by Ken Nims I Stewardship Director
On the shores of Lake Ontario in Cape Vincent, a former soybean farm has taken on new life. Through vision, generosity, and dedicated stewardship, it has become one of the Thousand Islands’ newest conservation achievements: the Edward & Marlene Schmeer Preserve. This June, we invite you to come explore it firsthand and connect with neighbors and friends in this new community treasure.
From Farmed Field to Native Grassland
When TILT acquired the property in 2023, the land looked very different from its natural state. Working in close partnership with the Schmeer family, our stewardship team began by reseeding the land with native grasses—a first step in restoring the soil. But restoration is never a single act, it is a series of careful decisions made over time.
In early 2025, the team returned with a forestry mulcher to tackle one of the landscape’s most significant barriers to grassland health: the hedgerows. From February through March, staff cleared these agricultural remnants to knit together the smaller, fragmented fields into a single expansive corridor—ideal habitat that rare and vulnerable bird species desperately need. Grassland birds generally avoid the edges of fields where predators can hide, and most species instinctively require at least 50–100 acres of open space to nest successfully. They naturally gravitate toward the center of large, square-shaped parcels, which offer greater safety than narrow or irregularly shaped fields.
Grassland connectivity is critical for species that depend on unbroken expanses of habitat. By removing these hedgerows, we are restoring the land to a more natural state but also enhancing the viability of the Preserve as a home for some of our region’s most at-risk grassland birds.”” — Jake Tibbles, Executive Director
By removing the hedgerows, Bobolinks, Henslow’s Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Upland Sandpipers— each of which relies on expansive, unbroken grasslands to breed—now have a far more viable home along the Lake Ontario shoreline. Mature trees were carefully preserved throughout the process, maintaining ecological balance while opening the broader landscape to these grassland-dependent species.
Connecting People to the Land
Restoration work has been matched by an equally strong commitment to connecting people with the land. In January 2026, we celebrated the completion of a new observation tower, constructed by Hill High Excavation and accessible via an easy 800 foot nature trail winding through the Preserve’s grasslands from the newly constructed parking area. From the tower’s platform, visitors can take in sweeping panoramic views of Lake Ontario, restored grasslands, a Lake Ontario barrier wetland, Wilson Bay, and the beloved Tibbetts Point Lighthouse.
This project was made possible through funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Conservation Partnership Program, co-administered by the Land Trust Alliance.