WESTBROOKVILLE – Gary Keeton has been an interpretive naturalist for more than 20 years, during which time he has lent his expertise to numerous individuals and organizations — the Basha Kill Area Association in particular. And it is his expertise on the Basha Kill that has made him so invaluable as both a tour guide and an expert witness. However, Keeton's vast knowledge of the area is not limited to the natural world; he is also extremely well-read on the varied history of the region, most specifically the D&H Canal.

If you take a hike with Keeton along the old canal tow path on the western shore of the Basha Kill — the infrastructure of which still can be clearly seen — you're struck by the ease with which he can recall the details of his far-ranging studies. And it's the eclectic nature of his observations that stand out.

"Now here's an interesting plant," Keeton says, pointing to a large, dead grape vine hanging from a nearby tree. "Notice that the bottom [of the vine] has been cut." He then recites an object-lesson in the kind of short-sighted harvesting we see all too often these days. The vine is cut near the base, according to Keeton, so that its sap — which is extremely valuable to the cosmetics and hair-care industries — can run into a bucket. The problem is it kills the vine in the process.

"It's really a shame," Keeton says.

Keeton sees a great deal of irony in the fact that many people are unaware of just what goes into the products they buy in supermarkets.

In continuing your excursion with Keeton you would note, interestingly, that the Basha Kill area has undergone numerous changes over the last several centuries. According to Keeton, when settlers first arrived in the valley, it was open grasslands.

"The stories I've heard say that the grass was over six-feet tall," Keeton says. "I don't know what kind of grass it was, but I'd sure like to know."

Keeton says that, over the next few centuries, the kill area was primarily farmland and that the river used to run much more widely and deeply. There are even stories that the kill was at one time used to float logs downstream to the Neversink River.

But it wasn't until the twentieth century that what is now known as the Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area ended up in its current configuration.

"We had the hurricanes in 1938 and 1955 that changed everything," Keeton says.

What happened, according to Keeton, is that alluvial deposits — the debris left over from receding glaciers — was washed down the various tributaries that lead to the Basha Kill, effectively creating plugs at both ends and creating what is now a wetlands. Water flows in but it takes its time flowing out, according to Keeton.

This unusual geology has created what is, in effect, a relatively rare natural occurrence: a wetlands that is situated in the mountains.

Another bit of irony, according to Keeton, is the fact that the heavy concentration of farming in previous centuries has led to toxic "time bombs" in the soil.

"The biological damage has been repaired, but the chemical damage hasn't," he says. "You have sedimentation covering [chemical] hotbeds."

These hotbeds sometimes open up as the kill's meandering course changes over time.

"Inside bends erode; outside bends accrete," Keeton says. "So you're stirring up [the river bed] and constantly getting into hotspots."

The disturbance of such hotspots has led to fish deaths, according to Keeton. When biologists study the fish from these events, it is relatively easy to determine the cause.

Keeton then takes the time to point out the foundations of a house that once sat along the bank of the D&H Canal.

"You had a double root cellar on this one," he says. "One wet and one dry."

He also points out several other remnants of that era, including a stone bridge that used to span the canal, allowing access to an old boat basin.

"You can still make out the area where they kept the boats," Keeton says.

And in looking over the old canal, which sits about forty feet above the Basha Kill, you are struck by the odd juxtaposition of pristine-seeming natural beauty, next to what are clearly the leftovers of a heavy industry that has fallen into obsolescence.

But it is this combination of decay and rebirth that makes the area so special. And, if you happen to run into Gary Keeton while you're out there, be sure to stop and chat with him about the region he loves. You'll be glad you did.

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