Located in between New Russia and Mineville, New York, Lincoln Pond is a small artificial lake in the eastern Adirondacks. In 1911 a tributary of the Boquet River in the eastern Adirondacks was blocked by an earthen and concrete barrier known as Kingdom Dam, transforming a chain of smaller ponds and wetlands along the Black River into the body of water now visible today. Currently in disrepair, the dam may eventually fail, damaging and destroying downstream properties, while returning the current shoreline to its historic contours.
A popular destination for paddlers and fishermen, Lincoln Pond is divided by County Route 7 into an upper (south) and lower (northern pond). Along the western bank of the upper pond, the state of New York Department of Environmental Conservation maintains and operates a season campground and day-use recreation area that includes a bathhouse, picnic areas, dining pavilion, kayak rentals, and a beach. During a recent visit, I noted an increase in francophone Quebecois, who during the pandemic were unable to cross the border. For many in The North Country and Quebec Province, the international border is nothing more than a bureaucratic obstacle, to which wildlife, weather and terrain are completely indifferent. Downstream parts of nearby Lake Champlain reach northward into Canada. The St.-Regis Mohawk Indian reservation straddles the border, across which indigenous locals can move somewhat unhindered. .
Studying the shoreline and the heights rising above it, I was struck by the large number of invasive deciduous trees in relation to the native Eastern White Pine (Pinus Strobus). When the Adirondack Park had been created in the late 19th-century, much of the view shed along the banks of Black River would have been cleared for farming or cut for timber. What I beheld was not a true wilderness, but a parcel of terrain, carefully manipulated to create the illusion of one for the sake of human consumption. Just beyond the wooded ridge on the far side of the beach, is traffic barreling up and down Interstate 87.
COMING SOON: September 27, 2022
Sketchbook Traveler. Southwest was due to be released in May, but due to supply chain issues related to the Covid pandemic, the first edition (which has been printed overseas) is due to arrive in late summer. Following up on the success of Sketchbook Traveler: Hudson Valley, volume 2 in this trilogy explores the American Southwest from New Mexico to the Mojave Desert in journal-paintings and field notes by the author. Conceived as a backpacker’s field-guide and coffee-table art book, this compact volume includes lessons in print; a “why-to” guide to augmenting ubiquitous photographic devices. Blank pages scattered with inspirational quotes are provided for keeping one’s own traveler’s sketchbook. Pre-order here: LINK
Also:
Order your copy of the book here: LINK
For information about Needlewatcher Editions, write to editions@needlewatcher.com
Needlewatcher Editions. PO Box 233. Essex, New York. 12936-0233. (347) 266-5652