Central
& Western NY Outdoors
August 2005
~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~
2005 New York Greenway and Trail Award Winners Honored
How to Build a Cobblestone House
Tips for a Successful Camping Trip
Presentations by Footprint Press
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Winners of Parks &
Trails New York's 2005 Greenway and Community Trail Awards were announced
June 17 at an evening reception at the SUNY New Paltz Dorsky Museum of Art
in conjunction with Parks &Trails New York's two-day Healthy Trails,
Healthy Communities conference. Five awards were presented.
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Peter Henry of Macedon was selected for the Volunteer Service Award in recognition of his strong leadership and exemplary and significant contributions to planning, construction, maintenance, and promotion of trails and the Trails Committee in the Town of Macedon.
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Teri Barr and Hudson Valley Outfitters of Cold Spring received the Corporate Partnership Award for multi-year contributions to the promotion and development of the Hudson River Greenway's water and land trail programs, including the Great Hudson River Paddle.
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Sue A. Poelvoorde, Natural Resources Planner in the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation Finger Lakes Region, was selected for the Public Leadership Award to recognize her significant and sustained contributions in support of planning, design, construction, management, promotion, and public involvement for the Catharine Valley Trail, a 15-mile multi-use trail between Watkins Glen and Horseheads.
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David Wright of Victor, President of Victor Hiking Trails, received the Healthy Trails, Healthy People Award for improving universal access to trails, commitment to promotion of trail use for persons of all ages and abilities, and involvement of persons with disabilities in trails planning in the Town of Victor.
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The Bronx River Alliance was selected for the Outside the Box Award because of the multiple and unique partnerships, creative programming, and significant resources that the organization has assembled to develop and promote the Bronx River Greenway, an eight-mile bicycle pedestrian trail along the Bronx River in New York City.
from Parks & Trails New York E-News (July August Newsletter)
Eight years ago, when we began researching area trails, we became aware of the Finger Lakes Land Trust. They managed of a few parcels of land with trails such as the beautiful, steep, waterfall-lined Sweedler Preserve. As the eight years progressed, we watched in awe as the Finger Lakes Land Trust continued to preserve special plots of land throughout the Finger Lakes Region.
Lately, while doing research for an upcoming book, we've had the pleasure of
hiking many of their new land preserves.
Finger Lakes Land Trust is a non-profit organization supported by donations from members and grants received from private foundations and government agencies. Their work involves establishing nature preserves, holding conservation easements, educating for responsible stewardship, and working cooperatively with private groups and public agencies. To date, the Land Trust has conserved nearly 8,000 acres through the use of conservation easements and the establishment of 24 nature preserves that are open for the public to enjoy. Many
of these preserves have established trail systems.
Preserving Public Access to Carpenter’s Falls
In last month’s newsletter we told how the land surrounding Carpenter’s Falls was for sale. Well, on July 13th the FLLT announced it had acquired the land surrounding 90-foot-high Carpenter’s Falls through a partnership with the
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
(NYSDEC).
½ mile upstream from Carpenter’s Falls is Bahar Nature Preserve. This is land already owned by FLLT that offers a short hiking trail. The Land Trust also holds a contract to purchase additional land that would link the two sites. They then intend to convey the 30-acre parcel to the NYSDEC for future management while retaining adjacent acreage as part of
Bahar Preserve.
Funds for the acquisition were made available from the Land Trust’s internal land acquisition fund. During the next few weeks, the Land Trust will launch a
fundraising campaign to cover the cost of the latest acquisition as well as adjacent land under contract and other conservation projects within the Skaneateles Lake Watershed.
“We must act now if we are to conserve those lands that make Skaneateles Lake such a special place,” says Land Trust Executive Director Andrew
Zepp. “From Carpenter’s Falls to the wild wetlands of Bear Swamp, the Skaneateles Watershed features a remarkable diversity of habitats and landscapes. By acquiring key parcels and working cooperatively with landowners through the use of conservation easements, we can ensure that these areas aren’t overrun by increasing development pressures,” adds
Zepp.
The Land Trust will lead guided field trips to Carpenter’s Falls as well as other natural areas in the southern portion of the Skaneateles Lake Watershed during the coming months. For additional information, check out
their web site at
www.fllt.org or call their Ithaca office at (607) 275-9487.
Preserving Finger Lakes Trail
The Finger Lakes Land Trust also works with landowners who want to donate land or permanent easements. An example is the 57 acres of fields and forests bordering Sugar Hill State Forest just west of Watkins Glen that was recently donated by Stephen and Kathryn
Trechter. Thanks to their donation and the efforts of FLLT, a segment of the
Finger Lakes Trail is now preserved as woodland for public access.
Preserving Grimes Glen
The Finger Lakes Land Trust and Ontario County intend to acquire Grimes
Glen, a popular, scenic gorge and creekwalking stream in the town of Naples. The Land Trust and County will work together to acquire several parcels totaling approximately 27 acres that have traditionally been open for public use. Once purchased, the lands will be managed as an addition to the Ontario County Park System.
Support FLLT
These are only a few examples of the critical work being done by Finger Lakes Land Trust. The Finger Lakes Land Trust deserves our support in their critical mission to preserve the special lands of the Finger Lakes region.
How to Build a Cobblestone House by Sue Freeman
He huffed and he puffed and he blew the house down - certainly not if the house was built with cobblestones. Building cobblestone houses was a folk art that flourished in upstate New York from 1825 until the Civil War in 1860. Many of the 700+ cobblestone homes that were built survive today, a testament to their fine craftsmanship.
To build your cobblestone house you’ll need 5 main components: cobblestones, soft lime mortar, wood for windows and doors, cut stone blocks for quoins, lintels and sills, and lots of cheap labor. Lets take them one at a time – assuming the cheap labor is you, your family, friends, relatives and anyone else you can convince to do manual labor for $1.00 to $1.50 per day.
The first step is to gather the cobblestones. This may take several years. Cobblestones are small fist-sized stones deposited by the glaciers that swept from the north millennia ago. Rough-shaped ones can be gathered from the farm fields or rounded, lake-washed ones can be gathered along the shore of Lake Ontario. You’ll need over 14,000 cobblestones, so get cracking. As the manly work of stone gathering progresses, the women and children can be kept busy sorting the stones by size and color. You’ll want to use the finest, smoothest, similar-sized stones on the front of your house, and save the rougher, odd-sized ones for the back, sides and interior of the walls.
While this is progressing, you better start preparing the soft lime mortar. Don’t skimp and use Portland cement. It dries too fast and will pop the cobbles out as it dries. Soft lime mortar is made of lime, sand and water. Find limestone (calcium carbonate) or dolomite (magnesium carbonate) and break it into pieces. Burn it within heaps of logs for 2 to 3 days to create quicklime. Add water to the quicklime to create a hydrated lime sludge.
Mix in 5 to 9 bushels of sand to 1 bushel of lime sludge. Age the mortar in a ground pit covered by sand or cow manure for up to a year.
Fell a bunch of trees. They’ll need to be hand-hewn to build the doors and windows – each custom fitted to a specific opening. Also, find a quarry where you can get limestone or sandstone blocks for the corners of your building (quoins) and as structural support over the doors and windows (lintels) and under the windows
(sils).
Now the fun begins. Start by laying the stones in walls 18 to 20-inches-thick. Build the wall with rubble stone, faced by cobbles. Use elongated or triangular shaped stones to tie the cobbles to the rubble wall. Use the soft lime mortar as your glue, getting fancy with straight ridges between the horizontal and vertical rows of cobbles. Build about 3 rows (or courses) per day so the mortar has time to slowly begin setting. It will take 35 years for the mortar to fully harden. Lay in the cut-stone blocks at the corners to create quoins. To finish the inside, apply horsehair plaster to the stone.
Once the walls are above reach, you’ll have to build scaffolding
by burying poles in the ground 6 to 8 feet from the wall and tying cross members from the wall to the poles with hickory witches. Then lay planks on the cross members to provide a building platform. As the walls rise, you’ll have to repeatedly raise the height of the scaffolding. Attach a crane and tackles to the highest pole to winch up buckets of cobblestones and mortar.
Hand build your windows and doors to fit each opening and hand-hew trusses for your roof. Winter is a good time to do much of your carpentry work. Depending on how many workers you have and their skill level, you may finish in a year. More likely, the building process will take about 3 years.
When you’re done, you’ll have a fine home that will stand for centuries. Go see for yourself.
Our new guidebook called
“Cobblestone Quest – Road Tours of New York’s Historic Buildings”
is now available.
We'll be presenting three slide shows on local cobblestone buildings this month. Check below under Presentations by Footprint Press
July 20th marked the grand opening of the newly completed pedestrian-bicycle ramp at Lyndon Road in Perinton (a suburb of Rochester). The new ramp connects the sidewalks on the Lyndon Road bridge (over the Erie Canal and CSX main railway) and the Erie Canalway Trail. The ramp also allows a direct and safe pedestrian link between the Canalway Trail and Perinton's Crescent Trail system, on both the north and south sides of the canal. Furthermore, patrons of the Fairport Little League complex and the Thomas Creek Indoor Ice Rink at Lyndon Road can now reach those facilities via the Canalway Trail and the new ramp, avoiding the hazard and prohibition of trespassing across the busy CSX rail line at grade.
With the ramp, a new 4-mile-long hiking loop opens that encircles the Erie Canal. Park in the Crescent Trail parking area at the southeast corner of the Lyndon Road bridge over the Erie Canal. On
foot (portions of this loop are hiking only), cross the Lyndon Road bridge and follow the ramp downhill to the Erie Canalway Trail. Head straight (west) on the Erie Canalway Trail. Shortly before Turk Hill Road the Canalway Trail follows Cobb Lane and is shared with cars. Stay on Cobb Lane and follow it uphill to the Turk Hill Road bridge. Turn left and cross the bridge. Turn left onto Turk Hill and
take the second left (upper entrance) into the Turk Hill Park business complex.
Watch right for the yellow blazes as the Crescent Trail heads into the woods. Follow the yellow trail, cross the Perinton Hikeway/Bikeway & keep heading east, next to the Erie Canal. When you reach Lyndon Road, head uphill to the parking area.
What
do you do when chairs are in short supply?
We have an answer for the your next event when you can’t find a
place for everyone to sit.
Line
up in a big circle. Squeeze
tight everyone. A little
closer. If everyone sits down
at the same time, on the
person’s knees behind them, you end up with a seat!
Be careful though, don’t try this the first time on sidewalk
covered with broken glass.
For
a special on where to get your nonseat contact www.packpaddleski.com
Steve Vaught chronicles his effort to shed most
of his 400 pounds on the highway from San Diego
to New York. An inspiring, if medically dangerous,
tale of human willpower.
http://www.thefatmanwalking.com/
The annual camping trip is a traditional experience for many families. For
some, it's a yearly visit to Aunt Bertha's backyard get-together with
her infamous sauerkraut, cold Brussels sprouts and pig snouts dish. But for
others, the trip can be a bonding occasion that isn't dependent on whether
or not it's sunny. Below are few pointers to enhance your camping
experience:
1. Make a checklist before you pack so you will remember everything that you
need to take. This list needs to include your equipment, even the obvious
things like tent and sleeping bag, your food, and items needed in case of an
emergency. Remember that the reason you are camping is to get away into the
wilderness and there may not be a convenience store nearby.
2. No matter how much you sing "Rain, rain go away~ come again
some other day", the rain is going to happen. Pack sturdy rain gear and
store your goods in waterproof containers or bags. A durable Ziploc-style
freezer bag is more durable than an ordinary plastic bag. Small containers
like plastic prescription containers work great for small things. To keep
your sleeping bag dry, tuck that too in a waterproof sack.
3. Set-up first, then take off sightseeing. Why? Daylight hours are best for
setting up. When this is completed, you can take your sweet time the rest of
the day enjoying surroundings. After all, isn't it nicer to roast
marshmallows over the fire at night than to work pitching a tent in the
dark!
4. Double check nighttime supplies before nightfall. Hey, did you remember
those flashlight batteries? If not, you might have some time during daylight
to hunt for some. Once it's dark, looking for something gets a lot trickier.
5. Plan your camping meals in advance so that you have all the ingredients
with you. To make outdoor cooking easier, put food for the same meal
together before you leave home. Think about pre-measuring and combining
ingredients like sugar and flour that are used in baking. In general,
prepare as much in advance as you can so that cooking meals is fun and not a
chore.
6. Eat and store food safely so critters aren't hanging around. Wildlife is
interested in our tasty meals and learns to scavenge for our scraps. To keep
them away and out of the tent, eat only outdoors and pack up food when
you're done. Some animals like raccoons can do great damage to your campsite
and your tent if temptations are left around.
7. And, of course, don't feed the animals that beg for food. It is not safe
or healthy for you or the animals.
8. A clean campsite is a joy to find and respectful of its natural beauty
when left this way. "Leave only your footprints" is a helpful tip
to remember when picking up trash in your site. To transport your refuse
out, use a strong plastic trash bag.
9. Be a good neighbor. In addition to the usual admonitions not to be noisy
and rowdy, help a fellow camper who may be in need. Novice campers
especially may need a little help now and again.
10. There are no guarantees that it won't rain. And, if it does rain, you
can still have fun. Staying focused on the purpose of a family trip, which
is to be with family, means your fun doesn't have to depend on the weather.
Copyright 2005 Giuseppe Tesola. All rights reserved.
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Giuseppe Tesola is the webmaster of Happy
Camping which is a principal web site for information on camping. For
more information please consult his archive of articles at:
http://www.hcamping.com/
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The American eagle, the proud national symbol for the U.S., hasn't always received a welcome reception by the nation's citizens. This bald eagle is an efficient bird of prey was once thought of as a "varmint" by the early pioneers. The settlers wanted to destroy these "varmints" that were eating their fish supply and attacking their domestic animals. Today, the word varmint, also referred to as raptor, no longer applies to this graceful bird; however hawks and owls still hold these stigmatized titles.
After World War II, the pesticide DDT was introduced into the environment and raptors were seriously affected. DDT traveled up the food chain as raptors ate other creatures who had eaten insects. The DDT thinned the shells of bald eagle eggs and the end result is that our national bird was placed on the endangered species list.
A large number of conservation groups actively work hard to restore balance into nature and improve endangered species' existence. One group - The American Eagle Foundation - is focused on building a larger population of American eagles. This foundation is a non-profit organization sponsored by Dollywood Theme Park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The headquarters for
American Eagle Foundation is in
Dollywood. Founded in 1985, this organization is out to restore the eagle population by protecting wild eagles. Together, Dollywood and American Eagle Foundation take care of over 60 eagles that were once injured and cannot survive on their own in their normal habitat. Many of these captured birds are very active and successful in a breeding program that has enabled hundreds of eaglets (young eagles) to be released back into the wild.
Dollywood introduces millions of people to our national symbol each year at the "Eagle Mountain Sanctuary." Visitors can view the birds and can also learn about the birds through demonstrations called "Wings of America" given during the day by trained eagle handlers. The demonstrations feature owls, hawks, vultures, and falcons in addition to eagles. Dollywood and the Foundation are committed to educating the American public about the need to respect and preserve our great national bird.
The spokesperson for the Foundation is none other than Dolly Parton, founder of Dollywood. Dolly has traveled cross-country speaking on behalf of the Foundation and its goal to preserve eagles. As result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the "Partnership Award" to Dolly in recognition of her efforts toward bald eagle preservation and support of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
Amazingly, Challenger, a trained eagle belonging to the American Eagle Foundation, is making his way across the country as a traveling representative of the Foundation. Challenger, who is allowed to fly free and then returns to his handler, has appeared at the White House, the State Department, other federal agencies, and even at a few big sporting events like the World Series. No longer is this a time to shoe away our national symbol; now is the time to embrace our wonderful symbol of freedom and take pride in this bird's agile grace.
Copyright 2005 Raquel Amberson. All rights reserved.
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Raquel Amberson is the owner of Row Eagle
which is a leading resource for information on eagles on the internet. For more details visit her archive
of articles here: http://www.roweagle.com/
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August 2, Tuesday, 7 PM, FREE
Cobblestone Quest slide show by Rich & Sue Freeman
Tinker Homestead and Farm Museum
1585 Calkins Road, Henrietta, NY 14467-0999
(585) 359-7042
This is the launch party for the Freemans' newest book Cobblestone Quest. Come see a slide show on local cobblestone buildings, tour the Tinker Homestead (a cobblestone museum) and get a book signed by the authors.
“Cobblestone Quest” is a guidebook of 17 self-guided tours for observing the history and diversity of unique cobblestone buildings. Learn why, during a mere 35-year span in the middle of the 19th century, approximately 700 cobblestone structures were erected within a 65-mile radius of Rochester, New York, and no where else. Many have endured the test of time and stand today as monuments to human ingenuity in using available resources. Learn about this creative building technique and about the lives of the early pioneers who developed it. www.footprintpress.com
August 17, Wednesday, 7 PM, FREE
Cobblestone Quest slide show & book signing by Rich & Sue Freeman
Seymour Library, 161 East Ave., Brockport, NY 14420
(585) 637-1050
“Cobblestone Quest” is a guidebook containing 17 self-guided driving or bicycling tours for observing the history and diversity of unique cobblestone buildings. Learn why, during a mere 35-year span in the middle of the 19th century, approximately 700 cobblestone structures were erected within a 65-mile radius of Rochester, New York, and no where else. Many have endured the test of time and stand today as monuments to human ingenuity in using available resources. www.footprintpress.com
August 24, Wednesday, 7 PM, FREE
Cobblestone Quest slide show by Rich & Sue Freeman
Wood Library, 134 North Main Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424
585-394-1381
Learn why, during a mere 35-year span in the middle of the 19th century, approximately 700 cobblestone structures were erected within a 65-mile radius of Rochester, New York, and no where else. Many have endured the test of time and stand today as monuments to human ingenuity in using available resources. Learn about this creative building technique, about the structures that were built and about the lives of the early pioneers who built their homes with cobblestones. Rich and Sue will be available to autograph copies of “Cobblestone Quest” their newest guidebook, offering 17 self-guided tours for observing the diversity of unique cobblestone buildings. www.footprintpress.com
