To protect the land for future generations, land owner Maurice Wertheim donated this property in 1947 to the federal government to become the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. Lucille Wellington donated another area of wetlands at the mouth of the river. In 1974, thanks to the dedication of members of the community and Students for Environmental Quality—a local high school group— the Carmans River became the first to be protected under New York State’s Wild and Scenic River Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently protects the Carmans River for wildlife and for people; please respect the river as an unspoiled part of our local heritage.