Very Special Hills

     Mountains get all the glory. The bigger the mountain, the greater the glory. But I have a soft spot for hills. Maybe that's because I'm getting soft or maybe it's just my nature. Small, slow and relaxed is what I want. Long, hard epics not so much.

     I don't regret days gone by spent in the Adirondack High Peaks or those steep miles on Vermont's Long Trail. I have some great memories to cherish from those times. But now, hills are enough. Maybe that is why I was so pleased to discover Jerry Jenkins research into what he calls the West Champlain Hills. Most of the field work was done in the early 2000's with publication in 2008 and as far as I can tell, it's only available online. Not really new, but new to me and perhaps to you as well. 

     There's a 12 page graphic summary -  The West Champlain Hills: The Adirondacks Forest Hotspots - ( a good place to start ) and two longer, more detailed reports - The West Champlain Hills Parts I and II. They cover a narrow strip of rocky terrain in New York's Essex County between Lake Champlain and the High Peaks to the west. Jenkins calls these "...very special hills."

     The reason is their botanical and ecological diversity. Identified as the Champlain Hills Dry - Rich Community, Jenkins has documented from 25 to 50 species in the ground level flora at various sites. There's a garden of mosses, lichens, grasses, herbs and shrubs beneath an often thin to nonexistent tree canopy. Many of the plants are rare or uncommon. To those of a certain bent, it's like coming down the stairs Christmas morning to find a dizzying array of brightly wrapped gifts under the tree.

Screen shot from The West Champlain Hills report

     Ecology is such a fascinating science. It's no easy task to ferret out all the influences at play around any given site. Jenkins is among the best at sorting all the interactions that determines what grows where. Geology and soils, climate, orientation to the Sun and disturbance all come into play and all are considered in the reports. Those familiar with The Adirondack Atlas will recognize a similar style here. Lot's of maps and visually interesting graphics along with aerial and close-up photos bring the hills to life. And Jenkins text is never dull. He's known for presenting complicated science in an entertaining, easy to understand way.

Screen shot of graphic from report

Open, rocky habitat on Coot Hill

     Many of the sites are private and publicly inaccessible. But there are places to visit including Split Rock ( with the added bonus of Rattlesnakes! ), Coon, Boquet and Coot Hill. With the CAT trails ever expanding network there may be more places open now than when the reports were first published. It's also worth noting that there may be similar habitats in Washington County's Lake George Wild Forest that haven't yet been studied and documented.

     Anyone striving for a deeper ecological understanding of our region will find a 'hill' of a lot of insight in these reports. They are available as downloadable PDF's. Try going to this site to get started.

A screen shot of the researchers with Jenkins in the center.