Naromi receives additional Iroquois funding for farm renovations
Iroquois Gas Operating Company has just announced that it will again partner with Naromi Land Trust on a community enhancement project in Sherman. A $12,500 grant from the Iroquois Community Grant Program (www.iroquois.com) will be used to complete much needed repairs to the barns at Naromi’s Babbling Brook Farm on Church Road. Working with tenant Farmer Pete Lescynski, the barns will be repainted and the rotten fascia and siding will be replaced. Pete has again planted the fields with a variety of vegetables, and there will a farm stand selling local produce out front of the barns. The vision for the Babbling Brook property is to create a community farm that serves the local community by producing and selling fresh vegetables and other locally-grown agricultural products. This new community farm will address growing national concerns regarding food security and availability and will serve as an educational and recreational resource for area schools, 4H students and the public. One of Naromi’s top conservation priorities is to preserve prime agricultural soils and potable water resources in Sherman for future generations. A secondary goal is to engage the community in farming and offer an opportunity to experience first-hand the joy and challenges of growing and marketing local farm products. Sherman was historically a small farming community and the renovated Babbling Brook Farm will help ensure that this rich agricultural tradition continues in the future. Please stop often by and support your local farmers!

Mallory Preserve boardwalk repairs complete
As part of Naromi’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its preserves and hiking trails, the wetland boardwalk at the Mallory Preserve has been completely renovated. Over the past ten or more years this boardwalk in the center of town has been used for educational programs by local schools and for Naromi interpretive nature hikes. Recently however, the decking and railings began showing signs of rot, and the boardwalk became unsafe for use. Thanks to generous funding from the Iroquois Gas Operating Company’s Land Education and Acquisition Fund (LEAF), Naromi was able to purchase new locust decking from Bob Davis Sawmill in Gaylordsville. A substantial donation by one of Sherman’s residents helped cover the labor costs of the renovation. Several large locust trees that had to be removed in front of the Sherman fire department were also used to provide some of the decking for this project.

Please check out the newly renovated boardwalk and enjoy this special preserve which was put into open space by Mary Mallory Hadlow at the same time she donated land for our Mallory Town Hall. Park your car by the Green and take a short nature break before or after you stop at the bank or store or Town Hall. The kiosk, which has a large map of the trail and preserve, is located at the main trail head between Sherman Hardware and the Town Hall off of Route 39 North; and the outlet is in the field behind the Historical Society barn across from Tollgate Road. The next upgrade will be the cutting of an additional loop trail through the upland western section of the Mallory Preserve. See the preserve map in the NLT Properties section for more information.

Naromi 40th Anniversary Event scheduled for October 2008
2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Naromi Land Trust in Sherman. Over the years this organization has helped conserve over 1700 acres of land through fee purchases, conservation easements and conservation development projects. For the past 40 years Naromi has relied upon local support and volunteers to meet these important conservation goals. To show it’s appreciation for this continued support, Naromi will host a barbeque and dance in Sherman this October. The location and date will be posted soon, so please check back often or call the Naromi office for details.

Revised Naromi Trail Maps Available

Working with GIS Cartographer Shane Kramer of the Northwest Conservation District, Naromi recently completed revised trail maps for six NLT preserves. The mapping project, which is past of the Sherman Trails Enhancement Initiative, was made possible by a grant from the Iroquois Pipeline Operating Company’s Land Enhancement and Acquisition Fund (LEAF). The new presentation-quality trail maps to be featured in the informational kiosks at Naromi trailheads and in a new trail booklet that will be available by next summer. The new maps can also be viewed and printed from the NLT Properties page.