Susie Wood posted on August 25, 2010 09:41
On Friday, August 20, 2010, the Thousand Islands Land Trust board, staff, friends, and supporters gathered on Grindstone Island to dedicate plaques on TILT’s Grindstone Island Preserves. Five bronze plaques have been installed to commemorate the Heineman Family Nature Preserve, the Delaney Bay Marsh Wetland Preserve, the Rusho Farm Grassland Preserve, the Douglas Howard-Smith Grassland Preserve, and the Mid River Farm Preserve. Members of the families who contributed land for these preserves were present at the dedication ceremony and spoke about the history of the land and why it is important to conserve it. Ducks Unlimited Biologist Doug Gorby was also there to talk about the wetland and grassland restoration work completed on a few of these properties. The successful restoration of habitat has attracted many birds back to the area, including a few rare species like Least Bitterns, Eastern Meadowlarks, and Bobolinks.
The group of more than forty people caravanned on Mules, ATVs, and bicycles around the island to the different preserves to unveil and learn about each one. The plaque dedication ceremony was capped off with a delicious potluck lunch arranged by Doreen Meeks and Phil and Yvonne Marra at Dodge Hall. TILT’s mission to preserve wildlife habitat, natural beauty, and recreational opportunities in the Thousand Islands region is well represented by its Grindstone Island Preserves that also include Potter’s Beach, a popular recreation beach on the head of Grindstone. It was a beautiful day to honor the families that help make land conservation successful in the Thousand Islands.