Nick Reynolds

nreynolds@ithacajournal.com | @IJCityWatch

Despite the presence of some protesters in matching T-shirts, Town of Ithaca officials approved the final 25 percent of funding for Tompkins County’s gorge rangers program Monday afternoon.

The Ithaca Town Board unanimously approved $7,500 in funding toward the $30,000 program, increasing the rangers who patrol the Six Mile Creek Natural Area from two to four.

Patrols will be stepped up as an answer to the death of a cliff jumper at Ithaca’s Second Dam last July and will patrol the three dams of the popular — but illegal — swimming areas in the gorge.

A small group of advocates for an unrestricted gorge called Free The Gorges had drafted a petition requesting alternatives to restricting swimming at Second Dam, with the argument “adults should be able to make decisions for themselves” and that swimming, above all, was not a crime.

The petition had 198 signatures as of 3 p.m. Monday.

The area is a notable hot spot for illegal activity; 120 events and 1,498 infractions were reported at the three dams last year, according to Tompkins County, and, in some instances, hypodermic needles and large piles of garbage have been cleaned from the dams, said City of Ithaca Clerk Julie Holcomb.

Glorification of cliff jumping in the area on social media, such as in Youtube videos, Facebook groups and Instagram posts have attracted visitors from all over the northeast which, in the past few years has led to an influx in traffic at the site.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in traffic over the last few years,” Jeremy Veverka, an activist and Brooktondale resident whose childhood home borders Six Mile Creek. “I remember the ‘90s, people used to have some big parties out there—I think people have heard the story of 200 people out there with amplified music and generators and apparently some drugs—that level of party and that number of people is a new thing.”

The City of Ithaca, which organized the program, will fund half of the cost and will furnish both the cost of training and the body cameras all four rangers will wear. The funding will be in place for one year, County Administrator Joe Mareane said in April, after which the effectiveness of the program will be evaluated for the future.

Veverka and his group say they have no problem with the gorge rangers program itself; rather, many say they are all for improving safety at the gorges. However, the idea of banning swimming in an area where cliff jumping, drug and alcohol consumption and excessive partying are the issue seems to be a misuse of resources, Veverka said. Rather than banning people from the area, methods of dissuading people — such as memorials to people who died at the site or even signage discouraging cliff jumping at the dams — could prove to be a more effective approach.

“There’s danger in every natural area,” Veverka said. “But if you’re aware of the dangers, there’s no reason why you can’t swim in Six Mile Creek.”

“All the problems people seem to be concerned with seem to be lumped in with swimming, and we don’t feel like that’s fair to say is a safety issue when really, it’s cliff jumping,” Veverka said.