Camillus, NY, Maple-Hardwood Grove   David Yarrow   Sep 15, 2003 06:41 PDT  congratulations, team!! you guys are amazing in dedication and reliability. no one knows where tecumseh was buried, but be sure his spirit is honored. perhaps the green panther-across-the-sky resurrect and visit those great white pines. the story of tecumseh is among my favorite tales of indigenous america, right there with the peacemaker, white buffalo calf woman and quetzalcoatl -- a tale barely known by any non-native americans, even those who know about the new madrid earthquake of 1812. sunday evening I was riding with my friend warren on route 2 through the northern berkshires past MSP and MTSF on our way home from a staff training weekend for new warriors. it was still raining in the mountains, but trees along the road were glorious, with distant mountains wrapped in tendrils of virgin white clouds. seemed a land shrouded in secrets and mystery. by the time we cruised thru williamstown, rain stopped, and sun came out as we re-entered the empire state. a nearly full rainbow followed us all the way to the hudson and home. made your mountain forests seem far more magical. twice in recent months friends in camillus, west of syracuse, took me to see a maple-hardwood grove -- perhaps 20 acres, 200+ year old trees, up to 3 foot dbh, crown at 100+ feet, on an isolated 700 foot hilltop plateau, with an ancient spring, now dry, facing east. in the distance, a few miles away, onondaga lake is visible. not much land area, but any old growth in central new york is astonishing given the settlement history. my sense is this is an important sacred space, but I need to return again for a more thoughtful encounter. apparently a few years ago trees were marked for harvest, but NYSDEC stepped in and forced sale of the property. it is now a "unique area" -- apparently the DEC is still reluctant to say "old growth." I should have the DEC draft plan for the site this week. David Yarrow Turtle EyeLand Sanctuary 44 Gilligan Road, East Greenbush, NY 12061 518-477-6100 www.championtrees.org www.championtrees.org/oldgrowth/ www.championtrees.org/yarrow/ Camillus Forest   David Yarrow   Oct 27, 2003 07:40 PST  in the last week, I have assembled a webpage on Camillus Forest, a 40-acre stand of 160-280 year old trees -- mostly sugar maples and beech, with a blend of other tree species and a rich diversity of understory herbaceous plants: www.championtrees.org/oldgrowth/surveys/CamillusForest.htm Camillus Forest, while not as great, grand or glorious as Zoar Valley, Mohawk Trail, Cook Forest, the Smokies, or a dozen other forests studied and characterized by ENTS, is a remarkable remnant of original forest in central NY. central NY was squarely in the path of progress that swept up the Hudson-Mohawk-Finger Lakes corridor; consequently, nearly all woodlands were cut down for agriculture and industry. to have even 40 acres of unplowed land beside the path of the Erie Canal is extra-ordinary. and we nearly lost even that just six years ago. David Yarrow Turtle EyeLand Sanctuary 44 Gilligan Road, East Greenbush, NY 12061   Home