Don't Miss: Talk Tomorrow on Iona Island 'History & Mystery'

The History and Mystery of Iona Island will be the topic of a talk by noted historian, photographer and environmental educator Donald ‘Doc’ Bayne at 2 p.m. tomorrow, at The Little Red Schoolhouse, 297 Locust Ave., Cortlandt Manor, NY.

Sponsored by the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society, the event is open free to the public.

In a powerful PowerPoint program of words and pictures, Mr. Bayne will illustrate the intriguing and mysterious history of the 556-acre bedrock island that juts out from the west shore of the Hudson River below Bear Mountain.

He will show early evidence of both Native American settlements and Colonial farms on the island. In the late 1800s, the site attracted tourists with an amusement park, hotel and picnic grounds. He points out that from 1900 to 1946, it served as a major U.S. naval arsenal, complete with explosions and saboteurs.

Following World War II until the early 70s, the famous “mothball fleet” of decommissioned warships were moored near the island at Tomkins Cove.

A seasoned expert in trail hiking, forestry, and plant and wildlife habitats, Mr. Bayne notes that since 1965 when the Palisades Interstate Park Commission took possession of the island, much of the site and surrounding marshes have become a wildlife preserve. “It provides a valuable habitat for many species, including winter nesting for Bald Eagles, during which time the island is off limits to human visitors,” he explains. With one of the largest tidal wetlands along the Hudson, Iona Island is part of a national estuarine sanctuary and research preserve.

A retired New York State Forest Ranger, Doc Bayne has been the Environmental Educator and Historian for Sterling Forest State Park for many years. In this position, he has exhibited his vast knowledge of the forest and wildlife and Native Americans by conducting nature and history hikes in Sterling Forest and Bear Mountain State Parks, as well as lectured on many aspects of the environment and ecosystems of the region. One of his areas of expertise is the iron history of New York State. He has been acclaimed for his program: “How Iron Ore is Made---The Forging of Iron in the Hudson River Valley during the American Revolution.”

In his role as an environmental educator, he has conducted countless “eco explorer” classes for young people in the tri-state area through their schools, scouting groups, and 4-H clubs.

He has also lectured on 22 historic topics and presented programs at Johns Hopkins University, New York University and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as assisting Ithaca College with their bird research program.

When he was awarded the New York State Archaelogical Association Meritorious Service Award in April 2014, he was referred to as a “walking encyclopedia” of his knowledge and experience, and recognized as “a passionate researcher and educator who has the ability to feel the history of the land and transmit it to the people.”

In addition to his lifelong pursuit of history and the environment, his early background was in analog computers and lithography. After service in the U.S. Army, he became a commercial pilot, and then worked as a photographer for the Minolta Corporation, where he eventually became Manager of Minolta Information Systems, traveling the world for the company and pursuing his passion for archaeology, paleontology and the study of world history. After his stint at Minolta, he worked for an audio/visual company designing distance learning classrooms for two universities in New Jersey and for various companies at the World Trade Center.

Mr. Bayne is the President of The Friends of Sterling Forest and a member of the Historical Society of Greenwood Lake (New York), where he makes his home. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Orange County Historical Society, and the boards of the Fort Montgomery Battle Site and the Incorporated Orange County Chapter of the NYS Archaeological Association.

The Little Red Schoolhouse (the venue for the Iona Island program on May 16th) is located at the north end of Locust Avenue, next to Historic Old Saint Peter’s Church and cemetery, just south of Oregon Road in the Town of Cortlandt in northern Westchester County.

For more information, visit: www.vancort.net; or call (914) 736-7868.