Hitchcock estate home to rare scientific finds http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20226776&BRD=1705&PAG=461&dept_id=71853&rfi=6
By: Janine Stankus, Staff Reporter 12/26/2008 The 1,950-acre Hitchcock Estate located off of Route 44 in Millbrook has long been the center of local lore, according to Carmine Di Arpino, author of "A History of the Town of Washington and Millbrook." "There seems to be no end to the number of myths and legends mingled with scraps of facts that have been spun about the estate and its creator," he writes. The property was purchased in 1889 by Charles F. Dieterich who dubbed the estate "Daheim," which in German means "the home place." According to Di Arpino, Dietrich tried to create a "castle-world" on the property, reminiscent of his German homeland. The gatehouse entrance at exemplifies this concept. He also began constructing an actual castle on the estate, but later turned the uncompleted project into a cow barn. Upon Dieterich's death, the estate was sold off to various parties and ended up in the hands of the Hitchcock family, who are the owners to this day. The estate became famously connected with Timothy Leary, who lived in the main house on the property for several years in the 1960s. The ex-Harvard professor had befriended some of the Hitchcock sons and is alleged to have conducted some of his infamous experiments with psychedelic drugs there. The history of this estate is fascinating and its structures are unique and impressive. The site is probably most widely known for its Leary connection. However, when Hudsonia scientists were permitted access to the property, they found something else to be excited about: a pond. In February 2003, the nonprofit environmental research organization began a habitat mapping project which focused on the Town of Washington. The endeavor received the enthusiastic support of the Town of Washington Town Board, Planning Board, and Conservation Advisory Commission. It was funded by contributions from the Dyson Foundation, Millbrook Tribute Garden, and many local landowners. Hudsonia representatives Jenny Tollefson and Gretchen Stevens led field studies for this project. The scientific team was granted rare access to the Hitchcock estate, which encompasses a large portion of undeveloped land. According to local resident and grant writer Mike Haggerty, Stevens was "very excited" about discovery of Round Pond on the site. In the Hudsonia report, entitled "Significant Habitats of the Town of Washington," Round Pond is designated as an ecologically significant wetland habitat. The pond is identified as the only example of a "circumneutral bog lake" in the Town of Washington. A circumneutral bog lake is defined in the report as a "spring fed calcareous body of water that commonly supports the vegetation of both acidic bogs and calcareous marshes." These unique bodies of water are rare in the Hudson Valley and support many species of uncommon plants and animals. Right now, the lake lies placid and partially frozen and surrounding woods are covered in snow. In October of 2003, however, Stevens had discovered a wealth of interesting plant and animal life on the site. According to the Hudsonia report, approximately 75% of the lake was covered with floating-leaved vegetation including white and yellow pond lilies, as well as several species of pond weed, both floating and submerged. Along its banks, meadowsweet, cattail, purple loosestrife, lakeside sedge, tussock sedge, sensitive fern, cinnamon fern, skunk cabbage, marsh fern, and marsh St. Johnswort formed an eclectic fringe of brush. Stevens also spotted over 15 great blue herons, at least 16 wood ducks, and had previously observed the presence of green frogs and wood frogs. Though not sighted during the study, circumneutral bog lakes are also the known to be the habitats several other species, including the blue-spotted salamander, the four-toed salamander, the Blanding's Turtle, the bog turtle, the marsh wren, and the river otter, among others. Round Pond is safely sequestered for now, its closest developed neighbors being Bangall Road, about 650 feet to the east, Valley Farm Road about 3,000 feet to the west, and the Shunpike, about 1300 feet to the north. However, Hudsonia warns that this significant habitat is extremely sensitive to change in surface and groundwater chemistry as well as flow, and could be adversely affected by changes in the watershed, application of pesticides, altered drainage, dredging, or mechanical disturbance of the lake. Special attention, state the scientists, should be paid to contamination of surface or groundwater entering the pond. Haggerty noted that the presence of hunters or ATV riders near the pond could compromise this natural habitat. "Overall," states the Hudsonia report, "the town has a rural character with extensive open space." According to Haggerty, the Town of Washington has the most land easements in Dutchess County. Though the Hitchcock Estate has remained private property for over a century and development does not seem imminent, Haggerty suggested the benefits of the owners seeking an easement on Round Pond. "This whole place could be a subdivision," he said. An easement, he noted, is considered a land donation and often results in tax reductions for the owner. The mysterious Hitchcock Estate houses many hidden treasures. Visitors granted access would be privileged to spot the massive Victorian style gate house, the elegant guest house known as "The Bungalow," the small-scale bowling alley, or the burned down cattle barns that are the only remnants of Dieterich's castle-topia. Less obvious are the natural gems that are scattered throughout the site, Round Pond being prominent among them. In its valiant quest to support biodiversity in the Hudson Valley, Hudsonia promotes the protection of this unique habitat. "This excellent landscape context presents a tremendous opportunity for conservation," the report states. Hudsonia has provided owners of this and other properties in the Town of Washington with a new context for looking at their land. It has developed a basis for better land use planning and decision making in the future that promotes minimal disruption of the ever-sensitive ecosystem. . --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to sixties-l@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to sixties-l+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
