Looking at this 3D rendering of the Black River Valley, I never realized how nearly all the agriculture is on the west side of valley, climbing up into the Tug Hill Plateau. I am most of that has to do with the soils -- the east side is very sandy and infertile with a lot of timber stands. This picture starts around Boonville and heads north of Lowville, the town that rhythms with cow-ville for good reason.
CAFOs are mid-size (orange square) and large (brown square) dairies that have to manure management and water quality plans approved by the state to ensure they aren't over fertilizing fields and are controlling run off from their barnyards. Other farms are required to have CAFO permits, however dairy is the primary large-scale livestock industry in New York thanks to the state's cool and wet climate that is good for silage growing and dairy cow comfort. Click on boxes to pull up the farm record.
They say that Lowville rhythms with Cowville. The Black River Valley is known for it's fertile soils in narrow the strip between Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack hill country of Independence River Wild Forest. The hicktown of Lowville has all the smells of dairy country both good and pungent, haylage and silage, manure, and cattle more generally.
Marks Dairy, south of Lowville is one of the largest dairies in state, fed by thousands of acres of rich soil that are turned into silage, fed to cows, which are milked and turned into delicious cream cheese and other diary products. Lowville has the Cream Cheese festival every year, a product invented in Philadelphia, a few miles up the road.
There are several designated campsites along North Lake both on the Conservation Easement and on the Black River Wild Forest. About 15 sites are drive-in, the rest are paddle-in or walk-in.
Remsen Falls is a small waterfall along the South Branch Moose River in the Black River Wild Forest.
In some ways it's surprised that this mostly steeply sloped parcel was never part of the National Forest, but it's great that the feds will buying it and forever keeping this view wild. Also great for 4x4 drivers, as this will ensure the back stretch on the Forest Road 13 - Blackwater Canyon Loop will forever remain open to the public.