New bridge means link to NY wildlife refuge island
SAVANNAH, N.Y. (AP) — A new bridge provides hunters, hikers, bikers and birders with year-round access to 3,500 acres of protected wilderness in the Montezuma Wildlife Management Area in Savannah, N.Y.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation says the elevated, 100-foot-long wooden bridge will carry vehicles across the Seneca River to Howland Island. It replaces a temporary gravel and culvert in the river, which often flooded in the spring and fall, preventing access to the island.
The bridge removes the last barrier to kayaks and canoes, opening up a 10-mile float around Howland Island.
A parking lot on the island provides access to 300 acres of marshland and 17 miles of gravel service roads in the refuge.
The bridge, completed this month, was built with funding from an excise tax on firearms and ammunition.
