Grasse River Wilderness Preserve

Two decades ago, an intrepid moose named Alice was tracked over two years moving 350 miles northwest from her home in the Adirondack Park. After leaving the park, she swam across the St. Lawrence River and crossed a major highway in Ontario before finally reaching the Algonquin Provincial Park. Inspired by her journey, the binational Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) wildlife corridor was born. Grasse River Wilderness Preserve, and the New York projects on the following pages, are all located within the A2A—a new focus area for Northeast Wilderness Trust.

An abundance of water is the defining feature of Grasse River Wilderness Preserve, with a mile and a half of the namesake Grasse River meandering through the property and 250 acres of wetlands.

The Preserve borders both Downerville and Degrasse State Forests, linking the two together. The Preserve also abuts the park boundary and the 1,300-acre Lampson Falls section of the Grasse River Wild Forest inside the park.

Grasse River was logged heavily in recent years, providing an opportunity to observe rewilding in the coming decades. Through the new Wildlands Ecology program, the Wilderness Trust is setting plans in motion to partner with local universities and nonprofits to study the impact of passive forest management.

Russell, New York

1,433 acres

7 miles of streams

20 freshwater ponds