History

Creek during the spring in the Robinson Preserve. [Photo Courtesy of Mark Darling]

Robert (Bob) Robinson was a very active member of the Tompkins County Community. Born in 1909, he graduated from Ithaca High School and attended Cornell University. He had several careers in his life that ranged from banking to coordinating research at Cornell, and he had a long association with the Lab of Ornithology. He loved the outdoors, especially Cayuga Lake, and was an avid boater. He served on an advisory committee to the New York State legislature for motorboat laws, and in 1965 he wrote Cayuga Lake Boating. Besides recreation, Robinson enjoyed the intrinsic worth of nature taking an interest in bird art and general wildlife.

In the 1970's, Bob Robinson donated a parcel of land of 126 acres in Newfield to Ithaca College. This land includes the beautiful Van Buskirk Gorge, which has now been designated a unique natural area by Tompkins County. Although he had been approached by others about purchasing his land, Robinson honored Ithaca College with his trust that the college would be the best land steward. His donation did not come with any legal stipulations, but the understanding was that Ithaca College would protect the land's natural character.

There was a history of generosity by Bob Robinson's family toward Ithaca College. His grandparents, George Russell and Ellen Boardman Williams, owned 2 Fountain Place and in 1938 Ellen sold her home to Ithaca College for a very modest price of $18,000 out of concern that it not be turned into a fraternity or rooming house. It is now the Ithaca College president's residence. Bob's great grandfather was Judge Douglass Boardman, and in 1910, the directors of the Ithaca Conservatory bought Boardman House from the family of Judge Boardman as its very first real estate.

In January 2004 faculty from the Ithaca College Biology Department engaged with the administration to assess the biological resources of the Newfield property and to start a process for developing a sound management philosophy for the area. One of the results of this dialogue was the establishment of the Ithaca College Natural Areas Stewardship Committee (NASC). This committee, co-chaired by a faculty member from biology and the director of physical plant was charged with promoting substantive teaching and research, exploring compatible additional uses, and serving as the management entity for the Newfield property. In addition the committee was to develop management recommendations for the land owned by Ithaca College adjacent to campus on South Hill.

Early in 2005, to better serve as the ongoing management entity for all of Ithaca College's natural areas, the NASC was reorganized as Ithaca College Natural Lands (ICNL) and we solidified our mission:

Ithaca College Natural Lands (ICNL) serves as an advisory body to the Vice President for Finance and Administration for the stewardship of Ithaca College's natural areas. Our primary mission is to maintain the educational value and ecosystem services of these lands, to support co-curricular activities, and to guide compatible economic and recreational development.

In the fall of 2005, based on recommendations from ICNL, Ithaca College established the Robert Robinson Family Preserve. This area will be managed to maintain and enhance the biodiversity and ecological integrity of this special area, and to serve the long-term interests of the Ithaca College and Newfield communities with a place for teaching and research, and a place to enjoy the aesthetic value of this special area.