Great Camps

As we have learned, the Adirondack region is incredibly diverse and has a rich history. Our trip to the Adirondacks enabled us to see the diversity of people and professions in the area, as well as its natural beauty. It is interesting to imagine how different our experience would have been if we had visited 200 years ago. We would have seen a wilder place inhabited by many different kinds of animals and covered with different trees and plants. Since that time, much has changed in the region, but our time at Camp Wenonah afforded us a great opportunity to see into the past.

            From the late 19^th century until World War I, various wealthy American families purchased large tracts of land in the Adirondacks and constructed multi-building estates. These have come to be known as “Great Camps,” and are now often used as lodges where the general public can stay. Most of the families who commissioned the construction of these estates lived in mansions in cities, namely New York City, and therefore the exteriors of the Adirondack structures were completely different from their main homes. However, these families still enjoyed all the comforts of their city homes within the Adirondack camps.

            The popularity of the Adirondack Great Camps coincided with the construction of the railroad from Saratoga Springs to the Adirondacks in 1871, which was led by Thomas Durant. This railroad offered far easier access from urban centers to the Adirondacks. Because there was far more wealth in urban centers than rural areas, the railroad allowed for an influx of capital into the Adirondacks. Thomas Durant’s son, William Durant, greatly increased the popularity of the Adirondacks, as he believed they were an up and coming destination. He marketed the region to wealthy clients in the hopes that they would commission the construction of more Great Camps. In this endeavor, he found great success. In fact, he helped influence how many of the Great Camps were constructed. The style that he helped create in the Adirondacks is now referred to as “rustic.” Durant was interested in the way Japanese architecture focused on nestling structures into the surrounding landscape as well as various different aspects of Swiss chalets. He combined different parts of these two styles into what can now be seen throughout the Adirondacks in the form of Great Camps.

            The Great Camps are an integral part of human history in the Adirondacks, with their initial construction marking the time when wealthy city-dwellers began to flock to the Adirondacks for the purposes of leisure. In modern times, many view the Adirondacks as a place to relax and experience nature, but this was not always the case. Our class visit to Camp Wenonah enabled us to experience the way some of the first urban visitors to the Adirondacks lived, and that is something we will not forget for a long time.

Citations

"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.

“Santanoni – A Brief History.” Adirondack Architectural Heritage. AARCH, n.d. Web. 05 Oct.   2015.

The Adirondacks. PBS, 2008.

Decline in Moose Population Due to Rising Temperatures

Over the last century, the climate has started to change in reaction to human population growth and industry. Growing CO2 emissions have caused global temperatures to rise, leading to a variety of effects on the environment. One of these is the noticeable decrease in moose populations. Between 1895 and 2011, average annual temperatures in the Northeast increased by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures are predicted to rise even faster this century, warming the environment an additional four and half to ten degrees by the 2080s. The warmer temperatures now occurring in the northern forests have allowed for the spread of winter ticks, a species that thrives during years of shorter winters and longer springs. These ticks prey on moose, bleeding them out until they die. 

Moose are developed to live in colder climates. The current rise in temperatures causes them expend more energy, increase their respiration rates, and makes them vulnerable to overheating. High temperatures also make moose more vulnerable to disease. With higher temperatures, the Adirondacks experience less snow during the winter. Moose are well adapted to survive in the deep snow, while deer avoid it to save energy during the cold winter months. If snow levels decrease, the two species’ ranges will overlap, and moose populations will become vulnerable to the diseases that deer carry. This includes the parasitic brain worm found in deer that is deadly to moose. While disease is one source of the decline in moose populations, the effects of the change in climate are complex and hard to track. It is hard to pin point one thing that has caused moose to die out. Their decline in numbers could be due to other interwoven effects such as pollution, invasive species, habitat fragmentation, and pests.

Rising temperatures threaten many other species in the Adirondacks. Bird populations, such as the Chickadee and Spruce Grouse have already started to adapt to the weather changes by changing their migratory patterns and places of habitat. Forest landscapes are already starting to change as well, as natural succession takes its course.  However, there are some positive aspects to the change in climate. Over the next few centuries, the biomass of northeastern forests is expected to double. New tree species will come in to replace to old ones. Just as it always does, the environment will adapt to the changes it experiences.  We are beginning to see these changes, which can be viewed as both beneficial and harmful to our community. As humans continue to impact the environment, the only thing we can do is follow our own code of judgment and try to prevent the effects we have on our ecosystem that are harmful.  

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/09/climate-change-threatens-adirodnack-boreal-species.html

The Bog Blog

Bogs are awesome. They are a wetland ecosystem, comprised of often-acidic pH, mats of sphagnum moss, sedges and conifers, and very few resident animals. As unique as bogs are, even more interesting is that the combination of their characteristics contributes to an unbelievable archaeological resource. Bogs are found the world over, and European bogs especially have been home to amazing discoveries. I recently studied in Ireland, where bogs are numerous and the National Museum of Ireland has an entire Archaeology Branch filled with thousands of beautifully preserved objects, some kept safe over the centuries in bogs… including humans.

Bogs create an anaerobic environment where bacteria that need oxygen cannot thrive. Therefore, decomposition doesn’t occur quite so easily, preserving anything that might fall in. However, pH levels in bogs can vary, and due to the acidity, some bog bodies are more skeletonized than mummified. The bog also destroys DNA, completely wiping all genetic information. Still, the bog environment makes remarkable preservation is possible, and scientists get a great deal of information out of bog discoveries.

The most famous Irish bog body, called the Cashel Man, is the oldest bog body with intact skin found anywhere in the world. He is also one of our oldest mummies, predated only by the famous Ice Man. Believed to have died a very violent death around 2000 BC, experts suggest that he was a king, sacrificially killed due to crop failure. Based on Early Irish ideas of kingship, kings were tied to the land and personally responsible for the welfare of crops and animals. They could be ceremoniously killed if these failed. Such ritual human sacrifices were known to occur during the Bronze and Iron Ages, especially along territorial borders or near sites where inaugurations occurred.

Photo Credit: The Irish Examiner

  

While the morbidity and drama of bog bodies intrigues many people, they aren’t the only humans found in bogs. At an adventure camp in Killary, Ireland, you’ll find really dirty, really cold, really happy, (and really alive) bog bodies. An obstacle course set up in and around a few bogs allows living humans to run, swim, and play in the mud. Andrew, one of the instructors, will tell you in a heavy Glaswegian accent to leave valuables behind and to even be smart about how you tie your shoes, because the bog is a living creature that can and will swallow everything.

Jumping into the bog is startling. It’s cold and surprisingly thick and at first, it’s easy to reel against the idea of getting dirty. But after a few minutes, my group and I got acclimated to the cold and we found that letting ourselves feel comfortable covered in sphagnum slop is actually extremely fun and liberating. We joked about all the lost shoes we found while slogging around. We panicked about how it could have been human remains, and not tree roots that touched our legs. We mused about how much jewelry and electronics must be down there, preserved for future generations to discover. But the bogs helped us find a few things as well. In becoming bog bodies, we tapped into a primal instinct, a need to converse with nature. Everything comes full circle; nature holds the secrets of the past and helps us to learn more about ourselves, both as individuals and as a species. It makes me wonder what could potentially be found in the bottom of an Adirondack bog.

Army-crawling through a relatively shallow bog. Photo Credit: Killary Adventure Co.

  

Sources:

-http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24053119

-http://www.irishcentral.com/news/worlds-oldest-bog-body-was-irish-high-king-killed-due-to-crop-failure-233287511-237789441.html

-http://www.museum.ie/en/exhibition/kingship-and-sacrifice.aspx?article=444c508c-16a5-4208-a1c3-a687b2382e2a

Congress Decision Causes Natural Parks to Suffer

The United States’ Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a Federal program that was established in 1965 by Congress to provide funds and matching grants to federal, state and local governments for the acquisition and protection of land and water. The fund emphasizes the recreation and protection of national natural treasures in the form of parks and protected forest and wildlife areas, and uses oil and gas royalties to pay for these projects.  In July, Montana celebrated the addition of 8,200 acres, known as Tenderfoot Creek, to the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Most of the cost, which amounted to $10.7 million, was paid for by the LWCF. 

            Earlier this week, however, the 50-year-old fund was allowed to expire completely. This is a tragedy enacted by Congress, who knew of the deadline long and advance, and failed to take action to reauthorize it, despite the fund’s broad bipartisan support.

            What does this mean for our country? Economically, offshore oil and gas producers will no longer be paying to support the fund. While this is beneficial to our energy producers, this will only make reinstating the fund more difficult. In terms of environmental ethics, the disbandment of the LWCF is a sad event for anyone who cares about our natural parks.

            There is hope for the future. Other conservation organizations are picking up their efforts to get the LWCF reauthorized as quickly as possible. There are current plans in action to attach the fund to another pieces of legislation to encourage its reinstatement. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines have cosponsored a bill that goes further than the fund did in the past, locking in a full appropriation of $900 million so that the bill will no longer have funding problems.

            Hopefully we can remedy this mismanagement by congress.  Luckily, there are politicians working to reinstate the fund permanently, so that this issue will never repeat itself. LWCF’s mission is to preserve the natural resources that are significant to the American landscape. The permanent dissolution of the LWCF would be a failure on our part to the many Americans who have fought for the establishment and preservation of our parks that we enjoy so much today.

https://www.hcn.org/articles/congress-lets-sun-set-on-land-and-water-conservation-fund