Restoration work continues on Cascadilla Gorge trails

Cascadilla Gorge -- breathtaking, dynamic, ever-changing. All the adjectives used to describe this natural area are exactly all the reasons that the lower half of the gorge, from College Avenue to Linn Street, has been officially closed since September 2009 for a restoration project scheduled for completion in 2011. The bottom section of the trail, from Stewart Avenue to Treman Triangle, will likely be completed first and may open earlier.

"This is a young gorge that is constantly rejuvenating itself," said Dan McClure, restoration project manager in the construction management department of Planning, Design and Construction. "Its history explains much of the complexity of our restoration effort."

With six waterfalls and a drop in elevation of 400 feet, Cascadilla Gorge was originally carved by the retreat of the glaciers in the Pleistocene era 10,000 years ago. Ithaca was built at its mouth, and its hydraulic power was harnessed during the first half of the 19th century by four mills situated along its rim. In 1909 Robert H. Treman, Class of 1878, purchased the area and donated the gorge to Cornell for use as local parkland, removing it from further industrial use. Another alumnus, Henry Woodward Sackett, Class of 1875, gave a bequest to restore and preserve the gorge and glen. Work on the gorge footpath was done during the Depression as a Civilian Conservation Corp work project.

Since then, the trail has remained fundamentally the same, with routine maintenance closures taking care of fallen rocks and trees, erosion of the banks and cliffs, and rock-splitting brought about by the freeze-thaw cycles of early spring.

Now part of the 4,000 acres in the Cornell Plantations natural areas, Cascadilla Gorge supports the academic mission of Cornell, used for education and research as well as recreation. Unlike other gorges in the local area, most of which are now located in state parks, this gorge and surrounding land are privately owned.

"The challenge is how to maintain and care for the gorge so that it retains its natural character and pedestrian uses while still being safe and functional," McClure said. "We need to do things that have a low impact on the gorge visually, but for cost reasons we also need to use techniques that are technologically rather than labor intensive."

Finances complicate the restoration process. "Cascadilla Gorge was closed in response to safety hazards on and around the gorge trail identified in a 2008 trail assessment, done before the recession began," said Todd Bittner, natural areas director with Cornell Plantations, who is overseeing the project. "Because of these safety hazards, funding of $1.2 million was provided by Cornell University, stretched over a two-year period. This funding enabled us to commence work -- on the 100th anniversary of Treman's donation -- to enhance trail entrances at Linn Street and College Avenue, replace hand rails, restore stairs and retaining walls, install safety fencing and address other identified hazards."

So far, the most visible progress has occurred at Treman Triangle, at the foot of the gorge. The entranceway has been reconfigured and opened up for better viewing of the stream. Invasive exotic species of vegetation have been removed and replaced with native species; safer railings have been installed, and a new gate is under construction to allow for easier closing of the gorge trail over the winters. The gateway is now flanked by one of the pair of historic plaques originally located at this entrance a century ago, and a temporary gate has been installed while the new gate is fabricated to allow unobstructed view of the first of the gorge's waterfalls. The principal trail restoration work between the Stewart Avenue bridge and Treman Triangle has been completed.

"The gorges and trails are truly special treasures for Cornell's campus," said Bittner. "It is our goal to successfully reopen a safe trail system and in the near future again provide enjoyment, education and appreciation of this unique area."

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Joe Schwartz