In 2019, TILT’s strategic planning process reinforced the organization’s overarching goal to protect the ecological and environmental integrity of the Thousand Islands region, helping ensure resilience to climate change. Through the implementation of regional and landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects, TILT endeavors to identify and preserve the lands and waters that provide the greatest amount of ecosystem services and that are most sensitive to disruption; safeguarding the region’s natural capital, so to speak.  

TILT put that goal to action this spring with the purchase of the 116± acre Snyder property on Ledges Road near Fishers Landing. With nearly 20-acres of wetlands, over 65-acres of mature mixed forest and 3,500 feet of frontage on the Mullet Creek, the Snyder property exemplifies TILT’s conservation strategy. The tract abuts the organization’s existing lands along the Creek, which feeds the St. Lawrence just a mile and half downstream in Fishers Landing. It’s home to a number of rare and threatened species, from northern harrier and Blanding’s turtles to rare shiners and bats

“We’ve enjoyed watching the wildlife on the property for many years and it’s a relief to know that land will be protected moving forward,” said Gene and Brenda Snyder, who sold the property to TILT. 

“Maintaining the Snyder property in its natural state will allow Mullet Creek to continue serving as a fish spawning habitat while providing clean water to the River,” said Nathan Helmuth, TILT’s Land Protection Specialist. 

The Land Trust acquired the property with assistance from the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s (NYSDEC) Water Quality Improvement Project Program (WQIP), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and the USFWS Fish Enhancement, Mitigation and Restoration Fund (FEMRF).