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General Meeting Tuesday May 14
6:30 Education Workshop - Bike Maintenance
7:00 Happy Half Hour - Come and socialize
7:30 General Meeting
Amherst Community Church,77 Washington Highway, Snyder
NOTE: Please park in rear and enter through back door
Program: Expect the Unexpected—Canoe Encounters of the First Kind
 We will kick off the paddling season in May with a special presentation by Debra Kolodczak, Ph.D.,American Studies, SUNY Buffalo. The event features case studies, film clips, and abundant imagery showing the surprising ways in which people use and imagine the canoe in North America.This presentation is derived from the author’s dissertation, entitled, Canoe Links: Work, Play, Symbol, and Show in North America’s Native/Newcomer Encounter. The work has three goals: to raise the quality perception in the U.S. and Canada about the multivalent contributions that American Indians’ make to each nation's identity; to how the canoe links people to endeavors of work, play, symbol and
show; and, to see what is not always obvious when considering the ordinary canoe.
Education Workshop: Bicycle Maintenance - Changing Tires
Anyone who rides a bike occasionally, has a chance of having a flat tire. We will discuss ways we can prevent some of those. Then we will have a demonstration by a bike repair shop of the steps involved in changing and repairing a flat tire while on a ride. |
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View from the Adirondack Chair by Bob Van Hise |
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Allegany State Park Boundary Line Marking Project
Our ADK chapter has been working with individuals from Allegany State Park, the NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, and NYS DOT to mark the park’s border with the State of Pennsylvania. Over the past 2 years, New York State surveyors located the original survey stones and marked the border clearly with pink flagging to supplement the older yellow blazes on trees. At the direction of ADK Executive Director Neil Woodworth, and led by ADK VP John Gilewicz and NFC Chair Bob Van Hise, volunteer members of our chapter, the Allegheny Defense Project (PA), and other concerned individuals have been walking the state line to post signs and clear brush in order to make the southern border of Allegany State Park apparent and obvious to any PA drilling crews that are working in that area. State and Park employees are now able to walk the border and monitor activity on or near the state park boundary. The boundary work consists of our crews walking into the forest carrying heavy signs, nails, and a hammer to post state park signs every 200 feet, or carrying saws or loppers to cut branches and small trees to provide a clear view from one border flagging tape to the next. This can be very strenuous and dirty work, but it is also fun to get out and walk in the woods. I personally enjoy seeing the animals and plants in the forest. In April, we even saw a porcupine sleeping in a tree!
Nearing Completion
In early April, a crew of 9 chapter members covered over 2 miles of border west of Coon Run Road (Quaker Run area). Our assigned 12 mile section of border stretching from the Bradford area in the east, toward the Allegheny Reservoir in the west, is close to being finished.
Border Work Days
We have scheduled 3 more border work days on April 25, May 5, and May 22, in order that we may finish the task by the end of May. Thank you to all of the people who have volunteered their time over the past 2 years to work toward this important goal. Please contact me if you can help on any of those work days. If we are close to finishing before any of those scheduled work sessions, we’ll cancel that work day and you will be notified.
National Trails Day – June 1
The official completion ceremony for the Allegany Boundary Line Marking Project is scheduled for June 1, National Trails Day, at the intersection of the Conservation (North Country) Trail and the NY-PA border. If you have worked on this border project any time since we started 2 years ago, please call me or email, to ensure I have your current contact information. You will be notified in advance of any ceremonial finish or official celebration that occurs, and all volunteers will be invited. We also would like to invite all border volunteers to head down to Allegany State Park on Friday, May 31. I will be planning a few outings that day & evening, so come for the recreation, and stay for the Saturday ceremony. The annual Allegany Nature Pilgrimage is the same weekend, but I think there will be room for all. More on that soon, so watch your email for our Weekly Updates. Bob VH
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Director's Report
Paddler’s Rights
The lawsuit between Phil Brown and the Brandeth landowner’s group was ruled on recently, with a judge deciding in favor of Brown. The favorable ruling provides legal paddle access through a disputed section of Shingle Shanty Brook and Mud Pond in the Adirondacks near Lake Lila. The plaintiff has indicated that the ruling will be appealed. I have paddled the 50 mile Little Tupper-Lake Lila-Lows Lake traverse twice. My canoe trips included the route that’s involved here, although I opted both times to use the 8/10 mile DEC carry trail instead of “trespassing” on the contested waterway. Bypassing that long-ish carry results in being able to paddle farther along the brook, but there are still a total of 5 carries required to pass between Little Tupper and Lake Lila, and the muddiest, wettest carries are still necessary to traverse the route. The decision has little or no effect on dedicated canoeists with proper gear, but local outfitters say they will be able to entice more clients to take the trip with the longest carry now shortened significantly, pending the appeal. Canoe tripping season begins as soon as the ice melts up north, with is expected to be early May this year.
Black Fly Affair
This year’s gala fundraising event will be held aboard a tour boat, the Lac du Saint Sacrement on Lake George. http://www.adk.org/page.php?pname=Black-Fly-directions
ADK Spring Outing
We haven’t had a Spring Outing for several years, so mark your calendar for June 14-16 in Potsdam NY for a North Country weekend, with hike, paddle, and cycle outings planned by the host Laurentian Chapter. Registrations close June 5. Full details at http://adklaurentian.org/springouting2013/
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Wilderness Weekends in WNY Challenge
Requirements for the patch: 
Must complete 50 outings from the Wilderness Weekends in WNY book
Must complete three outings from each of at least 3 of the 5 categories (Hiking, Biking, Paddling, Snow and Backpacking/Overnight)
Must lead at least one outing
Candidates will maintain their own log detailing the outing, date and category and submit the completed log to the chapter treasurer
All outings must be completed after 1/1/2013
Send your progress reports to Doug Gaffney at dgaffney@roadrunner.com when you complete 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 outings toward the patch.
You can view or print the log at this link: http://www.adk-nfc.org/wwwny/WWChallengeLog.pdf |
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Sunday, 24 March 2013 14:51 |
Calling all hike leaders:
A new hiking season is upon us. I am repeating my annual plea for assistance. Do you have a favorite place to hike? Please consider sharing it with your fellow ADK chapter members. Volunteer to lead a day hike to this place so that others may come to know and love it.
There are approximately 36 weekends in the hiking season. If that many members each led one hike each year, we would easily fill our calendar. If interested, please call or e-mail me.
I will be calling members who have lead past hikes to personally ask for their help again this year. Thank you.
Paul M. Gannon (716) 675-3135
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Conservation Corner by Art Klein |
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May is National Bicycle Month and as a life long Bicycle Advocate I encourage our members to take a bike ride this month.
The bicycle remains the most efficient, cleanest and healthiest form of transportation. Besides, it’s enjoyable.
Join the Niagara Chapter Rides as a venture that with the expertise of our Coordinators and the numbers on the road with you ensure support and safety. If you are an experienced with a favorite bicycle ride contact Ron Dorr, Bicycle Coordinator at: ilikeoutdoors@gmail.com to lead a ride.
Two impediments to enjoying bicycles are the tenderness of your rump and upper inner thighs and sore arms. Either or both often discourage climbing on the bicycle second time. But its an easy solution to getting used to physical challenge by learning better habits.
The first rides should be time not distance rides. Twenty minutes three or four times a week can familiarize your body to your seat and stretching that to thirty then forty minute rides can have you ready for 25 – 30 mile rides by June.
If you run or ski you might be able to ride in any gear. But the lowest gear fore and aft can allow you to spin and condition yourself in very quick order. I worked out on stationary bicycles but one year for therapy I was instructed to keep the gears as low as possible and I had full recovery and was in better shape faster than ever before.
We also often put too much weight on our arms. To avoid this, just put more weight on our feet. I cannot emphasize this too much. While you are riding actually lift your rump slightly off your seat by raising yourself on your feet and lessen your weight on your arms at the same time.
Practice these things and by July you will be able to join the bicycling nearly anywhere. Bicycle Club folk used to do 30-mile rides by June, 40 some by July and during August stretch our distances in preparation for that Century (100 Mile) in September. Once you pass those physical and psychological barriers you will learn the easiest cheapest way to good health and enjoying your area.
Those steel cocoons (cars) we drive around in actually separate us from the world we drive through but bicycle travel joins us to them.
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Thank you - see you on May 14th !