The Pepperbox

Wilderness Area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural) are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...

, an

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...

unit of the New York

Forest Preserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

, lies entirely within the town of

Webb Webb may refer to: Places Antarctica *Webb Glacier (South Georgia) *Webb Glacier (Victoria Land) * Webb Névé, Victoria Land, the névé at the head of Seafarer Glacier * Webb Nunataks, a group of nunataks in the Neptune Range * Webb Peak (disa ...

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is name ...

Stillwater Reservoir Stillwater Reservoir is a man-made lake located by Beaver River, New York within the Western Adirondacks. The lake has a large amount of recreational uses including camping, canoeing, boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and cross-country skii ...

and the Beaver River Primitive Area form the southern boundary, while the north bank of the West Branch of the

Oswegatchie River The Oswegatchie River is a river in northern New York (state), New York that flows from the Adirondack Mountains north to the Saint Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie River begins at Partlow Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The river continues t ...

generally forms the northern boundary. The western boundary is the county line, and the eastern boundary is the Raven Lake Road and the

Five Ponds Wilderness Area The Five Ponds Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of New York's Forest Preserve, is located in the towns of Fine and Clifton in St. Lawrence County, the town of Webb in Herkimer County and the town of Long Lake in Hamilton County. Th ...

. It contains 46 bodies of water on 270 acres (1.1 km²) and 2 miles (3.2 km) of foot trails. The terrain is primarily flat, but for a few tinier, rolling hills scattered here and there. The three principal tree species found in swampland are spruce, fir, and red maple. There are also many of alder swamps, marshes, and beaver flows. The drier sites are vegetated with pole-size northern hardwoods. The entire area appears to have been heavily burned over and logged in the past and is not particularly scenic by usual standards. It is, however, ideally suited for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Several ponds are found in the area. They are generally of low productivity and some may even be sterile. The area is classed as wilderness because of its remoteness and also due to the extensive wetland ecosystems involved. The flora and fauna associated with moist ecosystems, such as found in the Pepperbox, seem to exhibit more species diversity than any others in the Adirondacks. Birdlife and small

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s are especially abundant. There is very little human use of the area at present, except for light hunting. Access is moderately difficult because of the distance from public roads and the lack of a trail system.

Popular culture

The Pepperbox Wilderness Area was the initial inspiration for the StoneJam Game Jam, held in the

Stoneham Mountain Resort Stoneham Mountain Resort is a ski resort, located north of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, in the municipality of Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury. It has a peak elevation of above sea level and a vertical drop of . There are 41 trails covering over four mo ...

on 10 July 2015.

References

* Adirondack Park Agency
"Adirondack State Land Master Plan"
Updated 2001. {{dead link, date=August 2012 Wilderness areas in Adirondack Park Protected areas of Herkimer County, New York

Popular culture

See also

References