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Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area

IUCN Category IVNew York State Natural Heritage AreasProtected areas of Oswego County, New YorkWildlife management areas of New York (state)
DeerCreekMarsh Dune
DeerCreekMarsh Dune

Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area is an 1,195-acre (484 ha) New York State Wildlife Management Area (WMA) with a 4,500-foot (1,400 m) sandy beach on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario; it is in the Town of Richland in Oswego County, New York. Deer Creek Marsh lies at the southern limit of a 17-mile-long (27 km) region of sandy barrier beaches that protect coastal lagoons and marshes; the region is unusual geologically and is important as habitat for many species. Deer Creek Marsh WMA is part of the Eastern Lake Ontario Marshes Bird Conservation Area, along with Black Pond and Lakeview WMAs and the Sandy Pond Beach Unique Area. Some of the hiking and boating opportunities in the WMA are described in a brochure and a website created through the New York Sea Grant.Until 1979, Deer Creek Marsh was divided into a number of privately held properties. The sand that underlies the region was being mined for construction and industrial purposes, and led to concern about the long-term conservation of the area. Efforts by New York State to make conventional purchases of these properties for a WMA were unsuccessful, and in the end the land was obtained through a controversial use of eminent domain.Within the year, a project to restore the dunes commenced. Debris and unused buildings were removed. The project was partly a response to massive erosion in the region following April 1979 storms. A commission studying this erosion concluded that it was exacerbated by the degraded state of the native beachgrass and other plants along the dunes; beachgrass in particular builds and stabilizes coastal sand dunes. Damaged stands of beachgrass were replanted following some experiments with differing varieties and cultivation methods. These experiments were apparently the foundation for the extensive beachgrass restoration that was subsequently undertaken along the entire length of the eastern Lake Ontario coastal dunes. In 2007, Deer Creek Marsh WMA was designated as part of a New York Natural Heritage Area, the "Eastern Lake Ontario Barrier Beach and Wetland Complex".

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area
South Rainbow Shores Road,

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Wikipedia: Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management AreaContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 43.601 ° E -76.198 °
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Rainbow Shores

South Rainbow Shores Road 186
13142
New York, United States
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call3152985110

Website
rainbowshoresny.com

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Sandy Island Beach State Park
Sandy Island Beach State Park

Sandy Island Beach State Park is a New York State park on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario. Its highlight is a 1,500-foot (460 m) natural sandy beach. The park is near the southern end of a notable 17-mile (27 km) length of sandy shoreline, coastal dunes, and wetlands (the Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands); a 1959 study noted that "The eastern end of Lake Ontario contains not only the finest beaches on the entire lake but also the finest wildlife habitat."The park's facilities include several lake swimming areas with lifeguards (in season), changing rooms and restrooms, and a concession stand; a parking fee is charged through the summer season. The park averages about 30,000 recorded visits each season.Prior to 2011, the park's area totaled 13 acres (5.3 ha). At that time, the adjacent 120-acre (49 ha) Sandy Island Beach Unique Area was a conservation area administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Unique Area incorporated several additional acres of land near the park as well as most of the southern end of North Sandy Pond. In 2011, administration and ownership of both the Sandy Island Beach Unique Area and the nearby Sandy Pond Beach Unique Area were transferred to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to be incorporated into Sandy Island Beach State Park. As of 2014, the park covers a total of 229 acres (93 ha) in the Town of Richland in Oswego County.