A New York Success Story

Joe and MaryEllen Grimaldi were looking to move from their home in an Albany, New York, suburb. They sought a less-populated, more nature-filled location. While on a house-hunting mission, they came across an omen: two ruffed grouse perched on a limb. On the ground, beneath that branch was a “Land for Sale” sign. The Grimaldis were sold on this 20-plus-acre woodlot in Schodack in Rensselaer County, and five years later they moved into the house they built.

After that initial sighting of the pair of ruffed grouse, however, the Grimaldis never saw a partridge on their property again. Only occasionally did a single flock of wild turkeys pass through their yard.

“We wanted more wildlife diversity,” MaryEllen recalled.

She read in an Albany daily newspaper about a New England cottontail project that was being conducted, and she wrote to the project to see if their land could be part of the effort to help restore that species’ population. She eventually heard back, with the suggestion that she, instead, contact the National Wild Turkey Federation. So, the Grimaldis did just that.

“Doug Little, who was NWTF’s regional biologist, came to our home and provided a lot of information to give us background on cooperative programs and possibilities,” MaryEllen said.

Eventually, NWTF Project Biologist Kaylee Szymanski became the federation’s representative in what would become a remarkably successful habitat improvement project.

“NWTF partners with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to promote young forest and shrubland habitats on private land in New York State,” Szymanski said. “Most of New York’s forests consist of mature trees with little or no understory growth. The understory trees and shrubs are important cover for nesting songbirds and ground-nesting birds like wild turkeys. The creation of young forest and shrubland habitat encourages thick, low-growing vegetation, which provides much-needed nesting and brood cover. The low-growing, native vegetation often also provides a variety of soft mast and harbors a diverse insect population for poults and other wildlife.”

Szymanski became, as the Grimaldis describe her, “their agent,” successfully shepherding them through the NRCS grant application process.

Though the Grimaldis own 20½ acres, Szymanski designed a plan to manage 10 acres of the property. A wetland running through the middle of the property became the center of the project. Once the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation signed off on the plans for the wetlands, the landowners needed to contract for the work.

“For a nominal cost, we joined the Catskill Forest Association,” Joe Grimaldi explained. “It’s a nonprofit organization dedicated to wise forestry management. It became the contractor that would do the work.”

The work entailed three parts. First, spraying invasive vegetation took place. Then, workers selectively hand-cut trees, mainly red maple, beech and ash. Many white pines were girdled to create snags. Workers used chainsaws, rather than heavy machinery, with an aim of doing minimal damage to the terrain. The final stage was another spraying to curb invasive plants.”

Added Szymanski, “The cut was done to mimic a wind storm. The trees were not necessarily cut at their base — some were hinge cut — and they were left to lie on the ground. This reduced the canopy by 80% and provided good nesting and brooding cover and allowed for the regeneration of some of the cut trees. The stumps and fallen trees provided a stage for ruffed grouse drumming.”

Joe estimates that once begun, the project took 14 months to complete. The cost to the Grimaldis was $10,200, all but a thousand of which was reimbursed by the NRCS.

The Grimaldis now have the habitat and wildlife diversity they sought.

“We see more birds and mammals,” MaryEllen said. “We’ve watched two pairs of woodcock do their spring mating flight. We hear great-horned and barred owls, and we are serenaded by spring peepers and tree frogs. We have deer and rabbits. We are seeing more bird species, and species that used to pass through are staying longer. And we definitely see more wild turkeys!”

Szymanski says this is only one example of a successful cooperative program.

“Projects like this one are taking place all around southern New York (and throughout the country), thanks to this partnership and wonderful landowners taking an active stewardship role on their land.”

For more information on how to improve habitat on your property, contact an NWTF biologist in your state: https://www.nwtf.org/who-we-are/our-people.