Frank Hartenfels’s hammock hangs right on the stream bank.
Fran and Frank Hartenfels are members of the Casperkill Watershed Alliance. They live in Hagan Town (also known as the Spackenkill area) and, like their neighbor, Ron Lipp, they have taken steps to prevent erosion and protect the creek.
When the Hartenfelses first thought of buying the house on Hagan Drive thirteen years ago, the previous owner did not even mention that the Casperkill flowed right through its backyard. Perhaps he thought that the creek was an undesirable feature of the property, or that it was of little importance. For Fran, Frank and their three children, however, the creek is a valuable source of recreation. They enjoy the scenery it provides and are entertained by the wildlife it is home to, while at the same time striving to protect its banks from erosion.
The Hartenfels children, aged fourteen, twelve and four, have grown up playing in the stream despite their parents’ warnings against it. “When they were younger,” Fran recalls, “we used to tell them that there were crocodiles in the stream. That kept them out of there until their friends started coming over and they started going in…” Years later, there is still enough the stream that the kids have not yet gotten bored. The Hartenfelses have seen mussels, catfish, trout (in the early spring and fall), sunnies, turtles, as well as an entire flock of mallards that currently resides on their stream bank. The wildlife is constant and varied, and it sure makes its presence known. Fran recalls having to rescue a duck out of a snapper turtle’s mouth by poking it in the neck and forcing it to open its mouth.
Fran and her family thoroughly enjoy living in proximity to nature. “We just love it,” she says, referring to the stream and the wildlife. But, once in a while, the Casperkill also means trouble. Three or four times a year, in the aftermath of a heavy rainfall, the stream floods and washes unwanted debris (logs and once even a baby carriage) onto their property. Also, due to their location along the stream, the Hartenfelses have had to buy mandatory flood insurance, despite the fact that their high elevation makes it unlikely that the water will ever reach the house.
Another big problem is erosion. Over the years, the Hartenfelses have seen their land erode away at the edges, as the Casperkill claims an ever larger stream bed. It was while trying to contain erosion that Fran and Frank Hartenfels became involved in the Casperkill Watershed Alliance. Their neighbor, Ron Lipp, invited them to a CWA meeting, where they learned about the importance of streamside vegetation in preventing erosion. As a result, they stopped mowing their lawn all the way to the stream, instead leaving a couple feet of long grass as a buffer. They also benefitted from the Trees for Tribs program, which provides native trees and shrubs to be planted along streams at erosion-prone locations. Fran and Frank are thankful to the CWA for their plantings and advice, so they continue to attend meetings and participate actively in the group’s activities. “It’s our way of giving back to the community,” Fran says.
1997 photograph courtesy of Ron Lipp