The public will have an opportunity to visit restricted portions of two Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) in St. Lawrence County from Aug. 18 - 30, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has announced.

Upper and Lower Lakes and Wilson Hill, including their wetland restricted areas, will be open to visitors. This is the 17th year DEC will open the WMA wetlands for expanded public access. For most of the year, these wetlands are off limits to the public to provide feeding and resting areas for migratory waterfowl.

“These special areas offer a variety of natural habitats for people to experience and provide excellent wildlife viewing opportunities,” said DEC Regional Wildlife Manager James Farquhar. “Opening these refuge wetland areas to the public for a limited period gives visitors an opportunity to connect with nature through hiking, canoeing and bird watching with minimal impacts on wildlife.”

The restricted wetland areas are also used by a number of the state’s endangered, threatened, and rare species including bald eagles, black terns, and northern harriers (marsh hawks), among others. By late August, the nesting and brooding season is mostly complete and the fall migration period has not yet begun, enabling DEC to allow public access.

Upper & Lower Lakes about two miles west of the Village of Canton along state Route 68. This the largest WMA in the Region, it is an 8,770-acre upland/wetland complex between the Grasse and Oswegatchie rivers.

Created in the 1950s during the construction of the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project, Wilson Hill WMA is approximately six miles west of the Village of Massena off state Route 37. Situated along the St. Lawrence River, the 3,434-acre area consists of several large pools of open water marsh, bordered by a combination of dense cattails, brushy wetlands, forest and upland meadow.

Construction projects are underway at Wilson Hill WMA to improve habitat for both fish and wildlife. Please stay clear of any construction activity.

For more information, bird lists and maps, contact DECs Regional Wildlife Office at 315-785-2263 or visit www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8282.html