Chapter 18 - Recreation
Utica Marsh
When
the Expressway was built across the Mohawk Valley Floodplain between north
Utica and the rest of the city in the 1970s, it restricted the flow of
floodwaters and created a huge marsh. Thanks to some far-thinking people
like members of the Federated Sportsmen's Clubs of Oneida County and the
Izaak Walton League, and such dedicated professionals as DEC Wildlife Biologist,
John Page, this land was acquired by the State of New York and developed
as a Wildlife Management Area. Today it's the renowned Utica Marsh.
Discovery:
Frosting on the Cake
November 9, 2002, 55 degrees, Partly Sunny
It was 10:15 a.m. when Bridget and I put on our daypacks
and walked west from Utica Harbor on the Barge Canalway Trail. We stopped
briefly at the viewing tower at the north end of the marsh, crossed the
railroad tracks, and turned south to a Utica Marsh parking area.
From there it was only a short walk to a viewing tower
located in the middle of the marsh.
The trail to the tower parallels the railroad
tracks, but for part of the way a water-filled, brush-lined ditch separates
them. As we walked down the trail three mallards jumped from the ditch,
cranking up our heartbeats and getting this discovery trip off to a good
"start."
This mid-marsh tower provides a panoramic view of water and wetlands
on each side of the railroad. To the east, for much of the year, are acres
of open water where travelers along the Expressway (Route 8 & 12) often
see ducks, geese, seagulls and an occasional great blue heron or snowy
egret. To the west the marsh waters are less open and bordered by grass,
brush and trees.
From the trail we saw a few ducks in the water on
our right, but the raised railroad bed blocked the view on our left. However,
when we climbed the tower we discovered the open water on the other side
of the railroad tracks was literally filled with Canada geese. In addition
to geese there were small flocks of ducks. There were more ducks in the
less open water on the other side of the tower.
Utica Marsh is no rinky-dink place.
It's 213 acres of water and vegetation wedged between the Barge Canal,
Mohawk River and one of the biggest (and oldest) auto dumps in the Mohawk
Valley. Most people see the Marsh from the Expressway, so depending on
the season all they see are lots of water, acres of purple loosestrife,
flocks of ducks and gaggles of geese. Frosting on the cake.
Canada geese and ducks filled the waters between the railroad tracks
and the Expressway. The tasseled grass in the foreground is common reed
or phragmities. During the summer much of this section of the marsh is
a carpet of purple loosestrife blossoms.
Hidden from view by all but the serious observer
is a variety of wildlife, including such critters as turtles, frogs, muskrat,
beaver, raccoon, fox, coyote, white-tailed deer, owls, hawks and enough
songbirds to fill a log book. And there is a lot more to the marsh vegetation
than the summertime carpet of marauding magenta blossoms. Although loosestrife
is beautiful when in full bloom and loved by beekeepers, it crowds out
such beneficial-to-wildlife plants as cattails, and fills in marshland
at an alarming rate. Despite the dominance of this exotic plant, there
are still patches of cattails and an increasing presence of common reed.
This elegant, tall-tasseled grass, also called phragmities, is an interloper
in upstate marshes, but is nowhere as intrusive as loosestrife.
After viewing the marsh from the tower, we continued
down the trail. Although the trail runs around the south end of the marsh,
it was grown over and too wet to travel without hip boots, so we climbed
up to the railroad tracks. We followed the gravel road beside the tracks,
passing under the Expressway Bridge and over the Mohawk River Railroad
Bridge. We were surprised to find so many deer tracks in the mud under
the Expressway Bridge.
Reversing course, we returned to the tower and walked
back to the parking area. However, before returning to the Barge Canalway
Trail we walked down the trail that runs along the western end of the marsh.
This trail passes through woods and marsh. Boardwalks provide crossings
over mud and water on part of the trail. We walked to the end of the "dry"
trail and headed back. On the way we met a man who was looking for the
viewing tower. After pointing him in the right direction, we headed for
the car, arriving at the Utica Harbor parking lot at 12:30.
Today there are a number of organizations and individuals
that are deeply involved in maintaining, understanding and promoting Utica
Marsh. For more information and a map see:
http://academics.hamilton.edu/biology/ewilliam/utica_marsh.html
Follow the path of this discovery trip by clicking on Mohawk Valley Maps: by Maptech.
Type Utica select New York, press GO!
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