CFA NEWS The Newsletter of the Catskill Forest Association, Inc. Volume 29, Number 1 - Winter 2011 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: “Frost Lines” “Coyotes, Coydogs & Coywolves?” 2011 Forestry Awareness Day—Albany Memorium to Dave Elmore, Long-time CFA Director Taste of the Forest - Recipe “The Firless Summit of Graham Mtn.” - Dr. Mike Kudish Table of Contents: New Members…………………….…........................... 2 Executive Director’s Message....................................... 3 “Frost Lines”………................................................4 & 5 CFA News “Coyotes, Coydogs & Coywolves?” …………….. 6 & 7 Volume 29, Number 1 Winter 2011 Forestry Awareness Day ……………………………....8 Dave Elmore—In Memoriam ………………………....9 Editor: Jim Waters Taste From The Forest (recipe) ..................................10 Published Quarterly “The Firless Summit of Graham Mtn.” - Catskill Forest Association, Inc. Dr. Michael Kudish.....10—12 43469 State Highway 28 Website Info ................................................................ .12 PO Box 336 CFA’s Tree Marking Program................................... 13 Arkville, NY 12406-0336 Membership Application…........................ Back Cover (845) 586-3054 (845) 586-4071 (Fax) www.catskillforest.org [email protected] Copyright 2011 The Catskill Forest Association, Inc. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. Board of Directors: Douglas Murphy, President, Stamford Robert Bishop II, Vice President, DeLancey Gordon Stevens, Vice President, Margaretville Susan Doig, Secretary, Andes Frank Winkler, Treasurer, Andes Joseph Kraus, Gilboa Seth LaPierre, Delhi Jake Rosa, Arkville DEC Liaison: Jeff Wiegert, Region 3, New Paltz CFA Staff Jim Waters, Executive Director Michele Fucci, Office Manager Ryan Trapani, Education Forester Subscriptions: CFA News is mailed quarterly to members of Falls along West Hubble Hill Rd. in Margaretville. (photo the Catskill Forest Association. If you are interested in taken by Jim Waters) joining CFA, give us a call, visit our office or fill out and mail in the form on the back cover of this publication. Con- tact information is located above. Please submit address Welcome New Members!!! changes to Michele at the address above. October 2010 Gordon Blau – Fleischmanns Dan Horowitz – Monroe Stamford Golf Club Junior Golf, Inc. – Stamford Iginio Maracich – Swan Lake SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! November 2010 Donald Odell - Arkville For a CURRENT listing of CFA’s Hanford Mills Museum – East Meredith EVENTS you must visit CFA’s Village of Fleischmanns Emilio Sanchez Website! January 2011 www.catskillforest.org Leon & Caryn Rosenberg – Fleischmanns Chris Greenan – Andes Gary Rosa – New Kingston Cover Photo: Both photos taken from Peeka- Richard Crowley – Bovina moose. [west of West Shokan, NY) Large picture - to south - Roundout Valley. Small picture - to February 2011 Lawrence Connell – Claryville West - Van Wyck in foreground. (photos taken by Ryan Trapani) 2 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Wow, what a winter! The Catskills seemed to have having to do so now. I certainly hope you can find it in your eluded the heavy snows...it’s been cold and we’ve had very budgets to lend CFA a hand in this endeavor. frequent dustings to 8 inches of snow. No thaws to speak of, Have a great spring and we hope to see you at one so there may be some heavy melt-offs with resultant flood- of our many events or trips in the woods. It’s off to collect- ing. ing Sap! Come visit Ryan’s sugaring operation as well as CFA has lots going on this year. Check out the other local ones on Saturday, March 19th. web site for events. Mark your calendar for July 30th—The Naturally, Catskill Forest Festival in Margaretville. Tons of fun! (Tons of metal equipment making lots of noise!) Find out Jim Waters more about it on CFA’s web site and be sure to check out the video of last year’s festival on the Home Page. Also, if you have not listened to CFA’s weekly radio show you owe it to yourself to do so. It’s called ‘From the Forest” and it airs every Wed. evening at 6pm. You can tune in by going to www.wioxradio.org . This year’s annual meeting should prove to be a great time. We are going to have a pig roast and “bring a plate to pass” event. Details will be forthcom- ing later, but set the date aside now — Sept. 10th! There is also being introduced a new cost sharing program much like WAC’s for those landowners down- stream from the City’s reservoirs in the Delaware River Wa- tershed Basin. CFA will be responsible for administering it in NY. More info will be coming out on this soon. It’s called the “Common Waters Fund”. You can call us and/or go to: www.commonwatersfund.org/welcome for more info. We’re very excited about this opportunity for landowners to receive technical aid as well as funding for forestry projects ranging from TSI work and road restoration to planting and deer exclosures. Listen to “From the Forest”, Wednesday evenings from 6 pm to 7 pm with Jim & Ryan. Streaming on the In- CFA will be starting a fund-raising campaign this year to repair and paint the outside of CFA’s building in ternet — go to: wioxradio.org. Arkville. It is badly in need of work and it has been post- Soon CFA members will be able to listen to archived poned far too long. You will receive a request letter in the podcasts on CFA’s website: mail from us. We have not had a fund-raising campaign for www.catskillforest.org a number of years now, but find ourselves in a position of WHAT A DEAL! Gifts For A New Member: Package 1 -- Any of the Membership Levels at a 20% discount for the first year. Package 2 -- Package 1 together with an on-site visit for $80 ($20 off the normal rate of $100) plus the normal mileage fee of $ .51 per mile. Package 3 -- Packages 1 and 2 together with tree marking at $40 per acre ($5 off the normal rate of $45 per acre) for a maximum of 10 acres. Gifts For Current Members: Package 4 -- An on-site visit for $80 ($20 off the normal rate of $100) plus the normal mileage fee of $ .51 per mile. Package 5 -- Package 4 together with tree marking at $40 per acre ($5 off the normal rate of $45 per acre) for a maximum of 15 acres. This offer expires on the 1st of August, 2010. All visits and marking appointments need to be scheduled by the 1st of September, 2010, but may be scheduled after that date. Call Michele at (845) 586-3054 to arrange the gift timing. CFA will give you a gift letter or mail it directly to the recipient with a message from you. All gifts must be pre-paid to CFA. 3 FROST LINES Observe the frost on trees at the higher elevation and little frost on the trees in the foreground at a lower elevation.. Last autumn many areas throughout the cle in 8º F temperature! When I arrived at my Catskill region experienced a poor acorn crop that destination, I was donning a thick and full frosty left many species of wildlife such as deer and mug. squirrels with very little to feed upon. Red oak is In general, there are three types of ice the most common oak tree found in our region. (frost). They are distinguished by how the super- The acorns of red oak require two growing sea- sons to mature and are therefore dependent upon the previous springs’ growing conditions. In com- parison, white oak requires only one growing sea- son. In the last two years the higher regions of the Catskills have experienced late frost each spring creating poor crops for both fruit and nuts such as apples and acorns. Although many factors are re- sponsible for whether there is a successful crop, frost can be a significant one. Frost-lines can be most easily recognized during the winter months atop mountains and ridges. Frost occurs when water vapor such as in the form of fog encounters solid surfaces that are below the freezing point. These solid surfaces can be trees, shrubs, rocks, airplanes, power-lines or the beard upon your face. Frost can be explained quite well when describing the warm air exhaled You can see some soft & hard rime on these branches. from a human’s breathing and the nearby hairs of a beard. As warm or above freezing air containing cooled water droplets form as they encounter ob- water vapor is exhaled, it may encounter the hairs jects of horizontal or vertical surfaces. The three of a beard which on a cold day are below freezing. basic ice formations include (1) soft rime; (2) hard The encounter results in a frosty beard. I experi- rime; & (3) clear-ice. Soft rime is the least dense enced this one fine evening when riding my bicy- of the formations and is easily shaken off from vegetation. It appears feathery or spiky and is 4 milky and crystalline resembling sugar. Soft rime occurs when fog encounters objects, such as tree branches during conditions of calm or light wind and when temperatures are between 28ºF and 18ºF. The formations mostly occur on the wind- ward side of a tree. Since soft rime is the least dense of the formations it normally causes little damage. Hard rime occurs during similar tempera- ture conditions, except under windier conditions. Hard rime appears less milky than soft rime. It is also more difficult to shake off and slightly denser too. Throughout the winter months, a hike up one of the Catskills high peaks will usually contain a summit of trees encased in soft and/or hard rime. The lower limits of the frost-line vary from year to year, but can almost always be found above 3500 feet (above sea level).