Central
& Western NY Outdoors
May 2005
~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~
Biologist who Roams the World for Bird Conservation Returning Home
Choosing a PFD to Fit Your Paddling Style
DEC Reviews ATV Access on Public Lands
24 Hour Endurance Mountain Bike Race
Bride and Groom Make the LEAP.....
It’s not too late to sign up for the Allegany Nature Pilgrimage. This weekend-long event is fun for families and nature lovers of all ages. Held in Allegany State Park, June 3, 4 and 5, the Pilgrimage is a gathering of nature experts, to share their expertise with those of us who want to learn more about the natural world around us. It’s a fun-filled learning adventure. Workshops and programs run the gamut from studies of birds, insects, plants and geology, to hikes, canoe trips and owl prowls. Evening programs this year will be on Asian elephants, the Galapagos, and Alaska. For more information and to register, visit www.alleganynaturepilgrimage.org.
Biologist who
Roams the World for Bird Conservation
Returning Home to Rochester
Birds and Conservation on the other side of the world —a slide program
and talk at the Third Annual International Migratory Bird Day Festival,
Braddock Bay Park on May 14, 2005 at 1:00 p.m. For detailed info go to www.birdcor.org.
Dave Ferguson will be retuning to the area where he grew up to present a
slide show and talk on the conservation work he is doing in India. He will
be joined by Ed McCrea, a former colleague of Dave’s in the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service who now runs a nonprofit organization headquartered in
Ontario, NY. The program they will present during the Third Annual IMBD
Festival at Braddock Bay Park will draw from the duo’s 40+ years of
experience working abroad on conservation issues. It will feature bird and
wildlife conservation programs in India.
David Ferguson’s job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as
coordinator of wildlife conservation programs in the Middle East, South
Asia, and Africa, has taken him to exotic places on the far side of the
world for nearly 30 years. From his office in Washington, DC, Dave has
boarded planes to work on bird conservation in such countries as Egypt,
Pakistan, South Africa, and India, but his journey started much closer to
home.
This international conservation slide program is one of many programs and
activities to be conducted during the IMBD Festival. IMBD kicks off in
Rochester on Friday, May 13th at 7:30 p.m. with a presentation by local
nature author Norman Wolfe (Birding in
Central and Western NY) on this year’s IMBD theme of bird collisions.
The festival continues Saturday, May 14th, with an early bird hike at 9:00
a.m. and the main festivities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All programs take place
at Braddock Bay Park, East Manitou Road at Lake Ontario State Parkway in
Greece.
To learn more
about 3rd
Annual Rochester Area International Migratory Bird Day Festival,
call (585) 223-8369 or visit www.birdcor.org.
Personal flotation devices, also know as PFDs, come in all shapes, sizes, styles, and prices. It's a confusing floatable world out there! How can we make sense of all the models that are available?
One crucial consideration is your paddling style. Paddling styles are roughly divided into four categories: recreational, touring, whitewater, and rescue.
Recreational
PFDs are made for the entry level paddler. Many recreational kayaks have high-back seats. PFD manufacturers have responded with back material that doesn't get in the way. The A-Sea by Stohlquist ($80), for example, has a partial mesh panel in the back. Go for a Cordura PFD instead of the less expensive ordinary nylon. The durability is worth the extra cost.
Touring kayaks have lower seat backs. PFDs suitable for this type of boat have foam evenly distributed over the whole torso. These models usually feature lots of pockets, even ones for VHF radios and hand warmers! Reflective tape sewn on the back and front enhances visibility. Lash tabs are designed to hold a knife or light. The Lola by Lotus ($100) and the Ms.
Fit from Kokatat ($102) are two form-fitting best sellers.
Whitewater
PFDs are minimalist. Their wedge shape allows plenty of unhindered movement. Many models are a pull-over type with no zippers or clips. The Orbit by Kokatat ($108) is extremely comfortable. NRS has a new PFD, The Groove ($130), that is constructed of a four-way stretch,
"mystery" material. It won the 2005 Paddler's Pick Award from Paddler Magazine.
Rescue PFDs are for serious swift-water rescues. A quick-release rescue belt and a shoulder harness rated at 1200 pounds come standard. Some, such as the Lotus P-Vest ($180), also have additional flotation. Whitewater Rescue
PFDs usually have fewer pockets than touring models.
Comfort and fit are the crux of a good PFD. If it fits well, you will use it and be safe on the water. Make sure that the PFD you buy has shoulder cinch straps. These straps flatten the PFD against your chest and make it more comfortable. All manufacturers now have PFD's designed for women, with a shorter length and the foam cut and contoured to fit a woman's torso.
Happy Paddling
www.evergreen-outfitters.com
Learn where to go paddling with Take A Paddle - Western NY Quiet Water for Canoe & Kayak and Take A Paddle - Finger Lakes, Quiet Water for Canoe & Kayak.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation has prepared a draft policy on All Terrain Vehicle use of public lands. Copies of the draft policy are available at
http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/index.html
Public review and comment meetings are scheduled across the state. Three in our region are:
Buffalo: May 3, 5-8 PM, Erie County Community College – South Campus, Bldg 5, Room 5102, 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park
Rochester: May 4, 5-8 PM, Rochester Museum & Science Center, 657 East Ave., Rochester
Syracuse: May 5, 5-8 PM, State Fairgrounds, Martha Eddy Room, 581 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse
If you haven’t discovered the beauty and uniqueness of Zoar Valley yet (and even if you have) here are some special spring and summer programs to entice you. Maps of Zoar Valley are available in
“200 Waterfalls in Central & Western New York – A Finder’s
Guide.”
National River Clean-Up Week ~ Saturday, May 21 (10 AM-6 PM w/party afterward) and Sunday, May 22
(11 AM-6 PM)
The Zoar Valley Paddling Club is sponsoring their 12th Annual Cattaraugus Creek Clean-Up by raft/canoe (main branch of the creek). Help in the effort to protect and restore the natural beauty of this wild and important river, the longest and largest volume tributary from New York to Lake Erie. Contact Don Shelters, Conservation Chair of the ZVPC, (716) 297-9750,
lumpee@direcway.com, www.zoarvalley.com.
~ For those who would rather hike along the river, the ZVNS is sponsoring a clean-up of the Valentine Flats trail areas
to the confluence of the Main and South Branch Cattaraugus. Meet at the Valentine Flats parking area Sunday 5/22 at
1 PM.
National Trails Day ~ Saturday, June 4, 2005, 10 AM-1 PM
Take a walk in the woods and explore the newly marked trail system at The Nature Conservancy's Deer Lick Preserve. Explore the ancient forest, flora and fauna, waterfalls, and vistas. Meet at Deer Lick Preserve parking area.
Bird Watching Excursion ~ Saturday, June 11, 2005, 7 AM-9:30 AM (wake up with the roosters for this one!) Tim Baird, President of the Cattaraugus County Bird Club and former President of the NYS Ornithological Association, will lead us past fields, ponds and woods to see, hear and learn about resident warblers, sparrows, thrushes and other woodland species. Prepare to be thrilled when you spot a Bald Eagle or Hawk on the wind! Meet at Vail/Unger Rd. parking area. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Geology of Zoar Valley ~ Saturday, July 16, 10 AM-2:30 PM
Learn how water carved out the Zoar Valley gorges and check out a fossil bed as we hike to the Big Falls on the South Branch Cattaraugus. Environmental Scientist Ray Vaughan, who has studied the geology of WNY and Zoar, will guide us through the soaring rock canyons and present the two opposing theories on how the gorges of Zoar were formed. Meet at Forty Rd. parking area. Bring a lunch and dress to get wet, creek shoes recommended. And bring a camera or you might regret it!
International Water Clean-Up Day ~ Saturday, September 17, 2005, 11
AM-1 PM
South Branch Cattaraugus Creek clean-up. Join in this annual *world-wide effort* to restore and protect our waterways. Sadly, after the long summer season, the South Branch is usually pretty littered and needs a lot of TLC. Help give back to the living planet that gives us so much. We'll meet at Forty Road parking area. Plan on getting your feet wet!
The American Chestnut Foundation's Fall Harvest Day at Zoar, TBA (Sept. or Oct.)
Make like a squirrel and help gather chestnut seeds! This is important work, harvesting seeds for the research and breeding efforts to restore the American Chestnut to its native eastern woodlands. Check out
www.acf.org to join and learn and find out more ways to help. Details to follow.
Fall Splendor Ancient Forest Hike, Sunday, October 16, 2005, Noon-3
PM
Enter the primordial forest and be inspired, rejuvenated and amazed. Learn about this rare and important ancient forest ecosystem. The adventure begins at the Valentine Flats trail head.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE ZOAR VALLEY NATURE SOCIETY is $5 per year for individuals/$10 per year for families or groups. This helps cover the small costs of putting on events and helps us with the
zoarvalley.org website we're building. It's all non-profit. It's all about having fun and exploring Zoar! Please mail your membership to: Zoar Valley Nature Society, P.O. Box 55, Gowanda, NY 14070.
DIRECTIONS TO ZOAR VALLEY: From Buffalo, find your way to Route 62 south to Gowanda. At the flashing light by the McDonald's, make a left onto Buffalo Street, following it .6 miles until it curves to the right onto E. Main Street. Right away you cross the bridge over the Cattaraugus and come to a light. Turn left at the light onto S. Water Street. Follow this for .5 miles and turn right onto Broadway (second turn after crossing the railroad tracks). Follow this .9 miles until you come to a left turn onto Pt. Peter Road, right after the old red-brick schoolhouse on the right.
TO GO TO VALENTINE FLATS: Follow Pt. Peter Rd. about a mile and make a left on Valentine Flats Rd. by the paint peeling farmhouse with a large flag pole in the yard. Valentine Flats Road dead-ends at the trail head parking area.
TO GO TO FORTY/SOUTH BRANCH CATTARAUGUS: Follow Pt. Peter Rd. for 1.7 miles to the fork in the road, go to the left onto Forty Road, which dead ends in the parking area. Check out the waterfall on your right as you go down the very steep hill!
TO GO TO DEER LICK PRESERVE: Stay on Pt. Peter Road for 1.7 miles until you come to the fork in the road, stay to the right through the fork. Follow Pt. Peter Road for another .5 miles until you reach the Deer Lick Preserve parking area on the left.
DIRECTIONS TO NORTH RIM ZOAR: From Buffalo, take Route 62 south towards Gowanda. Before you get to Gowanda, turn left on Route 39 in Collins. Follow this for a few blocks and make a right onto Bagdad Road. Turn left onto Wheater Road, which becomes South Quaker. After 2 miles, S. Quaker curves to the left and then comes to a fork. Stay t! o the right which becomes Vail Road. There's parking at the Vail Rd. intersection and another parking area between Unger and Button Rds. (If you're coming from the east, Route 39 is easily accessed from Route 219/Springville.)
However you get there, ENJOY!
Julie Broyles
Zoar Valley Nature Zociety
(716) 380-1430
3nd GHRP approaches the George Washington Bridge
photo by Ken Allen
The Great Hudson River Paddle
2005 will be held Thursday, July 8 to Saturday, July 17, 2005. The ten days of GHRP
2005 will begin in Albany and end in New York City, after paddling 148.1 miles. Up to 30 Thru-Paddlers and six guides will camp each night at pre-arranged sites along the way. Breakfast and dinner will be provided. Each Thru-Paddler has to provide his or her own kayak and paddling and camping gear as per the
gear checklist. Thru-Paddlers will be the core group of this public event and should be prepared for some level of public interaction and media attention as a result.
In order to meet the goal of celebrating the water trail and the diversity and heritage of the riverside communities, a festival will be held each afternoon and/or evening near the Thru-Paddlers’ overnight site. Events will range from on-water demonstrations to exhibits about the Hudson River ecology or local culture. The GHRP
2005 Festivals are a part of GHRP and may be enjoyed by all.
Thru-Paddlers will be camping apart from where events are happening. The communities, whose parks we are staying in, are our hosts and will be looking to entertain us and learn about us. Every effort will be made to separate the Thru-Paddlers’ camp from the exhibits and public events, but paddlers should be prepared for attention and questions from the public.
More info: http://www.hrwa.org/ghrp/index.html
Additional sites: www.the-river-connection.com
www.hudsonriver.com
In Focus: PPS Special Events
Eric wanted to make his brother’s event as
special as possible. As best man it was his job to get together the
wedding party. Neither family nor friends knew each other well as
they were from distant parts of the country. So Eric decided that the
whole party (including both families and the minister!) should spend a few
hours getting acquainted. The activities included symbolic leaps,
physical support that lead to thoughts on how the gathered could support
the new couple, and lots of plain old fun. Between rehearsals and
dinners, the group went to a beautiful, secluded place in the woods where
they could focus on themselves. Here through reflection on their own
relationships and wisdom “the clan” offered gems of experience to
the couple about to embark on their new adventure. What could
be more appropriate then sharing an adventure together to send the
newlyweds off on one of the best adventures there is, the sharing of two
lives?
Singled Out: A Refreshing Perspective By Danica Stewart
The first thing I want to say to all you singles
out there is, “Congratulations, you’ve made it through the winter
holidays!” That is not always an easy feat when commercials are filled
with smugly snuggling couples and relatives chase you around the dinner
table spurting personal questions and unwanted advice. But alas a new
season is upon us, and it is time to regain our focus on life.
I want to get outside as much as possible to enjoy life, and if I
just happen to run into a single, happy go-lucky outdoorsman while I’m
out there, all the better.
Now due to the fact fate likes to take its own sweet time in allowing this encounter to happen, I decided to help fate along a bit. Thus the PPS singles events have been reborn!
For those of you who are reading this hoping this
is a story of how I continued on to find the perfect man…you might as
well stop reading now. On a crazy ride of torch lit canoes, half-baked
shish kabobs and misplaced scavenger hunters, I’ve found something else.
I have found a community of people of every shape, size and personality
who all love to do the same things I do.
In this company, I have shared many laughs and smiles as we hiked
around and canoed through the ponds and locks of the Rochester area and
feasted upon fondue, crepes and shish kabobs.
I am not out to force people into couples. I’m only providing the opportunity for the shy people to come out from behind the trees, the confident people to show off some of their skills and for everyone to have a good time. Despite a small twinge of envy, I do admit to getting a small self-satisfied smile when I see couples walking each other to their cars after an event and I love knowing I may have played a very insignificant part in the making of at least three happy couples. Maybe the fact I haven’t found Mr. Right is fate’s way of saying it doesn’t need my help, but as long as there are waters to paddle and trails to explore I remain convinced there will be a happily ever after.
The next PPS event just for singles is on
Sunday, July 31st. At
Singles Mingle randomly selected teams will mingle on foot or on
water while enjoying a hike or canoe ride.
This event is for the adventurous. No experience necessary.
Fee includes canoes, accessories, instruction and a picnic dinner.
If you are interested in joining us or know a friend who might be
interested, please call 621-9484 or visit www.thesinglesdatingevent.com
for more info.
The 24 Hour Endurance Mountain Bike Race will be held in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of Western, New York. All race proceeds will be donated to the Otetiana Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The racecourse is an excellent balance of challenging single track and fun double track. Race amenities include heated showers, free race T-shirt, free camping, and free parking, over $10,000 of awards and schwag, electronic timing and a post race feast. The Park Ave Bike Race Team with over 10 years of mountain bike race promotion brings this race to you. Don't miss this awesome event! Register today.
For more info and to register go to www.parkavebike.com
