Two Short Stories of Choices

I am an environmentalist because I can afford to be one. In the fall of my senior year I took a basic economics class. My teacher loved opinions and he loved visuals. He asked if we would be willing to pay more, significantly more for a good if we knew it was produced ethically. He didn’t ask us what we thought people as whole would do, he asked us what we would do. And, much to my regret, I stood on the side of the room whose answer was no, we want the cheapest goods possible. But then, my teacher told us that of a girl who said since she could afford to there was no reason for her not to pay more. So there I was in class filled with relatively well off individuals feeling like an idiot. Of course I’m willing to pay more.  But, all of this came with a strange realization. I had to make a conscious effort to care and I wouldn’t have cared unless someone else told me I could.

A picture from my trip in Yosemite

I had already been introduced to the world of conservation the summer before. I spent 5 weeks of the summer in backcountry in Yosemite National Park with the Student Conservation Association. We hiked around the park cleaning up dozens of fire rings left by wayward campers. The problem with the fire rings was that there were too many of them and that they were built in the wrong place. There were simply areas where there were far too many fire rings than could be sustained. It was our job to remove them. Did we do a lot to protect the ecosystems in the park? No. However, I made a conscious effort to make dent at migrating the ongoing damage to the park.

Is That a Butterfly Fluttering By?

When you think of the Adirondacks, the first thing you think about most likely doesn't relate to the 74 species of butterfly that can be found there [1]. Species range from the less-commonly heard names like the Great Spangled Fritillary to the widespread Monarch butterfly, which has a large range and migrates annually from the as far North as Southern Canada, South to Mexico to wait out the cold winters [1]. Of the seven families of buttery known in the world, six families are represented in the Adirondacks [1]. Paul Smith's College (known to many as the College of the Adirondacks) even built a butterfly house on their campus in 1993 as part of their Visitor Interpretive Center, and between 2011-2013, to at least 36 species of native butterfly were documented living in the house [2].

Paul Smith's Butterly House (left) as part of their Visitor Interpretation Center. Image from the DEC.

While butterflies may provide a romantic and elusive appeal ("Question Mark" and the "Little Wood Satyr" are actual butterfly names), the significance of butterflies in an ecosystem extend beyond their aesthetic appeal [1]. Butterflies act as indicator species, giving people insight into how healthy an ecosystem may be [3]. Therefore, they are useful for scientists studying the impacts of climate change and habitat loss on an ecosystem. Additionally, butterflies are important elements of the food web, acting as food for birds, spiders, bats, rodents, and more [2]! If your elementary school was like mine, you would have raised caterpillars and released them as butterflies, studying their interesting life cycle along the way. You probably even grew up reading about butterflies through the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar!" Butterflies are ingrained into our society, and have more value than their delicate bodies may first show.

Regardless of their value, the number of Monarch butterflies in the Adirondacks have been decreasing, but fortunately various groups of Adirondack citizens are dedicated to preserving them. Groups such as ADK Action and publications such as the Adirondack Almanack have come forward with tips for Adirondack citizens to make their backyards more butterfly friendly. Both sources are advocating for locals to plant milkweed, which acts as a host to Monarch larvae, providing the larvae with cardenolides that give them a bad taste to predators [4, 5, 6]. A lack of milkweed due to human action could threaten the future of the Monarch in the Adirondack Park.

Butterflies are beautiful and unique animals with many benefits to humans and their ecosystems. We need to make sure that butterflies are recognized in the Adirondacks and should seek to protect them in their wilderness environment.

Sources:
[1] Adirondack Butterflies. Adirondack Ecological Center, 2016. SUNY-ESF.
Center.http://www.esf.edu/aec/adks/butterflies.htm
[2] Explore the Adirondacks: Native Species Butterfly House. Visitor Interpretation Center, 2015. Paul Smith's College.
http://www.adirondackvic.org/Butterfly-House.html
[3]. Why Butterflies Matter. Butterfly Conservation Organization, 2016.
http://butterfly-conservation.org/54/about.html
[4]. Saving Monarch Butterflies. ADK Action, 2013.
http://www.adkaction.org/key-issues/saving-monarch-butterflies
[5]. The Adirondack Almanack.
http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/tag/monarch-butterflies
[6]. Interactions with Milkweed. Biology Department, University of Minnesota. 2016.

The Bare Essentials about Adirondack Bears

There is a certain fear that people attach to animals such as bears, wolves, and lions. If you have spent anytime in a wilderness area you have likely come into some sort of contact with a bear. For me, it was a bear standing inches from my car at the dump. For my father it is the bear tracks he has noticed countless times in the woods by our camp.  For others it may be the simple fact that they have to lock their food in containers at night when they go camping to prevent bears from stealing it. Regardless, the presence of bears is almost there in the wilderness with us- physically and psychologically- especially in the Adirondacks, but this fear may not be completely valid.

 Most bear incidents occur in the high peaks region, where they took food from campers and caused them to abort their trips. A series of bear anecdotes from 2000 all report the failure of hanging their food from trees. One story explained that a “bear broke a bag pulley system and ate four days of food at one sitting. Needless to say our trip was cut short…” (Jenkins, 64). Bear-proof food storage containers (such as that shown below) are a solution, but they can cause bears to become more daring about meal time raids. The bears, however, are not causing physical injury to these campers, they’re just taking their food.

Year after year more people in the Adirondacks are injured by animals other than bears. Although bears and animals that are perceived as scarier can do great harm, the smaller animals have taken a greater toll on humans in the Adirondacks. In 2000, for example, there were six reported bear incidents, and 2,700 people in the park treated for injuries from other animals (Jenkins, 65). Some of these injuries were caused by wild animals such as raccoons and skunks, but the majority were caused by household pets, including cats and dogs. So for now, maybe the general public should be less worried about the animals lurking in the woods, especially bears, and more worried about the pets inside of their homes.

Jenkins, Jerry and Andy Keal. The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park Bronx: Syracuse University Press and the Adirondack Museum, 2004. 146-152.

Print.

World's Largest Garage Sale

One man's trash is another man's treasure. This is the perfect quote to use if you were describing a garage sale to someone who has never heard of one. These events are the time of year where you look through your neighbor's junk hoping to find a priceless family heirloom or simply just an interesting book. Regardless of your purpose, the scene is almost always the same. One house, a few neighbors, and a whole lot of items with various price tags. Now take this scene, and multiply it by 100,000 people. 

Image from Warrensburg Chamber

In October, more than 100,000 people travel to Warrensburg, NY, for the World's Largest Garage Sale (Healy). From all over the country, countless vendors go to Warrensburg to sell antiques, memorabilia, books, furniture, clothing, family heirlooms, children's items and whatever junk they want to get off their hands. This event is held annually on the weekend prior to Columbus Day weekend. 

The town of Warrensburg is clearly profiting from this event and have taken steps to continue attracting visitors and to attract even more the following years. They have partnered up with a nearby railway to offer special "Garage Sale Train Tickets" which allow passengers to "enjoy the beauty of the fall foliage" on their 1.5 hour ride (Warrensburg). On arrival, visitors can start enjoying the sales or take a free shuttle service around Warrensburg. Recently, the town has also created a family fun zone which includes a playground area, music, and other entertainment. The "World's Largest Garage Sale" definitely brings in a lot of money for the town. Not only are they providing cheaper transportation to the event, they are providing free transportation around the town. During this period of tourist boom, I wonder how nearby towns are affected. 

Sources:

Ahealy@syracuse.com, Allie Healy |. "World's Largest Garage Sale in Adirondacks: Guide to Parking, How to Avoid Traffic, More." New York Upstate. New York Upstate, 4 Apr. 2016. 

Warrensburg. "Garage Sale." Warrensburg Chamber or Commerce. Warrensburg, n.d. 

Why We Must Talk About North Country Prisons

Map of North Country Correctional Facilities & Prisons
(A prison is a type of CF)

There is one resident population in the Adirondack Park that receives little attention by the media and the general public: New York State criminals. I purposely used the word “criminals” instead of “inmates” because I wanted the negative connotations with the word "criminal" to come your mind. The topic of prisons is still quite taboo in American society and I believe that it is important for us to educate ourselves on the prison industry in America. Specifically, we must think critically about the implications of the prison industry in the Adirondacks.

Up through the late 1990s, there were about twenty state and federal correctional facilities operating in the Adirondacks or within a short drive of the Blue Line (Mann 2013). Their construction was a direct response to New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s tough-on-crime policies during the 1970s. Rockefeller’s aim to end the cocaine and heron epidemic in New York City had good intentions, however these harsh penalties had a negative consequences for the Adirondack Park.

 Tougher drug laws inevitably led to a surge in the New York State inmate population. From 1959 to 1999, the inmate population in New York exponentially grew from a population of fewer 20,000 to nearly 73,000 (Ibid. 2013). During this time period, state officials had a pressing needed to find new spaces to house these inmates and, therefore, they turned to the Adirondack region for cheap land. Senator Stafford, the Adirondack Park representative of the time, welcomed the prison industry and its economic benefits.

Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook (google.com)

Today, the presence of the prison industry is controversial. On the one hand, these correctional facilities have revived many local economies with prisons becoming one of the region’s largest employers. However, since NYS crime rates have decreased dramatically over the passed decade, the New York Corrections Department has started to downsize correctional facilities in the Park. Yet the downsizing plan was criticized by both the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Plattsburgh Press-Republican for its negative impacts on local economies.

The fundamental issue with these North Country prisons, in my opinion, is that they are primarily valued for their economic opportunities. While these facilities economically support some Adirondack communities, it is crucial that their operations are seen beyond a physical place to put inmates or a permanent source for jobs. Prison-reform advocate, Robert Gangi argues, “One of the problems of using incarceration as a jobs program is the fundamental immorality of it”(Mann 2013).

Inmates at Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility
(photo by Natasha Haverty)

The problem with viewing prisons solely in terms of their economic benefits is that this narrow perspective ignores ethical implications of the prison industry. For a prison to operate, it needs inmates. Therefore, by logic, prison directors actually want more inmates in their facility because they will increase profits. As a result, there is an economic incentive that directly opposes society’s goal to decrease incarceration. Some people debate that correctional facilities contribute to society because they rehabilitate inmates, but others argue that the history of the American justice system is characterized by retribution rather than rehabilitation. Whether or not this is true, I believe that the prison industry in the Adirondacks needs to be discussed more by the general public. These temporary residents in the Park should not be shunned by civil society nor should they be seen as economic pawns.

Works Cited

Mann, Brian. “North Country Prisons: Hard Times in ‘Siberia’ ”. Adirondack Almanack, 9 September 2013. Web. 11 April 2016. 

http://i0.wp.com/www.adirondackalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/prison-map.jpg

https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/rbk/

The Fiddle and Timeless Togetherness

            There was something that sounded quite familiar about the traditional folk music of the Adirondack region. I knew I had never heard “Tebo”, “The Ballad of Blue Mountain Lake” or “Once More a-Lumbering Go” before, yet the songs sounded familiar and oddly induced a sense of nostalgia for something I couldn’t pinpoint. I soon realized that the familiar sound that made my heart feel happy and brought a smile to my face was the unique whine of the fiddle. The fiddle was the most popular instrument to accompany Adirondack folk tunes, and it has accompanied a number of pieces through the years including the ones heard in class. The sound of the fiddle, however, is more than just timeless… it represents the passing down of traditions, stories and in the context of our class, the history of the Adirondack region. Furthermore, because of its history rooted in tradition and the communal experience of music, it still adds an element of comfort and tradition to folk music today. The pure sound of the instrument transports the listener through time and invokes a sense of togetherness.

            In class we discussed how the lyrics of many Adirondack folk songs directly addressed the audience, and invited friends and family to come around to dance, sing and listen to the stories of the lumbermen. The instrument was played for dancing and singing at gatherings both at home and in the woods. The sound of the fiddle alone was an invitation to families and friends to come together to let loose and have fun. The fiddle acted as the perfect accompaniment for solo and small group performances and paired well with improvised percussion like hand drumming and foot tapping. In this sense, everyone could be a part of the experience. Folk music from the Adirondacks contains a history of the lumbermen and has transcended through decades to keep the history alive. This is evident in folk music from other regions as well. Now, hearing such music today, I can envision the men and their wives dancing jovially to the ever-catchy jigs and ballads.

            Many folk musicians continue to use the fiddle as a prominent accompaniment to vocals. Although the genre has developed with time, the fiddle maintains the sense of musical community. I had an experience at an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concert that has stuck with me the past few years. After an unforgettably engaging performance in which the group interacted with the audience (we were always asked to sing along and at one moment, to share some of our own personal stories), the venue turned off the amplifier signifying it was time for the concert to end. In rebellion, a lead musician with an electric fiddle plugged his instrument into the group’s own, travel-sized amplifier. The lead singer asked the audience members to come together and put their arms around whoever stood next to them. The fiddler began to play the popular Bill Withers’ song “Lean on Me”. The audience sang together in unison, swaying back and forth to the sound of the electric fiddle and our voices in harmony. Although the song isn’t traditionally folk, the use of the fiddle induced an immediate sense of familiarity, comfort and tradition.

Below is a photograph of Nathaniel Markman, the lead singer of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, whose career took off after an incredible solo fiddle performance!

"'W Is for the Woods' - Traditional Adirondack Music." Adirondack Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.

What do you mean it's not "real" folk?

For a long time my answer to the question "What's the strangest music you have in your collection?" has been Adirondack folk music.  I've grown up in a family with deep roots in the park, meaning that my house has long been filled with Adirondack books, art, boats, and music.  We listen to CDs from our favorite Adirondack artists, and have seen them perform everywhere from historic boat houses to high school auditoriums to meeting halls at summer camps.  They are modern folk singers in the sense that they write some of their own music and perform for a living, but that hadn't made a difference to me until class today, when Professor Hamessley quickly dismissed modern folk songs as belonging to the style but not truly being folk songs.  I understand the difference--yes, the songs hold a different cultural significance--but present-day folk singers in the Adirondacks still are an important part of the folk tradition and don't deserve to be overlooked in our study of the park.

The artist I'm most familiar with and who is one of the most well-known modern day Adirondack folk artists is singer/songwriter Dan Berggren.  Berggren's lengthy discography includes renditions of traditional folk songs, including "Once More A-Lumberin' Go," as well as many original songs.  He is described on his website as "A tradition-based songsmith [who] writes with honesty, humor and a strong sense of place. His songs explore the many dimensions of home, hard-working folks, taking care of our planet and each other" (BerggrenFolk).  Some songs praise the natural beauty of the park, many pay tribute, in the folk tradition, to the stories of the people living in it.  The song "Here's to You," included below, is a ballad that praises Adirondack history and the people that call it "their home forever wild."  Sung in the context of both the history of the settlement of the region and the newer relationship between the inhabitants and the natural, "forever wild" aspect of the park, songs like this one have prompted praise from people like author Bill McKibben, whose quote on Berggren's website reads "Dan is a throwback to the old role of the folk singer  . . . he's articulating things that need to be said right now" (BerggrenFolk).

The female voice joining Berggren on the chorus in this song is Peggy Lynn, another of my favorite Adirondack folk singers.  In addition to many collaborations with Dan Berggren, Lynn has written and performed a series of folk songs that use the traditional format to tell the stories of those who were generally left out of traditional folk songs:  women.  She has written ballads about 15 year old 46 peaks pioneer Esther McComb, explorer "Hitch-Up" Matilda Fielding, abolitionist Mary Brown, historic 46r Grace Hudowalski, hotelier Lydia Smith, and countless others.  Lynn captures the nature of her work in the refrain to her song "Lydia": 

Lydia, I want to tell your story

Lydia--so we'll know

Mountain women can be heroes.

Artists like Dan Berggren and Peggy Lynn, joined by others such as renowned hammered dulcimer player Dan Duggan, rather than being examples of what has been lost in the genre of folk music, are active members of a community that strives to continue to lift up the history of the Adirondacks through song. 

Sources:
BerggrenFolk.  Sleeping Giant Records, 2014.  Web.  4 April, 2016.

Lynn, Peggy, and Sandra Weber.  Breaking Trail:  Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks.  Fleishmanns, NY:  Purple Mountain Press, 2004.  Print.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVf7MTUtJLQ