Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Industry & Commerce, Site

Location

2004 Valley Dr, Syracuse, NY 13207, USA

Lat/Long

42.995882582612, -76.152842150339

Grant Recipient

Friends of Wildlife

“Probably no association for the protection of game and fish ever organized in the county has done the amount of work in its entire existence as the Anglers’ Association of Onondaga county, although it was organized considerably less than a year ago. The association is composed of some of the most enthusiastic sportsmen in Syracuse, and a few of the neighboring counties…”

Featured in the Syracuse Weekly Express November 20^th, 1890 edition in an article titled, “After the Netters: Work of the Anglers’ Association of This County,” the quote above captures the formative first year of the organization commemorated with this historical marker.

The Anglers Association of Onondaga was first organized to protect the county from pollution and poaching harming its wildlife and natural resources. Particularly, during those early years a chief concern, as mentioned in the Syracuse Weekly Express, was “netting,” which negatively impacted the waterways of the county. In fact, their first initiative was hiring an officer to locate and remove these traps.

Since then, the Anglers Association of Onondaga has continued to preserve game and fish in the county. Perhaps nowhere is this more visible than Webster Pond, which became the headquarters of the organization ca. 1960 as they began leasing the land from the city with the purpose of restocking and improving the grounds for recreational purposes. As of 2024, they continue to do so.

Today, visitors to Webster Pond can enjoy the fruits of the Anglers Association of Onondaga’s labor with a variety of activities, ranging from junior fishing programs to feeding the ducks and geese on site.

Links

• Visit Syracuse