Rome Sand Plains
Encyclopedia
Rome Sand Plains is a 15000 acres (60.7 km²) pine barrens
consisting of a mosaic of sand dunes extending about 50 feet (15.2 m) above low peat bogs that lie between the dunes. The barrens are covered with mixed northern hardwood forests, meadows, and wetlands. The sand plains are about 5 miles (8 km) west of the city center of Rome, New York
, which is in Oneida County
; about 4000 acres (16.2 km²) presently lie in conservation preserves. Pine barrens are typical of seacoasts; the Rome Sand Plains is one of only a handful of inland pine barrens remaining in the United States.
E. W. Russell has described the Sand Plains as follows, "The landscape today forms a sharp contrast with the surrounding flat, fertile farmland, which is almost all cleared of trees and planted in crops. Uplands, including some dunes, support forest vegetation of American beech Fagus grandifolia, white oak (Quercus alba), red maples (Acer rubrum) and sugar maples (Acer saccharum), white pine (Pinus strobus and pitch pine Pinus rigida), gray birch (Betula populifolia), hemlock
, aspen
(Populus spp.), American elm (Ulmus americana), and other northern hardwood species. Some uplands are also characterized as pitch pine heats, dominated by pitch pines with an understory of blueberries (Vaccinium
spp.) and other related (ericaceous
) shrubs. Pitch pine is the characteristic tree of the wetlands, along with aspen, gray birch, and red maple, along with an ericaceous shrub layer."
There are several rare species in the Sand Plains, including the purple pitcher plant
and a sundew (both of which are carnivorous plants), red-shouldered hawk
s, marten
s, and the frosted elfin
butterfly, which is a threatened species in New York State. Other species to be found include wild blue lupine
(also rare, and the food for the frosted elfin), barrens buckmoth (Hemileuca maia), whippoorwill, pine warbler
and pitch pine
, normally indigenous to coastal areas.
The Rome Sand Plains were owned privately through about 1980. The sand was mined to make molds and cores for metal casting. An application for a permit to mine sand around 1980 triggered an effort to protect the area. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
began purchasing lands, working with The Nature Conservancy
and other organizations. 1700 acres (688 ha) of the Sand Plains have been purchased by the DEC, and are designated as the Rome Sand Plains Unique Area
. The Nature Conservancy holds another 1000 acres (404.7 ha). The Izaak Walton League
holds about 440 acres (178.1 ha), Oneida County
holds an additional 770 acres (311.6 ha) as a County Forest, and a few acres are held by the City of Rome. A map showing these holdings was released by the DEC in 2008; the map shows the location of three foot trails maintained by the DEC and one by the Izaak Walton League. A consolidated management plan involving all five preserves, and addressing the entire Sand Plains area, was released in 2006.
The sand plains are considered by geologists to be a relic of Lake Iroquois
, which was a somewhat larger version of the present Lake Ontario
that existed near the end of the last ice age
about twelve thousand years ago. The level of Lake Iroquois was about 100 feet (30.5 m) higher than Lake Ontario's present level. Lake Iroquois drained to the sea via the Mohawk River
, and its outlet was near the present Sand Plains. Lake Ontario's outlet is near the Thousand Islands
, and the lake drains through the Saint Lawrence River
; this outlet was dammed by ice while Lake Iroquois existed.
Pine barrens
Pine barrens, pine plains, sand plains, or pinelands occur throughout the northeastern U.S. from New Jersey to Maine as well as the Midwest and Canada....
consisting of a mosaic of sand dunes extending about 50 feet (15.2 m) above low peat bogs that lie between the dunes. The barrens are covered with mixed northern hardwood forests, meadows, and wetlands. The sand plains are about 5 miles (8 km) west of the city center of Rome, New York
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
, which is in Oneida County
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
; about 4000 acres (16.2 km²) presently lie in conservation preserves. Pine barrens are typical of seacoasts; the Rome Sand Plains is one of only a handful of inland pine barrens remaining in the United States.
E. W. Russell has described the Sand Plains as follows, "The landscape today forms a sharp contrast with the surrounding flat, fertile farmland, which is almost all cleared of trees and planted in crops. Uplands, including some dunes, support forest vegetation of American beech Fagus grandifolia, white oak (Quercus alba), red maples (Acer rubrum) and sugar maples (Acer saccharum), white pine (Pinus strobus and pitch pine Pinus rigida), gray birch (Betula populifolia), hemlock
Hemlock
The word hemlock may refer to:*Hemlock, several poisonous plants in the Apiaceae family :**Hemlock , two species, one formerly used as a method of execution**Water Hemlock...
, aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
(Populus spp.), American elm (Ulmus americana), and other northern hardwood species. Some uplands are also characterized as pitch pine heats, dominated by pitch pines with an understory of blueberries (Vaccinium
Vaccinium
Vaccinium is a genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the plant Family Ericaceae. The fruit of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry or whortleberry, lingonberry or cowberry, and huckleberry...
spp.) and other related (ericaceous
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
) shrubs. Pitch pine is the characteristic tree of the wetlands, along with aspen, gray birch, and red maple, along with an ericaceous shrub layer."
There are several rare species in the Sand Plains, including the purple pitcher plant
Sarracenia purpurea
Sarracenia purpurea, commonly known as the purple pitcher plant, northern pitcher plant, or side-saddle flower, is a carnivorous plant in the family Sarraceniaceae...
and a sundew (both of which are carnivorous plants), red-shouldered hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
The Red-shouldered Hawk is a medium-sized hawk. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico.-Description:...
s, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
s, and the frosted elfin
Callophrys irus
The Frosted Elfin is a species of Lycaenidae that is native to North America.-Description:The wingspan ranges from , hindwings have one short tail. The top side of the wing is brown, males have long oval dark spots on the leading edge of their forewings...
butterfly, which is a threatened species in New York State. Other species to be found include wild blue lupine
Lupinus perennis
Lupinus perennis is a medicinal plant in the Fabaceae family...
(also rare, and the food for the frosted elfin), barrens buckmoth (Hemileuca maia), whippoorwill, pine warbler
Pine Warbler
The Pine Warbler, Dendroica pinus, is a small songbird of the New World warbler family.These birds have white bellies, white wing bars, dark legs and thin, relatively long pointed bills; they have yellowish lines over their eyes. Adult males have olive upperparts and bright yellow throats and...
and pitch pine
Pitch Pine
The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized pine, native to eastern North America. This species occasionally hybridizes with other pine species such as Loblolly Pine , Shortleaf Pine , and Pond Pine The Pitch Pine, Pinus rigida, is a small-to-medium sized (6-30 meters or 20-100 feet)...
, normally indigenous to coastal areas.
The Rome Sand Plains were owned privately through about 1980. The sand was mined to make molds and cores for metal casting. An application for a permit to mine sand around 1980 triggered an effort to protect the area. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
began purchasing lands, working with The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
and other organizations. 1700 acres (688 ha) of the Sand Plains have been purchased by the DEC, and are designated as the Rome Sand Plains Unique Area
New York State Forests
New York State Forests are administered by the Division of Lands and Forests of the Department of Environmental Conservation . There are four classifications:#Reforestation Areas#Multiple Use Areas#Unique Areas#State Nature and Historic Preserves...
. The Nature Conservancy holds another 1000 acres (404.7 ha). The Izaak Walton League
Izaak Walton League
The Izaak Walton League is an American environmental organization founded in 1922 that promotes natural resource protection and outdoor recreation. The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois by a group of sportsmen who wished to protect fishing opportunities for future generations...
holds about 440 acres (178.1 ha), Oneida County
Oneida County, New York
Oneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
holds an additional 770 acres (311.6 ha) as a County Forest, and a few acres are held by the City of Rome. A map showing these holdings was released by the DEC in 2008; the map shows the location of three foot trails maintained by the DEC and one by the Izaak Walton League. A consolidated management plan involving all five preserves, and addressing the entire Sand Plains area, was released in 2006.
The sand plains are considered by geologists to be a relic of Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.The lake was essentially an enlargement of the present Lake Ontario that formed because the St. Lawrence River downstream from the lake was blocked by the ice sheet...
, which was a somewhat larger version of the present Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
that existed near the end of the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
about twelve thousand years ago. The level of Lake Iroquois was about 100 feet (30.5 m) higher than Lake Ontario's present level. Lake Iroquois drained to the sea via the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
, and its outlet was near the present Sand Plains. Lake Ontario's outlet is near the Thousand Islands
Thousand Islands
The Thousand Islands is the name of an archipelago of islands that straddle the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream from Kingston, Ontario. The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario, the...
, and the lake drains through the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
; this outlet was dammed by ice while Lake Iroquois existed.