Directions to the Preserve, 38973 Zenda Road, Clayton, NY: From Clayton, take State Route 12E west toward Cape Vincent. Travel 1.3 miles from the stop light and turn right (north) onto Zenda Road. The first left is the drive into the Farm. Just past that left is a parking area for the Lois Jean and John MacFarlane Trail, which is on the right of Zenda Road.
ADDRESS: 38973 Zenda Rd, Clayton, NY 13624
Zenda Farms
Zenda was a dairy and later a beef farm that operated into the 1960s. Now, its agricultural history is preserved for future generations to discover and its pastures and meadows are conserved for grassland birds.
Northern New York hosts some of the highest quality habitat for grassland birds in the northeastern United States. Many of these species are in serious decline in eastern North America, so keeping the meadows open during nesting season is an integral part of Zenda’s management plan.
The house and boathouse were built around 1890 by Martha Reed Mitchell, a widow of one of the wealthiest men in the USA. In 1915, the property was acquired by James Hackett, one of the most active producing actor-managers in America who also owned his own theater in New York. He named the property after his favorite role, the title character in the 1913 film, The Prisoner of Zenda.
In 1939, Merle Youngs purchased the property. An entrepreneur who owned the Youngs Rubber Company, he acquired neighboring farms and created a large, 700+ acres state-of-the-art dairy and beef farm. He implemented new management techniques and new equipment: this was the site of the first automatic bottling plant in the region.
Upon Youngs’ death in 1958, the property was inherited by his business partner and close friend, John MacFarlane. In the early 1960s, economics forced him to divest the active farming operation and nearly 600 acres on the south side of Rte. 12E.
In 1997, LoisJean and John MacFarlane donated to TILT all the north side of the remaining farm, 107-acres and the ten Jamesway buildings.
Zenda is now the home of the annual Community Picnic, as well as numerous TILTreks, KidsTreks and often, TILTKids Camp. For a token rent, a local farmer operates the farm, but the mowing takes place after August 1st to allow the grassland birds to fledge their young.
TILT's management plan for the future of Zenda Farms is to establish the Preserve as a model for land conservation through community involvement and learning within its ecologically diverse and culturally historic farm setting.
Volunteers can help TILT's conservation work on one of the two annual Preserve Stewardship Days, or become trained as a Preserve Stewardship Volunteer and help TILT monitor the health of the preserve!
Partnerships at Zenda Farms
The Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) has been hard at work on a number of exciting new developments at Zenda Farms Preserve as a part of their plan to revitalize the property with new features and programming. These goals include making Zenda Farms a showcase for sustainable agriculture and local producers, providing opportunities for people to get out on the land and interact with nature, and finding new ways to use this special place to the benefit of the community. Learn more about TILT's Community Partnerships.
Zenda Community Garden
The Zenda Community Garden provides fresh, locally grown produce for participating families. Gardeners select plants, prepare the garden, weed and harvest, and then take home a share of the produce. In 2013 an adjacent Kids Korner Garden and Natural Play Area were added - both open to the public!
The Lois Jean and John MacFarlane Trail
A trail around the perimeter of the meadows was completed in 2011. Named for Zenda's original donors, the Lois Jean and John MacFarlane Trail is a low-impact, 1.5-mile-long trail for jogging, hiking, and cross-country skiing. The trail surrounds one of the grasslands conserved for nesting birds, so please, keep your dog on a leash during the nesting season from May-August.
Click here for the Zenda Farms Preserve map and MacFarlane Trail guide.
