Learn Experience Explore

Learn
Experience
Explore
Y
ou have been personally invited to experience Savannah Dhu, Bob & Sue
Congel’s family retreat.
With the vision and mission of DestiNY USA in the forefront of their minds,
the Congel family welcomes you to experience the real world of the outdoors.
Prepare to be awed.
Senses sharpen as you spot white-tailed deer, geese and woodchucks along Attitude Adjustment Road, a meandering introduction to your next adventure deep
inside our 5,000 acre refuge.
Along the trek, you will glimpse Pines Lodge. Draw nearer, and examine the fruits
of great dreams brought to life.
America was built on dreams. Savannah Dhu encourages the next level of dreams.
As DestiNY USA fulfills dreams of creating a better world through creative fusion
of technology, commerce and vision, you are entering the
perfect environment to stimulate great creative thinking.
The world has changed dramatically in a short time.
Savannah Dhu is a living environment which introduces
people to its own dramatically different mindset.
Our staff awaits your visit.
As you are greeted at the storybook grand entrance of the
Pines Lodge and move into the Great Room, your senses will
be automatically stimulated. It can’t be helped. The size,
grandeur, thoughtful decor invites you into a warm environment. You belong here.
We want you here.
Please…enjoy your stay.
There’s lots to do.
W
ould you like to watch
wildlife living abundantly?
Year round viewing is available. Bring a camera.
From the safe confines of our elevated,
themed viewing houses, you and other
guests have the opportunity to see deer,
turkey, red and gray fox, coyotes, squirrels
and rabbits. These inviting houses, also
used during hunting season, are comfortably heated during winter months. Imagine, sitting inside a warm, cozy, safe spot
twenty feet off the ground, surrounded by
a theme from Teddy Roosevelt’s life time,
complete with comfortable chairs and
binoculars, overlooking perfect habitat for
wild animals. Watch animals and brainstorm with people inside your own outdoor living room, two stories up.
Perfect.
A
s you ponder what you see outside, the mood inside is exciting as well. Discussion turns to DestiNY USA. There is a greater reason to create DestiNY USA
than a world class destination. The Congel family has been successful, and they
want to give back to our country, while changing the way the world looks at energy. They
have declared independence from fossil fuels. While the United States makes up 4% of the
world population, we use 20% of the world’s oil supply. As fuel prices soar, the DestiNY
USA team stays focused on renewable natural energy to fuel the greatest project in history.
Gaze through the long, narrow window. Before you lays a food plot, thoughtfully planted
to create the best feeding environment for nature’s native animals. Surrounding succulent
food for wildlife is brushy edge cover, a safe haven for animals. Just beyond edge cover are
dense woods, places for animals to escape predators and bed down
at night. Different plants embrace rich soils.
Diversity is important to wildlife management.
Diversity is also important at DestiNY USA. Telling an
environmental story with a variety of gardens and outdoor
settings under a glass dome, DestiNY USA is seamless and
safe, bringing the outdoors indoors with comfortable climates all year round.
Savannah Dhu wildlife specialists have worked with six different nationally renowned wildlife seed companies to create
best seed mixes for upstate New York and its rolling drumlins
and rich soils. Each field is thoughtfully planted using mixes
of clovers, brassicas, turnips, rape, Japanese millet, and a variety of legumes. Fields are rotated and maintained.
Look left…coming out of the woods. A doe, with twin
fawns. Don’t move. Watch how they act. They are safe, at
home. The fawns jump, dart and chase each other. Mom,
head down eating, watches, wary, instinctively knowing she
isn’t alone. More movement to the right, thirty yards away.
A buck, a big deer, moves into view. The doe raises her head,
acknowledges him, and then calmly goes back to feeding.
With binoculars trained on the newest visitor, you count
points. Three, four, five..six…six on each side, a twelve
point buck, flowing across knee high growth. He moves confidently, in charge of his situation. Antlers extend way past
his ears, on top of a proud head. Over the next few hours,
you lose count of animals you see. Deer, turkey, a fox…wild
tenants paying homage to a well maintained home.
Inside, you feel giddy, slightly nervous.
Wild animals do that to you.
A
s lunchtime approaches, poise yourself to enjoy a five star meal..either at the
lodge, or the Conference Barn. Our world class chefs don’t serve the same
meal twice. Most meats come from Savannah Dhu and it’s wildlife preserve.
You may experience tender elk steaks, venison, the finest cuts of wild boar…maybe fish
from one of our world class fishing lakes. Chefs buy local organic produce for salads with greens, corn, vegetables. Sensitize your taste buds with delectable local food,
cooked with world class attitude.
Take a few minutes to tour the conference barn.
Like shooting sports? Never done it? No worries.
After lunch, take advantage of our sporting clays course.
Guides lead you…don’t worry about level of shooting
expertise, novice to expert. You fit in here.
Feel the need to walk off a few calories? Savannah
Dhu has more than five miles of improved, maintained
hiking trails. Did you notice the suspension bridge as
you traveled Attitude Adjustment Road? Hiking trails.
Look at the trail map..degree of difficulty, distance and
sights invite you. Bring your camera. You may see a bald
eagle, ducks, geese, small mammals and deer.
Different birds flit through the woods. Be on the lookout. Depending on the time of year, different plants
will catch your eye. Fall colors take one’s breath, spring
buds break, almost suddenly when their time is right.
Spring wildflowers tug heartstrings, apple blossoms
waft across your nose’s path as you inhale the beauty
of your surroundings.
L
ike water? Savannah Dhu has more than
400 acres of well managed fishing lakes
and ponds. With 140 acre Lodge Lake at the
doorstep, feel free to tackle an afternoon of fun on
the water. Trained fishing guides stand ready to hook
you up. They know all the best spots, where the fish
live, and how to catch them. Lodge Lake is home to
huge tiger musky, northern pike, walleye, smallmouth
bass, hybrid stripers, yellow perch, crappie..and its
premier inhabitant, largemouth bass. Sitting north
of Lodge Lake is…North Lodge Lake. With deep
sparkling clear water, its habitat is managed for different species of trout. Rainbows and Browns inhabit
the lake with Tiger trout, a cross between brookies
and browns. For good measure, North Lodge Lake
also has a few hybrid stripers, different sunfish and a
few largemouth bass. Long Lake boasts walleye larger
than seven pounds, and a growing population of
smallmouth bass. Refuge Pond serves many purposes.
While home to ten species of fish, its specialty
is crappie and yellow perch. But, at any given
time, expect to see hundreds, maybe thousands
of ducks. Depending season, you may see mallards, redheads, scaups, widgeon, blue or green
wing teal, wood ducks, gadwall, pintails or canvasbacks. Refuge Pond fits its name…a 90 acre
refuge for fish, ducks and geese.
Fishing is fun, but maybe the day beckons a quiet boat ride. Boats are
here, available to you. Take a tour of the lake with a guide, or spend a quiet
few hours alone with family or friends, enjoying the solitude of water.
As you absorb Savannah Dhu, fresh ideas begin to jump through your
mind. Keep in mind, Savannah Dhu is the perfect place to gather, make
new friends, new business contacts, and to continue developing a mindset
for DestiNY USA.
N
ot only will DestiNY USA be a great resort destination with more than 40
hotels and 65,000 rooms, its main purpose is to be a model for the world.
DestiNY USA is all about research. This living laboratory allows researchers to
develop new hospitality products, conduct research of alternative fuels, natural resources,
buyer behavior, economy…the list is long. Imagine how Christopher Columbus must have
felt more than five hundred years ago when he reached the shores of a new land. How our
founding fathers passionately fought for independence, so generations beyond could be
free to think and discover…and to pursue dreams. Fast forward to your lifetime…think of
all the life changing inventions. It’s time for another change. Now is the time,
DestiNY USA is the vehicle. You are a key part of that vehicle. Imagine a new environment, energized by technology, installed at once, in the beginning. That’s DestiNY USA;
a 24 hour experience which transforms upstate New York while changing the way the
entire world thinks. DestiNY USA is a “must see” for people everywhere.
Maybe you find yourself sitting in a ground blind next to the Refuge Pond, in awe
as thousands of geese do what geese do on water. As you ponder the unfolding events
within arm’s reach, your mind is struck silent by the mass of honking birds. You have
never seen so many birds in such a small-looking area. Just when you think another bird
can’t possibly fit on the water, a family group of geese approaches from the south, looking below for a place to land. There is none, you think. But, the V shaped flock rapidly
changes into a swarm, dropping fast, changing directions, like feathered missiles seeking a target. The older birds are veterans of short approaches, dropping flaps behind
tight wings, close circles, feet down like landing gear. Younger birds are funny to watch,
swooping, dropping too fast from too high. No place to land, geese “waffle”, a term
describing acrobatic aeronautics where young geese contort themselves and glide sideways, almost upside down, wings vertical. Amazing as it sounds, watching late fall, early
winter geese is even more amazing.
P
reserve tours are available. As dusk approaches, climb inside a Savannah Dhu
vehicle, with a guide at the wheel. Traverse well kept roads, through thoughtful
wildlife plots and thick woods. You will see animals. Be on the lookout for more
deer, small game, birds. Depending where you travel, don’t be surprised by wild boar,
majestic Rocky Mountain elk, Pere’ David deer…maybe even a Sika deer.
As you prepare to enter the wonderful world of Savannah Dhu, keep in mind issues of the
day. Homeland security, independence, economy, world politics, the price of fuel…key ingredients influencing the recipe how we live. While embracing Savannah Dhu’s refuge and wildlife preserve, always keep in mind this environment was created by a higher power, placed
into the authority of human hands to be nurtured and cared for. We are stewards.
What you will see is not an accident. It is the result of thousands of years of natural care,
drumlins carved by ancient glaciers, forests from seeds hundreds of years ago, fertile lands
worked by generations of farmers…today molded and managed as a preserve, using the latest
conservation techniques and expertise.
Deer you will see are a population, a herd of native animals nurtured in their natural environment. As managers, stewards, we care for the herd, providing food and managing habitat.
Food plots are designed, planted and farmed to make the best browse for deer, food and nesting areas for turkey, upland animals and birds. Each year we evaluate, adjust, and continue to
manage the herd. Hunting at Savannah Dhu serves several important functions. For hunters,
it’s a sport. For managers, hunting is a sound strategy to manage the herd, its numbers, and
condition. Over the years, we have watched our deer herd increase in size and quality because
of higher fawn survival, better condition of animals and better food sources. Our harvest
program is selective. We don’t take immature bucks. Because of sound management practices,
the status of the herd is excellent. Quality animals abound, body condition continues to beat
records and ratios of buck to doe are coming closer to optimal.
W
hile the results of thoughtful management are measured by numbers and
quality of animals, the side benefits are also overwhelming. By providing
better habitat and food supplies, we have seen a marked jump in numbers of
other birds and mammals, too. Raccoons, possums, squirrels, muskrats, mink…more now
than ever before. We see different species of birds making their way here, as they migrate
south each fall, and north each spring. Savannah Dhu is home to thousands of native animals, and a stopping spot for hundreds of thousands of birds making their way to and from.
The southern end of Savannah Dhu is a 400 acre marsh, a staging point for all types of migratory waterfowl. The water is home to water mammals and a small population of fish. Our
marsh is part of a complex environmental area which leads to Montezuma Marsh, a nationally famous wildlife refuge. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has
permitted us to improve the marsh over the next few years, to improve existing habitat.
For DestiNY USA, the environment is safe and secure too. Security
systems, developed by companies
who made the Olympic Games safe
in Utah and Greece allow visitors to
come and go as they please. Security
teams are creating the most comprehensive security program in the
history of the world. The wide appeal
of DestiNY USA crosses generations,
cultures and families. It will help solidify global positioning for the world
as a worldwide tourism destination.
As goes the natural resource, so goes
the way we use it. Savannah Dhu is
home to an annual hunt for physically
challenged hunters. Each fall, hunters from around the country make the
annual trek to Savannah Dhu and its
“tent camp” for a weekend in the woods. Words can’t describe the tug of heartstrings watching
a wheelchair-bound quadriplegic shoot a bow using his mouth. For this weekend, wheelchairs
and conventional life are left behind for this group of hunters.
The handicapped hunt is a great event each year at Savannah Dhu.
Other fund raising events pepper the calendar at Savannah Dhu. Each spring, former
NFL star, attorney and novelist Tim Green sponsors a fund raiser for a nearby hospital. He
invites current and former NFL players to fish with sponsors at a derby at Savannah Dhu.
A
s seasons come, and seasons go, Savannah Dhu is a reflection of
everything which is right with
the world. No matter the season,
when you come to Savannah Dhu, there
will be eventful opportunities to participate
in the out of doors. Fathers and sons, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters,
hunters and non-hunters, fishermen, naturalists, conservationists…friends making
friends together in a creative environment
known as Savannah Dhu.
This equation plants seeds where they
need to grow, inside your mind, with other thoughtful people, working together to
make this world a much better place.
Savannah Dhu is part of the marketing program for DestiNY USA, a springboard to
success. With more than 130 million people within a day’s drive of Syracuse, a comprehensive marketing program will attract all market segments, while putting 280,000
people to work in new jobs. DestiNY USA knocks on the door of a new world mindset while embracing a work force standing ready to compete, digging deeper, trying
harder, reaching higher and farther than any other project the world has ever seen.
DestiNY USA will provide a venue for companies to do good while doing well. Innovation is an engine of economic growth. DestiNY USA goes beyond innovation
every day, with experiences in a unique environment yielding knowledge to researchers who assist improving the quality of life for everyone. DestiNY USA’s mission is to
transform that knowledge into valuable intellectual property including inventions and
products that will improve the quality of life while bringing investment.
Welcome to Savannah Dhu.
Savannah Dhu
Noble Road
Clyde, NY