Outdoor Newsletter  April 2004     
 

                 ~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~      

      Doggie Camp in Morris, NY

      Eagle Cam Operational At Iroquois NWR by Dorothy Gerhart

      International Migratory Bird Day in Rochester

      Explore The Shore of Lake Ontario

      Upper Susquehanna Coalition Looking for Assistance

      Hike England - What a Good Idea!

      Hear Ye, Hear Ye - Binghamton Area Outdoor Enthusiasts

      Mushrooms Anyone?

      Help Conserve Earth's Resources - Join Freecycle

From all over the US, dog lovers are on the scent to get to Morris, NY (south of Utica) for a most unique getaway - Camp Border Collie and Furry Friends at Glen Highland Farm. Held three weeks each summer, visitors come to renew and relax with their dogs.

For each week-long camp, twenty-five canines and their companions live on this 175 acre paradise, enjoying the great outdoors in every way imaginable. They hike creek-side trails, swim in spring-fed ponds and find out the real meaning of the creature called 'dog'. Plus, not only do they unwind and play in the country, they learn new sports like agility, herding, flyball, tracking, frisbee and freestyle. They also delve into a deeper relationship with their furry friends, really communicating with the help of an animal communicator and discovering first-hand how to do innovative healing touches like the renowned Tellington Touch. With noted instructors who are passionate about their pooches, campers come away with a comprehensive learning vacation. And, unlike the normal suburban existence, they get to enjoy daily dog life off-leash without the typical rules of behavior that make homeowners worry and take the fun out of having a dog.

The camp helps support a rescue program conducted year-round at the Farm. An on-site facility houses 20 - 25 Border Collies waiting for a chance at a new life as part of the Sweet Border Collie Rescue program which rehomes 150 dogs each year. 

Camp Border Collie and Furry Friends attracts all breeds. From miniature poodles to rottis to mixed mutts, the combination of border collies and their furry friends creates unforgettable antics and memories. It's a great chance to let your dog be a dog and you can both grow together. 

Camp Border Collie and Furry Friends is held on 175 acres with a variety of lodging options. Choices include on-site luxury tent camping on platforms with comfortable Swedish cots and tents large enough for two dogs and two people. Tent sites are along the beautiful Butternut Creek or in the hemlock forest. Guests can also opt to bring their own tents. Or, stay on-site in rustic cabins nestled in the woods for complete comfort and privacy. Flushing toilets and private showers are nearby. A secluded RV area is also available, set on 30 acres as a special area of the Farm. Plus, inns, bed and breakfast lodging and hotels are only minutes away. The Camp also provides a doggie kitchen for guest use to prepare dog meals.

Camp dates begin June 20; July 4; July 18, Sunday through Friday. Details available at 607-263-5415, Lillie Goodrich, co-founder of Glen Highland Farm. www.glenhighlandfarm.com

Surprise, a Great Horned Owl Moved in. Eagles looking for other digs.

On Friday, February 27, after watching the resident bald eagles diligently working on their nest for the past week, refuge staff viewing the live images from the bald eagle nest at Cayuga Pool discovered something new in the nest - a great horned owl. At first it was thought to be a sub-adult eagle seen earlier in the month but when the bird raised its head the distinctive ear tufts were clearly visible. The owl had apparently moved into the nest overnight, while the eagles were roosting elsewhere in the marsh.

  Throughout the day, the bald eagles repeatedly swooped down at the intruder and vocalized loudly from a nearby branch in an attempt to oust it. The owl responded with a 'hoo, hoo-hoo-hoo", but would not relinquish the nest. As the day went on, she started exhibiting actions indicating she had already laid an egg.

When the owl was still there Monday morning, everyone was resigned to the fact that we have an "Owl Cam" this year. This is not really that uncommon. Owls do not build their own nests. They take over the nests of other large birds such as red tail hawks, Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Common Crow and Bald Eagle. They may also use a tree cavity or rock outcropping. Owls begin nesting in January, months before other birds of prey, so they can take advantage of the fact that the bird that built the nest is not yet ready. At this time of the year the bald eagles that built and used this particular nest for three years are not all that protective of it until they actually have eggs in it, usually in March. Their inattentiveness gave the owl the opportunity to move in behind their backs. It is possible that the eagle may now build another nest nearby.

It may be disappointing to some that there will be no eagle viewing from the "eagle cam" this year, however, watching an owl in a nest, something else rarely seen, can be just as satisfying. We need to remember that this is all part of nature and that it has been going on for millennia. It is just that now we have been given the extraordinary opportunity to observe these wonders up close. 

If you cannot make it out the refuge headquarters, you can view the images on our website: http://iroquoisnwr.fws.gov. Click on the bald eagle.

Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For further information contact: Iroquois NWR, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013 or call (585)948-5445. (Trail maps can be found in Take Your Bike! Family Rides in the Finger Lakes & Genesee Valley Region)

Our mission is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance, fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit to the American people.

  On May 8th, 2004 from 10AM - 4PM,  the Bird Coalition of Rochester (BirdCOR) will hold its second annual festival celebrating International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). The festival, to be held at Braddock Bay Park, will celebrate the beauty and wonder of migratory birds while calling attention to the need to conserve birds and their habitats. As in 2003, the program will feature educational demonstrations with live birds of prey, fun activities for the kids and family, a large number of nature related arts and crafts vendors, and many opportunities to find out more about migratory birds and the organizations that support their conservation. Admission to the festival is free.

After the festival, projects and conservation activities planned and carried out as part of IMBD will leave a lasting legacy to benefit birds in western New York. 

BirdCOR is a Rochester area coalition of some twenty local, state, and national organizations and agencies interested in promoting conservation of birds and their habitats

Come to the festival.... Have a great time.... Learn what you and your family can do to help conserve birds.

More details:  www.eecg.org/birdcor. (Trail maps can be found in Take A Hike! Family Walks in the Rochester Area)

Directions to Braddock Bay Park:
Braddock Bay Park is located on East Manitou Rd at the Lake Ontario State Parkway near Rochester, NY (Town of Greece, NY). Take I-490 or the New York State Thruway (I-90) to I-390 North. Stay on Rte 390 North to the end at Lake Ontario State Parkway. Take the Lake Ontario State Parkway West. Take the second Parkway exit at — East Manitou Rd (Rte 259)/Braddock Bay Park. Turn right. Less than 50 yards down the road, turn left into the Park.

Visit a freshwater barrier bar, search for garnets, fools gold, and fossils on the beach. Learn about varves, berms, beach pebble geology, and if we're lucky, perhaps see a young eagle soar by during a visit to the lakeshore. You will explore three very different shorelines in eastern Wayne County (bluffs, barrier bar and lakeshore creek) with Susan Peterson Gateley, author of the Edge Walker's Guide to Lake Ontario Beach Combing (www.silverwaters.com). Involves some hiking on uneven steep terrain. Kids over 10 welcome. Saturday, May 8, 9 AM until noon, fee charged. Contact Finger Lakes Community College (585-394-3500 x7665 or write to FLCC, 4355 Lakeshore Dr., Canandaigua, NY 14424) to register for this morning class. They will supply additional information and directions.

For a short version of this outing:
Susan Peterson Gateley will lead a one-hour hike to explore the geology and ecology of the lakeshore at the bluffs on June 5. This will be at Chimney Bluffs at 9 AM cost $5 per person - includes your own copy of the 2-page Peterson-Gateley Pebble Pickers' Pocket Guide. Contact Susan Peterson Gaetely, 315-594-1906, susan@silverwaters.com. Visit www.silverwaters.com for more information.

The Upper Susquehanna Coalition (www.u-s-c.org) is very involved in the field of wetlands, and now two of our more recent projects require the help of the residents of Susquehanna River watershed for their completion.
 
The first of these projects is a vernal pool database. The Upper Susquehanna Coalition is creating a database of vernal pools in the Susquehanna River Watershed. Vernal pools in the Northeast, for anyone who is not familiar with the term, are seasonal forest pools, or small wetlands that have ponded water in them during the wetter times of the year and then dry up in late summer or on a semi-regular basis. These pools typically have no permanent outlet, do not contain fish, and are very interesting because they provide breeding habitat to various amphibian species, some of which will not breed elsewhere. One of the easiest ways to locate these vernal pools is by following spotted salamanders to them. 

Spotted salamanders spend most of their time underground, but emerge in spring to breed in vernal pools. They usually all emerge in one big wave on one of the first warm, rainy, nights in spring and may spend a few days in the pool before returning to their burrows. For more information on these species, and on vernal pools in general visit the links page of our website at: http://www.u-s-c.org/html/vernalpoolpage.htm. 

The USC would like to map vernal pools providing breeding habitat to vernal pool dependent species including Spotted Salamanders (and other mole salamanders), and Wood Frogs. If you know of a vernal pool in the Susquehanna River Watershed and would like to contribute to the mapping project, contact Melissa Yearick at the address below.
 
The second project is in conjunction with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay (http://www.acb-online.org/). The Alliance is in the process of expanding its citizen monitoring program, and has partnered with the USC to promote volunteer amphibian monitoring in the watershed. If you, or anyone you know would be interested in participating in a training session for this monitoring, please let her know so information can be sent.

Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Wetlands Coordinator
851 Chemung Street
Horseheads, NY 14845
(607) 796-5378

Rich & I are going to hike across England this spring. We'll follow the Coast to Coast Trail from St. Bees Head on the west coast at the Irish Sea, to Robins Hood Bay on the east coast at the North Sea. It's guaranteed to be wet and cold, but we should beat the tourist throngs. If time allows at the end of the trip we'll swing a bit further north to hike a segment of the new Hadrian's Wall Trail (http://www.hadrians-wall.org) along the Scottish border. If all goes well and we don't have any airport confiscation mishaps or camera malfunctions due to water, we should have a new slide show available later this year.

If you'd rather go see for yourself, than wait to watch our slide show, check out the 10-night/11-day walking tour of England's beautiful Lake District, scheduled for June 17 - 27, with Rick Marsi. Stay in inns and enjoy 2 -3 mile walks mornings and afternoons while your gear is shuttled in a van.

Rick's group (maximum 15 people) will visit 19th century castles, hike the shores of England's largest lake, and walk on ancient pack horse routes. Meandering across pastures and gentle rolling hills, they'll visit typical stone and slate country farmhouses. Passing through charming Lakeland villages, they'll stop for a pub lunch on occasion. They'll walk along ancient Roman roads, enjoy stunning waterfall views, partake in sunset lake cruises and walk where Beatrix Potter and Henry Wadsworth soaked up literary inspiration. E-mail Rick (info@rickmarsi.com) for full trip details. www.rickmarsi.com

If you live in the greater Binghamton area, you've probably heard of Rick Marsi. He's one of us (an outdoor enthusiast) and also a photographer, author, speaker and guide. Rick is starting an e-letter to notify people of his public programs such as guided bird walks, natural history slide programs and guided natural history tours. If you are interested in receiving e-letters from Rick, send him an email message (info@rickmarsi.com) requesting to be put on his e-letter list. 

To read more about his programs and books visit http://www.rickmarsi.com

The Rochester Area Mycological Society (RAMA), otherwise know as the "mushroom club" will be holding their first meeting of the year with a slide show entitled "California Mushrooms," featuring their ecological role. The meeting will be held at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, Eisenhart Auditorium, Lower Level,  657 East Avenue, Rochester on April 14th starting at 7:00 pm. This is a FREE event open to the public and is handicap accessible.

RAMA is a not for profit organization which offers nature walks and naturalistic events throughout the year. They will be hosting many mushroom walks in the near future. The first will be Saturday, May 15 10:00 AM at Webster Park campgrounds, looking for the springtime Morel mushrooms.

If you have any questions, contact Donald Tumminelli at Toadstools@frontiernet.net or 585-226-2331.

Freecycle = free + recycle. It's an e-mail list for local goods swapping.

Whether you're looking to discard or acquire an item, you've come to the
right place. Computers, furniture, clothing, paper - no item is too big or
too small.  Freecycle can help! ALL items listed on Freecycle must be 100%
FREE (no money, no trading).

So far central & western New York has Freecycle newsgroups operating in
Buffalo, Ithaca, Oneonta, Rochester & Syracuse. If you live in one of these
areas you can join an established network. If not, start one up for your
area. Go to http://www.freecycle.org for all the details.

Nature Photography by Norm Wolfe
Spencerport Adult Education, 71 Lyell Avenue, Spencerport 14559
(585) 349-5150

Why Pay Top Dollar for Beautiful Nature Photos When You Can Take Them Yourself? There are plenty of stunning landscapes and exciting wildlife in the Rochester area, and vacation spots add even more visual splendor to our memories. Learn how to preserve these moments in photos by learning the basics of nature photography. This 2-session course has all of the essentials of nature photography using conventional and CD formats, including:
... How cameras and other equipment work
... How to set up and take great nature photos
... Tips on printmaking and enlarging
... Enjoy nature even more through photography
Bring Your Camera and Enthusiasm!  

April 5, Monday, 6:00-6:45 PM, cost $5

How Birding can be Fun for Kids (Ages 8-12) by Norm Wolfe
Pittsford Recreation, 35 Lincoln Ave., Pittsford, 14534
(585) 248-6280

Come learn about birds! This demo will teach kids how to attract and identify different types of birds, plus information on hearing and learning about bird calls, nesting and habitats. Kids will love the hands-on examples and pictures.  The instructor is Norm Wolfe, nature photographer and author of "Birding in Central and Western New York."  

April 6, Tuesday, 7-9 PM, cost $25

Birding for Everyone by Norm Wolfe
Pittsford Recreation, 35 Lincoln Ave., Pittsford, 14534
(585) 248-6280

Learn bird watching basics, including: how to attract birds, how to identify birds, nesting and habitat, plus tips on enjoying nature, butterflies, insects and photography. The instructor is Norm Wolfe, nature photographer and author of "Birding in Central and Western New York."

April 19, Monday, 7-8:39 PM, (2 sessions), cost $48
April 26,  Monday, 7-8:30 PM

Nature Photography by Norm Wolfe
Rochester Info-Courses, 1150 University Ave, Rochester, 14607
585-256-1960 ext 201

Why Pay Top Dollar for Beautiful Nature Photos When You Can Take Them Yourself? There are plenty of stunning landscapes and exciting wildlife in the Rochester area, and vacation spots add even more visual splendor to our memories. Learn how to preserve these moments in photos by learning the basics of nature photography. This 2-session course has all of the essentials of nature photography using conventional and CD formats, including:
... How cameras and other equipment work
... How to set up and take great nature photos
... Tips on printmaking and enlarging
... Enjoy nature even more through photography
Bring Your Camera and Enthusiasm!

April 20, Tuesday, 7-9 PM, $8

Birding for Everyone by Norm Wolfe
Hilton Recreation, 59 Henry St., Hilton, (585) 392-9030)

Learn bird watching basics, including: how to attract birds, how to identify birds, nesting and habitat, plus tips on enjoying nature, butterflies, insects and photography. The instructor is Norm Wolfe, nature photographer and author of "Birding in Central and Western New York."

April 22,  Thursday, 7-8:30 PM, (2 sessions) $13
April 29,  Thursday, 7-8:30 PM

Nature Photography by Norm Wolfe
Hilton Recreation, 59 Henry St., Hilton, (585) 392-9030

Why Pay Top Dollar for Beautiful Nature Photos When You Can Take Them Yourself? There are plenty of stunning landscapes and exciting wildlife in the Rochester area, and vacation spots add even more visual splendor to our memories. Learn how to preserve these moments in photos by learning the basics of nature photography. This 2-session course has all of the essentials of nature photography using conventional and CD formats,  including:
... How cameras and other equipment work
... How to set up and take great nature photos
... Tips on printmaking and enlarging
... Enjoy nature even more through photography
Bring Your Camera and Enthusiasm!

April 24, Saturday, 10 AM - 7 PM    FREE

Book Signing at Olean Earthday Celebration 
William O. Smith Recreation Center, Olean , NY 14760 
(716) 376-5664
(across from Bradner Stadium on the corner of Front St. & West State Street)

Learn to promote earth-friendly actions through music, storytelling, nature walks, nature journaling, presentations and plenty of frivolity. Rich & Sue Freeman will be on hand to sign copies of their 10 outdoor recreation guidebooks that show you where to GO OUTSIDE & PLAY by hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, paddling, backpacking, bird watching and finding waterfalls. 

 

April 27, Tuesday, 7-9 PM, $21.00

Birding for Everyone by Norm Wolfe
Greece Adult Education, 1785 Latta Rd., Greece 14515
(585) 621-1000 ext. 7411

Learn bird watching basics, including: how to attract birds, how to identify birds, nesting and habitat, plus tips on enjoying nature, butterflies, insects and photography. The instructor is Norm Wolfe, nature photographer and author of "Birding in Central and Western New York." 

April 28, Wednesday,   7 PM   FREE

Where to Canoe & Kayak Near Home slide show by Rich & Sue Freeman
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 2443 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal, NY 13850 (607) 770-9505

Slide the bow of your canoe or kayak (or a rented one) over the grass-lined shore and glide onto the cold, still water. Across the pond is a forest showing tinges of green as leaf buds unfurl with the coming of spring. Stroke, stroke, stroke. Your paddle slices into the water as you head for a point, wondering what lies around the bend. Peace and tranquility embrace your shoulders as you follow the shoreline and explore hidden alcoves. Memories of daily stress fade from consciousness.

Water is plentiful around us and provides recreational opportunities for the entire family. Paddle down a gentle stream, to watch for muskrats, beavers and river otters playing in the water. Round a bend and startle a group of deer standing in the waterway. Great blue herons and even eagles are common streamside residents. They fly ahead of your boat, land until you catch up, then fly ahead again, playing a game of paddler's tag. Or, look down to spot fish darting below your boat, weaving in and out of seaweed waving in the slow current.

Circumnavigate an island or paddle through an aqueduct on the Old Erie Canal. With over 620 miles of flat-water streams and rivers and 55 small ponds and lakes you can spend many delightful hours dipping your paddle in Central and Western New York State.

Rich & Sue Freeman, authors of ten local guidebooks, want you to "Take a Paddle." They'll share slides taken while researching their newest guidebooks and show the most scenic, unique and just plain fun places you can flat-water paddle in a canoe or kayak. They'll also autograph any of their guidebooks, including the two newest "Take a Paddle - Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks" and "Take a Paddle - Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks." 
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