the Way of the Turtle

SAD
2.1 Mile Walk at the Albany Shaker Historic Site & Ann Lee Pond
Monday, April 20, 2015

It's hard to believe I've been visiting Ann Lee Pond for almost seven years. It's also painful to see how much things have deteriorated through neglect... if ever an area needed a "Friends of" group, it's Ann Lee Pond...

I started out walking around the Shaker Historic Site... another area in somewhat sad straits, I suspect due to lack of funds. Wandered over to the barn to check out the chickens and turkeys, and got "gobbled" at by the big male. The chickens seemed hopeful that I was the bearer of stuff to eat... no such luck.

After that I headed over to the pond... the beavers have done quite a job stuffing branches into the spillway, but it's still running steadily. I suspect the county clears it periodically so the pond won't flood. The area near the spillway is one of the spots that the county does a pretty good job keeping up - they removed the decrepit benches a while back and they mow it pretty regularly when the grass is growing.

I headed along the shore over to the trails on the east side of the pond... they're actually in pretty good shape. When I reached the marshy area at the back of the pond, I took the unmarked path back toward the old beaver dam. The beaver pond has very little water in it, confirmation that the beavers have abandoned it... but when I walked out on the old dam, I noticed a pair of heron nests off in the distance, and the photos I took show a heron in each nest - good to see they're using that area as a rookery again. There were also a couple of hawks that seemed fairly agitated - maybe they have a nest around there too?

From there I walked back to the eastern end of the crazy bridge - still closed - and climbed out onto it with only a slight dunking of one shoe. Part of it seems to be tilted more than I remember, probably one of the reasons it was closed. It's really too bad an effort isn't being made to repair/rebuild the bridge... despite the vandalism of local hooligans, I've spent lots of time just hanging out on that bridge enjoying the wildlife in the pond.

Other than the bridge, the western side of the pond shows the greatest consequences of neglect. When I first visited Ann Lee Pond, there was a very nice loop trail through the woods. Within a year or two, that trail was so overgrown that it became impossible to follow - I know because I tried. At this point really the only trail on the western side runs from the parking lot to the closed bridge, and with the bridge closed there isn't much reason for anyone to go there - which I imagine is leading to even more neglect of the area (though it does seem like the main path has kept being mowed.)

Maybe at some point someone with the ability to make a difference will realize what a treasure Ann Lee Pond is. In the mean time, I guess the best we can do is enjoy what it still has to offer.

JMH