Thanks for Giving Us All This Great Food, Nature!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it seemed appropriate to write about wildlife that is iconic for the holiday - turkeys and cranberries!  We all know that no Thanksgiving meal would be complete without an oven roasted turkey and a side of cranberry sauce. As it turns out, both of these Thanksgiving staples have a presence in the Adirondacks.

Cranberries! (Source: http://www.adirondackalmanack.com)

Typically when we think of cranberries, we imagine an industrial sized harvest, with tiny red orbs floating on the surface of a flooded field, ready for canning and selling.  While these cultivated berries are grown on “carefully managed upland fields,” wild cranberries tend to grow in bogs.  Cranberry Lake, for example, earned its name from the extensive cranberry bogs that it contained.  Once harvested, cranberries can be used in breads, juices, and sauces. In addition to being a tasty Thanksgiving treat, cranberries also contain many vitamins such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.  The berries provide a range of health benefits from prevention of kidney stones to lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol.  So, don’t feel guilty about taking that extra helping this year!

A Wild Turkey (Source :http://www.dec.ny.gov)

During the time of European colonization, wild turkeys were prevalent throughout the state of New York. However, with habitat loss (due to creation of agricultural land) and hunting (which was unregulated), wild turkeys disappeared from the state in the mid-1840s. Turkeys only returned to New York in 1948 when a population living in Pennsylvania crossed the border. In 1959, the State Conservation Department began trapping turkeys where there was an overabundance, and dispersing them throughout the state of New York. Today, there is an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 turkeys in the state. Having learned from the past, wild turkeys are now a legally protected game species in the Adirondacks and the rest of New York.

Sources:

http://www.cliftonfineadk.com/#!cranberrylake/c20r9

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/11/native-foods-cranberries.html#more-57096

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7062.html

Adirondack Architecture

Throughout our course, we have discussed symbols and characteristics that make up the park, including art, music, and recreation. We have also touched on the architecture that makes up the park, but because architecture is so ingrained in our daily lives, I will go into further detail here about architecture in the park.

As with most regions around the world, buildings and landscapes are often influenced by local natural resources. Additionally, shipping materials into the park is quite expensive, so architects have even greater incentive to use local resources. The two main resources are timber and stone. Whole, split, or any other type of log is quite common, as logs are abundant in the Adirondacks and they allow for a simple, yet rustic look without having to ship materials. Stones, albeit less common and more expensive, are aesthetically pleasing and can help support the foundation of buildings. Outside many buildings, cedar logs are often used as railings for docks or walkways. These logs typically lack ornate decorations, adding to the main stylistic aspects of Adirondack Architecture: naturalistic and simple. These two main materials are also used to harmonize with their surroundings as much as possible because of the belief that the architecture was a part of the landscape and connected to nature.

Most of our perceptions of Adirondack architecture come from Great Camps, as Great Camps are the most well known buildings in the park and most other buildings are modeled after the camps. These Great Camps were modeled after the Arts and Crafts style of architecture, which emphasizes solid shapes and an asymmetrical composition. The Arts and Crafts style highlighted wide porches, brick fireplaces, steep roofs, and wooden fittings. Great Camp’s encompass all of these features, along with their local resources to combine to form what is now known as Adirondack architecture. This is where the idea for an Adirondack Porch came to be. The Adirondack architecture has been altered throughout the years, but its defining features have remained intact. It is these features that have made it an everlasting style that is ecologically friendly and aesthetically pleasing.

Works Cited

Russell, Tom. "Mountain Architects: Hendricks Architecture Idaho." Mountain Architects

Hendricks Architecture Idaho. N.p., 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

Controversy with the APA

          In his talk last night, Peter Bauer brought up the issues presently occurring in the Essex Chain Lakes region regarding snowmobile trails. I found a few articles about the issue on the Adirondack Almanac, one written by Bauer, and another written by Phil Brown.  

The Adirondack Park Agency approved the plan for the Essex Chain Lakes, sparking controversy over the plan’s proposal to cut a new snowmobile trail through the western part of the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest area. The trail would use the Polaris Bridge and connect the Indian Lake and Minerva communities. However, as Bauer mentioned in his talk, these communities are actually already connected by a snowmobile trail. In 2009, the APA and DEC approved a Snowmobile Guidance plan that documented the details by which snowmobile trails in the park should be managed. It clearly states that trail “redundancy” should be avoided and they should not be built in wild areas. Bauer points out that the Essex Chain Plan then violates the Snowmobile Guidance plan. The DEC argue that the longer mileage of this first trail is “not practical” and that creating this shorter route over the Polaris Bridge would be better, only 20 miles rather than 31. However, this route would involve cutting a new trail through five miles of the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest Area. Snowmobile riders are used to riding 30 or so miles. Bauer says, “it makes no sense for a new snowmobile trail to be cut through a wild trail-less part of the Forest Preserve simply to provide a shorter connection”. He compared the idea to hiking to make his point. Hiking trails are not made for the shortest route from parking lot to mountaintop, but for minimal impacts on nature. In the same way, snowmobile trails should not be made for the shortest route possible, but the smallest environmental damage possible.

Another controversy regarding this plan that Phil Brown highlighted in his article was the decision to keep an iron bridge over the Hudson River as a snowmobile trail in the future. In the bridge area the Hudson is classified as a Scenic River. The State Land Master Plan outlines what can and cannot be done on each classification of river—wild, scenic, or recreational. Scenic rivers generally have fewer restrictions than wild rivers, but more than recreational ones. Usually, scenic rivers are prohibited from having motorized vehicles and large bridges visible from the water. Clearly having a large iron bridge with snowmobile use would violate this. However, the DEC claims that the use of motorized vehicles over the river on that bridge existed before the law did and thus it is allowed to continue.  Many argue that the DEC needs to amend the Rivers Act if they are going to make it legal.

            This is just an example of the many controversies that face the Adirondacks, and the conflicts that often arise between the APA and the locals. It’s unfortunate that nothing could be done about the unnecessary cutting of a new trail through wilderness area. It seems that often times economic interests seem to outweigh the environmental ones.

Sources:

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/11/apa-approves-controversial-essex-chain-plan.html

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/11/essex-chain-plan-violates-state-snowmobile-policy-plan.html#more-57092

Adirondack Farm to School Initiative

The Adirondack Farm to School Initiative is a movement to help connect schools with local farms to encourage healthy eating and to help build community. Their mission statement states, “The goal of this initiative is to enrich children’s bodies and minds while supporting local economies, bringing local food into school cafeterias and creating hands-on learning activities such as school gardens, farm visits, culinary classes, and the integration of food-related education into the regular classroom curriculum.” Food is central to our lives, so a program that creates a community surrounding food has the potential to have powerful results. This initiative helps to encourage healthy eating, while supporting local farmers in the Adirondacks, thus helping to address two issues at the same time. Farm to School consists of three main components: healthier lunches sourced through local food, classroom curriculum, and community garden. 

A Poster at Lake Placid High School Advertising the Farm to School Program
(http://lpfarmtoschool.webs.com)

The curriculum component has been researched extensively and ties in with the New York State and Next Generation standards for science. There are separate plans for elementary, middle, and high schools students to ensure that the material is presented in an interesting way that is accessible to the age group. This is important to make sure that students are engaged with the information so that they take it away from the classroom and apply it in their lives. 

Students are given an opportunity to apply what they learn in the classroom in their school’s community garden. Not only do community gardens grow delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, but they also grow relationships within schools and towns. Additionally, these gardens give students the opportunity to have the satisfaction of growing their own food, as well as learning where their food comes from. This interaction with food from start to finish can help to create mindful eating habits as students realize that food does not simply come off the shelf in a grocery store, but that each piece of produce has a story behind it. 

The final component is to implement the practices that are being promoted by the program in the school’s own cafeteria and partner with local farms to offer healthy school lunches. Not only will this benefit the school’s students through improved nutrition which will give them more brainpower throughout the day, but it also helps the local economy. When local farms thrive and make connections within their communities, everyone benefits. 

Aside from these three main components, the initiative also supports other experiences including field trips to local farms, community events such as harvests and suppers, and climate change events. The Adirondack Farm to School Initiative works hard to include as many members of the community as possible to learn about their work in the schools and with the farms. As more people get involved, it only benefits the local community more, as people are all working together to support each other and make healthy, local choices when it comes to food.

I really admire the work that the Adirondack Farm Initiative is doing. Despite living near farms, children in rural areas often lack the nutrition they need to grow and thrive. The Adirondack Farm Initiative is a great program working to combat this issue. I hope to see it replicated in other farming communities outside of the Adirondacks to continue to promote the local food movement in schools across the country.

Works Cited

http://www.adkfarmtoschool.com

Meet the Marten

 

            It came to my attention the other day, after talking with classmates after a lecture, that many of my peers do not know what a pine marten is. I have experienced this surprise before, when describing the elusive fisher to friends, and was determined to enlighten them about a simply fascinating creature. The pine marten, or officially, American Marten (martes americana), is like the fisher, a member of the mustelid family. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that many people don't know what pine martens are. The truth is, it’s incredibly rare to see a marten, even more rare than fishers, their larger and chunkier counterparts. I myself became aware of these creatures through several British children books when I was younger, as pine martens are a bit better known and more common in the UK. My knowledge grew due to the fact my father was a biology teacher at the time and encouraged me to research them. 

            American martens are small, quick, lean members of the weasel family. They look a little bit like an adorable combination between a fox, squirrel, cat, and of course weasel. Though they have a sweet countenance, they are incredibly smart like other mustelids (think ferrets, otters, etc.) and have powerful little jaws and semi-retractable claws. Still, they are never aggressive towards humans unless threatened. They tend to be shy but incredibly curious. Many a hiker has been lucky enough to turn and find a marten staring at them from a tree branch or log.

            Martens generally live in spruce-fir forests or mixed hardwood-coniferous forest. Their big paws make them even better in deep Adirondack snow than fishers are. However, they are very much arboreal animals, like their primary source of prey, the red squirrel, so don't primarily travel on the ground. Martens, like some other mustelids, are omnivorous and will eat fruits and nuts as well as small animals (birds, amphibians, mammals, etc.). Martens have been seen most often in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks and travel solitarily, usually gathering with other martens only to mate. 

            The martens’ habitat brings to mind the threats global warming brings to the Adirondacks. These amazing animals are already rare to begin with, and a change in climate in the Adirondacks would shift the current ecosystems completely. It is predicted that the Adirondacks may be totally different in a couple hundred years, and the fir and spruce trees the martens call their home may be overtaken by deciduous trees. The red squirrels may move north. Will the American marten travel north as well? Will they be lost to the Adirondacks forever? It something to think about when considering the effects of global warming. Awareness of what kind of wildlife the human world is damaging is incredibly important. A start is to know what a marten is in the first place. And now you do.

I am happy to be able to share my favorite animal with you all. 

They really are wonderful little beasts.

Sources

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/45531.html

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2010/10/climate-change-what-we-owe-the-pine-martin.html

Photos

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/45531.html

http://www.wookmark.com/image/17300/pine-marten-white-mountain-national-forest-nh-flickr-photo-sharing

http://cwf-fcf.org/en/discover-wildlife/magazines/wild-classes/entries/2012/grade-7/pine-marten.html

http://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/FC_SierraNevadaWildlifeRisk/SNWR_SNFMIS.php

An Alternative Choice

           The depth of the Adirondack wilderness offers residents a rare opportunity to live off the grid in a sustainable manner. This self-sufficiency is seldom found in a society as modernized as the United States. Currently, our lifestyles are majorly based around spending long hours at work to achieve a high income that fuels consumption. Instead, those who live off the grid incur little expense and thus are free from pursuing a high income. Now, the time those would have spent in the office is entirely theirs to spend however they please. Of course, much of this newfound time must be dedicated to the countless chores required to live in self-sufficiency, but to those who make the commitment, it’s worth it.

            In addition to the tangible economic differences between lifestyles, the two offer differing spiritual economic dynamics. Again, under our current model of society, consumption is king. Consumption is the goal and drives people everyday from the moment they wake until the day is over. However, the spiritual economics suggest that consumption has a decreasing marginal utility. In other words, after a certain level (i.e. food and water are taken care of), each increased unit of consumption brings less and less utility. With this in mind, the life of an off-grid resident makes much more sense with regard to the derivation of happiness. Adirondack resident Bill Campbell completely communicates this sentiment as he says, “There are really important reasons to simplify our lives. When your expenses are low, you don’t need much income, and you can focus your life on what’s really important,” (Randall). Here we see Mr. Campbell make an important distinction as he separates income from “what’s really important,” (Randall).

Mr. Simmons’ attitude is one of two requirements to live an off-grid lifestyle. The Adirondack’s themselves fulfill the second requirement as they offer a wilderness large enough to provide isolation from the bustle of society. The former of these two requirements is rare enough to be considered odd. However, because the latter requirement is a mammoth landscape centuries old, anybody who fulfills the first requirement is lucky enough to act on his or her desire thanks to the wilderness. Although they may not be the majority of the park’s composition, off-grid residents are out there, happy as can be enjoying what their lifestyle has to offer.

Works Cited

Levine, Justin. "Cabin Life: the Decision to Live "Off the Grid"." Adirondack Almanack. 2012.Web. <http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2012/03/cabin-life-the-decision-to-live-off-the-grid.html>.

Randall, Thom. "Living off the grid in the Adirondacks." The Sun. 2014.Web. <http://www.suncommunitynews.com/sports/living-grid-adirondacks-savoring-rhythm-nature/>.

Neature

           “I could do this everyday”, my father would always call out as we were tossing a line in the water at our small camp located in the North East Kingdom of Vermont.  As a young kid who was naïve to the upcoming pressures of work, bills, and other details of life, this statement hardly resonated with me at the time.  Lately however, under the pressure of getting good grades in school and setting myself on a career path I have found myself thinking of the simpler times and how one could achieve a life of that nature. 

            Noah John Rondeau sought out this lifestyle and saw it through to fruition.  Fed up with the pressures and authority figures of civilization he decided to escape to the wilderness of the Adirondack Park.  Rondeau resided alone in the wilderness for almost 40 years from 1913 to 1950.  His humble abode consisted of two rickety shacks alongside the Cold River, a 14-mile trek away from any civilization.  Despite his modest dwellings, Rondeau squatted on a plot fit with a view that would sell for a fortune.  It was in this setting that Noah found true happiness, feeling at one with nature.  He gained the nickname “Mayor of Cold River” as recreationists frequently visited him to fish his waters and learn about his interesting lifestyle (noahjohnrondeau.com).

            The increased effectiveness of enforcement within wilderness areas seems to have made it impossible for those who wish to disappear from society today.  However, a hermit of a different type of self-sufficiency has recently been discovered in the wilderness of Maine.  Christopher Thomas Knight abandoned society at the age of 20 and lived in the Maine wilderness alone for 27 years.  Before being caught, Knight’s only human contact since entering the woods was an exchange of “Hi” with a passing hiker.  A phantom in the woods, and in burglary, Knight maintained subsistence through breaking in to surrounding homes and stealing food and supplies (firsttoknow.com).  Chris Knight’s means of survival deviated from Noah Rondeau’s; living on a supply of stolen junk food versus relying on the resources of the wilderness. However both of their intentions for disappearing were the same.

          “Solitude did increase my perception. But here’s the tricky thing—when I applied my increased perception to myself, I lost my identity. With no audience, no one to perform for, I was just there. There was no need to define myself; I became irrelevant. The moon was the minute hand, the seasons the hour hand. I didn’t even have a name. I never felt lonely. To put it romantically: I was completely free.” – Chris Knight on living in complete solitude (firsttoknow.com)

            While reading Cloudsplitter in the beginning of the semester many were able to relate to Owen Brown’s envy for the simple life of the fur trappers.  While some may not desire to go to the extremes reached by the hermits, the pressures of society leave many longing for an escape.  This may serve as an example as a necessity for accessible park wilderness areas where people can explore to recover and nurture their mental and physical health.

           

Sources:

http://firsttoknow.com/north-pond-hermit/

http://noahjohnrondeau.com