Record Breaking Cold

It is easy to understand why there is still snow on the ground considering this winter the Adirondacks experienced record-breaking low temperatures. On March 3rd Saranac Lake and Intervale Lowlands tied for the coldest temperature in the lower 48 (Folwell). These extreme temperatures came shortly after Senator Inhofe’s snowball incident in Congress. He claimed that these cold temperatures experienced throughout the country were proof that climate change is not occurring and is not a threat. While the timing of these events does work in Inhofe’s favor, the science behind weather and climate do not validate his argument. These record low temperatures raise many questions, but the validity of climate change is not one of them. These extreme temperatures are more problematic for local infrastructure than for climate believers.

            Weather and climate are measured on different time scales so their data does not always correlate. Weather is dependent on daily changes in the atmosphere. Weather is what we use to describe this terribly cold winter, but the weather of one season cannot give us any indication on the changing climate. Climate is measured across a much larger scale. It is the average of weather over about 30 years. Therefore we cannot use an unseasonably cold winter as proof that climate change is not real. In fact in some cases it can support the science that climate change is happening now. While we can easily dismiss Inhofe and other denier’s claims with factual science, these extreme temperatures raise other questions.

            Extreme winter weather can wreak havoc on park infrastructure. Continuous freezing temperatures increases the risk of frozen pipes and causes the ground to expand, which can push against water and natural gas pipes causing leaks (Schaper). Municipalities must work around the clock to provide electricity and maintain roads. All of these consequences of an extreme winter require time and money, which further stretch a town’s resources. Another problem that is less evident is how the extreme cold affects tourism. If the temperatures are consistently below freezing, like they were in Indian Lake, then tourism suffers (Folwell). A ski resort in Pennsylvania recorded that they had a 10% decrease in traffic for January 2014 because of the unseasonably cold temperatures (Bryne). The focus of these extremely cold winters should not be on undermining climate change, but on the more important risks associated with unseasonably cold temperatures.

Works Cited

Bryne, Kevin. "Ski Resorts Welcome Arctic Outbreak for Snowmaking, Urge Guests to Take Precaution." AccuWeather.com. AccuWeather, 11 Jan. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/ski-resorts-welcome-cold-conditions/40324270>.

Folwell, Elizabeth. "A Record-Breaking Winter in the Adirondacks." Adirondack Life. Adirondack Life, 5 Mar. 2015. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2015/03/05/record-breaking-winter-adirondacks/>.

Schaper, David. "A Terrible Winter Wreaks Havoc On Roads, Pipes And City Budgets." NPR. NPR, 13 Mar. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <http://www.npr.org/2014/03/13/289834844/a-terrible-winter-wreaks-havoc-on-roads-pipes-and-city-budgets>.

Making Sense of Fishing Seasons

One week into New York State trout season and I still haven’t managed to get out on the water to do some fishing. The rivers are raging like a chocolate milk torrent and many of the best ponds have an icy covering after the long hard winter. Trying to keep myself from going crazy I turned to the regulation book the Department of Environmental Conservation releases each year to figure out exactly where to go when the stars finally line up. I have a little experience with New York fishing regulations but much of what I found was considerably different from back home in Ontario. This got me thinking, why are fishing seasons the way they are and do we even need them to maintain a sustainable fishery?

Photo: Evan Buitenhuis

Between Ontario and New York regulations the largest difference is the length of the bass season. In Ontario regulations the province is split up into twenty regions which each have their own special regulations. The one common feature between the regions is that bass season begins no earlier than the 4^th Saturday of June and ends no later than November 30^th (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources). In New York bass are open all year, with the only rule that they can’t be kept between December 1^st and the Friday preceding the 3^rd Saturday in June (Department of Environmental Conservation).  These differences are most confusing when you realize they apply to the same water bodies in some cases (Lake Erie and Lake Ontario).

My understanding of the Ontario fishing season is that it is designed to protect the fish during their vulnerable times, ie during spawning and when they inhabit very deep, cold water during the winter. The New York fishing season allows anglers to catch bass at any time during the year, and a particularly popular time is during the spawn in spring time. Fish at this time of the year are easy targets as they defend their nests and newly hatched fry. In the Great Lakes bass face the added problem of the invasive Round Goby which eats both the eggs and newly hatched bass.

This information would lead almost anyone to the conclusion that fishing should be limited to the times the fish aren’t preoccupied with spawning; however, the bass has successfully adapted to the new pressure it faces from anglers and invasive species. Numerous studies have been done in the Great Lakes to address this issue, and they have all come to the same conclusion. Fishing during the spawn does not impact the year’s reproduction (In-Fisherman). While the numbers of eggs which successfully hatch has dropped, the number of fish which reach maturity has skyrocketed. The ecology of the Great Lakes lends itself to being a bass factory, with round gobies the preferred food on the menu. Public perception will take a long time to come around on this issue, but in this case it’s hard to argue that having seasons actually benefits the fish. One day if I’m lucky I won’t be waiting for chocolate milk rivers to return to normal to go fishing, I’ll just take a trip to my favourite bass lake.

Sources:

"Disclaimer." Statewide Angling Regulations, Department of Environmental Conservation. Accessed April 7, 2015.

"2015 Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary." Ontario.ca. Accessed April 7, 2015.

"Smallmouth Bass Outlook 2012 - In-Fisherman." InFisherman Smallmouth Bass Outlook 2012 Comments. Accessed April 7, 2015.

Handicap Hiking in the Adirondacks

As an avid hiker and athlete, I’ve always looked at the Adirondack Park for an outdoor recreational adventure. The park has a range of options, from paddling stage 3 and 4 whitewater rapids to hiking the 46 high peaks (4,000+ feet each) to ice climbing frozen waterfalls in the wintertime, to challenge even experienced mountaineers.

Yet, not everyone who visits the park has the same definition of a recreational challenge. In a wheelchair or on crutches, making the 4-mile hike in to Lake Colden can be a rewarding adventure itself. In recent years, the Adirondack park management has expanded access to handicap and disabled visitors. In making the Adirondack Park more handicap accessible, park officials seek to allow equal access for everyone visiting the park while simultaneously expanding the base of Adirondack tourism.

The movement toward offering hiking options to handicapped/disabled individuals is relatively new and already expanding. Websites like Visit Adirondacks and Go Adirondacks detail the various hikes/outdoor activities that people of all ability levels can undertake (“Hiking in the Adirondacks”, 2015). The flexibility of these trails to accommodate people other than experienced hikers has lead an increase in the number of day hikers that travel to experience less challenging regions of the park.

An article from this month’s Adirondack Almanack magazine details many efforts being made by the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) and the Inclusive Recreation Resource Center at SUNY Cortland (IRRC) to increase Adirondack trail user-friendliness. These organizations are working to expand trail access on 3 of the main tourist trails in the park (“An Inclusive Adirondacks Accessibility Webinar”, 2015). The main objective of this undertaking: “to improve [the park]s ability to provide an inclusive and enjoyable experience for visitors with disabilities” (“An Inclusive Adirondacks Accessibility Webinar”, 2015).

Many people, such as myself, venture to the Adirondacks for extreme physical challenges. The tourist industry has catered to this type of Adirondack mountaineer since the mid 1800s. Now, it’s important to witness how the tourist industry is expanding to include those with handicaps/disabilities to allow them the same wilderness experience as any avid hiker.

www.campgroundsigns.com

Sources

“An Inclusive Adirondacks Accessibility Webinar.” Adirondack Almanack. The Adirondack Almanack. 7 April 2015. Web. 7 April 2015.< http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2015/04/an-inclusive-adirondacks-accessibility-webinar.html>

“Hiking in the Adirondacks.” Visit the Adirondacks USA. Adirondack Regional Tourism Council. 2015. Web. 7 April 2015. <http://visitadirondacks.com/recreation/hiking>

Death by Falling Tree

Kevin Hillery, a family friend, was mountain biking during an adventure race in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley under stormy conditions when a tree fell. The tree hit Hillery on the head, rolled down his back and landed on his bike’s back tire. It broke Hillery’s back, severed his spinal cord and sent him flying over the handlebars. At the time of the accident, he was a student at the United States Naval Academy and was traveling with three other students. I was reminded of this incident today when reading the Adirondack Almanack which featured a story discussing Dan Crane’s, an ecologist and frequent Adirondack hiker, fears of being crushed by a tree.

At a first glance Crane’s fears seem irrational, but when he provides context one can sympathize with him.  "He details a time when a tree fell just a few feet in front of him when he was riding his ATV. He also had experience camping on July 15, 1995 in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area when a storm rolled in and decimates hundreds of trees near his campsite. Crane went on to detail how his experiences have lead to a full blown anxiety disorder regarding the prospect of being crushed by a tree. He discusses how checking the weather report has become as important to his travels as mapping out the route and packing the correct gear. One of his main methods is surveying the canopy for dead trees and situating his camp accordingly. He emphasizes that he never knocks down a dead tree because it violates the no trace values, since dead trees function as a habitat for a variety of forest inhabitants" (Crane 1).  Now having read anecdotal evidence and experienced personal reasons for a fear of falling trees, I was interested in the data on deaths related to falling trees.

"A study conducted between 1995 and 2007 showed 407 deaths from wind-related tree failures in the United States.  This breaks down to about 34 tree related deaths each year in the United States alone. To put this in perspective, shark attacks killed 3 people worldwide last year and 92 people are killed each day in motor vehicle accidents" (Schmidlin 2). My takeaway from the data, personal experience and anecdotes is that it is important to be aware of falling trees, especially in thunderstorms.  It makes sense to know the signs of a vulnerable tree and to pick a campsite accordingly, but it also is somewhat irrational to let that be a main concern during your trip. It is pretty unlikely despite Crane’s best arguments that you will killed by a falling tree.

Works Cited

Crane, Dan. "Backcountry Fears: Being Crushed By A Tree -." The Adirondack Almanack.     

Adirondack Explorer, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.

Schmidlin, Thomas W. "Human Fatalities from Wind-related Tree Failures in the United States,

1995–2007." Natural Hazards 50.1 (2009): 13-25. Springer Science and Business, 18

Nov. 2008. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.

Mountain Biking in the State Land Master Plan

Source: wikimedia.org

The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan (SLMP) allows biking on trails in Wild Forest and on roads in Primitive Areas, but doesn’t permit bikes in Wilderness. Under the aforementioned guidelines, bikes aren’t permitted in the Essex Chain Lakes, but the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is considering amending the SLMP to allow bikes on ten miles of old dirt roads in the Primitive Area that could accommodate bikes without damaging any natural resources. Though the issue in question regards one specific area, mountain biking proponents are utilizing this discussion to argue that the SLMP should permit bikes on any old roads in Primitive Areas and Wilderness in the park. This discussion has lead to a lot of disagreement throughout the community. While extending mountain biking privileges in the Adirondack Park would likely increase tourism, I believe the negative implications of the proposed amendments far outweigh the positive effects.

            According to the SLMP, Wilderness is an area “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man… [and] has outstanding opportunities for solitude,” (State Land Classification). In contrast, Wild Forest is defined as “an area where the resources permit a somewhat higher degree of human use than in wilderness areas, while retaining an essentially wild character,” (State Land Classification). When I think of mountain biking, I picture fast, energetic participants roaring through trees, which doesn’t align with the remoteness and solitude intended for Wilderness Areas. The main distinction between Wilderness and Wild Forest is the allowance of “a wide variety of recreational outdoor activities” in Wild Forest, while Wilderness only permits “primitive and unconfined” recreation like hiking, ski touring and hunting (State Land Classification). The allowance of biking in Wilderness would eliminate this differentiation. Primitive areas are between classifications of Wilderness and Wild Forest and often seen as areas that would be considered Wilderness if they didn’t have some “non-conforming structure” like a fire tower (Brown). For this reason, opponents of the Essex Chain Lakes proposal argue that Primitive Areas are similar enough to Wilderness that they should be subject to the same standards for recreation, therefore banning bikes.

             Many organizations have voiced opinions during the debate, such as the Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA), which built 55 miles of biking trails in Wilmington, Lake Placid, and Saranac Lake (Brown). BETA wants to link all of the to create a long-distance network of trails between various communities. In order to do so, they need permission to create bike trails through the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness that sits between Lake Placid and Wilmington. BETA doesn’t believe the SLMP should allow mountain biking in all Wilderness, but thinks the APA should grant exceptions on a case-by-case basis. While their proposal is logical and doesn’t appear as a huge threat to Wilderness, it is a risky proposition. Once vague language enters the SLMP, it can be used to create a variety of loopholes. Both the Essex Chain Lakes proposal and the BETA proposal demonstrate how small changes in the SLMP lead to an influx of proposals to change the SLMP until it distorts the original mission. With 1.3 million acres of land for biking, I don’t think the potential benefits of any of the proposed amendments are worth risking the remaining 1.1 million acres of Wilderness in the Adirondack Park (Use Classification Acreage).

Works Cited:

Brown, Phil. "A Push For Forest Preserve Mountain Biking." The Adirondack   Almanack. The Adirondack Almanack, 23 Dec. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.

"Use Classification Acreage and Percent of County within the Adirondack Park.” Adirondack Park Land Use Area Statistics. Adirondack Park Agency, Aug. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.

“State Land Classification Definitions.” Adirondack Park Agency State Land Master         Definitions. Adirondack Park Agency, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2015.