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DUANESBURG
Interest in Mariaville’s ‘black gold’ spreading
Hudson company to mine, sell local peat statewide
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    John Kowalk gained quite a reputation for selling “black gold” from his small farmhouse in the hills of Duanesburg.
    A short distance from Mariaville Lake, the former cattle farm had enough of it to keep Kowalk in business for decades. Only his version of black gold isn’t exactly the type pumped from the ground.
    Kowalk discovered a marshy area just south of Mariaville Road contained vast tracts of peat, a substance formed by the natural decay of organic matter in acidic and low-oxygen conditions. When dry, peat is used as a soil supplement to improve a variety of poor growing conditions — helping retain moisture, improve drainage or balance soil pH.
    Kowalk’s product was popular with Capital Region gardeners. For years, his mixtures of peat humus, composted cow manure and sandy loam soil served commercial and residential clients alike.
    “I thought it was great stuff,” said David Chinery, an educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County, of the peat he used for his vegetable garden several years ago.
    But the quality of product isn’t the only distinguishing facet of Mariaville Peat. The 98 acres of peat mine is the only one of its kind in the Capital Region and the largest operating across the state. (The state Department of Environmental Conservation identifi es 27 peat mines across New York, but only a dozen that are considered active. Among those 12, only four are permitted by the agency, including Mariaville Peat.)
    “In Schenectady County, it’s a pretty unique asset,” Chinery said.
    Now, Mariaville Peat is taking a step into the modern age. The operation that supplied peat for close-to-home clientele will be exporting the product in bags of top soil being sold throughout upstate New York. .........................>>>>..................................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1

Imagine if you tried to did in a "marshy area" now for soil? DEC DEC DEC DEC! No wonder free enterprise is all but killed in this state. The barriers to entry for new enterprise are set so high it is not feasible.