Property Description
Farming in this part of St. Lawrence County has always been marginal at best. Small patches of tillable ground between dramatic bedrock outcrops characterizes this property and many others located here in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. Originally a dairy farm, probably abandoned shortly after the depression of ’29, the house still stands, but just barely, and the foundation is all that remains of the cow barn. A power meter on the side of the house indicates electric was at one time available, but it now ends, as does the paved road at the easternmost corner of the property, roughly 3/4 of a mile from the remains of the farm yard. Rice Road is a gravel, seasonally maintained Town Road.
The geography, forest and wildlife characteristics are interesting and diverse. A description of the land features are as follows: ~25 acres of relatively flat hay fields with a small stream zig-zagging it’s way through them make excellent natural food plots for deer; ~20 acres of overgrown pasture characterized by shallow soils, rolling terrain and random bedrock outcrops scattered throughout, with gray birch, apple, hawthorne, hophornbeam, elm, black cherry and white pine the predominant species, are coveted by deer, grouse and turkey; ~125 acres of white pine, hemlock and spruce dominated softwood forest and ~105 acres of hardwood forest full of hard and soft maple, yellow birch, black cherry, basswood, beech and white ash, both covering areas with rugged terrain.
The hardwood and softwood forest stands have been growing in volume and value for over 50 years, slowed only by periodic insect defoliation and ice storms. Hundreds of medium to large sawtimber trees occupy the property. Rather than harvest this timber before the sale, the current owner decided to reserve it for the next owner. The new steward of the land will have the option to; recoup some of their investment early on by conducting a harvest in the near future, not cut and savor the beauty of the existing forest, or possibly, with the help of a professional forester, integrate both options and other considerations in a management plan designed to accomplish numerous short and long term objectives.
Three beaver ponds exist; one, ~12 acres in size is entirely on the property in the north central region, roughly 3 acres of a larger pond partially overlaps the western boundary and approximately 3 acres of another pond, also partially on the property, extends across the northern most boundary. The largest of the three is solely within the boundaries and is by far the most picturesque and accessible. It was there I found a hardy beaver population, painted and snapping turtles, blue heron and a variety of waterfowl. An old woods trail weaves it’s way westward from the end of Rice Road through a maple grove, passing near the southern shore of the pond. In that vicinity you’ll find the foundation of the sugar shanty identified by the remnants of the boiling pan returning to the earth nearby. Enormous old sugar maples still dominate the area surrounded by the seedlings and saplings of younger generations. Maple syrup production may be an option to explore for an ambitious owner. There are certainly enough trees present to tap for personal use.
Mineral rights are reserved on this property. The majority of previous mining operations in this area have been for subsurface minerals. The owner is not aware of any deeded owners that retained those rights with intentions to explore or mine the property’s surface or subsurface for minerals.
This property is outside the Adirondack State Park but just a stones throw from it. Gouverneur is the closest village, 20 minutes to the west. Local activities include concerts at the beautiful and historic Edwards Opera House, fishing on Sylvia Lake for native Lake and stocked Rainbow Trout, Small and Largemouth Bass and swimming in the Lakes public beach. Hunting, fishing, trapping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, 4 wheeling, snow sledding and numerous other outdoor activities may all be enjoyed on the property or within a short drive. An exceptional property with such great potential!
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