Hi all, Just a quick note to add more context.
The City and the private group, The Friends of Stewart Park, have been awarded a grant to make some renovations to the Boat House that would allow limited use of the second floor. Additional grants will likely be applied for to further restore the Boat House. http://www.ithaca.com/news/article_7538462a-5fe9-11e2-84aa-001a4bcf887a.html The Friends may have a long-term plan for further improvements to the Swan Pen. http://friendsofstewartpark.org/ The larger, "unkempt" Bird Sanctuary is considered a Natural Area by the City and therefore received minimal maintenance as opposed to parkland. Although certainly the trails could be maintained by volunteers like they are in Six Mile Creek or as the Cayuga Trails Club does on other areas around the County. -Chris --------------- Chris Proulx Alderperson, Fifth Ward City of Ithaca [email protected] On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 1:40 PM, Suan Hsi Yong <[email protected]> wrote: > If you buy a map of Ithaca, you see those woods clearly marked as > Fuertes Bird Sanctuary. > However it came to pass, Fuertes is the de facto name of those woods > as far as the city and population is concerned. > > Jane's fine articles and research show that this is erroneous (I > assume due to a clerical error or some such), but "the truth" is > irrelevant if we don't do something about it (e.g., make corrections > in the city records, publicize the matter more widely, etc.). > > I think the important question is: do we want to do anything about it? > Getting it "right" may be an uphill battle for minimal gain, causing > nothing but confusion along the way. Maybe it's just best and easiest > to stick with the "wrong" name. > > Speaking pragmatically, one might consider the potential impact on > conservation of both the wildwoods and the swan pen. Both places look > to many people like messy unkempt places that could benefit from being > replaced by nice neat gardens or apartment buildings (I'd like to > think this is less true of Ithacans -- but remember the clearing of > Salt Point a few years back? It only takes a few ill-informed people > in power to make huge mistakes). Does attaching the Fuertes name carry > more weight with potential conservation discussions in the future? > Which parcel needs it more? > > The swan pen looks messier, and the boathouse (which I guess was > slated to house a birding museum) is in bad disrepair. After reading > about this "Fuertes Bird Sanctuary" last fall, I *ahem* may or may not > have snuck upstairs to the balcony of that building, to be amazed by > the view it gave of the ponds -- it's a fantastic spot for birding. > But the floors are uneven, the wood looks weak and on the verge of > collapse, and I assume the boat club blocks off that stairway for > safety reasons. (Which is to say -- don't go upstairs; and if you do > and fall, don't sue me or the boat club :-D). Sooner or later we'll be > faced with having to do something about that building, and that could > impact the future state of the swan pen a.k.a. the "real" Fuertes Bird > Sanctuary. > > Suan > > -- > > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES > http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm > > ARCHIVES: > 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html > 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds > 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html > > Please submit your observations to eBird: > http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ > > -- > -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
