Tony C. Zappia: Focus on the Outdoors

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Sunday, July 1, 2007

STOP the Wilson Hill WMA Road!!!!

Hen mallard

Tony Zappia is spearheading a group of sportsmen who are opposed to the re-construction of the Wilson Hill Road on top of a proposed dike across the Wilson Hill wetlands. The reason for the protest today is to galvanize sportsmen and other interested people to contact DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis to put a stop to the proposed road to be constructed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA).

Around 1958-59 NYPA agreed to create the Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area as mitigation for the construction of the power dam on the St. Lawrence River. This was part of its 50 year license agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Dikes were constructed to separate wetland pools from the St. Lawrence River creating the East (Refuge) Pool, the West Pool, Bradford Pool and the South Marsh. The main causeway connected the east end of Wilson Hill Island to the mainland and State Route 131. The old Wilson Hill Road that used to connect the west of the island to the mainland was flooded by the dikes.

In the late 1990’s NYPA started preparations to renew the 50 year FERC license. They asked DEC to provide them with habitat management actions that would improve the management of the wetlands. Wildlife Biologists asked for a dike to separate the East Pool from the West pool and the installation of a pump at the main causeway to allow water level management independent of the level of the St. Lawrence River. At that time the Wilson Hill Homeowners Association demanded that the old Wilson Hill Road be re-constructed by NYPA on top of the new dike over the objections of DEC Wildlife Biologists. Previous DEC Region 6 Directors Tom Brown and John Wilson always opposed the re-construction of the road.

NYPA has stated the road should be 24 ft wide, paved and have guide rails on the portion on the dike. NYPA has also agreed the road would be rebuilt all the way from State Highway 37 to the main road on Wilson Hill Island. They state the road will only be open to emergency vehicles. Wildlife staff objections to the road were not included in the final FERC license.

There was never a promise made by either DEC or NYPA to construct the road in the original FERC license. The Wilson Hill residents who have moved to the island have always known the main causeway was the only way to and from the island. They justified the proposed road originally as a needed emergency route to the west end of the island. The relocation of one of the fire stations has improved access time to the east end. Dalton Foster stated March 21^st that he thought the road might be used once a year for an emergency.

The most recent justification is the need for an alternate access to and from the island should the main causeway be blocked impassable. In the last 50 years the main causeway has supposedly been blocked only once.

The Town of Louisville Supervisor has said publicly that as soon as the road is built he will work to get the road open to the public. If the residents are able to get the road built thru politics then politicians will get the road open to the public.

There are no redeeming features to wildlife of a road built thru the middle of a wetland wildlife management area. Tony says now is the time to act. Contact the Commissioner and demand that he STOP the Wilson Hill Road construction NOW. The Commissioner can be reached by writing to: Alexander P. Grannis, Commissioner New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233, Tel. 518 402-8545 or e-mail at : pgrannis@gw.dec.state.ny.us