New Nature Up North project director leads winter hike to Lampson Falls
Jan. 7—CLARE — Nature up North's first hike of 2024 was also the first event hosted by its new project director, Dan French.
French led eight brave hikers on a one-mile snowshoe trek to the top of Lampson Falls. The act of bravery was not the hike but the drive to the trailhead on snowy roads Sunday morning.
French, a 2017 graduate of Potsdam High School and a 2021 graduate of Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., recently returned to St. Lawrence County after spending a year as an AmeriCorps member in Montana. He served as the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife Coordinator in Missoula and the surrounding area.
Sunday, while explaining how Lampson Falls is open to the public year-round because of its location in a forest preserve, French said his love for the Adirondacks made him leave the area.
"Once I got back here, I knew I would be stuck," he said.
At the top of the falls Sunday, French explained how in the 1860s, before the town of Clair was formed, Lampson Fall was the sight of much industrial activity. There were wood mills, grist mills and shingle mills.
"There are little or no remnants now," he said.
In the summertime, the falls see a lot of activity. The beach at the bottom of the falls is a popular swimming spot.
Only the hikers admired the rushing water roaring over the 40-foot-high, 100-foot-wide falls on Sunday.
Nature Up North was founded by Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Erika Barthelmess 11 years ago, French said.
Nature Up North aims to use technology to encourage and enhance outdoor experiential learning.
Its website (natureupnorth.org) states, "We seek to foster connections between the North Country landscape, the people who inhabit it, and the inextricable connections between the two."
French began his tenure just after Thanksgiving, filling the position that had been open since August.
His first task was to produce the Nature Up North 2024 calendar, featuring photos submitted by website members.
The calendars, an annual fundraiser, are available at Nature's Storehouse, Canton; TAUNY Folkstore, Canton; St. Lawrence University Brewer Bookstore, Canton; Potsdam Food Co-op, Potsdam; Joseph's Jewelry and Gifts, Massena; The Ogdensburg History Museum, Ogdensburg; Sevey's Point, Childwold and Otto's Abode, Wanakena.
Nature Up North's next event is its 6th annual Cardboard Sled Races at SUNY Canton, where kids and families compete in races using sleds constructed of cardboard, duct tape, recycled plastic bags, paint and glue. More details will be released by Nature Up North soon. The races are set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 10.
