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"It's not everyday that you get a chance to protect an entire mountaintop - and especially not one of the 35 high peaks in the Catskills over 3,500 feet," says Katie Dolan, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's Eastern New York Chapter.
But in late 2007 that very opportunity presented itself to the Conservancy in the form of Balsam Mountain and a 590-acre parcel once owned by the Cruickshank family.
Consisting of steeply sloping forestland thick with hemlock, red oak, spruce, and balsam fir, this land provides vital habitat for migratory birds like the wood thrush, and large roaming animals such as bobcat and black bear. Its recent protection helps ensure the survival of these animals - and protection against the perpetual threats of climate change and invasive species.
“This is a great success story for The Nature Conservancy,” Dolan remarks. “And good news for so many: conservationists who hope to protect mature forest from development; hiking enthusiasts who enjoy mountaintop vistas; and 10 million New York City residents who drink water filtered through a healthy Catskill watershed.”
Nature New York (NNY) recently caught up with Alan White, the director of the Catskills Mountain program for the Eastern New York Chapter, and asked him a few questions about this historic purchase.
NNY: Can you tell us a bit about history of Balsam Mountain and the forests of Lost Clove?
Alan White: The forests of Lost Clove were actually cleared in the late 1800s and the hardwoods were used for furniture manufacturing and charcoal production. You can still find old charcoal pits along the state hiking trail up through Lost Clove. The hemlocks were used to produce bark for the local tanning mills.
There was a brief attempt to farm the lower slopes of Balsam Mountain (below about 2,500 feet), but the effort was unsuccessful and and eventually the forests began to regenerate. Most of the lands on Balsam Mountain above 2,900 feet were never disturbed and today exhibit the characteristics of virgin forest.
The Cruickshank family owned the property for multiple generations and provided the stewardship and care required to return these forests to excellent condition.
NNY: What is the importance of this land? Why did the Conservancy decide to purchase it?
Alan White: The property is located in one of the largest unfragmented forest blocks in the Catskill Mountain region. These large, contiguous forest systems serve as habitat for a wide range of species that are conservation priorities for The Nature Conservancy. Many migratory forest songbirds, like wood thrush and scarlet tanagers, require large tracts of forest to successfully reproduce.
Due to a drastic increase in property taxes the Cruickshank family needed to sell a significant amount of their forest holdings. Our purchase prevented the sale of this land to a timber company, and the resulting lumber harvest. We hope to add this property to the adjoining New York State Preserve so that this magnificent forest will be permanently protected as “forever wild.”
NNY: What kind of special plants and animals can be found here?
Alan White: The steep ravines, or "cloves" as the Dutch settlers called them, have naturally returned to beautiful hemlock forests that are at a high enough elevation to have resistance to an invasive insect that is threatening to eliminate hemlocks from the region.
The summit of Balsam Mountain contains a rare spruce and balsam fir plant community that can only be found at elevations over 3,500 feet in the Catskill Mountain Region. And, as part of a larger 84,000-acre forest, this property also contributes to the habitat requirements of species like bobcat and black bear that require large roaming territories.
NNY: Does The Nature Conservancy have any future plans for Balsam Mountain and Lost Clove?
Alan White: Eventually, we hope to transfer this property to New York State. The property contains portions of two DEC hiking trails and one of the last peaks in the Catskill Mountains over 3,500 feet that are unprotected. The 125-year-old red oak trees that we protected through this purchase may remain productive for another 200 years as part of the Catskill Preserve. This level of protection will also ensure that the springs and tributaries that feed into the Ashokan Reservoir will continue to provide pristine drinking water for New York City.
We also hope to have the opportunity to purchase two adjoining parcels in 2008.
NNY: How does this new acquisition play into the larger initiative for the Catskills program - and the Conservancy's more general Forestry and Climate Change Initiatives?
Alan White: According to our analysis, we need to continue to protect northern hardwood forest acreage globally to ensure that the biodiversity it hosts can survive large scale threats like atmospheric deposition, global climate change, and invasive species. The Balsam Mountain and Lost Clove projects have been a great way to highlight The Nature Conservancy's ability to work with private landowners on conservation strategies that will affect us on a local and a global scale.
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Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Roland Bahret (Catskills); Photo © The Nature Conservancy (Alan White).
