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Labrador Hollow Unique Area

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Labrador Hollow Unique Area
An aerial view of Labrador Hollow Unique Area, facing north towards Labrador Pond
Labrador Hollow Unique Area is located in New York
Labrador Hollow Unique Area
Location within New York
LocationCortland and Onondaga counties, New York
Nearest cityTully, New York
Coordinates42°47′10″N 76°02′46″W / 42.786°N 76.046°W / 42.786; -76.046
Area1,474 acres (5.97 km2)[1]: 8 
Established1978[1]: 12 
Governing bodyNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The Labrador Hollow Unique Area is a 1,474-acre (5.97 km2) conservation area located in Cortland and Onondaga counties, New York. The area is located adjacent to and between Kettlebail State Forest and Morgan Hill State Forest, and is managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The area is open to the public and includes Labrador Pond and the 50-foot (15 m) Tinker Falls.

Labrador Hollow is a glacially carved valley. The land was sparsely populated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, though portions were logged or used for farming, including the cultivation of ginseng. New York state purchased the land for preservation purposes between 1974 and 1978, naming it a "Unique Area". Since that time several trails have been developed on the land, including a boardwalk around wetlands by Labrador Pond and a handicapped accessible trail to Tinkers Falls.

Physical features

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Labrador Hollow sits within a one-half-mile-wide (0.80 km) glacially carved valley with steep walls. The valley's orientation and topography cause it to be shaded for most of the day, leading to cooler conditions and plant life more typical of mountain bogs such as those found in the Adirondacks.[1]: 12  336 acres (1.36 km2) of Labrador Hollow are classified as freshwater wetlands.[1]: 19 

The valley ends to the north at a roughly 100-foot (30 m) hill, which divides water that flows south into Labrador Creek (and is part of the Susquehanna River watershed) from water that flows north into Butternut Creek (and eventually reaches the St. Lawrence River).[1]: 11–12 [2] The unique area is situated between Kettlebail State Forest and Morgan Hill State Forest, and its 1,474 acres (5.97 km2) are split between Cortland County (714 acres (2.89 km2)) and Onondaga County (760 acres (3.1 km2)), New York.[1]: 11–12  A paved county paved roads travel north to south through the unique area.[3]

Tinker Falls

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Tinker Falls

Tinker Falls[4] (also known as Tinkers Falls) is a waterfall approximately 50 feet (15 m) in height.[5] The falls are formed by a small stream which cut a gorge through shale above a 20-to-30-foot-thick (6.1 to 9.1 m) layer of limestone, which rests atop more shale. As the limestone shelf eroded much slower than the more easily eroded shale below, a waterfall with a recessed amphitheater was formed.[6]

Labrador Pond

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Labrador Pond[7] is 102 acres (41 ha) in size,[8] and is shallow throughout, with a maximum depth of four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 m).[9] The pond floor is largely muck, that can be as deep as 30 feet (9.1 m).[10] It supports a variety of warm-water fish species, and contains significant aquatic vegetation.[8]

A major tributary to the pond is Shackham Brook.[2] The pond's outflow is Labrador Creek, which flows into the east branch of the Tioughnioga River.[11]

History

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There is no documentation of Native American presence in the valley prior to European settlement. Portions of trees were logged in the 1800s.[12] In 1908, William Martin Beauchamp described Labrador Pond as being surrounded by "thick and marshy woods".[13] The land around Labrador Pond was a noted area for cultivating ginseng in the early 20th century. In 1905, the Syracuse Herald-Journal reported that it had been "pronounced by experts to be the most desirable" land for growing ginseng in the United States.[14]

In the 1970s, local environmentalists became concerned with preserving the land around Labrador Pond. The preservation group "Save the County" (based in Onondaga County), conducted walkathons to fund land purchases in the interest of preservation.[15][16] Around the same time, New York State began considering purchasing the land with funds raised by its 1972 Environmental Quality Bond Act.[17] In 1974, the State announced that it had approved up to $500,000 for the purpose of purchasing 900 acres (360 ha) of largely undeveloped land around Labrador Pond from private landowners.[16] At the time, there were several farms and, according to The Post-Standard, "fewer than a dozen homes" on the land, but many landowners were unwilling to sell.[18] Negotiations took several years, and in 1978, the State announced that it had reached agreements to purchase 1,000 acres (400 ha).[19] The area opened in April 1978.[1]: 12  An additional 307 acres (124 ha) of land were transferred from Morgan Hill State Forest to Labrador Hollow in 1984.[1]: 12 

In the 1980s, the area had a forest ranger.[20] A wooden boardwalk in the wetlands by Labrador Pond opened in October 1985,[10][21] and repaired in a 2004-2008 DEC project, when the wood was replaced with wood–plastic composite. As part of the same repair project, a handicapped accessible path was developed to Tinker Falls, and boardwalk installed by the boat launch.[22] In 2013-2014, the state DEC, in partnership with the Adirondack Mountain Club, developed a stone staircase that went to the amphitheater behind Tinker Fall, and another that went to the top of the falls.[5][23]

Ecology

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Labrador Hollow contains a forested peatland of red maples and conifers. Studies conducted in the early 2000s estimated that 75-80% of the peatland was covered with sphagnum mosses.[24][25] Amphibians including spotted salamanders live and breed in the unique area and nearby state forests.[26] Although a 1982 inventory of species in Labrador Hollow found [1]: 26 

Species of fish that can be found in Labrador Pond include chain pickerel, largemouth bass, yellow perch, pumpkinseed, bluegill, common carp, and brown bullhead.[17] Waterfowl, dragonflies, and several mammal species also live in and around the pond.[1]: 20 

Recreation and facilities

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Boardwalk through the wetlands at the north end of Labrador Pond

Labrador Hollow Unique Area is open to the public for recreation including hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, nature viewing, fishing, hunting, and non-motorized boating. A hang glider launch is located on a hillside in the eastern portion of the area.[9][27]

In addition to 4.8 miles (7.7 km) of trails that are maintained within the area, a 2,000-foot (0.38 mi; 0.61 km) handicapped-accessible boardwalk is available within the wetlands at the northern end of Labrador Pond. Additional accessible features include a fishing pier along the pond's western shore, and a trail to view Tinkers Falls from near its base.[27]

Fishing is permitted from a pier constructed on the western shore, or from non-motorized boats that may be hand-launched from the same location. To protect the sensitive shoreline habitat, shore fishing is not permitted.[9]

Prohibited activities within the unique area include camping and the building of fires, although primitive camping is permitted in the adjacent state forest properties.[9][27]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hill and Hollow Unit Management Plan (PDF) (Report). NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. January 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Water-resources Investigations Report. The United States Geological Survey. 1987. pp. 68–70.
  3. ↑ Karraker, Nancy E.; Gibbs, James P. (April 1, 2011). "Contrasting road effect signals in reproduction of long- versus short-lived amphibians". Hydrobiologia. 664 (1): 213–218. doi:10.1007/s10750-010-0592-1. hdl:10722/145048. ISSN 1573-5117.
  4. ↑ "Tinker Falls". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Figura, David (July 28, 2014). "Trail access project at Tinker Falls now includes stone stair cases, spectacular view". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, NY. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Brown, Thomas C. (April 13, 1906). "Columbia Field Work in 1905 Intercollegiate Field Courses in Geology". Science. 23 (589): 589. Bibcode:1906Sci....23..587B. doi:10.1126/science.23.589.587. PMID 17797345. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Labrador Pond". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Labrador Pond". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Rybaak, Spider (2003). Fishing Eastern New York. Globe Pequot. p. 307. ISBN 9780762711000. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Peel, Bob (November 9, 1986). "Walkway unveils beauty of Labrador Pond". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. 15. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  11. ↑ Conheady, Matt. "Tinkers Falls, Truxton". NYFalls. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  12. ↑ Paratley, Robert D.; Fahey, Timothy J. (1986). "Vegetation-Environment Relations in a Conifer Swamp in Central New York". Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 113 (4): 357–371. doi:10.2307/2996429. ISSN 0040-9618.
  13. ↑ Beauchamp, William Martin (1908). Past and Present of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York: From Prehistoric Times to the Beginning of 1908. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 28.
  14. ↑ "Culture of Ginseng". Syracuse Herald-Journal. January 29, 1905. p. 23. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Save the County richer by $60,000". Syracuse Herald-Journal. May 7, 1973. p. 8. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  16. 1 2 "State to buy Labrador Pond site". Syracuse Herald-Journal. July 19, 1974. p. 3. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  17. 1 2 "Labrador Hollow Unique Area". NYSDEC. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  18. ↑ Andrews, Robert W. (August 7, 1974). "Battle Shapes up as State Prepares To Take Over Labrador Pond Area". The Post-Standard. p. 14. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Labrador Pond Acquired By State". Syracuse Herald-Journal. June 30, 1978. p. 29. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  20. ↑ Nolan, Maureen (March 27, 1986). "Neighbors campaign to keep Labrador ranger". The Post-Standard. p. 18. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  21. ↑ Carmichael, Lachlan (October 17, 1985). "Happy Trails: State Tailors Natural Area to Handicapped". The Post-Standard. p. 4. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  22. ↑ Figura, David (October 19, 2008). "Nature for Everyone: Check out Labrador Hollow". The Post-Standard. p. 41. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Stone stairs installed to access Tinker Falls". Daily Sentinel. August 25, 2014. p. 12. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  24. ↑ Yavitt, Joseph B.; Seidman-Zager, Michael (March 1, 2006). "Methanogenic Conditions in Northern Peat Soils". Geomicrobiology Journal. 23 (2): 119–127. doi:10.1080/01490450500533957. ISSN 0149-0451.
  25. ↑ Coles, Janice R. P.; Yavitt, Joseph B. (May 1, 2002). "Control of Methane Metabolism in a Forested Northern Wetland, New York State, by Aeration, Substrates, and Peat Size Fractions". Geomicrobiology Journal. 19 (3): 293–315. doi:10.1080/01490450290098397. ISSN 0149-0451.
  26. ↑ Gibbs, James P.; Shriver, W. Gregory (June 1, 2005). "Can road mortality limit populations of pool-breeding amphibians?". Wetlands Ecology and Management. 13 (3): 281–289. doi:10.1007/s11273-004-7522-9. ISSN 1572-9834.
  27. 1 2 3 "Labrador Hollow Unique Area". NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
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