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On Saturday, September 27, the Salmon River Steward program will offer guided tours of Salmon River Falls Unique Area in Orwell, east of Pulaski, NY. The Falls tours will be offered at 9:30am and 3:00pm starting at the main kiosk near the parking lot.
There are several trail options at the Salmon River Falls Unique Area. The hard gravel surface, two-tenths-of-a-mile Falls Trail is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and allows people with various levels of physical abilities, in wheelchairs, and parents with strollers to enjoy the environment. This summer the Adirondack Mountain Club enhanced the Riverbed Trail, adding wooden stairs from the Falls Trail to the top of the falls.
The more serious hikers can take on the 600-foot-long, steep Gorge Trail that drops more than 100 feet in elevation. The Adirondack (ADK) Mountain Club created the Gorge Trail in 2000 and made improvements to the drainage and accessibility in 2008 under a contract with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC).
Two separate “Overlooks” along the Falls Trail offer visitors a distant or close-up view of the falls.
“The Salmon River Steward Program is pleased to provide tours to enhance the public enjoyment of this Unique Area,” says Salmon River Steward Program Coordinator Mary Penney of New York Sea Grant. “We will review safety cautions as well as providing information on the natural resources and geologic features of the falls area.”
The tours are among many free activities scheduled as part of the 9am-4pm celebration of National Hunting & Fishing Day and Open House & Family Days at the NYSDEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery, 2133 County Route 22, Altmar. This day recognizing the contributions to natural conservation by responsible hunters and anglers is always the 4th Saturday of each September. The first National Hunting and Fishing Day was held in Pennsylvania as Outdoor Sportsman’s Day in 1970. The day went national in 1972 by federal legislation.
The Saturday, September 27th free activities at the Hatchery will include Hatchery tours, fly tying, flycasting, on-stream fishing demonstrations for Pacific salmon and by the Lake Ontario Steelhead Association, a rare and unusual fish display, the Laser Shot Game, boat safety with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and cross-country skiing, canoeing, kayaking, and conservation exhibits.
Salmon River Steward Greg Chapman will be available from 11am to 3pm to answer questions about the Emerald Ash Boer, an invasive forest pest that threatens invasion of the Tug Hill region.
For more information on the Salmon River Falls Unique Area tours, contact Salmon River Steward Program Coordinator Mary Penney at 315-312-3042. For details on the National Hunting and Fishing Day celebration at the NYSDEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery, call 315-298-7605.
Information Catch of the Day: The economic impact of wildlife conservation locally:
Locally, NY Sea Grant evaluated the economic impact of just fishing alone in the region of the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario in Jefferson and Oswego counties and the Salmon River in 1996. The total was more than $120 million. Overall, anglers spent $170 million on trips to New York’s Great Lakes waters in 1996: spending $134 million on-site and $37 million enroute. (Source: 1996 angler effort and expenditures on New York’s Great Lakes waters. Connelly, N., D. Kuehn, T. Brown, and B. Knuth. 1999.)
To reach the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, follow State Route 13 to County Route 22 north to Altmar. The Hatchery is on the left.
Directions to Salmon River Falls Unique Area: From the Salmon River Fish Hatchery, take Country Route 22 north approximately 4.6 miles, turn right onto Falls Road, the Falls will be about .6 miles east on the right.
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