Sunday, July 21, 2013

Artist Sheri Amsel Creates Champlain Valley Map

champlain-mapThe artist Sheri Amsel has created a beautiful map of the Champlain Valley with illustrations of the region’s wildlife and habitats. It also shows the region’s many hiking trails. I suppose a hiker could fold it and put it in a backpack, but I’ll bet more people will frame it and put in on their wall.

Amsel, a resident of the town of Essex, made the map to draw attention to the natural history and beauty of the valley. “I think the Champlain Valley is an untapped resource,” she said.

The 24-by-37-inch map shows roads, hiking trails, lakes, wetlands, peaks, boat launches, fishing-access spots, and state campgrounds in the Champlain region between Ticonderoga and Willsboro Point. The map differentiates between dirt and paved roads. The trails are numbered and cross-referenced in a table that names the trails and gives the hiking distances. Although the map can be used for planning trips, for serious hikes, you should pack a topographical map.

Amsel has filled the edges of the poster with full-color illustrations. She shows six types of habitat and numerous birds, mammals, fish, and other wildlife as well close-ups of tree leaves and evergreen needles and cones. The fauna include white-tailed deer, raccoon, otter, timber rattlesnake, great blue heron, common loon, pileated woodpecker, and red eft, to name just a few.

Amsel started selling the map on her website in June. It also can be purchased from the Adirondack Council and Champlain Area Trails (CATS).

The map is on heavy stock suitable for framing. You also can purchase a foldable version. Both cost $12. A laminated version is available for $20.

Amsel has graduate degrees in science and biomedical illustration. She has illustrated more than twenty-five children’s books on nature and science.

 

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Phil Brown is the former Editor of Adirondack Explorer, the regional bimonthly with a focus on outdoor recreation and environmental issues, the same topics he writes about here at Adirondack Almanack. Phil is also an energetic outdoorsman whose job and personal interests often find him hiking, canoeing, rock climbing, trail running, and backcountry skiing. He is the author of Adirondack Paddling: 60 Great Flatwater Adventures, which he co-published with the Adirondack Mountain Club, and the editor of Bob Marshall in the Adirondacks, an anthology of Marshall’s writings.Visit Lost Pond Press for more information.




One Response

  1. mary coffin says:

    Just saw CATS and Sheri’s beautiful map. We were helping CATS with trail work this past weekend and yes it was hot.
    Mary & Bill

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