Vermontville, NY – In summer 2023 Richard J. invited staff from Paul Smith College’s Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) onto his 170-acre property for a free and voluntary Stream Wise Assessment.
Stream Wise is a recently launched property assessment and awards program. If you own or manage a property that contains a river or stream, you can reach out to trained and knowledgeable staff at AWI who are offering free site assessments and recommendations for increasing stream health and resiliency.
As a retired member of the Adirondack Park Agency and trained in forest resource management, Richard was interested in learning more about the program. He wanted to protect the landscape for recreation like cross-country skiing, and for the wildlife that are dependent on this location.
In the northwest corner of his parcel sits a shrub and meadow wetland. A stream forms and flows into Lyon Brook, a tributary of the Saranac River. The property boasts four miles of interconnecting cross country ski trails, open fields maintained for horses, and a second growth forest with layers of native vegetation that includes balsam, tamarack, red spruce, and black spruce trees. White pines were noted further upland from the wetland and stream. A variety of native understory and shrub species like wild raising, bog laurel, and Labrador tea abound on the property.
“The staff were very nice and professional,” Richard shared. “I always value field verification and felt the staff did a good job of that.”
Richard’s maintenance of his property along the stream earned him the Stream Wise Award for Best Management Practices in a Vegetated Buffer. Sites that are awarded this Stream Wise Award represent model, stream-friendly properties.
If you own property with a brook, stream or river and are curious about having a Stream Wise assessment, or if you are ready to volunteer, contact us via our website (https://streamwisechamplain.org/contact/)