Central
& Western NY Outdoors
October 2005 
~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~
Yusuf's College Scholarship Program
Private Waterfalls – Don’t Tread There
Wild and Wooly World of Alpaca Farming
Enjoy the Beauty of Zoar Valley in Autumn
Nearby, several nature preserves offer adventures on
spring-fed, crystal clear rivers. Each
has a unique environment. On
the Silver River, you can paddle past islands where monkeys from early
Tarzan movies were released into the wild.
Close by is one of the springs that is home to wintering manatees.
Often thought of as the basis for the myth of mermaids, these aquatic
creatures prefer to winter in the constant temperature of the springs.
You can snorkel right next to them and if you lie still in the water,
you will be able to touch them as they float right under your hand.
Many of these springs are famous tourist destinations. But, by
accessing them by your own paddling boat you can privately explore this
semi-tropical wilderness surrounded by the increasingly populated areas of
Florida.
For more information about this area, go to www.packpaddleski.com/260104.htm or contact PPS at info@packpaddleski.com.
Yusuf with Steve French on Mt. Kilmanjaro
Last year PPS sponsored Yusuf's trip to America.
As part of this experience, Yusuf spoke to many groups about his life
on Kilimanjaro and as a Tanzanian. One
of the groups that he spoke to, the Rotary Club in Avon, has spearheaded a
scholarship program for Yusuf to help him go to college to become a Safari
Guide. This would enable Yusuf
to support his family the rest of his life.
In addition, Yusuf will then be able to send his children to school
to help them get better jobs when they are adults.
In a country where the average salary of workers, such
as teachers or police, is $50/month, affording college is almost impossible.
At this point Rotary and PPS have raised $2,250 of the $8,000 Yusuf needs to
finish college. (A little over ¼ of his college costs.) He plans on
starting college this fall and will attend as many semesters as he can
afford.
If you would like to help Yusuf, mail your
tax-deductible donation to PPS, PO Box 82, South Lima, NY 14558-0082. Please
make check out to: Avon Rotary, Yusuf
Scholarship Fund.
240 waterfalls are described in our guidebook “200 Waterfalls in Central & Western New York” Figuring out who owned the land (often a series of owners for a single waterfall access) was a monumental task and unfortunately we didn’t always get it right. We’ve heard from a few landowners who don’t want the public traipsing through their land to view their waterfalls. We must all respect the rights of landowners. That's one of our great rights in America.
So, if you own a copy of “200 Waterfalls,” please pull your copy out now and mark these waterfalls as private and off-limits:
- Page 168, Arkwright Falls
- Page 268, Van Buskirk Gulf
The following waterfalls are also on private property, so viewing them is limited to what you can see from the road:
- Page 347, Stockbridge Falls
- Page 66, Cascades of Attica (You can view the 2 waterfalls off Dunbar Road, but not the 3 off Cascade Road.)
That’s the bad news. The good new is, there still are 235 waterfalls you can go out and enjoy.
Mark Johnson of Hollis, NH pointed out that our directions to Rattlesnake Gulf (or "the Blue Hole" as locals call it) (page 325) need revision. Take Route 11A to Otisco Road rather than Tully Farms Road to Otisco Road. The best landmark for the creek is the guardrails on either side of the road.
Finally, a few other changes. New Hope Mill (page 229) no longer uses the 26-foot water wheel, but they still grind their own flour on site. And, access to Chippewa Falls (page 313) is more limited. Permission to cross private land via the Finger Lakes Trail has been rescinded from County Road 12 (Lincklaen Road). You can still reach Chippewa Falls by following the Finger Lakes Trail from Stoney Brook Road.
These, and all updates we know of to our guidebooks can be found at www.footprintpress.com under “Trail Updates” on the left column. If you find an error or change to one of our guidebooks, please email it to info@footprintpress.com so we can inform others. Thanks & happy trails....
What has 4 legs, chews its cud, and produces wool fit
for a king? An alpaca! This wooly cousin to llamas isn’t too well known in
the US but it produces fleece that was once reserved only for Incan royalty.
Native to South America, these animals were first imported to the US back in
1984 and now many people breed them on small farms and raise them for their
wool.
Bob Thompson of Livonia, with help of his youngest
daughter Grace, raises alpacas for fun and profit. They show their alpacas
at various events around the state. They also sell the fiber, yarn, and
products made from the alpaca wool, such as socks, blankets and ponchos.
Alpaca wool has many of the same properties as sheep’s wool but is
stronger and softer. If you hate the scratchiness of wool, you’ll love the
softness of alpaca fleece.
You can learn more about alpaca farming and other nontraditional living methods during the Adventures in Living Tour in December. For more information about this event, go to www.packpaddleski.com/251201.htm or contact PPS at info@packpaddleski.com.
The American Chestnut Foundation's Fall Harvest Day at Zoar
Saturday, October 1, 2005, 10:00 - 1:00
Join in this community effort to help The American Chestnut Foundation with the important work of harvesting seeds for their research and breeding efforts to restore the American Chestnut tree to its native eastern woodlands. Check out www.acf.org to join and learn and find out more ways to help. Wear gloves for gathering the chestnut burs. This is a rain or shine event. Meet at the parking area by the chestnut plantation on Vail Road at the Unger Road intersection. (Follow the "Directions to North Rim Zoar" listed below.)
Fall Splendor Ancient Forest Hike
Sunday, October 16, 2005, 12:00-3:00
Enter the primordial forest and be inspired, amazed and rejuvenated. Learn about this rare and important ancient forest ecosystem. The adventure begins at the Valentine Flats trail head (directions below). Or use the map and directions in 200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY.
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 exploring Zoar. Please mail your membership to: Zoar Valley Nature Society, P.O. Box 55, Gowanda, NY 14070.
DIRECTIONS
TO GOWANDA & ZOAR VALLEY: From Buffalo, take Route 62 south to Gowanda. At the flashing light by the McDonald's, make a left onto Buffalo Street, following it 0.6 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 0.5 miles and turn right onto Broadway (second turn after crossing the railroad tracks). Follow this 0.9 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 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 to the right which becomes Vail Road. (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 Society
(716) 380-1430
We are deeply touched by your kindness.
In January, we headed south to visit Sue’s parents in Florida and impulsively ended up buying a house. So, we scurried home and began the process of preparing to move. We spent the spring and summer doing field research for two new books – stay tuned for their grand announcement. We sold our house,
packed up and completed all the logistics of moving us and our business south. We
had planned to say individual goodbyes and quietly head south.
But the kind folks in Rochester would not let that happen. At the spring meeting of Adirondack Mountain Club we were called on-stage and presented a Certificate of Appreciation for our support of ADK over the years. The Certificate now hangs on the wall in our new office. Heck, we were just having fun giving workshops, classes and presentations. Later, Rich
Sensenbach confided in us that the one good thing about our leaving was that he’d have an easier
 |
|
Jack Kerson presents a plaque from the Genesee Regional Trails Coalition (Dave Schaeffer seated) photo by Lorain Francis |
time scheduling workshops at the ADK Outdoor Expo. Previously other presenters had routinely asked him not to schedule them in a time slot when we were presenting – they didn’t want to compete with us for attendees.
Likewise, at a meeting of the Fairport Merchant’s Association where Rich had served on the board of directors, we were called to the front. President
Lorain Francis read a glowing speech with accolades about our volunteer efforts in Fairport. She presented us with a beautiful watercolor painting of Fairport that now hangs in our new home.
But, the grand finale was orchestrated by Dave Schaeffer. He, with the support of Genesee Region Trails Coalition (where Sue was secretary) and the other area trail groups, organized a festive going-away party. It ended up being on our last night in Fairport. In fact, we were all packed and headed home after the party, gathered up our cats and hit the road that very night. The party was magical. It included our friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers both past and present, and trail friends. There were people we see regularly and some we hadn’t seen in many years. We got a chance to speak with most of them and say our good
byes. Dave had created a beautiful card that everyone signed with personal notes. We now have it as a keepsake to remember everyone.
The evening culminated in a roasting – but the kindest type of roasting. One by one people got up and commented on their past experiences with us. Some were funny, some were serious, but all were very kind and heartwarming. Jack Kerson presented us with a carved wooden plaque. It was carved as a map of central & western New York – the area covered by our guidebooks – with a gold plate stating the Dakota proverb “We will be known by the tracks we leave behind.” How fitting – according to everyone’s commentary we left a lot of tracks behind us – ones that ripple positively through people’s lives. It made our hearts melt. The plaque now has a prominent spot among our Footprint Press “wall of fame” in our office. The night was capped by the cutting of a large cake.
We left Fairport on cloud nine, feeling positive about the impact we had on the lives of others. Thank you Dave Schaeffer and thank you to everyone who didn’t let us quietly slide away. We sincerely appreciate the honor you bestowed upon us.
