26 square miles. That’s over 12,500 football fields, or roughly the size of the City of Syracuse, New York. 

Believe it or not, that’s also the size of the Mullet Creek watershed. Yes, the Mullet Creek in Fisher’s Landing that’s only as wide as a school bus is long. Don’t blink when driving over the Mullet Creek bridge on Route 12; you’ll miss the meandering stream entirely! 

With its watershed sprawling into the Towns of Clayton, Orleans and Alexandria, it’s baffling to think that the rain, snow, ground and surface waters from this expansive area funnel down to a single creek channel that a long-jumper could clear. 

Remarkably, the Mullet Creek watershed encompasses nearly the same surface area as the Crooked Creek and French Creek watersheds combined! And even more astounding is that 45% of Mullet’s watershed remains forested with only about 6% having been developed. This means that the waters that currently feed the St. Lawrence from this small-but-mighty tributary remain relatively clean and safe for all to enjoy. 

This also presents itself as an opportunity for timely conservation; a chance to strategically protect the lands that keep our water and wildlife safe before they become degraded. And now that’s precisely what TILT’s conservation program endeavors to do.

In 2020, TILT was awarded a grant through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to kick off the Mullet Creek Conservation Initiative. The federal funding is to be used for the conservation of lands adjacent to Mullet Creek, ultimately providing a buffer between the creek and its adjoining upland uses. 

This spring, TILT launched the initiative with the purchase of the 33-acre Weisberg property on Route 180 in Omar. With over 18-acres of federally designated wetlands and several hundred feet of creek frontage, the Weisberg property acts as sponge to clean and hold water. The property is primarily in early-successional shrubland, meaning it’s rich with diverse biota from songbirds to salamanders. 

TILT is hopeful that the Weisberg acquisition is the first of many in the Mullet Creek region. 

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding was also awarded to TILT last autumn for the purchase of two properties on the foot of Grindstone Island in the Town of Clayton. TILT acquired the 13-acre Salisbury property and the 62-acre Moynihan property in October and December, respectively. Both properties contain pockets of emergent wetlands and majestic hardwood forests that are valuable breeding habitats neotropical migratory songbirds, waterfowl and shorebirds alike. These acquisitions mean that TILT now conserves over 2,500-acres on Grindstone, helping preserve the wild and remote character of this unique and cherished island.