserve and neighboring landowners. a few tree species, an understory of a few undesir- Containment and suppression can be achieved by able shrubs. At the ground level, only a non-deer building barriers to prevent spread and hand pull- palatable monoculture herbaceous layer, if any ing in late August. The species does not move well at all. What is called for along the Northern over rock walls, silt fence, or large downed snags Shawangunk Ridge is an approach toward early which allows for temporary containment of detection, containment, suppression, and eventual stiltgrass. Pulling by hand late in summer suppresses eradication of all invasive species, to the best of our seed spread. Cutting several times a year will also collective ability. A community-wide approach, lead to containment and suppression but in most where each of us plays a role, can serve as a lasting cases is not a viable option. An eventual eradica- example of what a community-based ecological tion can be achieved by these methods over a period management project can produce. First things of five years during which introduction of natives is first…all that is green is not good. not recommended as it becomes more difficult to In the past decade, the overall number of invasive remove in plots with a mixture of desirable species. species found on the Ridge has grown. Minnewaska It is best to let the natives find their way in to the State Park Preserve, in conjunction with the plots over time, and to seed and plant with natives Shawangunk Ridge Biodiversity Partnership and once eradication is acheived. Cultural methods, others, has been actively working to control and meaning farming or grazing, have potential for eradicate 12 different plant species for a number of aiding in the eradication of stiltgrass; experiments years. The overall goal of the Minnewaska Invasive are planned for the 2009 field season at Minnewaska. Species Management Plan is the reduction of invasive plant species to More education and penalties for intentional spread are the only way near zero and the delineation of the ridge as an Invasive Species to halt the spread. Heavy equipment is moving seeds and other viable Prevention Zone (ISPZ). In this zone routine monitoring and early plant parts in every housing development in the lowlands. Beware of detection of new arrivals will preserve weed free status far into the heavy equipment. future. Phase 1 of this plan includes eradication Black Swallowwort (BSW)(Vincetoxium nigrum/ of all invasive plants to less than 1% on 13,000 Cynanchum louisea) is a vicious vine from southwest- acres comprised mostly of currently weed- ern Mediterranean Europe. On top of the northern free portions of Minnewaska. Phase 1 is antici- ridge, only one population is detected. Unfortunately, pated to continue until 2011 aided by the award it happens to be adjacent to the 3000 acres of recently of a $100,000 Department of Environmental burned ground on state route 44/55. This plant has Conservation (DEC) Terrestrial Invasive Species established itself in Gardiner and Rosendale, and is Eradication Grant in 2008. In order to complete likely infecting all of the other surrounding commu- effective implementation of the ridge-wide plan, nities. Nicknamed “Dog Strangling Vine,” this peren- involvement by every entity and land owner nial plant, once established, becomes an awesome foe. surrounding the Ridge is necessary. Two especially The seeds of BSW can travel for miles via a strong virulent invasive plant species that need to be wind and then the plant begins winding its way up, actively controlled by everyone wishing to along, and through all other vegetation creating a mass preserve ridge-wide biodiversity are Japanese of tripwires.