Rock On, Adirondacks!

The Adirondacks is one of the most fascinating geological dig sites, which helped open the early Adirondacks to exploration, travel and trade. Around 250,000 years ago, glaciers dominated the lands, putting pressure on the ancient rocks that had formed over 750 million years prior. People of the 19th century discovered deposits of iron ore, used to make steel, and garnet, a prosperous gemstone. By the peak of the American Civil War, Adirondack mines accounted for 25% of America's iron production, and were critical for providing Union troops with weapons and bullets. Immigrants from around the globe moved to the Adirondacks  to work in one of several mines that sprouted up in various areas. Often, each worker would bring their family and culture with them, and recreational activities including baseball spread into the Adirondacks. While many of these mining towns have since disappeared, they contributed to bringing people from various ethnic backgrounds into the Adirondacks. 

Witherbee Sherman Mine, Mineville, NY

Clinton Iron Ore Mines, Clinton, NY

While in cases such as mining, the geology of the Adirondacks have brought more people to the park, the geology of the Adirondacks has also prevented many young and hopeful people from living in the Adirondacks due to the poor soil quality. The glaciers of the last ice age ripped the soil from the ground in the park, leaving behind a relatively young soil. Typically, Adirondack soil is thin and sandy, subjecting it to a higher potential for drought. Additionally coniferous trees that grow in much of the park leave the soil acidic and make it infertile for crops. In addition, Adirondack soil can be quite rocky, and the extreme climate can contribute to crop failure. Many young farmers who moved to the Adirondacks and tried to live off of the land forfeited that lifestyle to Mother Nature within their first few years, leaving only the toughest and luckiest farmers to work the land.

Clearly, the geology of the Adirondacks has played a large role in dictating who could live where and what sort of work would be possible. In addition to encouraging and limiting human settlement, the geology of the Adirondacks has continued to impact flora and fauna, especially aquatic fauna in the case of acid rain. Many lakes and ponds in New York State have a low sensitivity to acid rain due to the limestone deposits underneath the water that provide a calcium pH buffer to counteract the acid. However, bedrock found in the Adirondacks tends to be poor in limestone, and lack the ability to buffer acid rain. A recent study has found that of 1,245 Adirondack lakes surveyed, 319 of them were too acidic to support fish life. This is a serious concern for the local food chain and fishermen, which may have once relied on fish. 

The geology of the Adirondacks has shaped the people, economy and ecology inside the park, for better or worse and has helped turn the park into what it is today. 

Sources:

http://apa.ny.gov/about_park/geology.htm

http://www.adkmuseum.org/about_us/adirondack_journal/?id=365

http://www.miningartifacts.org/NewYorkMines.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/283.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/07/nyregion/acid-rain-imperils-adirondacks-fish.html

property rights!

     Last Thursday, New York State’s Court of Appeals heard a case on a canoer’s trespassing on private land. The court case, while somewhat lacking in sex appeal, gives an interesting insight into the ongoing struggle of complex laws attempting to govern the private and publicly owned park. The case itself centers on a journalist who essentially turned himself in by writing a story about his canoeing trip across the privately owned section of a river. The disputed waterway is coveted canoeing territory connecting Little Tupper Lake and Lake Lila. Although in a strictly literal sense the case is about the navigability of one specific length of a river, still in a broader scope the court is creating a precedent on the extent of private property rights of land within the park.

     In a case like this one of the most helpful indicators for understanding the true repercussions is looking at what groups are sponsoring what side of the legal battle. Several environmental groups including the Adirondack Mountain Club, Environmental Advocates, and the Department of Environmental Conservation have come to Browns defense indicating that however small, something is at stake. On the flip side, the Property Rights Foundation of America (shocking), Empire State Forests Products Association, the Farm Bureau, and the Adirondack Landowners Association support the owners of the private property in question.

     Without launching into full-scale investigative mode, my personal take on the case is that this is a battle between those who believe in the exploration of the park versus those who’d like to own part of the park. As a class of college students it’s hard to imagine many falling on the landowner’s side, but at the same time it’s important to try to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, and maybe imagine our own possible property-owning futures.

http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/NY-s-top-court-to-consider-stream-access-on-7004594.php

http://www.mpnnow.com/article/20160325/SPORTS/160329695

Spring Break vs the Adirondacks

The Adirondacks are known for many things; spring is not one of those things. For most college students, spring break is an experience filled with sunny weather, beaches, and partying. Yet, a select group of individuals desire an entirely different experience. For them, the challenge of the Adirondacks at the height of its mud season presents the perfect spring break opportunity.  This dichotomy suggests that the Adirondacks are place for those truly love to face a challenge.

            Most college students prefer a spring break spent at warm beaches. Every year, thousands of college students leave their books behind and head south into the welcoming shorelines of the south and Caribbean.  The tradition of celebrating the arrival of spring dates all the way back to the Greeks and Romans. They celebrated the arrival of spring with festivals celebrating wine and fertility.[1] In more recent times, Spring has become a time for more questionable behavior. Movies like Where the Boys Are, captured the recklessness that dominates spring break. While this may sounds unattractive, for many this reckless abandon is a major draw.[2]

            For others however, the Adirondacks present the opportunity for a different kind of spring break.  At this time of year, the trails of the Adirondack’s are often covered in mud and the weather can still be dangerously cold. All of this means that life must be lived far more intentionally in the Adirondacks than in say, Cancun.  This requirement can be extremely attractive. Furthermore, spring break in the Adirondacks might also be attractive simply because it is unconventional. The opportunity to sled across a frozen lake or summit a frozen mountain, are experiences that set someone apart from the rest of the crowd.[3]  For some, the newness of these experiences provides unparalleled enjoyment.

            The Adirondacks therefore, present an opportunity for spring breakers to better themselves in ways that a typical spring break does not. In the spring one has to deal with a whole host of problems. Between the mud and the cold, hiking in the spring may be the most difficult out of any season. Therefore, doing so requires careful planning and thought. It leads to the development of skills and character. It teaches individuals how to deal with challenges.  For that reason, it is clear that the Adirondacks are place for those who truly care about focusing on the outdoors

---

[1] http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888317,00.html

[2] http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1888317,00.html

[3]http://www.newyorkupstate.com/adirondacks/2016/03/see_why_6_college_kids_picked_adirondacks_over_cancun_for_spring_break_video.html

Lucky Hammers & Zucchini Canoes

 "Unfortunately, the top rung of that ladder was so worn out that it broke right through and he began to fall.  He was halfway down to the ground and would have broken something for sure if he hadn't remembered he'd left his hammer up on the roof and had to go back up to get it."

-Joe Bruchac, in his telling of "Grampa Jesse and the Used Nails"

Storytelling.  It's become a classic part of the wilderness experience.  Boy scouts gather around campfires, guides embellish their narrative to tourists' delight, fishing buddies compete for bragging rights.  But traditional Adirondack liars include more in their tales than grapples with the one that got away.  Their truth stretching tends to avoid genuine bragging in favor of comedy and collaboration.  Groups like the Adirondack Liar's Club continue to share new and well-worn tales alike to this day.

Adirondack storytelling drew a lot of its major features from lumber camps.  While competition certainly existed, the best of the loggers' stories focused on entertainment and camaraderie.  Groups of men would gather and bounce off of each other, monitoring the listeners' reactions and bringing up complementary tales.  They told their stories, full of puns and outrageous situations, in a dry, deadpan style.  Like in the quote above, a common element of Adirondack stories is the use of an outrageous fallacy as if it were the most matter of fact thing in the world.  One man grew a zucchini so large he made a dugout canoe out of it, only to have it eaten out from under him by beavers.  Another trained a bear to let him ride it like a horse, but after one night of drinking realized he'd ridden the wrong bear home.

These stories rely on embellishments and straight up lies.  It's a part of the craft, and as Vaughn Ward says in her book I Always Tell the Truth (Even if I Have to Lie to Do It!) "Lying, as an art form, can flourish only within a moral system where telling the truth is taken for granted."  Traditional Adirondack liars act like they're telling the truth, but understand that everyone knows it's all part of the fun.  Their tall tales are not self-serving, they're not spicing up accounts of their weekends to tell around the water cooler.  They can draw from real life experiences, historical figures, and traditional stories passed down through generations, but they always have a pinch of the ridiculous!

 Source:
Ward, Vaughn.  I Always Tell the Truth (Even If I Have to Lie to Do It!):  Stories from the Adirondack Liar's Club.  Greenfield Center, NY:  The Greenfield Review Press, 1990.  Print.

The Importance of Loons in the ADKs

Every night in the summer I fall asleep to the hauntingly beautiful sound of loons singing. Their coos are a pleasant reminder of my close proximity to the lake that our cabin sits on and the wilderness that we are in. Loons have often been recognized as “a symbol of unspoiled wilderness,” as they can easily be displaced by human populations. Albeit I can hear them every night on our lake, loon populations have been labeled as a species of special concern in the state of New York.  I fear that they will disappear from our lakes because without loons I don’t believe I would feel as close to, or as engaged with, the wilderness. Loons exemplify that the presence of a certain species or biotic element can define if something is wilderness or not, which affects the degree to which that species or biotic element are protected.

In the Adirondacks, loons are protected by a number of different groups, including the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation. This center conducts research and outreach programs to ensure that loons “remain an integral and vital part of New York’s wildlife heritage, and that their haunting calls continue to echo across Adirondack lakes for generations to come.” Loons are considered an important and majestic part of the Adirondack wilderness, and it is important to protect them because the Adirondack environment wouldn’t be the same without them.

http://programs.wcs.org/northamerica/wild-places/adirondacks/loon-conservation/loon-census.aspx

http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7074.html

http://www.briloon.org/adkloon

A History of Comfort

Hamilton's collection of Adirondack chairs immediately caught my eye when I visited as a senior in high school. In fact, even months after my visit my family would respond with, "Of course, the school with the Adirondack chairs!" when I excitedly mentioned Hamilton in conversation. I always imagined (and now have the chance to experience) groups of students basking in the spring and summer sun in the comfort of the unique, memorable chairs that populate Hamilton's many quads. It is still one of the aspects I appreciate most about our beautiful campus that is dense with nature to enjoy. Adirondack chairs offer a place to relax and enjoy the outdoors in privacy, or in the warm company of friends. Have you ever wondered about the history of the iconic chair? It turns out its original designer, Thomas Lee, sought to design a chair that would ensure the relaxing and fond outdoor experience we cherish here at Hamilton. Lee's design enhanced how he viewed and experienced nature, just as it does for us today.

In 1903, Thomas Lee decided he wanted to design the perfect lawn chair for his family and himself. Lee and his family owned a summer home in Westport, New York with a scenic view of the renowned banks of Lake Champlain. However, Lee wanted to enjoy the scenery, particularly the sunset, comfortably. In his mind, the perfect lawn chair required a sturdy base to fit the rolling terrain of the Adirondacks, and wide arm rests to hold a summer cocktail. Lee admirably put effort, time and consideration into the final design of the Adirondack chair. He made many attempts to design the right fit, and asked each member of his family to act as a chair-tester until he was completely happy with his product's fit. Lee's traditional design used 13 pieces of wood cut from the same plank. The design's low-slung seat and wide armrests allowed the chair to remain stable on Adirondack terrain and incorporated a place for Lee to rest his glass.

Interestingly, the history of the chair continues. Carpenter Harry Bunnell, a friend of Lee's, took interest in the unique chair and asked if he might recreate and sell a few to make money in the colder months of winter. Bunnell made dozens of Adirondack chairs from Lee's original plans, and local residents immediately took interest. Apparently, Lee's idea of the perfect lawn chair appealed to the local Adirondacker too. Bunnell then filed for a patent, deeming the design his own. Who wouldn't want to take credit for a chair that suddenly seemed essential to the experience of a relaxing summer day?

What I find most heart-warming about the history of the Adirondack chair is that Lee's careful efforts to enhance the experience of enjoying nature has persisted throughout the years. I love to lie back in our own Adirondack chairs to look up at the blue sky and tall trees we're lucky to have on campus. The comfort and fit of an Adirondack chair put me at ease at the end of a stressful school day as I rest an Opus coffee on its wide armrest.

Below is a picture of Hamilton alum resting on the same chairs we enjoy each day!




http://www.orvis.com/s/adirondack-chair-story-the-history-of-the-adirondack-chair/2978

The Adirondack Park Going Beyond New York State

Bill Weber
https://environment.yale.edu/profile/albert-weber/

Although our class focuses on a specific region, I believe that it is important to remember that the Adirondack Park does not exist in a vacuum. Moreover, there are many aspects of the Adirondack Park that can be directly applied to places on the opposite side of the world (i.e. China). Bill Weber, author of The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices from the Adirondack Park, argues that the Adirondack Park can be a model for global conservation. In his interview about Rwanda’s conservation approach with graduate student, Lee Gross, Weber gives valuable insight on conservation and the importance of governance. Even though this interview was about Rwanda and not China, I believe that China could also benefit from looking to the Adirondack Park as a model for conservation.

In his aforementioned book, Weber states, “If there is a single lesson…to learn from the Adirondacks it is the role of the private sector in assuring a more diversified economic base, with a greater percentage of benefits staying in local hands within the regional economy”(1). This significance of the private sector is evident in China’s recent conservation efforts. In 2010, The Nature Conservancy, an American charitable organization, partnered with the Chinese government to create a new model of conservation: land trust reserves (2). Together, they acquired 27,000 acres of land in Sichuan Province (a critical habitat of the giant panda) and lawfully gave the land an elevated, protected status. Under the land trust reserve model (that involves purchasing leases of land), the Conservancy obtained powerful control over the management of the land in the new reserve that compared starkly with previously created nature reservations in China (2).  

Sichuan Province Land Trust Reserve
www.nature.org 

In the interview, Weber asserts that good community relations are critical to successful conservation because “there is a need to compensate those who bear the costs of conservation, most often local communities”(1). He commends the WCS Adirondack Program as a good example of local community representation. In addition to the Adirondack Park Agency (that implements a top-down system), Weber argues that the WCS Adirondack Program is important to the goals of conservation and governance of the park. Yet I wonder if this local representation is achievable in communist China. China has about 1.4 billion people. Therefore, does the Chinese government have the time and national incentive to listen to the local communities affected by the creation of new land trust reserves? The consequence of the Three Gorges Dam – a project that displaced 1.2 million people – reflects an indifferent Chinese government. However, the power of the private sector, such as the Nature Conservancy, gives me hope that such community relations are possible in the future.

Despite the difference in scale of the Sichuan Province Land Trust Reserve and the Adirondack Park, I think that conservationists should draw parallels between the two and develop their global perspectives on conservation. Undoubtedly, China would benefit from importing conservation models from the U.S. Although the two countries have conspicuous differences, models are malleable and, therefore, Chinese conservationists can still learn from the governance of the Adirondack Park. As Weber concludes, “the question isn’t what works and how can we copy this functioning model, but what we learn from what we do.” In other words, no one model is perfect and will be suitable for every place. However, conservationists can always learn from one another because they share common goals.

Sources:

      1)  http://www.ajes.org/v17/gross2011.php

2    2) http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/asiaandthepacific/china/placesweprotect/china-sichuan-province-land-trust-reserve.xml

The Adirondacks: Truly Uninhabitable?

Originally viewed as an uninhabitable area, the Adirondacks today have quite a few people living in it. There are over 100 villages and towns that make up a population of over a 100,000. This isn't too shabby considering the Adirondacks were first seen as desolate and unforgiving. Furthermore, the six million acre land attracts millions of visitors each year and brings in a nice chunk of money for the New York state. However, what is commonly less known is the many disappearances or deaths of experienced hikers and hunters. Are the Adirondacks truly uninhabitable as originally thought or are these accidents not unique to the Adirondacks? Despite the successes the Adirondacks have seen so far, the many fatalities appear to be a product of the unforgiving and desolate nature of the park. 

Adirondackalmanack.com

Some of these fatalities include Thomas Messick, Douglas Legg, Matthew Potel, and Hua Davis. Back in November, Thomas Messick, age 82, suddenly vanished when he was hunting deer in an area of wild forest near the town of Horicon in Warren County. Messick was with a group of hunters who had been hunting together in the Adirondacks for decades. Similarly, Douglas Legg who was described as an avid hiker and mini woodsman, disappeared almost 45 years ago on a short and direct walk back to his camp. Next is Matthew Potel who was an outdoors educator and experienced climber. On his last hike, he slipped and fell head-first to his death when he attempted to climb the Trap Dike with seven other members of his school's outdoors club. Once again, a similar situation occurred involving Hua Davis. Davis was a Saranac Lake Ultra 6er meaning she was able to climb all six Saranac lake peaks in one day. Clearly an experienced and avid hiker, Davis was found dead after setting out on a hike up MacNaughton Mountain. 

Keeping the family's summer home

The camp was up for sale, which sparked the conversation between my parents as to whether or not they should save up to eventually buy a camp to eventually pass on to my brothers and me. Then, as the owners passed the house keys over to my parents so my family could enjoy a week long vacation, my mom began probing them with questions. "What has the process of putting the camp up for sale been like?" "Have there been many people interested in buying?" "How long have you had the camp?" It's this last question that gets the owners talking. The camp has been in their family for multiple generations. Their grandparents once played as children in this house as well as their own children. But the upkeep has become too much. Somewhere along the way, things got more expensive and taking care of the camp and renting out became a full time job. This is an all too common pattern when it comes to summer homes and may be even more prominent in the Adirondacks thanks to the hard winters that bring higher maintenance costs.

When buying real estate in the Adirondacks, the real question becomes centered on how long the family can hold on to their camp. As of right now, some Adirondack families have been holding on to their cherished summer home for about a century. For example, in Adirondack Life, a member of the Sheppey family describes the hardship of letting go of a family summer camp on Tupper Lake after 90 years (link is below!). She describes the struggle of spending time at her camp while simultaneously saying goodbye to it all yet, never knowing when a sale will take place and the goodbye will be the real one. This is more tragic side of the real estate pattern: families being forced to sell a camp filled with love and memories.

Today, new families continue to go up to the Adirondacks looking for a place that will become common ground for their own families to enjoy for years to come. Tourism websites are often centered on family activities and real estate listings describe cabins as perfect for the family. But the reality behind this dream is that families grow and evolve, sources of income change, camp costs go up and down. Personally, I've told my parents that I would never want them to pass on a camp to us knowing that it would become a source of fighting between my brothers and I. But there is also a more positive way to look at it. The higher turnover rate of ownership leads to a forever changing population within the Adirondacks. The families that have owned in the Adirondacks for generations will always hold sentimental ties to the landscape but there is also a greater chance for new families to enter the park and grow equally attached.


Citations:
http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2015/10/15/the-long-goodbye/

Road Salt Application in the Adirondacks

Imagine 176,000 metric tons of table salt poured onto Adirondack roads each year. If you can’t imagine it, just keep an eye out next winter. Each year, the state of New York uses huge amounts of road salt to de-ice roads throughout the state. Unfortunately, when the road salt runs off and contaminates waterways, the consequences can be devastating to natural systems.

New York state uses more road salt than any other state in the United States. As stated before, 176,000 metric tons of road salt are applied throughout the Adirondacks and this high application rate doesn’t seem to be changing. There has been very little research from local governments and agencies to improve road management with a lesser environmental impact. In an effort to identify the negative consequences of road salt in waterways, the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College began monitoring 15 streams that represent varying levels of road salt application. This experiment, which has not yet been finished, promises to shed light on the effect of road salt in the Adirondacks as a hole because the findings can be applied to the entire region due to similar soil composition and geology.

The Adirondack Watershed Institute has detailed some of the consequences of road salt application. The sodium from road salt enters soils and displaces other essential cations in the soil. This leads to the leaching of other cations and heavy metals and decreased soil fertility. In one experiment, the calcium, magnesium, and sodium release from soils was 31% higher on paved roads (road salt applied) than on unpaved roads (no road salt applied). At the very least, road salt disturbs the natural composition of the soil.

But, the consequences don’t stop there. Researchers have found that salt concentrations accumulate and increase over time. This finding is evidenced by unusually high sodium and chloride levels in waterways even during the summer. The presence of these ions in the water is concerning because the Adirondacks waters have very low naturally occurring concentrations of sodium and chloride so the introduction of these ions may disrupt natural systems. Contaminated waters pose serious threats to both humans and wildlife. Salt, which raises blood pressure, may contaminate wells and contribute to health issues in humans. Some animals, including deer and moose, ingest salt crystals, which can be toxic. Further, chloride in surface waters can be toxic to aquatic life.

Due to increased pressure from environmental groups, the state of New York has introduced several changes to their road salt application. First, the state promised to cut application across the board by 10%. Second, the state improved storage facilities to decrease runoff. Third, the state has limited the speed of plow trucks to limit the bounce of road salt off of the roadway. Fourth, the state has began implementing pre-storm anti-ice liquids to decrease the need for road salts. Although all of these steps improve the situation, road salts will still be heavily applied in the Adirondacks and throughout the state. With further research on the environmental and health consequences of road salt pollution, we can only hope that road salt application will decrease or that an eco-friendly alternative can be found.

http://www.adkwatershed.org/road-salt-research

http://www.adirondackexplorer.org/stories/cutting-salt

March is never quite what we want it to be

An angry grey sheet of rain and blasts of cold winter air greeted me as I arrived at Hamilton earlier today. Despite the weather two weeks ago, when the warmth of the sun brought sundresses and shorts out of hiding, March never quite lives up to our expectations. Unfortunately, around here spring is usually late to the party and winter has overstayed its welcome. Upstate New York is known for its weather. After stating I go to Hamilton, often the first question asked is, “how do you deal with the cold?” It is this extremeness and unpredictable nature of upstate New York weather that fascinates outsiders. But it is also a source of pride for natives. In the end, why is it important? Why do we care so much about whether it rains or snows?

For one, weather is something we cannot and will never be able to control. Over the course of its history, the Adirondacks has had its fair share of extreme weather events. The Great Blowdown in November 1950 is one more famously known for it produced 105-mph winds, a byproduct of an Atlantic hurricane that caused catastrophic forest damage across the park. There was also the 1995 Derecho, which destroyed 65 homes and killed five hikers. According to Neal Burdick, a writer for the Adirondack Explorer, of the 13 storm tracks that affect the United States, “10 of them are capable of working their nastiness in one manner or another on the Adirondacks.” Jerome S. Thaler, a weather documentarian and historian mentions in his book called Adirondack Weather, that “a tornado can be expected once every five years somewhere in the park.” Since the arrival of people on this barren harsh landscape, weather has been friend and foe, but mostly just foe over the years.

Two, weather fascinates us. From the British, who use it as a greeting topic to the Adirondacker, who is shaped and molded by it, weather is a part of our culture and everyday lives. On the television or on your iphone, weather is another piece of daily news. We use it to start conversations and are fascinated by storms, extremes. For some, weather makes a place unique. Notorious to outsiders and natives, weather has given the park character and identity. From the crisp autumn colors to the bone-rattling snow-burying blizzards, weather has shaped our notions of the Adirondack landscape and its people to make them what they are today.

http://www.adirondackexplorer.org/book_reviews/adirondack-weather

http://thesummitblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/why-do-we-care-so-much-about-weather.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/weather-channel-hurricane-sandy-cable-news-ratings_n_2045665.html