Posted on April 27, 2026
By Steve Featherstone | sfeatherstone@syracuse.com
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, along with conservation partners Ducks Unlimited and the National Audubon Society, recently completed a project to improve 50 acres of Lake Ontario marsh habitat in the Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, in Jefferson County.
The project enhances spawning and nursery habitat for fish such as northern pike, as well as new breeding habitat for bird species like the state-endangered Black Tern.
DU and NAS employed a technique called “channeling and potholing” to allow water to flow more naturally through the marsh by using heavy equipment, such as excavators, to break up dense cattail stands.
“By creating gradual depth transitions from cattail mats to open water, we are mimicking natural marsh conditions—resulting in more diverse vegetation, improved foraging habitat for secretive marsh birds, waterfowl, and wading birds, and better access for turtles and amphibians,” said Andy Hinickle, senior manager of wetland conservation for Audubon Great Lakes.
Located in Ellisburg, about 15 miles northwest of Pulaski, the 3,461-acre Lakeview WMA is part of the largest natural freshwater barrier beach system in the state. The area’s diverse habitat includes open fields, shrub lands, woodlands, wetlands, and a natural barrier beach.
Funding for the project was provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
