A five-person Student Conservation Association (SCA) crew recently constructed some new amenities on the Tooley Pond Conservation Easement in the Town of Clare in Saint Lawrence County. The team built a primitive campsite on the Allen Pond Trail, complete with a new short trail to the campsite, an earthen tent pad, a rock ring fireplace, and a trail to a box privy site near the campsite. The project took just two and a half days to complete.

When asked about the project, SCA crewmember Emily Brown said that it “feels good to work on a project that will provide lasting memories to those who use it.” The campsite was built to last and will provide recreational opportunities on the property for years to come.

As part of the terms negotiated for the Tooley Pond Conservation Easement dated June 1999, DEC has the right to permit camping by the public in the same manner as currently regulated on State lands, provided that any designated campsites are described in a recreation management plan (RMP). Multiple campsites were proposed in the Tooley Pond Conservation Easement RMP finalized in January 2019, including the Allen Pond site, which is the first site completed.

The Tooley Pond Conservation Easement is open year-round to a multitude of uses. There is a parking area located at the trailhead for the Allen Pond Trail. The trail is only 0.5 miles long, marked with red trail disks, and the new campsite is toward the end of the trail, near the pond. Note that the road up to the parking area is only open to motor vehicles seasonally, from May 15 to September 15.