What a difference a month makes ! Last month I wrote that the museum was talking about doing a fishing exhibit and that board members were out in the community seeking ideas and talking to Museum professionals about what it would take to complete such a project. In 30 days we have moved from talking about it- to getting it done! At the October meeting the Board has set aside funds to move ahead with the project.
Here is where we stand:
A very talented well known North Country Museum Curator was interviewed and hired to lead the project
The project will consist of two themes- Sturgeon fishing and Muskie Fishing
Two important Morristown men and well known fishermen- Allan Bogardus and Jim Evans will be featured in the exhibit.
The museum will seek grant funding to provide a top of the line presentation that is as professional as any museum exhibit in the area
Our target date for the ribbon cutting ceremony is June 1, 2018.
We are excited about this project and hope that the community will support us by providing artifacts related to the theme- Sturgeon and Muskie fishing. IF ANYONE HAS PICTURES, ARTICLES, OBJECTS OR PERSONAL STORIES RELATED TO OUR THEME AND/OR RELATED TO ALLAN BOGARDUS OR JIM EVANS- WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. Your items can be donated or loaned to the museum for this project. Please reach out to us by filling out a note on the homepage of this website, or let a board member hear from you (board members are listed on the website)
Our second project – hiking trails on the Bogardus Farm is also moving forward. As I mentioned last month- we have talked to lots of professionals about how to utilize this property including members of the Thousand Island Land Trust (these guys are the real experts in establishing trails around the Thousand Islands), A SUNY Potsdam biology professor, a member of the New York State Department of Conservation, a member of the Army Corp of Engineers, and a private wetlands consultant. Utilizing all of this advice- we have marked a trail approximately three quarters of a mile long across the property. The trail crosses level land. Nearly 300 feet pass thru a marshy area that will need trail improvements such as a boardwalk. The views along this route are spectacular- wild life everywhere including ducks, geese, rabbits, fox, deer (too many to count), muskrats, and beaver. The Morristown Town Board agreed this month to support this project with their highway department labor (as they have time) to brush cut and make trail improvements. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is expected to happen around June 1st of next year.
Our third project is the web cam that we expect to install on the back of the museum facing the Morristown harbor. This camera will provide people that look at our website an opportunity to watch the St Lawrence River and observe Ocean Ships passing by as well as see boaters moving around the harbor. There have been more challenges than our technology guy (that would be me) realized and a lot more learning than anticipated. With some good luck – we hope to get this camera up and running in November.
The museum received a significant donation this month- an ice boat. Hubert Richardson was the donor (with help provided by Larry Kring). We hope to gather information about ice boats and put this great piece on display in the near future.
Now is a great time to volunteer to help the museum. If you have any interest please reach out to us- we would love to hear from you.
Dean Shelato
10/27/2017