A lot of my viewers are shut-ins, and for them this is their window into the world and is giving them peace.
“I could never imagine ever shutting it down. “It’s been so heartwarming for us,” he said. He also heard from a woman who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, who would watch the birds from the camera to give her comfort. He has heard from women stuck in cubicles in Texas who have appreciated the sight of a brisk outdoor scene. He said, prior to that experience, he never would have considered getting involved in local politics, but five years later, he was elected as the chair of the Otsego County Board of Commissioners.īorton said, for many people, the Snowman Cam is a form of escape. “But people from all over the world heard about this and were posting articles … and people came flooding in with donations to pay my legal bills.” “Literally I can’t even answer how how awful (that experience) was,” he said.
The department argued the bird feeders violated the state’s deer baiting law.īorton fought that fine for nearly a year in court and also lobbied the state legislature to rework the law to require the DNR prove deliberate baiting of deer is taking place when writing a citation. In 2010, a DNR officer stuck Borton with a $205 fine after he spotted deer eating out of some of the bird feeders Borton had set up in the scene. While such wildlife is one of the primary draws of the camera, it also almost led to some legal trouble for Borton. The scene also often attracts various forms of wildlife, such bears, birds and deer. The camera features a thermometer, a snowfall ruler, and cardboard cutout of a snowman, which Borton often dresses in seasonal garb at different times throughout the year to keep the scene interesting, even when there is no snow on the ground. The “Snowman Cam” broadcasts a live feed of he and his wife Brenda’s property so that viewers can watch the accumulation of snow in the area. Years ago, that figure hovered around a still-impressive 1 million viewers per year. This year, it got 2 million viewers in the span of two months. 22, the live feed was also featured on the Weather Channel’s Facebook page.īorton said viewership of the camera has been astounding.
This month,, which has been the the host site for the Snowman Cam for 10 years, named it as one of the top 25 live cams in 2017, alongside cameras broadcasting views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Seoul Tower in South Korea and the New York City skyline.Īnd, on Dec. For some reason, I don’t know why it is, people really love it.” “Still, to this day, I have no idea why the wide appeal. “I had an IP (Internet Protocol) camera, and it was just kind of a simple start,” Borton said. Nor did he expect that it would spark a lengthy legal battle with the Department of Natural Resources, or that the fight would launch him into the local political scene. He never expected the live cam would reach a global audience. When Ken Borton first started his Snowman Cam more than 15 years ago, the purpose was just to give his friends downstate a glimpse of life up in Gaylord.
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