Waiting for Wolves

For some reason we all hate the wolf. As a country, we systematically eliminated them from the continent out of (largely) unfounded fear, and forged the wolf into a perfect embodiment of the perils of wilderness. Accused of killing cattle and terrorizing the western plains, not even the protection of the National Park system could defend the wolf from hunters at the turn of the 20^th century, as they were eliminated everywhere from Yellowstone to the Adirondacks. While they have since been re-introduced to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (and with great effect) their absence within the Blue Line remains unchanged for over 100 years. Perhaps it’s the relatively large population within the wilderness that has deterred lawmakers, but more likely it is the taboo surrounding the apex hunter is at the core of the issue. The owners of the wildlife refuge maintained that wolves, while carnivores maintain that wolves are incredibly timid by nature and flee human presence when given the opportunity. Wolves control many of the herbivores that currently overpopulate the regrowth of the Adirondacks. Beavers, for example, currently have no natural predator. Protected by their sturdy dams, beavers alter river systems with an effect outmatched only by humans and without wolves, currently disrupt many of the cool water mountain streams. Similarly, deer consume saplings across the park, preventing the regrowth of boreal forest, the crux of the Adirondack wilderness. But somehow the wolf remains banished, and political tensions begin to infiltrate the issue. The owner of the Wildlife Refuge (presumably very liberal) bemoaned the republican opposition to wildlife protection, not in the local government, but in Washington, far from the landscapes which co miss their lost monarch.

Complex Systems

Perhaps the most famous story in ecology is that of the reintroduction of the wolf to Yellowstone and it has been told many times very convincingly, as it is here:

The story tells of the effects of the trophic cascade initiated by the wolves and the specific consequences on the way. The wolves reduced the elk populations which let plants grow in previously overpopulated areas where plants never grew taller than an elk. Formerly barren areas quickly grew into dense aspen forests, providing habitat for birds and beavers. The increase in beaver dams significantly increased diversity along those areas of (previously) flowing water as the populations of otters, ducks, fish, reptiles, and riparian plants increased. Wolves also killed coyotes which led to the increase in populations of rabbits, mice, and weasels. Eagles, hawks, and bears fed on the carcasses left behind by the wolves, leading to an increase in their populations. Bears also had more berries available since there were far fewer elk. Finally, the most emphasized point was that the roots of riparian plants along riversides provided an anchor for soil, preventing erosion and the meandering of rivers. This erosion prevention also occurred on valley sides where elk had eaten most of the plants.

While this seems like such a wildly successful story in ecosystem management, the changes may not be as drastic as initially thought and not even due to the wolf reintroduction due to the complexity of ecosystems. Arthur Middleton, a postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, argues that only the initial studies showing drastic changes for such a short time in the ecology of Yellowstone National Park assumed that these changes would continue at the initial rate. Recent studies have shown that forests have not significantly improved and elk have not changed their feeding behaviors, although their populations have significantly decreased. Other factors such as hunting, bears, and climate change may also play significant roles in these changes. Middleton also argues that the extirpation of wolves happened so long ago that the damage is irreversible by the reintroduction of wolves. There are too many other factors in Yellowstone's ecosystem to directly correlate all of those effects to the reintroduction of wolves.

The article: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/opinion/is-the-wolf-a-real-american-hero.html?_r=0

There is no way to predict whether or not reintroducing wolves to the Adirondacks would actually significantly change the ecosystem because not only is the Adirondack ecosystem wildly complex, but it is much more overrun by humans. As we learned at the Wildlife Refuge, wolves are scared of humans - even the wolves held there were nervous around humans and they are surrounded by humans daily. Also, as Middleton argued for Yellowstone, the Adirondacks may already be damaged beyond repair by wolves.

The Brook Trout

The Wild Museum was my favorite part of the field trip this past weekend, I loved the hands-on learning environment that it presented and how connected I felt to even the tiniest mosses that were being displayed. One of the best parts of a museum such as that is the unique ability to help us view ecosystems that are normally hidden from sight like organisms too small to notice or ones that live underneath the water. I spent about 45 minutes at the tank that held the Adirondack Brook Trout (I don't remember their official name) and I felt like I had been submerged into their ecosystem. I rarely think about fish and when I do it is generally in reference to a meal I might be eating, but this exhibit made me think more about how fragile their environment is and how careful we must be when swimming, boating, and interacting with their home.

Just in case you like many of the visitors to the Wild Museum wandered past these trout without stopping to read their informational bulletin or contemplate how the world revolves around their habitat and seemingly does not notice them. I would like to give you a short list of how to identify the Adirondack Brook Trout in case you are to ever meet one in the wild.

How to Identify an Adirondack Brook Trout:

• They are spotted! The average Adirondack Brook Trout has yellow and red spots that are surrounded by a blue hallow on most of their body
• Their fins have a white racing stripe on the tips!
• From the top-down they have worm shaped lines patterning their scales

One of the most important and difficult aspects of a sustainable public and private park is thinking about the ecosystems that go unnoticed, similar to the trout, we need to see these ecosystems and then think about how our actions are affecting them as well. 

Asgaard

The most interesting part of our weekend trip, to me, was Asgaard Farm. I was not only fascinated with the fact that they had bought it from an artist but also with how much effort they had put into maintaining sustainability and minimizing their ecological footprint. I've grown up around farms of all kinds and have seen widely varying degrees of sustainability but the effort that David and Rhonda put in to the farm brought me a lot of happiness. Their devotion - to maintaining and improving the land itself via livestock circulation; maintaining herd diversity by rotating breeding pairs; encouraging local commerce by limiting their sales to a certain circle, and in the upkeep of Kent's studio - shows a level of understanding that many people in our generation lack. David and Rhonda and the people they work with have committed themselves to something that is less than profitable because they believe in the service and products they produce and they believe in the purpose that running the farm gives them. This level of devotion and sacrifice was beautiful to me, especially considering the financial stability they had to give up to make that dream come true. Although I don't think I'll be buying a farm to rehabilitate, I hope that someday I can find that kind of passion in my life and give something back to my community the way that David and Rhonda have with Asgaard.

A Weekend of Adirondack Emersion

After our short 1/2 mile hike, the Adirondack Museum was our first stop. The museum was unique in that it was part inside and part outside with a plethora of exhibits on everything from history to logging to art. One of my favorite parts of the museum was exploring the art exhibit. The oil paintings are what really stood out to me, because having worked with oil paint before, I felt like I had a better appreciation for what the artists were able to produce with this sometimes difficult medium. In these couple pictures below, what really impressed me was the artists' ability to portray light with the oil paint. Especially in the first painting, I loved the way Richards was able to portray the patches of light running across the mountain tops. It almost was as if I was looking at a photograph! In looking at this painting close up in the museum, you could also see the amazing detail that went into creating the landscape on the mountains in the background. I also loved the way Martin was able to portray light in his painting.

William Trost Richards, Boquet Valley, 1864

source: http://www.questroyalfineart.com/blog/2014/05/adirondack-musuem-great-wilderness-great-expectations/

Homer Dodge Martin, Mountain View on the Saranac, 1868

source: http://www.adkmuseum.org/discover_and_learn/collections_highlights/detail/?q=&cat=1&id=18 

On the second day, we stopped at local goat dairy farm. One of the owners of Asgaard Farms said that the goats spent much of their time in their enclosed cart because they don't like sunlight, but as soon as we walked over, they started pouring out and running over to the fence edge! I had never seen such phenotypic variety in goats before! All different colors and patterns. However this wasn't the only part of Asgaard Farm that impressed me. After visiting this farm, it occurred to me that this is how every "local" farm should be run. This huge operation was run by a husband and wife, along with what seemed like a small group of employees that they had hired to help with tasks around the farm. You could just imagine how much each person on the farm was invested in its products and making it run smoothly, that somehow, it just worked. Despite its smooth flowing nature, the husband mentioned that in economics terms, it was one of the few businesses he knew that was supply limited (I think was the term he used for it) in that if they could physically produce twice the product to meet the high demand, they would. Even so, they were already talking about the potential of shipping their products in the future to be able to spread their business further geographically. 

Our last stop on the trip was to the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge. This was one of the stops that didn't impress me as much as I thought it would. I was a little confused as to the future these animals had. Were they eventually going to be let free? Were they currently rehabbing any of them at the refuge site. I noticed that all the enclosures seemed horribly small for the size of many of the animals housed there - especially the wolves. The fact that the wolves weren't even from NY state to begin with - the fact that they were bred for educational purposes - just didn't seem right to me. I snapped a picture of the wolf as the owner took it out to let us see it, and I felt like it looked at me and said, "Please, help me. Get me out. I'm not meant to be here." I couldn't help but feel sort of sad for the poor guy. 

Avoiding Progress for 120 years

Overall I had a great experience this weekend on our trip. Since I grew up going to the Adirondacks with my family, it was very interesting seeing a different side to the park and a more educated side. We would go up and camp, have a nice family weekend and end a great getaway with Keyes Pancake House before the drive home.
Litchfield castle was probably my favorite part. Unlike all of my classmates I felt a little guilty that I wasn't horrified by all the dead animals and imported furniture. I thought it was so fascinating seeing a little piece of history so frozen in time. The water bottles we were give also had a great quote on them that read "Avoiding progress for 120 years". While everyone thought this was so comical, I thought it was a great quote for not only Litchfield castle but the Adirondacks in general. I feel like most of the Adirondacks have been working hard to avoid leaving a modern mark. Much like the castle the Adirondacks is all about preservation. I thought that was an interesting parallel. While the park and the castle may have nothing in common, they do share this common theme.

A New Perspective

For me, this weekend was different from anything I have experienced before in the Adirondacks.  The Adirondacks have always resembled my family, summer, hiking, and swimming.  This weekend I saw parts of the Adirondacks I had not before noticed.  I became more aware of the people and wildlife that inhabit the park.  The most interesting women I met was one of the women making yarn at the Adirondack museum.  She was an older woman from Germany who had come over “after the war”.  She was an incredibly interesting woman to talk to and so clearly passionate about her craft.  To me she embodied much of what we have studied about immigrants to the Adirondacks.  She was hardworking, optimistic, and actively maintaining tradition. 

This weekend was also one of the first times I had seen the Adirondacks as a place for agriculture.  I generally equate the Adirondacks with dense forests, but Asgaard proves that the Adirondacks can also embody rolling pastures and lush farmland if cared for properly.

I also enjoyed seeing the wildlife of the park that so often keeps itself hidden from the public eye.  Seeing fish, hummingbirds, red squirrels, and ducks is not uncommon, but the wolves, porcupines, otters, bobcats, coyote, and fox were all a rare pleasure.  I do wonder though why some of the animals are there though if they are not injured or being reintroduced to the wild.  If the refuge is not a temporary home, is there some better place for these animals?  Or is there presence as ambassadors of their species reason enough to retain them?