The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently acquired fifty-eight acres that are now part of Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area (WMA), bringing the total acreage of the WMA to 8,956. The WMA is located in the towns of Albion, Williamstown, Parish, and Amboy in Oswego County and has generally flat terrain.
Due to the area’s close proximity to Lake Ontario, snow depths average about 125 inches annually. Fields in all stages of succession exist, along with northern hardwoods such as sugar maple, beech, yellow birch, and softwoods such as hemlock, white pine, and spruce.
Popular activities at this location include hunting, trapping, and wildlife viewing. A system of town roads and some maintenance roads provide access for big game, small game, and waterfowl hunting during good weather months.
In the late 1930s the Works Project Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps crews planted many of the original conifers in the existing plantations and also constructed three deep-water impoundment structures on the WMA (Mosher, Whitney, and Long Ponds). The Conservation Department acquired the area in 1961.
Today the area is managed by providing food, cover, and shelter for various wildlife species. These techniques involve old field maintenance, mowing, prescribed burning, tree/shrub release, and water level manipulations. Staff carry out timber stand improvements to benefit wildlife. Happy Valley has been the field laboratory for research studies in the past and currently is the site for a long-term grouse habitat improvement study.
Photo of Happy Valley WMA provided.
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