Completed Girl Scout Gold Award project to be unveiled on August 8

On Aug. 8, at 10 a.m., there will be a grand “unveiling” of the interpretive kiosk information at the Bement Billings Farmstead, located one mile north of the Village of Newark Valley on Route 38. The unveiling is the result of a Gold Award Project completed by Isabella Shiel. All are invited to the unveiling and to learn about the project from Isabella herself, and from Ed Nizalowski, director of the Farmstead. Afterward there will be a guided tour along the “Red Trail” for those that are interested.  

When the Sycamore Bridge was built in 2008, which spans the East Branch of the Owego Creek, it opened 18 acres of flood plain. Although three different parcels were leased for agricultural use, the majority of the acreage was natural habitat.

Fred Kiechle, Sr., who was the director of the Farmstead at the time and also a person with expertise and experience in environmental education, wanted to develop a trail system that would be open to the public. Eventually the trail system would expand to one-and-a-half miles, spanning nearly the entire 18 acres that borders the tracks of the Owego Harford Railroad.

To help educate the public regarding this natural area there were 18 signposts put in place that primarily identified a variety of trees. Each signpost had a page from a standard nature guide to provide information.

Two people who were instrumental in developing this system, along with its educational value, were Dick Harrington and Dick Mider. Dick Harrington would also spend 13 years mowing the trails and keeping vegetation at bay.  

Over time many of these signposts got damaged and often collected moisture that made the information unreadable. Trail markers faded and part of the trail that parallels the creek would be damaged in a flood.

This is when Isabella Shiel, then a senior at the Newark Valley High School, came forward with a proposal in 2022. Isabella wanted to do a “Gold Award Project” as part of Girl Scouts. This is the equivalent to an “Eagle Scout Project” that Boy Scouts can pursue.

She came to the Society with this offer, “Hiking has always been a huge part of my life. Hiking and walking help the mind, the body, and the soul. Walking in accessible natural areas and learning about these areas is extremely important to people of all ages. I would like to make a variety of improvements to the trail system and enhance the educational value.”

The themes for her project would include environment and sustainability, outdoors life skills, civic engagement, and health. Over the course of 2022 and into much of 2023, Isabella oversaw the re-establishment of the damaged creek trail, better marking for the various trails, new interpretive information for the signposts, and an interpretive display for the kiosk near the entry for the Sycamore Bridge. Information for the signposts was reduced, but includes graphic images of ID information which makes them much more interesting and attractive for the general public. 

Isabella was assisted by members of the community and five of her peers, who are both Girl Scout  and Honor Society members. She and her crew put in over 80 hours of work and raised $500 to meet expenses. The money came from both Girl Scout cookie sales and donations. Others who provided assistance and advice include Dr. Charles Yaple, Kevin Mathers, Dick Mider, Bob Danneker, and Ed Nizalowski. 

In high school Isabella participated in Girl Scouts, National Honors Society, Spanish Club, Ski Club, Varsity Soccer, and Varsity Club. This fall she will attend the University of Vermont for Political Science and Environmental Studies.

Also of note, the Farmstead’s shagbark hickory tree, named “Asa” after Asa Bement, the first settler of the Farmstead, has recently been named co-champion shagbark hickory for New York State and will soon be on the State’s Big Tree Registry. The Big Tree Registry is based on a point system: a point for each inch of circumference, a point for each foot of height, and 1/4 point for each foot of crownspread. Two trees that are within five points of one another are designated co-champions. The other shagbark hickory co-champion is in Dutchess County. 

For information on this event, contact Ed Nizalowski (607) 642-8075, or email to ed.nizalowski@gmail.com. You can learn more about the Newark Valley Historical Society and the Bement-Billings Farmstead by visiting www.nvhistory.org. You can also contact the society by email to nvhistory@stny.rr.com or by calling (607) 642-9516.