Paul Keesler Books

Plantation Island Project

There is a project underway to officially rename the Plantation Island WMA area to the "M. Paul Keesler Wildlife Management Area". As you know, Mr. Keesler's upcoming book Mohawk- Discovering The Valley Of the Crystals has devoted an entire chapter to this area.

Click below for a direct link to discovery trips on Plantation Island.

http://www.paulkeeslerbooks.com/Lock18Island.html.

Mr. Keesler had researched, canoed and walked every inch of the Plantation Island area, and was instrumental in the efforts during the 1970's to protect and develop the island as a WMA.

To show your support for this project please take a few minutes to write or email the contacts below.

Commissioner Denise Sheehan
NYS-DEC
625 Broadway
Albany, NY 12233-1011

OR call at 518 402-8540

OR you can copy and paste the attached letter, sign it and leave it on her
NYS-DEC web page at
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/about/emailform.html

OR you can leave your own message on her NYS-DEC web page at
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/about/emailform.html

Another excellent contact would be our DEC Regional Director:

Ms. Sandra LeBarron
Region 6 Director, NYS-DEC
317 Washington St.
Watertown, NY 13601

Phone- 315 785-2239
E-mail- sllebarr@gw.dec.state.ny.us

Below are letters written by various supporters.

Dear Commissioner Sheehan,

I am writing to you in support of the movement for the NYS-DEC to officially designate the Plantation Island area as the “M. Paul Keesler Wildlife Management Area”.

Mr. Keesler, one of New York State’s finest and most respected outdoor communicators, passed away on July 27th at age 67. He was an author; historian; sportsman/conservationist and outdoor writer who will probably best be remembered as the founding Editor/Publisher of the wonderful and long-running New York Sportsman magazine. As a professional outdoor writer for the past 30 years, he had become highly respected among his peers as well as by the general outdoor sporting public, statewide.

As author of many outdoor-related books, Mr. Keesler has shared his latest and perhaps his finest work, Mohawk – Discovering The Valley Of The Crystals via his “Book In Progress” section of his web page, at http://www.paulkeeslerbooks.com/Mohawk.htm. To complete his vast research on this fascinating region of our state, Mr. Keesler walked or canoed every foot of the Mohawk River over the past four years from its source to its confluence with the Hudson River. An entire chapter of the book is devoted to Plantation (Lock 18) Island, at http://www.paulkeeslerbooks.com/Lock18Island.html. Once the finishing touches are completed by family and friends, the book will be published and possibly recognized as the authority on the Mohawk River and Valley for many decades to come.

In addition, Mr. Keesler played an integral part in the early 70’s to secure and protect Lock 18 island as a WMA. His work in publicizing that campaign via print and television was possibly the deciding factor toward the success for the effort.

Thank you, and I hope I can count on your support in the above.

Sincerely,