Adirondack Great Range: A Dayhike of 10,000 Vertical Feet

The respite from winter’s grip is about over in the Adirondacks. I, therefore, decided to summarize a hiking route best done in the warm weather as a nostalgic farewell to temperate days. There are many ways to challenge ones hiking metal, one of which is to set cumulative goals such as total mileage, mountains climbed or total vertical gain. The Great Range is the premier Adirondack mountain range for such a venture as hiking over 10,000 vertical feet in a dayhike. As a matter of fact, the Great Range’s complete traverse was listed in Backpacker Magazine as America’s third hardest dayhike.

The rugged twenty six mile route begins just south of Keene Valley’s Noonmark Restaurant at the Rooster Comb trailhead and ends at the Garden. Place a second car at the Garden unless you want to walk an additional two miles at the end. The total route reads as follows: Rooster Comb (+1,770’), Hedgehog (+1,060’), Lower Wolf Jaw (+1,140’), Upper Wolf Jaw (+800’), Armstrong (+500’), Gothics (+500), Pyramid and back up Gothics (+400 to boost the vertical gain over 10,000), Saddleback (+600’), Basin (+700’), Haystack (1,450’), Marcy (+1,200’) and out via the Phelps Trail.

Rooster Comb and Hedgehog, the first two “lesser” mountains, are a good warm-up before the main course of High Peaks. Filter any necessary water before climbing Lower Wolf Jaw and take enough to last until the col before Haystack, the next reliable water source. The Wolf Jaws and Armstrong offer beautiful views though they are constrained by the woods. Gothics, however, unveils 360 degree views of Adirondack splendor. In and of itself, it is an incredible climb and destination.

Pyramid is a quick side trip south and, though not considered a High Peak due to its vertical proximity to Gothics, boasts one of the best views of the Upper Range. A hiker can leave their pack on the Range Trail on Gothics and make quick time up to the summit and back. The cable route west down Gothics’ exposed bedrock leads to Saddleback and Basin, also peaks with unobstructed views. Be sure to look back as you ascend each for dramatic views of the Lower Range. The col between Gothics and Saddleback also provides a good bail-out trail to the Garden if necessary.

Haystack, a mountain of unique character due to the massive amount of exposed summit, falls next in line. A climb over Little Haystack, to the summit, back over Little Haystack to the Phelps Trail is the most expeditious route to the final destination: Mount Marcy. The Phelps Trail provides one last bail-out point before the final ascent of 1,200 feet. Celebrate quickly, once at the top because it is an eight mile hike out to the Garden via the Phelps trail. The Loj can be used as another feasible alternative.

Consult guidebooks on area specifics and become familiar with the various trails. This summary makes a full day of navigating rocky trails, gnarled roots, small slab scoots and high mileage/ascent look easy. It is not, but is thoroughly rewarding if one is prepared. A detailed description may be viewed here.

Photo: Upper Great Range by Kevin B. MacKenzie

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The Last Days of John Brown: Martyr, Revolutionary, or Terrorist?

150 years ago this week, John Brown was executed and his body was returned to the Adirondacks. Had Brown escaped from Harpers Ferry rather than been captured he might well today be just a footnote, one of the tens of thousands that struggled to undermine the institution of slavery in America before the Civil War. It's often said that just one thing secured Brown's place in the hearts of millions of Americans that came after him - his execution and martyrdom. There is another equally important reason Americans will celebrate the life of John Brown this week however - he was right slavery would end at a heavy price.

Whatever your politics, no single cause in the history of the United States of America has directly affected the status of the fundamental civil and human rights this country was founded on like the issue of American slavery. In its essence, and although even America's founders little understood it, the cause of slavery is exactly the cause for which some American colonists launched violent attacks on their own despotic British government. They said so directly in the second paragraph of their Declaration of Independence: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Just thirty years after that declaration it became apparent that a large number of Americans would contravene the basic human and civil rights of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Those Americans, who made their living off the labor of the physically and violently enslaved, or whose material and social economies depended on that "peculiar institution," were mostly (though by no means exclusively) clustered in the South.

On the other side stood men and women like John Brown, who was born in 1800 and raised at a time when Northern states were meeting the promise of the Declaration of Independence and outlawing slavery forever (albeit slowly). They were among the first generation of Americans to recognize, incontrovertibly, that the majority of slave holders would not live up to the basic civil rights for which the American Revolution was fought.

Bit by bit the slave holders' refusals to accept the civil and human rights provided in the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution it inspired became clear. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 led to prison for men and women who defended the rights of other Americans to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Then in 1857 Dred Scott was declared by the Supreme Court to be outside the protection of the American constitution.

No matter your political beliefs, if you believe that the American Revolution was fought to protect our "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," then you must also agree that when John Brown launched his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, he was defending exactly the same principles as those who attacked British troops at Lexington and Concord. Not coincidentally both battles were over stored military arms and supplies.

If you doubt that John Brown's attack on the federal arsenal was a defense of the Declaration of Independence, consider the preamble to a Provisional Constitution Brown wrote before the raid:

Whereas slavery, throughout its entire existence in the United States, is none other than a most barbarous, unprovoked, and unjustifiable war of one portion of its citizens upon another portion - the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment and hopeless servitude or absolute extermination - in utter disregard and violation of those eternal and self-evident truths set forth in our Declaration of Independence:

You might consider all violence anathema, but if you defend the right of the American colonists at Lexington and Concord, at Saratoga, at Kings Mountain, or Yorktown, then you should also defend the right of John Brown at Harpers Ferry.

If John Brown was a terrorist, then so were the founders of America. In constrast, if any could be called terrorists it was those who would move from executing John Brown to attacking Fort Sumter, withdrawing from the union, and raising armies to attack the United States. The chief capturers and public prosecutors of John Brown were later among the fiercest opponents of the United States: Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Virginia Governor Henry Wise (who was a General with Lee at his surrender), and J.E.B. Stuart.

It should be no surprise then, that in 1859 as John Brown was led to the scaffold, John Wilkes Booth - the killer of the man who would ultimately end slavery, vanquish the slave owners, and hold together the United States of America under the principles of July 4, 1776 - was watching in anticipation.

Brown's last words, "I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood," were written on a note that he handed to a guard just before he was hung.

Victor Hugo wrote about Brown execution at the time: "Let America know and ponder on this: there is something more frightening than Cain killing Abel, and that is Washington killing Spartacus."

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A Saranac Lake Christmas Story

On Sunday December 13 Historic Saranac Lake will present “A Franklin Manor Christmas,” a tea hosted by Ann Laemmle and author Paul Willcott at their home, a former cure cottage and monastery on Franklin Avenue in Saranac Lake. The house is the centerpiece of Paul’s book, A Franklin Manor Christmas.

This novella was published last year too close to Christmas to get the attention it deserves. So here goes: it’s an old-fashioned, tenderhearted, improbable and snowbound tale, everything a Christmas story should be. The book is also true to Saranac Lake and its people. Many of the characters are based on real folks who share some history with the erstwhile nunnery, having either lived there or attended Mass or helped the sisters maintain the rambly building on a prayer.

Paul Willcott is a wonderful writer, but even better than reading him is listening to him read from his own book in his honest Texas drawl. The Historic Saranac Lake gathering begins with mingling, from 3 to 5 p.m. Ann, the most gifted baker in town, will provide holiday cookies, tea biscuits, homemade marshmallows with hot chocolate, and teas. Then Paul will present a history of the house, followed by a reading from his story. The session ends with a carol or two around the tree.

Tickets are $25. A limited number are available. Call Historic Saranac Lake (518) 891-4606 to reserve.

The book and audiobook A Franklin Manor Christmas are available here and here or in local bookstores.

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Warren County 4-H Shooting Sports Program Announced

FROM A WARREN COUNTY 4-H PRESS RELEASE:

Ever wonder what 4-H Shooting Sports is all about? Do you want to find out? Then mark your calendars! 4-H Shooting Sports will be hosting a general interest meeting on Thursday, December 3rd at the Dunham’s Bay Fish and Game Club. The meeting will start at 6pm and cover the basics of 4-H Shooting Sports as well as offer Laser Shot and Archery activities that evening. Any interested youth over the age of nine is welcome.

4-H Shooting Sports fosters responsibility and helps youth acquire knowledge, skills, abilities related to firearms safety, and sound decision making. Shooting sports helps develop social skills, leadership techniques, and provides opportunities for community service.

There are, however, some limitations to participation due to New York State policy. They are as follows: youth age 12 and up can participate in all disciplines which include archery, air rifle, and conventional firearms. Ages 10-12 can participate in archery, living history, and air rifle only. Ages 9-10 can participate in archery and living history only. All youth are able and encouraged to participate in the different projects that enhance 4-H Shooting Sports. These policies are in line with the NYS 4-H Shooting Sports guidelines and are designated based on the “Ages and Stages” curriculum outline.

All participants must be fully enrolled in 4-H prior to participation in any shooting activities. Enrollment will be available the night of the event. Registration is required and can be done by calling Cornell Cooperative Extension at 668-4881 or 623-3291.

Photo: Archery program participant Caroline Lomnitzer of Indian Lake.

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What's in a Name? Adirondack Waterbody Trivia

Many of our region’s lakes and ponds share the same name—Moose, Long, and Black come to mind as some overused ones. While our rivers have generally fared better, there are still many examples of name-sharing. Here’s some name-related trivia to help get through the non-paddling months.

Several rivers share the same name. There are two Deers (one in Franklin County and another near the Tug Hill Plateau), two rivers named The Branch (one a tributary of the Schroon and the other a small tributary of the Boquet), two Littles (one flows into the East Branch Oswegatchie and the other into the Grass near Canton); and two Blacks (the major river draining the western Adirondacks and Tug Hill Plateau, plus a small one flowing into the Boquet).

In a tie for 1^st place we have the Salmon and the Indian, each with three. The three Salmons flow east into Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh, north through Malone into the St. Lawrence River, and west from the Tug Hill Plateau into Lake Ontario. The three Indians include the major stream that flows into the Hudson, another flowing north into the South Branch Moose, and another north of the Beaver near Natural Bridge. There are way too many creeks/brooks with the same name to catalog them—my guess is that Alder is the most popular name.

There are some river-pairs that sound like they should flow into one another though never do—the Great Chazy/Little Chazy and the Ausable/Little Ausable. Some rivers have East, West, and Middle Branches (Sacandaga, St. Regis, Oswegatchie) while others have North, South, and Middle Branches (Grass, Moose). In a class by itself, the Boquet has South and North Forks near its headwaters, and a North Branch further downstream. In a different vein, we have the South Branch Grass claiming a 1^st and 2^nd Brook, only to be outdone by the Independence, which claims 1^st through 5^th Creeks.

There are several rivers with multiple tributaries of the same name: The Cold has two Moose Pond Outlets, each from a different Moose Pond—one west of Duck Hole, and one near Shattuck Clearing. The South Branch Moose has two Otter Creeks, one in the Moose Plains and the other in Adirondack League Club lands. The East Branch Oswegatchie has two Skate Creeks, one flowing into Cranberry Lake and another into the Flat Rock impoundment. The Raquette has three (!) Dead Creeks, one near Piercefield and two flowing into the Blake Falls and South Colton Reservoirs. The Saranac has two Fish Creeks (one near the campground of the same name and the other flowing into Lower Saranac Lake) and also has two Cold Brooks (one near the lower lock and the other near Bloomingdale). If we stretch things a bit, we could add the Cold Brook that flows into the North Branch Saranac near Riverview. As usual, there are some near misses—Cold Brook and Little Cold Brook flow into Carry Falls Reservoir (Raquette) and the East Branch St. Regis has both a Big Cold Brook and a Little Cold Brook.

Finally, rivers almost always have streams and brooks as tributaries. Is there a situation when this is reversed and a brook has a river as a tributary? You bet. Quebec Brook (itself a tributary of the Middle Branch St. Regis) claims the Onion River as a tributary. Go figure.

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Hyde Exhibition of Modern Art to Open Today

FROM A HYDE COLLECTION PRESS RELEASE:

On Saturday, November 28, The Hyde Collection will open Divided by a common language? British and American Works from The Murray Collection. The exhibition of approximately twenty works of Modern art from the twentieth century are part of a larger collection donated to the Museum by the late Jane Murray.

Between 1991 and 1996, Murray gave nearly sixty works of Modern art to the Museum, the first significant donation of twentieth-century art received by The Hyde. An additional group of works was bequeathed by Murray upon her death earlier this year. This donation helped to form the foundation of the Museum’s Modernist holdings.

The exhibit, curated by The Hyde’s Executive Director David F. Setford, celebrates the works donated by Murray and reflects the breadth of her collection, while looking at differences and similarities between British and American Modernism. Artists represented in the exhibition include Britain’s Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Howard Hodgkin, and Paul Mount. American artists include Gregory Amenoff, Betty Parsons, Stuart Davis, and Ellsworth Kelly.

“This exhibition was organized as a tribute to Jane Murray’s legacy,” said Setford, “Her generosity to our Museum is only surpassed by the attention she paid in selecting works for her impressive Modern art collection.“

According to Setford, the exhibition pieces were selected to help visitors examine the similarities and differences between American and British works of the period, as both are areas of particular strength in the Murray Collection.

The exhibition in Hoopes Gallery will be open through Sunday, February 28, 2010. Admission to the Museum complex is free for members. Voluntary suggested donation for non-members is five dollars. For more information, contact The Hyde Collection at 518-792-1761 or visit www.hydecollection.org.

Photo: Betty Parsons, American, 1900-1982, Guardian, 1980.

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Feeding Birds: Tuppence a Bag

The little old lady who sat in the square selling birdseed in the Disney version of Mary Poppins was offering a pretty good deal: a bag of birdseed for only two pence. Admittedly the bag was probably pretty small, and a tuppence went a lot further at the turn-of-the-century, when the story is set. When I walk into the bird paraphernalia shop to purchase seed today, I’d best have my checkbook handy, for I’ll need a lot more than tuppence to cover the needs of the greedy diners at my feeders, but I figure it’s worth the expense.

I did a little scrounging on the Internet to see if I could find some bird feeding statistics, and the only ones I could come up with are from a survey conducted in 1996 by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. From this survey they determined that approximately 52 million Americans feed the birds. This translated into about $2.7 billion spent on bird food (seed, nuts, suet), and over $800 million spent on bird feeding accessories (feeders, birdbaths, feeder poles, etc.). That was thirteen years ago, so we can only imagine what those numbers are today.

Despite the impact on our finances, we love to feed the birds. I suspect it has something to do with the overall barren appearance of the winter landscape: by putting out seed we bring birds to our yards, proving to ourselves that there is life out there despite the cold and snowy weather. And the splash of color the birds bring adds an extra ounce of delight, coloring an otherwise drab, grey and white world.

Sometime between the beginning of summer and the end of fall, I get out all my feeders and give them a good scrubbing. A diluted bleach solution is usually recommended for killing off any potentially harmful “bugs” that have accumulated on the feeders. Then they are reassembled and stacked on the shelves, where they wait for the first filling of the year.

Like planting my garden, I get itchy to put out my feeders when it is still a bit too early. The thing is to try to avoid feeding the birds while the bears are active, for a hungry bear can sniff out a feeder full of seed in no time, and the damage a hungry bear can do is enough to frustrate even the most dedicated bird enthusiast. Normally the bears have turned in for the winter by now, or at least the females and their cubs have. Male bears have been known to still wander about into December, looking for those last morsels of food to fatten up for the big sleep. But with the exceptionally mild weather we’ve had this month, many bears are still out and about, and your feeders can be a prime target. If you have decided to put your feeders out already, be sure to bring them in at night.

My bird feeding stations (yes, plural) have gradually expanded over the years. I have three feeder poles: two located along the edge of my property, near a nice hedge of balsam firs, and one located nearer the house, next to a crabapple tree. From these I hang an assortment of feeders: tube feeders, suet cages, platform feeders, and a hopper-type. Oh, and the peanut feeders. I also have three water sources for the birds: a hanging bird bath (used only in summer), a ground-level bird bath (ditto), and a heated bird bath (used only in winter).

Mostly, I feed black oil sunflower seeds: they are rich in oils, which translates into energy for the birds; they are easy for small-beaked birds, like chickadees and goldfinches, to open; and everyone likes them. Grey-striped sunflower seeds are larger and can be difficult for the small birds to open, but larger birds, like blue jays, have no difficulty with them. Some folks like to put out sunflower seeds that have been removed from their hulls. The logic behind this is that there is no mess beneath the feeders. These seeds, however, are a lot more expensive.

Thistle (aka: niger or nyjer) is actually not a thistle at all, but the seeds from a daisy-like plant grown in Ethiopia, India, Myanmar and Nepal, where it is grown primarily for its oil. The oil is extracted from the seeds and turned into food, paints, and soaps. The US imports huge quantities of these very fine seeds for wild bird food, over 5,000 tons annually. That’s a lot of seed. Some years I put out nyjer, and other years I don’t; it often depends on my finances, for nyjer is one of the more expensive seeds. It also can go bad quickly, and no bird wants to eat stale seeds. But, if your seed is fresh and you put it out in a special thistle feeder, you are bound to attract goldfinches and pine siskins, small birds with small beaks who greatly enjoy these tiny seeds.

Peanuts – everyone loves peanuts. I have three peanut feeders at home: two hold peanut halves, and one, a coiled wire contraption, holds peanuts that are still in the shell. When I have the latter up and filled, the birds empty it in near-record time. I got a great deal of pleasure last year out of watching the blue jays tackle this feeder. (Very clever birds, blue jays: they will contemplate a new contraption and figure out a way to make it work for them. But then, they are corvids after all.) When it comes to bird foods, peanuts are probably rated #1 in desirability, or at least they are in my yard. Peanuts disappear before any other food I put out.

Suet is another great attractant, and all the birds love it, not just woodpeckers. Basically, it is fat. Fat means energy, and energy is what every bird needs to survive our cold Adirondack winters. I know people who hang up the rib cages of the deer they get from hunting season and the birds pick at them all winter. Even martens visit these free meal sites! You can purchase chunks of suet or beef fat at the grocery store (it used to be free), or you can purchase pre-fab suet cakes at bird feeding stores, which are often a mixture of goodies, including peanuts, berries, mealworms, and seed. You can also make your own suet cakes, using drippings from your morning bacon and the burgers you cooked last night. I used to use vegetable shortening when making homemade suet cakes, but if that stuff is bad for us, it’s probably bad for the birds, too.

If you go into a bird feeding shop, you might be tempted to purchase safflower seed. This specialty seed is expensive and might leave you wondering why you bought it. At least it did with me. Nothing ate it. Supposedly, cardinals love it. “They” say that other birds, like grosbeaks, finches and chickadees, also enjoy it. You couldn’t prove it by me.

Bags of birdseed found in the grocery store are filled with lots of little round white (and sometimes red) seeds. These are millet. White proso millet is often popular with feeder birds, but red millet is less so. In fact, some sources claim that indigo buntings and tanagers will flock to your yard if you have a feeder filled with just white proso millet. Hm. Maybe so. Mostly I find that millet is kicked out of the feeders by birds as they strive to reach the tastier morsels: the sunflower seeds and peanut hearts.

What I tell people who are new to bird feeding is to start small. If you are only going to put out one feeder, fill it with black oil sunflower seeds, which are sure to please every bird in your neighborhood.

The next most important thing is to put out a source of water. This is especially true in the winter, when open water is hard to come by. A heated bird bath will be welcomed by every bird visiting your feeding station.

Lastly, you’ll want to provide shelter. Your bird friends will appreciate having a safe get-away nearby if a predator should approach. A conifer hedge is ideal, but any sort of shrubbery will do. If you really get into it, you can landscape your property with native fruiting shrubs, like nannyberry, winterberry, and dogwood, which will provide not only shelter, but also a food source for your feathered friends.

Feeding the birds in the winter is a wonderful way to get your nature fix with very little effort. Just picture yourself sitting next to the window on a chilly January morning, your hands warming around a morning cup of cocoa, as you watch the chickadees, nuthatches, and purple finches darting about the perches of your tube feeders; juncos and snow buntings hopping on the ground in search of fallen seeds; a family of blue jays screaming in to take over the platform and hopper feeders; a downy woodpecker working on a cake of suet. A squirrel scampers nearby, hoovering up fallen seeds as quickly as he finds them. And all you had to do to witness your wild neighbors is put out a little seed. It’s a happy thing.

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Weekly Adirondack Web Highlights

• Winter Campers: Four-Season Tents
• The In Box: Is Dede Getting The Last Laugh?
• SUNY ESF: Winter Marten Research Reveals Changes
• Wikipedia: Great Blowdown of Nov. 1950
• Bowery Boys: Cadwallader D. Colden
• Small Pines: The Franklin County Glitteratti
• Adirondack Writer Spotlight: Louis J. Simmons

Each Friday Adirondack Almanack compiles for our readers the week's best stories and links from the web about the Adirondacks. You can find all our weekly web highlights here.

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Bolton Welcomes Return of Famed Sculptor’s Gift

The Town of Bolton, where David Smith lived and worked for more than three decades, now has an even greater share in the legacy of that artist, commonly acknowledged as the greatest American sculptor of the 20th century.

Earlier this fall, Candida Smith, the artist’s daughter, presented a work welded by Smith in 1946 to the Bolton Free Library, saying her father would have appreciated this re-affirmation of his many and deep connections to the community.

“My father’s real inspiration was the support and love of Bolton Landing,” she said, noting that Smith frequently used the welding skills that forged brilliant works of art to repair a neighbor’s plow.

Smith’s affection for Bolton Landing and its people was reciprocated, Smith said.

“When he was accused of being a communist, a neighbor came to his defense by stating ‘if David Smith is a communist, there should be more of them,’” she recalled.

“It was a warm community,” Smith said. “When my sister Becca and I arrived here every summer, we knew we were loved, that we had a place here. We only have one home: Bolton Landing.”

While Bolton Landing provided Smith with a network of extended neighbors, the hills above Bolton Landing where he lived held perhaps an even stronger, denser community, said town historian Ted Caldwell, who introduced Candida Smith.

“These wonderful neighbors were his community, a community nestled under the ridge of hills to the west, hills David Smith lovingly called Tick Ridge,” said Caldwell.

That community was the seedbed for the work Smith donated to the library: a 14 pound, welded iron key inscribed “Mayor of Tick Ridge.”

Smith made the piece to honor a local man coming home from World War II, Philbert Ainsworth, said Dida Smith.

According to Caldwell, the Ainsworths were neighbors of Smith’s and the other families on Tick Ridge.

“If David Smith wanted a cup of sugar or a scythe or a little gossip, he could cross Edgecomb Pond Road to visit John and Mary Neuman. He could go north to Valley Woods Road to visit Charlie Goggi or the small farms of Howard and Rachel Smith or Albert Belden. He could stop at the intersection Edgecomb Pond Road and Finkle Road to see Bernard and Bea Ainsworth or he could stop at the top of Slaughterhouse Hill to visit Ray Swinton,” Caldwell said.

It was a neighborhood that consisted of people who felt, and said, “If I wanted people to know my business, I’d live in town,” noted Smith.

In 1946, Dida Smith said, David Smith sculpted the large key to be presented to Ainsworth at a coming home party that included most of the neighborhood.

“It was as though he was being presented with a key to the city, although in this case the city was Tick Ridge,” said Smith.

The party was held at the Hollywood, a local bar and restaurant that was situated on the site where Frederick’s restaurant now stands, said Smith.

According to Megan Baker, the Bolton Free Library’s director, a ribbon was made by Dorothy Dehner, Smith’s first wife, so that the key could be hung from Ainsworth’s neck.

“The stories I’ve heard relate that the key was so heavy Ainsworth fell over,” said Baker.

Dida Smith later acquired the work and decided to donate it to the library earlier this summer.

“This is where we learned to read, as many of you did,” said Smith. “This library has meant a great deal to my family over the years.”

Presenting the key to Bolton Landing, Smith said, “It’s a bit eccentric, but so are we.”

Members of the Bolton Free Library’s board of trustees accepted the work on behalf of the Bolton Community.

“This will forever be a part of the Bolton Free Library,” said Hal Heusner, the chairman of the library’s board.

The work will be displayed on a wood pedestal by Bolton furniture maker Tom Brady and on a base by Mike Zuba, near a collection of art books donated in Smith’s memory by friends of the artist after his death in 1965.

The presentation of the key was made before an audience of roughly one hundred friends, neighbors and town residents, many of them relatives of Smith’s neighbors on Tick Ridge.

The presentation ceremony and the reception that followed was called ‘Coming Home,’ explained Megan Baker.

“We’re commemorating the fact that David Smith made this piece in Bolton and it’s returning to the town. But we also wanted to commemorate the piece itself and the reason why it was made by David Smith – to welcome home a fellow Boltonian,” said Baker.

“We also wanted an opportunity to thank Candida Smith for her extraordinary generosity; the entire community came together to help us do that,” said Baker.

“Many people played a vital role in making this event possible,” said Baker.”Kate Van Dyck created the posters and invitations; Cheryl and Buzz Lamb have donated wine and the following restaurants have donated food: Blue Water Manor, Villa Napoli, the Algonquin, Lakeside Lodge, Ryefield and Cate’s. We’re thank everyone for their support.”

The key and the story of its origins, said Ted Caldwell, “is more than a story about a simple piece of art; it’s a story about Bolton, about neighbors and about David Smith’s love of Bolton.”

That, he said, is what makes the donation of the key to the library such a singular gift to the town.

But the key will soon be recognized with a place in the cannon of David Smith’s work, said Peter Stevens, the executive director of the David Smith estate.

According to Stevens, the key will be included in the next edition of the artist’s catalogue raisonne.

For more news from Lake George, read the Lake George Mirror or visit http://www.lakegeorgemirror.com

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This Week's Top Adirondack News Stories

• Snoe.down Moves to Vermont
• Owens Wins Double Bids for Air Service?
• Implode Bridge Before Lake Freezes
• Lawsuit Against Shoreline Rules Rejected
• Doug Hoffman Won't Seek Recount
• New Tax Break For Deer Donors
• Campground Owner Sues Ad’k Council
• Stephen Colbert In Lake Placid
• 23rd CD Board of Elections Statement
• Ferry Service Gets OK From APA
• Two Dead In Newcomb Plane crash

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Adirondack Music Scene: Phish, Bluegrass and Jazz

The big event this weekend will be in Albany where Phish is playing two shows at the Knickerbocker Arena (Times Union Center). I'll be attending at least Friday night. Raisinhead is playing a post-Phish show at Jillian's downtown Saturday night. Happy Thanksgiving.

Friday, November 27

Phish at the Knickerbocker Arena (Times Union Center) in Albany. Doors at 7pm.
http://www.phish.com
http://www.timesunioncenter-albany.com

The Stony Creek Band will be playing at the Stony Creek Inn at 5pm. Mexican Menu starts at 4pm. One month left at The Inn until they close for the winter.
http://www.stonycreekband.com
http://www.stonycreekinn.net

Saturday, November 28

Phish at the Knickerbocker Arena (Times Union Center) in Albany. Doors at 7pm.
http://www.phish.com
http://www.timesunioncenter-albany.com

Dreaded Wheat is at Laura's Tavern downtown North Creek at 9pm.
http://www.myspace.com/dreadedwheat
http://www.laurastavern.com

Wednesday, December 2

Tony Jenkins Jazz Trip plays barVino in North Creek from 8-10pm.
http://www.myspace.com/thetonyjenkinsjazztrip
http://www.barvino.net

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New Adirondack Cookbook for Fall & Winter

There’s a new cookbook tailored for the season, Northern Comfort: Fall & Winter Recipes from Adirondack Life. Edited by food writer Annette Nielsen, it includes more than 100 traditional and contemporary dishes gleaned from the magazine’s 40-year history. It focuses on regional flavors, including wild game, maple, apples, hearty vegetables and hearth breads. Paperback, 142 pages, $15.95.

Click here to hear an interview with editor Annette Nielsen by Todd Moe, of North Country Public Radio.

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Biofuels and Adirondack Forest Jobs

The Adirondack Research Consortium will sponsor a biofuels market development conference Wednesday, February 17 in Saratoga Springs.

The day-long meeting will focus on the potential of this emerging industry in the Adirondacks and North Country, with an emphasis on business creation. Topics include biomass market supply and demand, policies affecting biomass energy markets, project finance perspectives, and technology. Experts will discuss these issues from a developer’s perspective.

Several Adirondack institutions, including the Wild Center, Paul Smith’s College and a few schools have announced intentions to switch from oil to wood-based heat and/or power. The weak economy and lack of start-up capital has stalled some initiatives, however. Paul Smith’s College trustees this year tabled a proposal to build a wood-chip co-generation plant as cost projections came in millions of dollars higher than initial estimates.

Biofuels are derived from plants, sometimes corn and switchgrass; in the Adirondacks biomass almost always means wood. Although this region still identifies forest products as a mainstay of its economy, in reality very few people work in logging anymore. Select hardwood and spruce logs are exported, often to Canada. Paper mills that ring the Adirondack Park have either shut down or no longer get pulp from local logs, with a couple of exceptions.

Foresters say biofuels have the potential to revive Adirondack logging if a critical mass of demand can be established. Low-quality trees that once went to pulpmills could be ground into chips or pellets instead. (Forest ecologists are also weighing the benefits of the carbon neutrality of wood fuels vs. the ability of uncut forests to store greenhouse gases.)

The conference program, registration, and accommodation information can be found on the Adirondack Research Consortium’s Web site, adkresearch.org.

Wood chips photograph from Wikimedia Commons

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Black Knot Fungus – Scourge of Adirondack Cherries

Nature is constantly at war with itself. Romantics tend to see nature as colorful sunsets, fox pups playing around their dens, and bluebirds feeding their young. People with a more utilitarian outlook see nature as either a source of food (deer, turkeys, blackberries), or something to be conquered at all costs (human needs come first). There is truth in all views, but not one of them is exclusively “correct.” Nature has its warm fuzzy moments, but in reality, it is, as the saying goes, “red in tooth and claw.” This holds true for plants as well as animals.

Sometimes I think it’d be kind of nice to come back as a tree. Trees can live a long time. They provide food and shelter for birds and other wildlife. They help pull pollutants from the air and make oxygen for us to breathe. But they are also food and shelter for insects and fungi and myriad other pathogens. And then there’s the weather: wind storms, ice storms, lightning – these can all take their toll.

Not far from my house there’s an area that was once cleared and is now rapidly returning to a cluttered, tree- and shrub-filled tangle of growth. Certain species dominate the growth, and in the shrub department it is blueberries, chokeberries, and choke cherries.

Choke cherries (Prunus virginiana) are a native shrub that can grow to 30 feet in height. Around here, however, every specimen I’ve seen has been shorter than I, courtesy of the local pruning service: Odocoileus virginiana, the white-tailed deer. The berries are full of antioxidants and are edible by people (best in jams and syrups, where you can counteract their astringency with a good dose of sugar). Keep in mind, though, that the plant is toxic to horses.

Choke cherries, like other cherries and plums, are susceptible to a native pathogen called Black Knot Fungus (Dibotryon morbosum). The patch of choke cherries that I visit weekly is riddled with this fungus. It looks like someone has stuck a bunch of burned corndogs on the branches. This time of year the blackened growths are as obvious as the nose on your face, but when the disease is in its earliest stages, it can be very difficult to detect. If you are growing cherries or plums commercially, or even for your own enjoyment at home, you will want to know how to detect this virulent pathogen as soon as possible.

Black knot begins its colonization when spores are released from the parent fungus. The spores come in two varieties. The first are asexual, called conidia, and they appear as an olive-green, velvety growth on the black knot cankers in their second spring of growth. From early spring to early summer, wind and rain break off the conidia and spread them to new infection sites. The second kind of spores are ascospores, and these are formed sexually through the fruiting structures of the fungus, which are found on knots that are beginning their third year of growth. Like the conidia, they are spread by wind and splashing rain from early spring to early summer.

Once the spores are airborne, either blown or splashed, some will land on young wood, such as twigs and branches. Here the spores settle in for the long haul, either entering the plant via wounds or directly inserting themselves through the bark. Often entry is at the crotch of the twigs and branches. If the weather is wet (wet being a relative term, for it only needs to be wet for a few hours), and the temperature is between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit, conditions are ripe for infection.

So, the spores start to grow. Mycelium snake their way into and all along the wood of the tree/shrub. During the first year of growth, a small brownish blob may appear on the infected stem. It’s not terribly noticeable, which is why the disease is easily overlooked until it is well-established. Year two rolls around, and now the knot grows rapidly. At first it is soft and develops a greenish-brown color: this is the sign that the conidia are developing. As summer number two progresses, the knots, which are now rather large (they can grow up to a foot in length over time), start to harden and turn black.

Eventually the knots can encircle the twig/branch on which they are growing, effectively girdling it. The end result is a dead twig/branch above the knot. And even though the knot is now hard and crusty, its edges can continue to grow. Eventually, the oldest parts of the knot will break down, and this opens them up to invasion by boring insects (not insects that are dull conversationalists, but insects that will chew their way into the woody tissue of the plant, potentially bringing with them a whole new set of pathogens).

Some authorities consider black knot to be a minor disease, while others call it a serious problem. The latter are probably involved with commercial fruit growers, for whom black knot can indeed be a serious problem. But even if you only have a single cherry or plum, you want to know how to deal with this fungus, for if left untreated, it will work its way through the cherry and plum population, eventually killing off all the trees.

The first thing to do is routinely inspect your trees. You want to nail the fungus as early as possible, so know what the first summer’s growth looks like. If you miss it, and you don’t notice the knots until they are well-formed, it is still not too late. Grabbed your pruners and cut off the offending branch(es). You want to cut about eight inches below the canker to ensure that you are getting most of the mycelium inside the wood. Gather all your prunings and burn them. Or bury them deep in the ground.

If cankers have formed on the trunk of your tree (not as common, but still possible), dig them out with a knife and chisel, taking an additional inch of wood all around. If the resulting hole is greater than two inches across, paint it with shellac and cover with tree-wound dressing. You will also want to destroy all affected wild trees/shrubs in the immediate area. The recommended distance is 600 feet. If you have an orchard you need to protect, contact your local extension office to find out what dormant sprays and fungicides are recommended.

It’s a war zone out there. Fungi, insects and other pathogens are attacking trees and shrubs; trees fight back with sticky saps and toxic chemicals. Some plants call in the cavalry, in the form of insects that will attack the offenders (such as ladybugs vs aphids). The next time you go for a walk in the woods, think about this. Take a look around. See if you can find some evidence that all is not as calm as it seems.

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Adk Museum Announces 2010 Cabin Fever Sunday Programs

The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake has announced its 2010 Cabin Fever Sunday schedule. Complete information about all of the Cabin Fever Sunday programs can be found on the Adirondack Museum's web site at www.adirondackmuseum.org
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In addition to the cabin fever programs, the museum will introduce a program in North Creek, on January 10th, entitled "North Creek Songs and Stories - Working for the Man." The special presentation will feature folktales and music from the region's mining and logging industries with Lee Knight and Christine Campeau.

Here's what's on the Cabin Fever Sunday schedule:

Jan. 17, "19th Century Magic and Beyond," a magic show featuring Tom Verner

Feb. 14, "Passion in the Park," Valentine's Day presentation with Curator Hallie Bond

Feb. 28, "Rosin & Rhyme" with Bill Smith and Don Woodcock, at Saranac Village at Will Rogers

Mar. 14, "Epic Stories of the Iroquois," by Darren Bonaparte

Mar. 28, "Moose on the Loose in the Adirondacks," with Ed Reed

Apr. 11, "An Armchair Paddlers' Guide to the Schroon River" by Mike Prescott

Photo: A vintage valentine from the collection of the Adirondack Museum.

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Adirondack Family Activities: Holiday Train

In a mad rush of holiday cheer, too many side dishes and the turkey/tofurkey debate, it is easy to forget that some people will not have an argument over the necessity to recreate meat-shaped products out of tofu. Those and many others will be wondering where their next meal will be coming from.

For the 11th year the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Holiday Train will be pulling into over one hundred towns in seven states and Quebec raising awareness for local food pantries.

The northeast sector of the tour starts Thursday, November 26 at Rouses Point at approximately 11:00 pm. Each stop is a little over a half hour. Crowds will be treated to live entertainment as well as a festively decorated train, free of charge. All that is asked is a donation to the local food pantry. In addition, to providing the gaily lit-up train and live bands CFR donates funds to each stop’s food bank.

The US portion of the tour is hosted by Prescott a brother (Kaylen) and sister (Kelly) duo hailing from the Canadian musical legacies Family Brown (award winning country band formed by their grandfather, uncle and mother) and later Prescott-Brown (their parents' award winning band). Prescott’s own style has them performing at such venues at the Ottawa BluesFest and welcoming their first cd, “The Lakeside Sessions.”

Singer/songwriter Adam Puddington will take the stage with his own unique brand of music lightly influenced by Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, and Blue Rodeo. Other musical guests will be Sean Verreault best known as part of the blues rock band Wide Mouth Mason and Milwaukee native Willy Porter’s blending of folk music rounds out the program.

Local food banks will be collecting non-perishable food items and donations at each location so all the audience has to do is stand back and enjoy.

Each event does take place outside so dress warmly. Some locations have vendors set up to sell hot refreshments but it is not something to count on. The focus is on the food pantries and making sure their shelves are stocked for winter.

So for whatever reason you are thankful, take an opportunity to kick off the holiday season with a lively concert and a contribution to a food pantry.

Northeast Schedule
Thursday, November 26
Rouses Point – 11:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., Rouses Point Station

Saturday, November 28
Binghamton – 8:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m., CP East Binghamton Rail Yard, Conklin Ave.

Sunday, November 29
Oneonta – 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., Gas Avenue Railroad Crossing

Cobleskill – 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., Cobleskill Fire Department, 610 Main Street
Delanson – 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Main Street Railroad Crossing
Schenectady – 9:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Maxon Road
Monday, November 30
Saratoga Springs – 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., Amtrak Station

Fort Edward – 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., Amtrak Station

Whitehall – 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., Amtrak Station

Ticonderoga – 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Pell’s Crossing, Amtrak Waiting Area, Route 74
Port Henry – 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Amtrak Station, West side stop
Plattsburgh – 9:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Amtrak Station

photograph: The Holiday Train in Montreal

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One Adirondack Turkey Gives Thanks

This is George, a turkey who lives down the hill. She's so cute and sociable she’s been granted a Thanksgiving reprieve. She was hatched this summer in Standish and brought to Saranac Lake by a family who intended to fatten her up for a November feast. George endeared herself so much that she's the one who'll be feasting.

She lives with eight peacocks and probably thinks she is one. Have a happy Thanksgiving, George.

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John Brown 150th Commemoration Event

Margaret Gibbs, Director of the Essex County Historical Society / Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown has sent along the following notice of the 150th Commemoration of John Brown scheduled for December 6th. Regular Adirondack Almanack readers know that I have been writing a series of posts on John Brown, his anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry Virginia, subsequent capture, trial, and execution. You can read the entire series here.

Here is the press release outlining the commemoration events:

On Sunday, December 6, 2009 the Adirondack History Center Museum is commemorating John Brown on the 150th anniversary of his death and the return of his body to Essex County. Events are scheduled in Westport and Elizabethtown in recognition of the role Essex County citizens played at the time of the return of John Brown’s body to his final resting place in North Elba. In the cause of abolition, John Brown raided the U. S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia on the night of October 16, 1859. The raid resulted in the capture of John Brown and the deaths of his sons Oliver & Watson and his sons-in-law William and Dauphin Watson. John Brown was tried in Charles Town, Virginia on charges of treason and inciting slaves to rebellion and murder. He was found guilty and hanged on December 2, 1859.

John Brown’s body was transported from Harper’s Ferry to Vergennes, VT, accompanied by his widow, Mary Brown. From Vermont the body was taken across Lake Champlain by sail ferry to Barber’s Point in Westport, and the journey continued through the Town of Westport and on to Elizabethtown. The funeral cortege arrived in Elizabethtown at 6 o’clock on the evening of December 6th 1859. The body of John Brown was taken to the Essex County Court House and “watched” through the night by four local young men. Mary Brown and her companions spent the night across the street at the Mansion House, now known as the Deer’s Head Inn. On the morning of December 7th the party continued on to North Elba. The burial of John Brown was on December 8th attended by many residents of Essex County.

The commemorative program on December 6th begins at 1:00 pm at the Westport Heritage House with award-winning author Russell Banks reading from his national bestselling novel, Cloudsplitter, about John Brown, his character and his part in the abolitionist movement. The program continues with a lecture by Don Papson, John Brown and the Underground Railroad, on whether or not Brown sheltered runaway slaves at his North Elba farm. Don Papson is the founding President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. The program continues in Elizabethtown at 3:30 pm at the United Church of Christ with The Language that Shaped the World, a tapestry of sounds, stories and characters portraying the human spirit and the fight for freedom. At 4:30 pm a procession follows John Brown’s coffin from the United Church of Christ to the Old Essex County Courthouse. At 5:00 pm the public may pay their respects at the Old Essex County Courthouse with the coffin lying in state. The program concludes at 5:30 PM with a reception held at the Deer’s Head Inn.

The cost for all events of the day including the Deer’s Head Inn reception is $40 ticket, or a $15 donation covers the programs at the Westport Heritage House and The Language that Shaped the World only. Reservations are requested. The procession and Courthouse are free and open to the public. The Westport Heritage House is located at 6459 Main Street, Westport, NY. The United Church of Christ, is located beside the museum on Court Street, Elizabethtown, NY. For more information, please contact the museum at 518-873-6466 or email echs@adkhistorycenter.org.

The December 6th program is part of a series of events from December 4-8, 2009 presented for the John Brown Coming Home Commemoration through the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. For a complete schedule of events go to www.johnbrowncominghome.com.

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New Scholarship Fund for DEC Conservation Education Camps

Since 1948 when Camp DeBruce opened in the Catskills, the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has operated a residential conservation education summer camp for young New Yorkers. Four camps, Camp Colby (near Saranac Lake), at the Pack Demonstration Forest in Warrensburg, and DeBruce and Rushford (downstate), serve children 12 to 14 and also provide locations for week-long Ecology Workshops for 15 to 17-year-olds.

Students who want to attend the camps can choose from one of eight weeks in July and August. They are encouraged to participate in Returnee Week, for campers who have already had the camp program. Returnee week includes special trips and activities and includes more than 200 annual returning campers. According to the DEC, "Returning campers are specially chosen for their demonstrated interest in building upon their outdoor recreation experiences and their knowledge of the state’s natural resources."

This past week DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis announced that DEC and the National Heritage Trust (NHT) has established a summer camp scholarship fund in memory of Emily Timbrook (above left), a camper who attended and later volunteered at Camp Rushford in Allegany County and who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in April 2009.

The money collected through donations to the scholarship fund will be used for scholarships to send some returning campers to DEC’s summer camps for free.

Those who want to contribute to the scholarship fund to help send a young person to camp can send a check to NHT Camps, c/o Director of Management and Budget Services,
NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-5010.

Those wishing to make a contribution in memory of Emily Timbrook, should write “Emily” in the memo section of the check. NHT is tax exempt pursuant to Section 170(b) of the Internal Revenue Code and has been designated a 501(c)(3) corporation. The Trust will send out acknowledgment letters to donors.

Information and detailed program descriptions of the environmental education camps are
available at www.dec.ny.gov/education/29.html. For additional information contact edcamps@gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 518-402-8014. Registration starts in early February.

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The Last Days of John Brown: Brown's Fellow Prisoners

One hundred and fifty years ago, while John Brown waited to hang for leading the raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, his compatriots were led to the Charles Town court and tried before Judge Andrew Parker.

Edwin Coppoc, who served under Brown's command in the engine house, was tried on the same charges as Brown: conspiracy to incite a slave insurrection, treason against the State of Virginia, and first degree murder. His trial began the day before Brown was sentenced and ended the next day with convictions on all counts. Before he was sentenced, Virginia Governor Henry A. Wise appealed to the Virginia legislature to reduce his maximum sentence to life in prison, apparently on account Coppoc was a Quaker. That request was rejected.

The two African American prisoners, Shields Green and John A. Copeland, were tried on the following day, November 3, 1859. Their defense lawyer, George Sennott, used the recent Dred Scott Supreme Court decision, to convince the court that because the defendants were not considered citizens of Virginia or the United States, they could not be found guilty of treason. Green and Copeland were convicted on the other two counts just the same.

Governor Wise believed that John Cook (who had made it to Pennsylvania before being captured by a fugitive slave hunter) and Albert Hazlett (captured in Newville, PA) were part of a conspiracy with Northern Republicans like New York Senator William Seward and Ohio Representative Joshua Giddings. Wise tried to have Cook and Hazlett tried in a nearby federal court which would have more investigative power, but the change of venue was rejected. Cook was tried and quickly convicted.

The trails of Aaron Stevens and Albert Hazlett were delayed until the next scheduled court session in February, 1860, so on November 19th Cook, Coppoc, Green and Copeland were brought before the bench for sentencing.

The four men would all hang on December 16th.

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Supporting Christie Sausa, Lake Placid Skater

Lake Placid Skater blog author Christie Sausa is looking for our help. Sausa entered a blog contest sponsored by Microsoft Office and the United States Olympic Committee. Two lucky bloggers will win a trip to Vancouver to cover the Olympics on their blog. Last week, Sausa learned that she has been chosen as one of contest's semi-finalists in the Student Category. The ten semi-finalist were chosen by a panel of celebrity judges, including five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair and online video stars Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld from CollegeHumor.com. Now Christie Sausa needs our help - you can vote here.

The next three finalists for each category will be decided by online voting. We can help Sausa by heading over to the contest site and casting your vote for our local favorite. You can vote once per day per email address.

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No Adirondack Park Agency Meeting in December

The Adirondack Park Agency will not hold its December 10-11, 2009 regularly scheduled board meeting. According to an APA press release, "No agency proceedings requiring Board action are necessary before the regularly scheduled January 2010 meeting." APA Chairman Curtis F. Stiles stated (in the release) that “Due to a lack of actionable content for our December meeting, it is in the best economic interest of the Agency and New York State to cancel our meeting originally scheduled for December 10 and 11, 2009.”

The Agency will resume its monthly meeting schedule January 14 and 15, 2010.

For informtaion about the agency's meetings, public hearings and other activities visit http://www.apa.state.ny.us/.

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Adirondack Tree Identification 102

Now that we’ve mastered the trees with opposite branching, it’s time to turn our attention to those whose branches alternate from left to right (more or less). There are many species of trees that fit this category, and many of them exist here in the Adirondacks. To write even a quick ID guide for all of them would take more space than we have here, so I’m only going to touch on those that are most commonly found.

So there you are, staring at your mystery tree. You’ve determined it’s not a conifer, and its branches sprout in an alternate fashion, one to the left, one to the right, etc. It is autumn, or perhaps winter, so leaves have fallen off the majority of the deciduous trees. Perhaps, however, your tree is still hanging on to its leaves. The leaves are tan in color and they have a crinkly, papery feel to them. If you look at the buds, they look like tiny cigars: long and pointy. In fact, if you poke the bud into your finger, it might even hurt, like you pricked your finger with a needle. If your specimen is a young tree, the bark is likely a smooth pale grey. Older specimens, while historically also a smooth pale grey, today look worn and tired. The bark seems to have slumped; it is cracked and may even be falling off, a victim of disease. Your tree is the American beech, once one of the grandest trees in our northern forests, and a staple in the diets of many animals, from turkey and bears to squirrels and deer. The big clue for beech is the leaves (I know, I wasn’t going to dwell on leaves, but there’s always the exception). Beech leaves persist throughout the winter, making this tree very easy to identify in the snowy woods.

Let’s say, instead, that your tree has bark that is peeling off sideways. Ah-ha! Birch, you say. Yes, but which birch? In youngish specimens, it is easy to tell white birch from yellow, but sometimes older specimens have darkened with age and suddenly it’s no longer so easy to tell them apart. White, or paper birch, typically has bright white bark, the underside of which is a pinkish color. When it peels, the strips are fairly wide, and thick. Yellow birch is more bronze in color, and its bark tends to peel off in thin papery ringlets. A really big clue that you can use to tell white birch from yellow is smell. If you can find a small twig hanging from a branch low enough to reach, scrape a short section with your fingernail and give it a sniff. Does it smell like wintergreen? If so, you have a yellow birch. And yes, black birch (aka: sweet birch) also produces this aroma, but it’s not as common around these parts as the yellow. In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a black birch. As for grey birch, well, in the Adirondacks that’s strictly an ornamental tree, found in yards. It’s easily recognized by the black “moustaches” that decorate the bark where every branch sprouts from the trunk.

If you are lucky and have musclewood/ironwood/blue beech/American hornbeam, you will be able to recognize it in a heartbeat, for the trunk of this smallish tree resembles a forearm that is bulging with muscles. There’s nothing else like it.

American hop hornbeam is another one of our smallish trees. The fruits look like hops – layered, papery scales. The bark is also quite distinctive; it looks like many narrow rectangles stuck lengthwise to the side of the tree, some of which are peeling up from the bottom.

Believe it or not, we have quite a number of American elm trees around. Large, mature specimens, while not common, are easily identified by their classic “vase shape”. If you find a small one with leaves, you’ll note that they are asymmetrical in shape and feel like sandpaper. The bark, however, can come in two different varieties: smooth (not smooth like a beech, but more like it once had ridges that were then flattened), and furrowed (narrow ridges that weave in and out of each other, much like the white ash, but not corky in texture).

And then there’s my old friend the black cherry, the bane of my college dendrology days. I finally came to the conclusion that if I was facing a tree that I could not ID, it must be a black cherry, and this actually worked pretty well, but it’s a lousy way to identify something. Today I can give you a much easier, and more accurate, way to identify this tree: the bark looks like burnt cornflakes. You can’t miss it! Black cherry bark is probably one of the easiest to identify off all the trees. Even kids in first grade can easily learn this tree. Burnt cornflakes = black cherry. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Learning to identify trees can be a lot of fun, but you don’t want to tackle them all at once. Start with something easy, like the conifers. Then work your way through those with opposite branching, and finally take on the alternates. Try to learn the distinctive characteristics of each. In some it might be the leaves, in others the bark, the buds, or even the fruits. Remember that seedlings and saplings often look a lot different from mature specimens. And location, location, location: you won’t find a sugar maple in a swamp, and likewise you won’t find a black spruce where the soil is rich and loamy.

Once you learn your trees, the forest becomes just that much more familiar. The next thing you know, you’ll be learning to identify the other plants that keep the trees company. And then you just might find yourself wondering “I wonder what this plant can be used for?” That’s when plant ID ascends to a whole new level and things become really interesting. So, give it a go…you never know where a little bit of knowledge might lead you.

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Weekly Adirondack Web Highlights

• Wend: Video of Rock Climbers Forming "350"
• Small Pines, Assignment Adirondacks: The Vacationist
• USA Luge: Athletes' Press Conference
• Motion City Soundtrack: Music Video Shot Near Saranac Lake
• The Landscapist: 1950s Adirondack Cabin Colonies
• NASA Earth Observatory: Late Fall Adirondack Mountains
• Preservation in Pink: Lake Champlain Bridge
• Redtree Times: Adirondack Memories [Logging]

Each Friday Adirondack Almanack compiles for our readers the week's best stories and links from the web about the Adirondacks. You can find all our weekly web highlights here.

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Lake George Steamboats Resuming Service to Bolton Landing

The Lake George Steamboat Company suspended service to Bolton Landing in 2006, citing the poor condition of the town pier as its reason for discontinuing a tradition that began in the nineteenth century. Next summer, though, after a three year hiatus, the steamboats will return.

At its monthly meeting in November, the Bolton Town Board voted unanimously to accept a bid of $929,292 from The Dock Doctors of Ferrisburg, Vermont to restore the pier and to appropriate funds for the work, which is expected to be completed in July.

The Board agreed to borrow up to $650,000 from the town’s share of the proceeds from last summer’s sale of the Sagamore grant to help fund the project. “People have wanted the service back ever since it stopped,” said Bolton Supervisor Kathy Simmes. “It’s one of our town’s amenities”

Awaiting the arrival of the Lake George Steamboat Company’s Mohican had become a favorite rite of summers in Bolton Landing. As the boat’s captain blew her whistle, she was greeted to with shouts and waves from the nearby beach as well as by passengers hurrying to the pier to board.

“I was sorry to have to end service,” said Bill Dow, the president of the Lake George Steamboat Company. “As late as the 1970s and 80s, we’d have as many as 100 people waiting at the dock. In recent years, those numbers have dwindled, but we hope they can be revived.”

The new pier will not only accommodate the Mohican; the 190 ft Lac du St Sacrement will also be able to pick up passengers in Bolton Landing.

“That’s a huge advantage for the Sagamore,” said Kevin Rosa, the resort’s director of marketing and sales. “We have groups that charter the Lac du St Sacrement but those groups have had to meet the boat in Lake George Village. A shorter trip to the Bolton Pier will help immensely. “

Shoreline Cruises’ Horicon and Adirondac have also been invited to make use of the pier, as has the Sagamore’s Morgan, Simmes said.

The Town contracted with an engineering firm, Schoder River Associates, to design the reconstructed pier. According to councilman Jason Saris, the design calls for the removal of the pier’s timbers above the waterline. “Rather than replacing the wood, the pier will feature pre-cast concrete with a stone-like face that will match the sea wall,” said Saris. “It will be aesthetically pleasing and much more durable.”

Timber pilings that were attached to the face of the pier will be replaced by concrete-filled steel pilings implanted in bedrock, Saris said. “When the face of the pier deteriorated, there was nothing left to secure the pilings,” Saris said.
The LA group, a planning and design firm, has proposed a renovation of the pier’s surface, said Saris.

The plan includes removing the existing gazebo and replacing it with other seating areas, said Saris. Plans also call for doubling the capacity of the town’s public docks, allowing space for as many as sixteen boats to tie up at any one time.
“This is very significant,” said Saris. “We really wanted to increase dock space in town so people will be able to come by water to our restaurants and shops.”
Plans call for reserving at least two slips for boaters picking up or dropping off passengers, said Saris.

For more news from Lake George, read the Lake George Mirror, or visit http://lakegeorgemirror.com.

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This Week's Top Adirondack News Stories

• Two Dead In Newcomb Plane crash
• Hoffman Un-concedes 23d CD Race
• Women Ski Jumpers Lose Court Case
• Sprague Wins Essex County DA Race
• Lyon Mountain May Become Wild Forest
• Yearly: Billion Gals. of Sewage Into Hudson
• Ticonderoga Ferry to Stay Open
• New Snowmobile Trail Rules Adopted
• APA Reverses Lows Lake Decision

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Adirondack Music Scene:Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad and More

Saturday night I will be checking out Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad at The Red Square in downtown Albany. I never considered myself a big reggae fan until I met these guys. It was at The Red Square in 2005. A band called Mountain Mojo Authority was playing and the percussionist (Buddy Honeycutt) and keyboard player (Aaron Lipp) were in both bands, both reggae bands from Rochester. Mountain Mojo broke up soon after, and Giant Panda’s lineup swelled to seven members. In 2007, Honeycutt left the band leaving two guitars, bass, drums, and two keyboard players.

The band recently downsized to just 4 players. Vocalist / Guitar Player Matt O’Brian and Keyboardist Rachel Orke (a couple) have moved on to pursue other interests. While this would appear to leave a gaping hole in the sound, I have complete faith that these guys have already filled the void and that this will open new possibilities. Giant Panda now consists of James Searl on bass and vocals, Chris O’Brian (Matt’s brother) on drums, Dylan Savage on guitar and vocals, and Aaron Lipp on keyboards.
Giant Panda has played several shows in the Adirondacks. They played the Songs at the lake Concert Series in Lake Placid in 2008, The Music by the River Concert Series in North Creek in 2008 and 2009, a few shows at the Waterhole in 2008 and 2009, and I think they played in 2006 and 2007 at ‘the other place’ in Saranac Lake. The first time I saw them live, I hired them for our annual raft guide party in North Creek in 2007.

The Red Square is on Broadway in Albany, 2 blocks closer to the river than the Knick (Times Union Center). Doors are at 8pm, but they don’t usually take the stage until after 10pm.

Thursday, November 19

Power Duo Sirsy is at Gaffney’s in Saratoga at 10pm. Looks interesting with a female drummer/vocalist and a guitar player.
Band: http://www.sirsy.com
Venue: http://www.gaffneysrestaurant.com

Friday, November 20

The Rubblebucket Orchestra is at The Putnam Den in Saratoga at 10pm. I first saw these guys open for Giant Panda in Rochester. They are a wild collection of percussion and horns.
Band: http://www.rubblebucket.com
Venue: http://www.putnamden.com

Saturday, November 21

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad will be playing The Red Square in Albany at 10pm.
Official Band Site: http://www.giantpandadub.com
Band MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/giantpandadub
Live Music Archive: http://www.archive.org/details/GiantPandaGuerillaDubSquad
Venue: http://www.redsquarealbany.com

Plattsburgh area band Lucid will be playing the Putnam Den on Saturday night. Opening the show will be a band called Dirty Little Boogie Band. Lucid headlined this year’s Backwoods Pondfest in Peru, NY.
Band: http://www.myspace.com/rulucid
Venue: http://www.putnamden.com

Capital Zen is at LaCasbah in Potsdam. It looks like they have great Mediterranean menu and live music every Friday night at 9pm.
Band: http://www.myspace.com/capitalzenmusic
Venue: http://www.lacasbahny.com

Sunday, November 22

Two Kribs (John & Orion) will be playing the Stony Creek Inn at 5pm and their weekly Mexican Night starts at 4pm. Only a couple weeks left until these guys close down for the winter.
Venue: http://www.stonycreek.net

Wednesday, November 25

The Blonde Roots at barVino in North Creek from 8-10pm. No Cover.
Venue: http://www.barvino.net

Grateful Dead cover band Half Step will be playing a mid-week show at The Putnam Den in Saratoga at 10pm. These guys have been playing shows since 1991, one memorable one being 12-31-99 at The Glens Falls Civic Center with The South Catherine Street Jug Band.
Band: http://www.halfstep.org
Venue: http://www.putnamden.com

Photo: Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad playing at The Music by the River Concert Series in North Creek, 08-15-09, photo by Nate Pelton

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Adirondack Bird Research Resources

It's 4 a.m. on a chilled morning in early June. Still three hours away from sunrise so my weak headlamp casts an eerie and unnatural glow to the trail as I pick my way through rock, stream, and unseen balsam fir branches. I'm heading to the summit of Wright Peak in the Adirondack High Peaks Region. Nearing the summit I must first stop every 250 meters from a predetermined point on my map. Here I listen for any bird song that might be heard and then record it in my notes. I chuckle as I think that it's more like the first "yawn" I hear from these birds. Over a 30-day period myself and dozens of other crazy but doggedly determined volunteer birders are assisting an organization to acquire desperately needed information on some bird species that live on the mountains.

Fast-forward to the end of June, still early morning, and I'm slogging my way through a blackfly-infested bog in the wild regions of the Santa Clara Tract. I'm nearing an area known as the Madawaska Flow. Here I'm still listening for, identifying, and counting bird species but now I'm in a completely different habitat. This lowland environment reveals new species that need to be counted for another study.

Through a not-so-picturesque way I'm shedding light on what's involved in gathering data for the most recent research of our Adirondack birdlife.

You may fancy the New York Times' Science Times section every Tuesday, as I do, but have you thought about the countless hours of research that goes into some of those tid-bits of science? Mind-numbing data is collected and analyzed and then those analyses are scoured and analyzed even more. Then finally results are spewed out on the computer, all to advance our knowledge and understanding.

Well it's the same in the world of bird study, and thankfully here in the Adirondacks we have organizations that dwell on these processes. These organizations, like the Vermont Center for Ecostudies have called upon countless volunteers to gather lots of data on a rare bird, known as the Bicknell's thrush, that faces many hardships on its Adirondack and other northeastern mountain-top breeding habitats.

The Bicknell's thrush is dealt a tough hand as it tries to breed on the wind-blown and often freezing-cold, spruce-fir forests that ring the tops of many Adirondack mountains. If that's not tough enough the birds then face an even bigger problem as they migrate south to overwinter in an ever-decreasing rainforest on the island of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island).

Research is also showing a very high level of toxic mercury in many Bicknell's thrush that are sampled across the northeastern US. Then another "left hook" of habitat loss hits this species in its winter and summer grounds.

Closer to my area of work, we find the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) conducting research on Adirondack boreal birds, or those bird species that inhabit the coniferous woodlands and wetlands found at lower elevations.

Our crew has spent many a bug-swatting hour in bogs, along waterways, or deep into conifer thickets searching and counting tiny, colorful species of warbler, finch, sparrow, flycatcher, and the occasional grouse. Our seven years of data has added up to some interesting pictures of Adirondack birdlife. Basically the trends that we see in our early data seem to go along with the trends found elsewhere in the US. We find a decrease in many species but a rise in some others. The good with the bad!

Another candidate for intensive research throughout the park is the common loon. The loon is facing threats from a growing mercury and lead toxicity in some of our Adirondack waters. Through diligent efforts by staff and volunteers of Biodiversity Research Institute
we now have a clearer picture of what loons are dealing with during their breeding time here in the Adirondacks.

The Adirondack Ecological Center in Newcomb has become one of our leading institutes of Adirondack wildlife research, and better yet, it involves college students learning in the field and experiencing hands-on education.

We can also pay tribute to the hard-earned, data-gathering hours of even more volunteers that worked on the 2nd New York State Breeding Bird Atlas . Gathered over give years, this data shows what birds breed in which areas of New York. The art work and text associated with this book make it worthwhile purchase for the beginner and avid birder.

Other organizations that are focusing efforts on birds in Adirondacks are the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Adirondack Nature Conservancy

So, the alarm bells are ringing across the country and around the world about drastic changes in bird populations, as well as many other forms of wildlife, but here in our own backyards we've got dedicated folks wanting to find the answers to complicated questions.

Photo: A red-breasted nuthatch being banded by Paul Smiths College Ornithology students.

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