Land swap on ballot

On Tuesday, voters will be asked to approve the construction of a power line that’s already been built—through the forever-wild Forest Preserve in the northwestern Adirondacks.

If Ballot Proposal One is approved, the state will cede to National Grid a two-mile strip, totaling six acres, along Route 56 where the line was built last year. In exchange, National Grid will give the state a forty-three-acre parcel along the South Branch of the Grass River.

National Grid built a power line along Route 56 that traversed the Forest Preserve parcel shown in dark green. The alternative would have been to avoid the parcel by building in an old-growth forest and spruce-grouse habitat. Courtesy of the Adirondack Council.

John Sheehan of the Adirondack Council says it’s a good deal for the state.

If the line were not built along the road, Sheehan said, National Grid would have had to avoid the Forest Preserve parcel by constructing the line through an ancient boreal forest and Seveys Bog, a home of the endangered spruce grouse. The line would have crossed ninety-five streams and wetlands, according to the council.

“That forest has not been disturbed, as far we can tell, since the last ice age,” Sheehan said.

The line is needed to provide a backup source of power to Tupper Lake.

“In a couple of cases they’ve had outages in the winter that lasted more than a day,” Sheehan said. “They’ve had to put people in public shelters to keep them from freezing to death.”

He concedes that building the power line in the Preserve was illegal, but for the sake of the greater good, the council and other environmental groups chose not to sue.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation also agreed not to sue if National Grid pursued the constitutional amendment allowing the land swap. The amendment, now known as Ballot Proposal One, has already been approved by two successive state legislatures—a prerequisite to getting it on the ballot.

DEC spokeswoman Maureen Wren said National Grid was under federal orders to build the line by the end of last year, so work could not be delayed under after next week’s referendum.

Sheehan has been talking up the amendment around the state and has encountered virtually no opposition. He is confident it will pass. If for some reason it doesn’t, he added, National Grid will push for another vote in 2011.

The council’s website contains an explanation of the proposal as well as its exact wording. You’ll also find links to numerous editorials in favor of the land swap.

Click the link below to read National Grid’s fact sheet on the project.

National Grid factsheet PDF

ADK honors ‘Explorer’

My daughter Rebecca pins a boutonniere on my lapel before the Adirondack Mountain Club dinner. Photo by John Kettlewell/ADK

I went to Albany this past weekend to attend the Adirondack Mountain Club’s annual Presidents’ Dinner and pick up an award for the Adirondack Explorer.

ADK Executive Director Neil Woodworth, left, and Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown. Photo by Rebecca Brown.

ADK gave me the Eleanor F. Brown  Communication Award, which is named after its first recipient, who several years ago published a marvelous reference work titled The Forest Preserve of New York State: A Handbook for Conservationists.

Although my name appears on the plaque, the award is a tribute to everyone at the Explorer, starting with Dick Beamish, the founder, and his wife, Rachel Rice; Tom Woodman, who last year succeeded Dick as publisher; Sue Bibeau, our designer; Betsy Dirnberger, our ad director; Andreas Mowka, our subscription manager; and Debra Stover, our office manager. They all contribute to our success.

Some readers may have the impression that all we do at the Explorer is hike, paddle, ski, bicycle and so on, but the unfortunate truth is that we, like many people, spend most workdays at the computer. Putting out the Explorer is hard work, and so it’s nice to be recognized. On behalf of our staff, thank you, ADK.

Other honorees included Marilyn Gillespie, who received the Trailblazer Award for her work for the club over many years, and David Pisaneschi, who received the Conservation Award for his advocacy.  The President’s Award went to Neil Woodworth, the club’s executive director.

Before the dinner, I was lucky enough to be able to chat with Eleanor Brown. She told me she is thinking of updating The Forest Preserve. Let’s hope she does.

Prepare for winter

Martha Brown at the trail junction just below the summit of Hurricane.

There’s snow in the High Peaks now, so if you plan on hiking to a summit, you’d be smart to pack a pair of Yaktrax, MicroSpikes, or similar grippers for your feet.

On Sunday, my daughter Martha and I encountered snow and ice on the trail from Crow Clearing in Keene to Hurricane Mountain, which at 3,694 is not even a High Peak. This trail ascends the north side of the mountain, so it doesn’t get much sun. Hikers who came up the trail from Route 9N to the south told us they did not find snow until just below the summit.

At this time of year, though, it can snow at the higher elevations at any time. And the temperatures are often below freezing at night. So be prepared.

Having said that, Martha and I ascended the mountain in running shoes (we jogged part of the trail). We managed to get to the top, but I’d bring grippers next time. On the way down, we had to slide on our butts in a few places.

Incidentally, the three-mile trail from Crow Clearing would be a fun ski/snowshoe trip. The first mile to the Gulf Brook lean-to is flat. Beyond the lean-to, the trail ascends gradually for another mile or so, and the woods are fairly open if you prefer to ski off the trail. You could ski up the trail as far as you felt comfortable, then snowshoe the rest of the way. In winter, the dirt road is not plowed all the way to Crow Clearing, so you’ll have an extra mile of skiing–all told, two to three miles each way.

Directions: From NY 73 in the hamlet of Keene, drive east on Hurricane Road for 2.3 miles to O’Toole Lane. Bear left and take O’Toole for 1.2 miles to its end at Crow Clearing. In winter, most of O’Toole Lane is not plowed.

Martha on the summit of Hurricane.

Our wolflike coyote

The skull on the left is from a pure coyote. The one on the right is from a coyote with wolf genes. Photo courtesy of the New York State Museum.

Scientists have recognized for a while that Adirondack coyotes are bigger than western coyotes, but there has been debate over whether the cause is genetic or environmental.

A recent study led by Roland Kays, mammal curator at the New York State Museum, comes down squarely on the side of genetics: the Adirondack coyote is part wolf.

Although scientists have suspected a wolf connection, Kays said the study proved it. “One of the big results was to show this in a systematic way,” he said.

Kays and two colleagues, Abigail Curtis and Jeremy Kirchman, tested the DNA from 686 coyotes and measured the skulls of 196 specimens. They found not only that Adirondack coyotes are part wolf, but also that their skulls are wider and larger–that is, more wolflike–than the skulls of typical coyotes. The Adirondack coyote’s larger skull and body give it an advantage in hunting deer.

“It’s got enough coyote in it to live around humans, but enough wolf to take down ungulates,” Kays said.

Coyotes evolved as hunters of rodents and other small prey in the Great Plains, but they migrated east in the last century, partially filling the niche once occupied by wolves (which were driven out in the 1800s). Some traveled south of the Great Lakes, reaching New York State via Ohio. But others went north of the lakes into Canada, where they bred with wolves, and then moved south to the Adirondacks and New England, according to the study, published in Biology Letters.

The two populations later met in western New York and Pennsylvania. Unlike the Adirondack coyotes, those that arrived in New York via Ohio remained the same size as their western counterparts. Kays said that since both populations dwell in similar habitats–woods filled with deer–genetics, not the environment, must account for their physiological differences.

Kays also noted that Adirondack coyotes exhibit far less genetic diversity than coyotes that migrated through Ohio. This suggests that the population is descended from a few females that crossed the St. Lawrence River from Canada.

Despite its lupine genes, the hybrid remains more coyote than wolf, according to Kays. In a sense, though, the wolf has returned to the Adirondacks, only in a different form.

“It’s interesting to show that evolution is still happening,” Kays said. “It’s not something you observe just in fossils.”

NOTE: This article appears in the November/December issue of the Adirondack Explorer. 

A taste of winter

Snow lines the banks of a stream outside Saranac Lake. Photo by Phil Brown.

We awoke in Saranac Lake this morning to find an inch of snow on the ground. We’ve seen flurries a few times in the past two weeks, but this was the first accumulation at lower elevations. It won’t be long now before people are skiing the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway. The highway has had enough snow to ski before this, but it was plowed by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Starting today, that won’t be an issue. ORDA keeps the toll road open for tourists only through Columbus Day, which was yesterday.

For many Adirondack skiers, winter starts with a trip up the Whiteface highway. The road is skiable with just an inch or two of snow, and you have to love the destination: the top of the fifth-highest mountain in the state. The 5.3-mile road ends just short of the summit, but you can hike the remaining quarter-mile to the tippy-top. It can be brutally cold at the higher elevations, especially if the wind is whipping, so bring appropriate clothing.

The descent of the highway is long but gentle. If conditions are right, a novice skier can handle it. If the road is icy or has a lot of bare spots, intermediate skills are required.

The highway is best skied on a sunny day so you can enjoy the views of Lake Placid and the High Peaks. If you don’t have the time or energy to go to the end of the road, you can turn around at the first hairpin turn, reached after 3.5 miles. The view from the turn is well worth the journey.

Goodbye, Nellie

Nellie Staves holds the fungus etching she donated to the Wild Center.

The Adirondacks and sportsmen everywhere lost a friend this week when Nellie Staves passed away at ninety-two.

We liked to think of Nellie as our friend, too. In 2000, Ed Kanze wrote a nice profile of Nellie that we published in the Explorer. After that, she often stopped in the office when she was passing through Saranac Lake. She was ever  talkative and cheerful.

Nellie was a legend in her hometown of Tupper Lake. When the village held a Nellie Staves Day several years ago, more than four hundred people took part.

She was born in 1917 in the Northeast Kingdom, the wildest region of Vermont, and moved to the Adirondacks in 1949 after her first marriage. Her husband was a logging foreman, and she was the camp cook.

“I cooked for fifty-seven guys,” she said in her interview with Ed. “It was hard work, let me tell you. I got up at 3 or 4 in the morning and often cooked steady to 8, 9, or 10 at night.”

Nellie grew up at a time and place when people hunted and fished to put food on the table. “This is how it was,” she told Ed. “We hunted, we fished, we trapped. Dad was a very good conservation person. Mother was, too. They allowed us to roam the whole mountain. The only restrictions were from my father, who taught us to be careful and never take more than our fair share.”

She also defended trapping against those who thought it cruel. “I trap humanely,” she said. “I’d rather set three small traps to catch an animal than use one big one that will break an animal’s leg.”

She and another Adirondack legend, Clarence Petty, once debated the merits of trapping in the pages of the Explorer. (Like Nellie, Clarence trapped animals when he was growing up, but he later denounced the leg-hold trap as “a torture device.”)

Nellie also was well-known for her elaborate etchings of wildlife in fungi. A few years ago, she donated one of her artworks to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

Nellie served in many organizations that advocated for sportsmen. She was inducted into the New York Outdoorsman Hall of Fame last year.

Skiers prepare for winter

Tony Goodwin, left, and Frank Krueger team up on the crosscut saw.

Six of us turned out Saturday to trim and clear the Wright Peak Ski Trail. We started where last year’s crew left off and worked our way up almost to the ridgeline. Thus, nearly all of the steep part of the trail should be in good shape this winter.

We also cut out sections of two large trees that had fallen across the trail that leads from the Old Marcy Dam Trail to the Algonquin hiking trail (see photo above). This shortcut is used by skiers going to and from Wright Peak.

Although the Wright Peak Ski Trail is closed to hikers, some use it illegally. This is evident from the small herd path developing down the middle. Overall, the trail remains in great shape–it’s covered with moss and grasses–but if hikers use it as an alternative route to the summit, it will erode. You don’t want it looking like the Algonquin trail. So please stay off it.

Most people don’t realize that the lower part of the Algonquin trail was once part of the Wright Peak Ski Trail. It’s now terribly eroded, with boulders exposed everywhere. Unfortunately, skiers have to navigate this mess and dodge snowshoers after exiting the ski trail.

Tony Goodwin, executive director of the Adirondack Ski Touring Council, has suggested a solution: turn the old Algonquin hiking trail (which parallels the existing trail) into a ski trail. Volunteers would do the work to open the route. This seems like a reasonable, inexpensive proposal, but the state Department of Environmental Conservation rejected it. I hope they’ll reconsider.

Anyway, thanks to Tony for organizing Saturday’s project and to those who showed up. Besides Tony, they were Frank Krueger, Ron Konowitz, Matt Foley, and Bill Dodd, all diehard backcountry skiers.

The Adirondack Ski Touring Council has scheduled two other work projects this fall–on Oct. 31, on the Connery Pond Trail, and Nov. 7, on the Old Mountain Road. On the latter date, volunteers will repair a bridge.

If you’d like to help out, call Tony at 518-523-1365 or send an e-mail to tgoodwin@kvvi.net.

New trail in Lake Placid

The entrance to Henry's Woods. Photo by Phil Brown.

The next time you’re in Lake Placid and looking to kill an hour or two, check out the new 2.5-mile trail at Henry’s Woods on the outskirts of town.

Locals have been using the trail for a while now, but village and town officials celebrated its official opening just this week.

Donna Moody of Lake Placid enjoys a walk with her dogs, Rider (a black Labrador) and Ranger (a golden retriever).

I went there after work the other day and was impressed. This is not a wilderness trail: it’s five feet wide and most of its surface is covered with crushed stone. But it’s  ideal for a short hike or jog at the start or end of your day. Come winter, it will be great for cross-country skiing.

The trail was designed by Tony Goodwin, executive director of both the Adirondack Ski Touring Council and the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society. It was constructed by Steve Langdon and Jeremy Burns.

Henry’s Woods is a 200-acre preserve off Bear Cub Lane owned by the Uihlein Foundation. The preserve is named after the philanthropist Henry Uihlein.

The trail passes an unfinished kiosk at the start and reaches a junction at 0.3 miles–the start of a 2-mile loop. I went clockwise, climbing steadily through a hardwood forest for about 0.4 miles. The trail continues on the level at the higher elevation for about 0.5 miles before beginning a series of descents and returning to the junction. The downhills will be exciting on skis.

There are plans to construct two other trails. These would provide views of Lake Placid and the High Peaks.

Directions: From NY 73 , turn onto Old Military Road near the ski jumps south of Lake Placid village. Drive 0.8 miles and turn left onto Bear Cub Lane. The entrance for Henry’s Woods will appear on the right in a tenth of a mile. If coming from Saranac Lake, turn onto Old Military Road from NY 86. You will reach Bear Cub Lane on the right after 3 miles.

Adirondack Climbing Film Festival

Tommy Caldwell tries a new route on El Capitan. Photo by Corey Rich/Courtesy of Reel Rock Film Tour.

It may have snowed in Lake Placid this week, but it’s not time yet to put away those sticky-soled shoes and get out the crampons. High Peaks Cyclery is offering free rock-climbing clinics as part of the second annual Adirondack Climbing Film Festival in Lake Placid this weekend.

The festivities will kick off with a presentation by Adirondack photographer Carl Heilman II. His slide show will run from 7-9 p.m. in the High Peaks Mountain Guide House, which is located next-door to High Peaks Cyclery on Main Street in Lake Placid. Beer and cheese will be served. High Peaks Cyclery is converting the building into a museum celebrating Adirondack guides.

On Saturday, High Peaks Cyclery will host a number of events, including a “Yoga for Climbers” clinic from 7:30-8:30 a.m., outdoor rock-climbing clinics from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and a slack-line walking competition from 4-5 p.m. Click here for a full list of activities.

Unfortunately, rain is forecast for Saturday, and the rock-climbing clinics will be canceled if it does rain. Although the clinics are free, participants are asked to tip their guides. Attendance is limited to six to ten people, depending on the clinic.

On Saturday night, the Reel Rock Film Tour will show a series of short climbing films at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts at 17 Algonquin Drive. The films feature such top climbers as Tommy Caldwell, Alex Honnold, Chris Sharma, and many more. The films start at 7:30, with music by Split Rock in the half-hour preceding.

Tickets may be purchased in advance at High Peaks Cyclery for $15 or at the door for $17.