Happy New Year!
I’m Not Adding This Year to My Age. I didn’t use it!
With the start of new calendar year almost upon us, it is time to quickly reflect on the past year and concentrate on the coming new year. It is a time for hopes, even if some of them do get sidetracked or dashed in the weeks ahead. It’s not a time for naïve optimism, but confidence that we can make things better. Remember the words of Gandhi: — The future depends on what we do in the present.”
Now is the time for joy, celebration, and making plans to make the coming year
and all the future even brighter. We wish all of you a very happy, peaceful, healthy, and
prosperous New Year!
20-20 Vision for 2023
It’s that time of year when people wonder what the new year will bring. A few people have asked me what I think, probably more for laughs than sincerely caring. In any case, there is an old saying – “It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future.”
A positive note will be the increase in women in outdoor sports. More and more are getting into hunting and fishing and helping stem the decline. Some of this is from friends or family but a lot is due to programs like Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) or Women In the Outdoors (WIN). The NYS Outdoor Writers Association provides a scholarship in honor of the late Melody Tennity, one of the women who pioneered women in writing and tournament bass fishing. Contact Deb Brosen (featherartstudio@yahoo.com). Great news and thanks to all involved!
On the legislative scene there is hope since Assemblyman Richard Englebrecht lost his seat in the past election. He was the head of the Assembly EnCon Committee and had blocked the crossbow bill from coming up for a vote. It is still an uphill battle, but a major roadblock has been removed.
Our CFAB representative, Scott Faulkner, reports that Governor Hochul has vetoed the bill that had passed unanimously giving counties the power to opt out of any hunting season like the holiday hunt. CFAB and others have insisted that this power should remain with the Conservation Dept who are professionals, not the county legislatures.
Oneida Lake continues to provide top-notch recreation with a million adult walleye cruising its waters. More ominous is the threat from some native Americans who are pushing the insistence that they have the treaty rights to fish anywhere and anyhow. So far the number is miniscule but the implication is that they have the right to take and sell an unlimited amount of walleye at spawning time. The commissioner seems to agree with this radical faction.
The threat of round goby seems to be more persistent to spawning smallmouth bass in the upper Great Lakes and St. Lawrence. So far the commissioner has resisted changing the regulations despite but that can easily change. The same gobies provide a threat that has only recently been made known to muskies. Little has been done about this problem.
The spread of EHF has appeared in whitetail deer and decimated the population in many areas. The disease is carried by “no-see-ums” which have always been around but the disease that they carry is new. Again no solution is in sight.
Recycle Christmas Trees: .A good use of Christmas trees is to fasten them in your backyard where they provide windbreaks or shelters near the birdfeeders. This encourages songbirds to use your feeders and provides a safety factor when the neighborhood hawks come calling. You can drive a stake into the ground and tie up the tree (or trees) or tie them together in a tee pee fashion to be near enough to provide an escape from marauding hawks but not provide a hiding place for the neighborhood cat.
On private land they can be wired together to provide brush cover for rabbits to help them avoid predators like hawks, owls, coyotes, etc. Even in your pond they can be wired together and weighted with a concrete block to provide shelter for small fish so they will not all be eaten as fry by the larger fish in spring.
Feeding Birds is a Popular Activity
Surveys show that a large number of people enjoy feeding birds in their backyards or outside their windows. The color, the activity, and the interesting mixture of birds creates a lot of interest on a cold winter day. It is important to have the feeders out since the cold weather dictates that most of the resident birds will need to stock up on the groceries. In cold weather most songbirds must take enough calories each day to provide warmth through the night, or there won’t be another day. Many of them must eat half of their body weight each day to stay alive.
A variety of seeds and suet cakes are best, although sunflower seeds are the most popular for many birds. Most birds enjoy the black oil sunflower birds (bluejays, cardinals, titmice, chickadees, etc). Smaller birds like sparrows, titmice, juncos, or even mourning doves, will feed heavily on the millet found in the general mix. Finches like goldfinch, purple finch, or some sparrows like tree sparrows prefer the nyger seed from the tube feeders. Check the Cornell Ornithology Lab website at www.feederwatch.org for lots of helpful information.
Adirondack Backcountry Warnings
The Adirondacks can be beautiful at this time of year and are a popular vacation spot for families at holiday time.
Throughout much of the central Adirondacks there is between 10 and 12 inches of snow. However there is considerably more snow in the high peaks, ranging from two to three feet. The use of snowshoes or cross country skis are required to safely traverse the deeper snow. Use trekking poles for added support and balance. Those climbing on mountains or steeper elevations should use microspikes or crampons for travelling on icy covered trails or rock surfaces.
Hikers or cross country skiers always should carry an emergency pack with essentials such as space blankets, flashlight, fire starters, map and compass, in addition to your cell phone or GPS. In the central Adirondacks most snowmobile trails are open but in other areas they are not due to lack of a sufficient base.
For all these activities and areas check the DEC website DEC Adirondack Backcountry Information web page for snow conditions, weather forecasts, water levels, and specific conditions in popular areas.
New Year’s Goals
You can probably think of even more specifics but these four categories are a good starting point for many of us.
(1) Try something new – either a skill or experience. These can open new horizons as well as be fun, even if you don’t become especially skilled. Here are a few outdoor skills that you could add to your experiences or areas of expertise: Fly fishing, sporting clays, photography, kayaking, plein air painting.
(2) Do something special. The obvious thing that comes to mind is a trip to Alaska but that may not be realistic because of time or money. However, some other more realistic, yet special, adventures might include: whitewater rafting, charter fishing trip on Lake Ontario, elk hunting in the west, a family or group long hike, going camping at a new location, taking the firetower challenge.
(3) Recreate something from “yesteryear.” Going back to some of the simpler pleasures from your youth can re-kindle pleasant memories or even remind you that there is fun in simple experiences. Just a few things we can try again are: bullhead fishing, camping, “plinking” a can or similar target with a BB gun or .22 rifle, going canoeing, or organizing a sledding or skiing party.
(4) Aid conservation by joining or helping out with some important activities. Things that you can make a difference at do not have to be major commitments or difficult tasks. Be involved with the many bird or citizen science activities sponsored by Cornell University school of ornithology. Volunteer at the Great Swamp Conservancy. Join important organizations like Trout Unlimited, Fish Creek Atlantic Salmon Club, or Ruffed Grouse Society. Help out at kids fishing derbies or clinics, or better yet – take them fishing yourself. Youth hunts always need mentors or helpers in many capacities. You can volunteer for worthwhile events like trail clearing or the annual loon census.
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