Constitution Marsh Opens New Boardwalk With Dedication And Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony 

Marsh Declared Bird Conservation Area
by Wendy Kagan
23 May 2001; Cold Spring, NY; The Putnam County News and Recorder

Constitution Marsh Sanctuary in Garrison has unveiled an extensive new boardwalk, a wooden and steel walkway approximately 1000 feet in length that snakes through 
tall reeds and rushes, and that gives visitors an opportunity to experience the vibrant, life-filled marsh firsthand.

On May 18, the Audubon Society (which runs the marsh) and state officials gathered for a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the boardwalk, which was built in memory of Jim 
Rod, the marsh's longtime steward. A naturalist who took joy in educating visitors to the marsh, Rod managed the 270-acre sanctuary from 1982 until his death in 1998. It was Governor George E. Pataki, a close friend of Rod's, who proposed that a boardwalk be constructed in Rod's honor, and that it bear the name "Jim's Walk."

The completion of the boardwalk marks the fruition of two and a half years of planning and construction, which began with a 1998 announcement from Pataki that the state would 
provide $250,000 from the Clean Water/Clean Air Bond for the project.

Present at the dedication and ribbon-cutting was State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, who reminded those in attendance that "[this] is not a sad time; it should be a 
time of celebration. It's being able to celebrate Jim Rod's life forever." 

Castro also announced that Constitution Marsh has been named the state's fifth Bird Conservation Area (BCA). The marsh is an important waterfowl wintering and/or migration stopover site for such birds as the bald eagle (threatened), the peregrine falcon (endangered), and the American black duck. Breeding species at the marsh include the least bittern (threatened), the Virginia rail, the marsh wren and the swamp sparrow.

Further remarks came from Dave Miller, Audubon New York's executive director, as well as from Eric Lind, who was once Rod's assistant and who now carries the torch as chief 
steward of the marsh. Lind spoke of the marsh's original 300-foot boardwalk, which was conceived of and built by Rod in the 1980s as "an open invitation for us to get to know 
the Hudson River." The original boardwalk had fallen prey to ice and other forces of nature.

Doug Rod, Jim's brother, spoke next, citing Jim's "tireless enthusiasm for striving to educate everyone on our fragile environment," and expressing his gratitude to Governor Pataki for "this marvelous and perfect memorial." Rod referred to his brother's work cleaning the marsh when it was a federal Superfund Site, and suggested that Jim's cancer might have 
been linked to this activity; he then called upon GE to "rectify the PCB situation" that continues to plague the river.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on the boardwalk followed these remarks, and guiding the scissors were the hands of several participants, including Dolores (Dee) Rod, wife of the late Jim Rod.