Commitment to Stewardship

Over the last 25 years, the Thousand Islands Land Trust has been at the forefront of land and watershed conservation in the Thousand Islands and St. Lawrence River Valley region. With the help of its many conservation partners, TILT has conserved over 3,500 acres as fee-owned preserves. “Those 3,500 acres make up a web of ecological systems that reflect the building blocks of our region’s natural beauty, wildlife habitat, and recreational opportunities,” explained Jake Tibbles. “As a conservation organization, TILT is committed to the perpetual stewardship of its preserves.”

TILT participates in the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Under the program, each year TILT mows different tracts of grassland to manage them for grassland nesting birds like the Eastern Meadowlark and Bobolink, which are New York threatened species. Managing open grasslands is extremely important, as grasslands are decreasing at a faster rate than any other type of wildlife habitat in Northeastern United States. To date, TILT has approximately 800 acres that are managed as grassland through WHIP.

The last decade has marked a new commitment to environmental planning and land management in the region. “The St. Lawrence River Valley and surrounding landscapes are one of the most important regions in New York for our organization and its partners” says Doug Gorby, Regional Biologist for Ducks Unlimited (DU). “The mix of river, wetlands, and extensive grasslands in the valley provide critical habitat for breeding and migratory waterfowl and other wildlife species. The protection and restoration of these habitats, and partnering with conservation organizations like TILT that can further these efforts, will help preserve these vital ecosystems.”
Since 2007, TILT has worked diligently with DU and US Fish & Wildlife to restore and manage glacial pothole wetlands on Grindstone Island. Speckling the region, glacial potholes diversify the canvas of wetland habitat. During the last ice event, these pothole wetlands were carved from the granite bedrock by receding glaciers and were home to wildlife for thousands of years. At the turn of the 20th century, farmers filled in the pothole wetlands to increase “useful” agricultural land. The restoration projects conducted on the Howard-Smith Preserve and the Rusho Farm Preserve have stimulated dormant water plants, enticing the reestablishment of many wetland bird species and other wildlife. With the professional guidance of DU, TILT continues to monitor the water level and aquatic vegetation associated with the restored pothole wetlands.

This fall, TILT enrolled the Heineman Family Nature Preserve on Grindstone Island in an early successional habitat management program funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI set up the program to assist wildlife and wildlife habitat protection in and around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Valley region. Partnered with NRCS, TILT manages the 230 acre preserve for early successional (shrub land) bird species and other wildlife. More importantly, the program is directed at the protection of the Golden-winged Warbler, another threatened bird species in the Northeastern United States.

In all, land trust preserves help maintain and enhance the region’s natural resources while providing widespread benefits to the public in the form of improved water quality and recreational and educational opportunities. It is TILT’s mission to keep a strong focus on protecting and preserving the region’s natural resources and heritage for our future generations.