History, Natural History & the Arts
One of the titles I have earned as an adult is “Poet Laureate of Twitchell Lake.” Along with the title goes a hat someone crafted out of old sugar-free Tab cans, this writer posing with it here.
Strange hat isn’t it! One of the community-building activities on our lake in Big Moose, New York, is a Fourth of July “Poet’s Potluck,” an event hosted by the Conable family. [Read more…] about “Running the Rapids” by Twitchell Lake’s Poet Laureate
Nehasane, Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks in the Adirondacks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century. This is the final part of a series of essays about the logging of these private parks in the 1900-1920 period. [Read more…] about Later Logging of Nehasane, Whitney & Brandreth Parks
Nehasane, Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks in the Adirondacks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century.
The illustrious career of William Collins Whitney (1841-1904) was chronicled in a New York City social diary titled “The Gilded Age Billionaires”: “His political star rose right along with his business ventures … and he eventually entered national politics through Grover Cleveland’s Administration where he was Secretary of the Navy.” [Read more…] about A Short History of Logging Whitney Preserve in the Adirondacks
Nehasane Park, and the Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century. Brandreth Preserve was the last of these to institute serious forestry planning. [Read more…] about Brandreth Park: A Latecomer to Adirondack Forestry Planning
Nehasane Park, and the Brandreth and Whitney Preserves were three private parks that included logging railroads built to extract large stands of virgin timber in the late 19th century. In 1914, Brandreth Park gained the rare distinction of having the biggest log sled load in Northern New York.
Nehasane Park, created by William Seward Webb on Lake Lila, included 115,000 acres (including the Adirondack Railroad). [Read more…] about Nehasane Park: Ground Zero in the Adirondack Logging Debate
The history of lumbering in the Adirondacks and in America is replete with legendary exploits. There were the championship sled loads each camp paraded, claiming theirs carried the most cords of stacked timber in one season.
There were the annual woodsman’s field days for each region in which lumberjacks showed off their cutting skills. And then there was the most dangerous job of all, that of the “river pigs” as they were called. These log drivers freed tangled logs and guided them downstream for milling.
One legendary feat in logging history happened on the Beaver River on a Sunday, April 27th, in 1913. [Read more…] about A Legendary Adirondack River Driver
Although a few arrived in the 150 years before to exploit the region’s natural resources, French-speaking Canadians began settling in New York in larger numbers during and after the American Revolution (many as refugees from English power in Canada). [Read more…] about French Canadians in Northern New York: A Primer
As a nationally accredited land trust, the Delaware Highlands Conservancy’s primary responsibility is to ensure that the terms of its conservation easements, set forth to permanently protect each property’s unique conservation values, are being upheld. [Read more…] about Conservancy Responds to Timber Theft on Protected Property
Many people take campfire wood from their backyards or neighborhoods as they head out to a favorite camping spot, not realizing the wood may be hiding the eggs, larvae, spores, adults, or even seeds of invasive threats. Hitching a ride on infested or infected firewood allows these pests to spread faster and farther than they could have on their own.
A variety of invasive species can be transported on firewood, from wood boring beetles and defoliators to fungi and diseases. [Read more…] about Use Local Firewood: Avoid Spreading Invasives
Driving by the Saratoga Tree Nursery, just south of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), most barely notice the state tree nursery’s rustic entrance sign – and you need to squint to see that its full name is “Colonel William F. Fox Memorial Saratoga Tree Nursery.” The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which owns the nursery, considers William Fox the “father” of today’s DEC forest ranger program, as well at the guy who believed the state should raise young trees for later replanting.
Yet the story of the 19th century Ballston Spa native, who also served with valor in the Civil War, is little-known to the general public. [Read more…] about Logging, Forestry, Wildfires & Forest Rangers: William Fox’s Legacy