Two new state fishing records were set over the course of one weekend in New York recently.
Brian Hartman of Alexandria Bay eclipsed the 2009 state record walleye by more than 1.5 pounds when he caught an 18-pound-2-ounce walleye from the St. Lawrence River on May 5 using a swimbait.
On May 6, William Wightman of South Dayton used a black marabou jig to reel in a 4-pound-1-ounce crappie from Lake Flavia in Cattaraugus County, exceeding the 1998 state record by five ounces. » Continue Reading.
I’d like to recognize the Adirondack Daily Enterprise for its recent editorial “APA, DEC Skimp on Public Meetings.” The newspaper wrote that two public meetings, both held on the same day (Wednesday, May 23) about numerous management amendments to the High Peaks Wilderness and Vanderwhacker Wild Forest:
“while important, are also severely wanting. These lands belong to the people of New York, and folks near New York City, in Syracuse and Buffalo, Watertown and Ithaca all deserve to have APA and DEC staff come explain what the plans mean and hear the public’s concerns. Together, the two UMP amendments run to more than 300 pages, and it would be beneficial to the public to have them explained by the people who wrote them.”
Now that the classifications are decided and amendments to the unit management plans (UMP) are underway, the process seems highly accelerated and rushed. » Continue Reading.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the many pieces of plastic we contact in our daily lives? I wrote here recently on recycling, and the negative impact on others that littering can have. The best solution to wondering where plastics end up is to control their fate — by recycling and not littering. Trash left lying anywhere in the Adirondacks reflects negatively on the region and lessens the experience of both locals and visitors alike. » Continue Reading.
The 2nd Annual Wilmington Mountain Bike Festival has been set for Labor Day Weekend, August 31st to September 2nd, 2018, and registration is now open.
All events takes place on 25+ miles of Adirondack Single Track, rideable directly from the festival base camp at the Wilmington Town Park, which also features dirt jump and skateboard parks.
If you were fortunate enough to grow up with freedom to roam outdoors, there are likely certain places that stick with you. For me, one of these places is a thicket of old mountain laurels that my brother and I hiked through on our way to an outcrop we called The Ledge. What I loved about them was how their shreddy, red-brown trunks forked and twisted, like trees in a fairy tale, or in the Haunted Forest on the way to Oz. In early summer, they held delicate pink and white flowers that were sticky to the touch — another sign that they were, if not enchanted, at least special. » Continue Reading.
Parking for vehicles with boat trailers using the Lake Flower Boat Launch is available in the parking lot across the road from the boat launch, through the 2018 boating season, while the clean-up of a Superfund site is underway.
The off-site parking lot is located at the former Nonna Fina’s restaurant. A limited number of parking spots have been designated for vehicles with boat trailers. Only vehicles with boat trailers will be allowed to use the parking lot. Vehicles must travel through the parking lot in one direction and park in designate parking spots. Parking will be available from 7 am to 9 pm and overnight parking is prohibited. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is accepting comments on plans for new ski trails, snowmaking system enhancements, upgrades to the parking lots, and various other improvements at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Comments are due by June 9th. » Continue Reading.
It is traditional backwoods wisdom to avoid getting between a mother and her babies, and while this advice usually pertains to the black bear, it could also apply to several other forms of wildlife that reside in the Adirondacks.
In late spring many infants are emerging from the safety of their den or nest and most mothers try to provide some form of protection from potential danger to their babies. Perhaps the most remarkable display of parental courage for a creature of its size is seen in the hen ruffed grouse. This bird will aggressively confront and challenge any human that happens to come too close to its recently hatched chicks. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has cautioned visitors to natural areas against interacting with newborn fawns and other young wildlife as the peak birthing season starts. Those that see a fawn or other newborn wildlife should enjoy their encounter but keep it brief, maintain some distance, and not attempt to touch the animal.
This time of year, it is not unusual to see a young bird crouched in the yard or a young rabbit in the flower garden, both seemingly abandoned. Finding a deer fawn lying by itself is also common. Many people assume that young wildlife found alone are helpless and need assistance. However, human interaction typically does more damage than good. » Continue Reading.
As we made forays out from Mateskared, our family’s cabin in Baker’s Mills, most often Schaefers were the way-showers and Zahnisers their eager followers. On their 1946 backpacking trip to Flowed Lands and Hanging Spear Falls on the Opalescent River in the High Peaks with Ed Richard, Paul Schaefer went so far as to carry my father on his shoulders across one difficult and hazardous approach by narrow ledge to the falls themselves up through the boulder-strewn canyon of the Opalescent. Paul’s accounts of the trip never mentioned that fact, gleaned from my father’s journal. But it set a suitable tone for our families’ joint wildlands outings. » Continue Reading.
Spring conditions are present throughout the lower elevations of the Adirondacks but trails in the highest elevations are still covered in slowly melting ice and snow.
Steep trails with thin soils can become a mix of ice and mud as the ice melts and frost leaves the ground, making the trails slippery and vulnerable to erosion by hikers. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Land Trust’s Coon Mountain Preserve offers an easy mile long hike to a summit. One short section gets steep as it passes through a rocky area, where footing is a bit more difficult, but it is an easy climb to big views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. » Continue Reading.
On Saturday May 19th over 150 youth rowers are set to gather at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum for the annual Spring Wave, a regional youth open-water rowing competition.
Youth rowers from schools in Maine, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut will row a series of three heats in thirty-two and twenty-five foot rowing boats which were built in LCMMs boat shop by regional High School students. » Continue Reading.
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