The Catskill 3500 Club — Steward of the Catskills January—March 2013 Volume 46 Number 1 Inside this issue… Sharing the Mountains - Hiker and Hunters Sharing the woods with hunters, CAN coexist bugs, and other clubs! Every September when I receive the autumn Canister, I think of how Trail Mix hiking during the hunting season keeps some members indoors. As a hiker who A Blend of News and Notes grew up hunting, allow me to share some thoughts for those who don't want to give up weeks of being in the woods. from the Club I began roaming the hills and mountains with my friends when we Time to play in the snow for the annual were 10, using bicycles to get to where we wanted to go. Our days usually in- 3500 Catskill Club Winter Weekend! volved fishing, poking around the woods, or fooling with BB guns. By age 12 we Gather with friends and new acquaint- all had .22 rifles, with shotguns coming a couple of years later. Our outdoor ances at the Frost Valley YMCA for calendars followed the hunting seasons for grouse, pheasants, squirrels, deer, winter adventures and good times. Lots and rabbit hunting with hunting dogs. of hikes will be offered this year so Into my early 20s, a day in the woods meant hunting, until a co worker there will be room for those new to introduced me to hiking, a revelation that I could roam the woods without a winter hiking or experienced cold firearm. And what an introduction it was. I was soon hiking and then leading hikes to bigger and bigger mountains in NY, New England, and out west. I was weather outdoors men and women. named Albany ADK outings chair and wore out 4 co-chairs in a 14 year tenure. Frost Valley also offers cross country Hiking replaced all of my woodland pursuits. I have a foot in both worlds, hiker skiing for those who want to vary their and sportsman, and hope this gets you thinking about how the two groups can weekend. More details at frostvalley.org. co-exist. As of the print date there are several We ask about whether to hike or where to hike during the hunting sea- hotel rooms still open at FV, but if they sons. Let's remember that hunting license fees help pay for habitat and wildlife fill up Claryville (15 mintues away) management, the benefits of which hikers enjoy as well. We've all read about so does have inn style housing options. For called 'hunters' who poach, hunt with lights at night, take 'sound shots', bait deer and HWI (hunt while impaired). They are outlaws and deserve the disre- those comfortable with a more rustic pute they bring on good hunters and woodsmen, many of whom remain largely situation, bunks are available at the Bis- below the radar as 3500 Club members. Given the demographics - growing cuit Brook Lodge with different config- number of hikers and the decline of hunting - there may be even more hikers urations including 4 bunk rooms. BB who behave badly and bring discredit to our sport. Those who camp near water, also has a central meeting space with a summits, or on trails, leave litter and campfires burning, build fire rings on fire-place (perfect after a day of playing summits or above 3500', cut trees, trim branches for viewpoints, and don't bury in the snow!). If you already have lodg- waste. I mention these so we don't single out hunting as the sport with bad out- ing in the area, are hiking that day and liers. Here are some considerations if you'd like to share the autumn woods want to join everyone for dinner and with hunters: socializing on Saturday, you’re also wel- Trails: Look for those that start up steeply and keep going up. These are excel- come. lent places to hike. Hunting gear and clothing is heavy, and steep, rocky terrain To make a reservation or for pricing generally attracts only the best hunters, weeding out the stereotypes we don't details please contact Maria Bedo: win- want to run into. Avoid trailheads where the trail is easy to hike or walk, or [email protected].; follows old woods roads. Look for areas where hunting or Sunday hunting is 917-881- 9272; or at 36 Hamilton prohibited. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Connecticut have differ- Road, #5, Irvington, NY 10533. ent hunting season days and dates. Massachusetts does not allow Sunday hunt- ing. Continued on page 3 (Continued on page 3) We’re on the web at www.catskill-3500-club.org Page 2 the catskill canister January—March 2013 The Catskill Canister Hello hikers! Bootprints President Thanks to all who have been helping this Jean Taylor The President’s Column club, the DEC rangers, and the NYNJ [email protected] Trail Conference in clearing off Catskill trails, after yet more major storms. If this kind of weather indeed becomes the “new normal,” maybe we Editor should consider a day of trail maintenance to be part of earning one’s patch? Heather Rolland (Currently, participating in the various clean-ups helps to earn a Service cer- [email protected] tificate and a crescent to go around the patch, as well as to creating lots of 15 Grace Way Olivebridge, NY 12461 good feelings all around.) (914) 489-4034 Our "herd path committee" has evolved into the Wilderness Stewardship Committee. We soon realized that some herd paths are here to stay, but it is Associate Editor our duty as Stewards of the Catskills to minimize our impact and preserve Michael E. Doehring the wilderness character of the trailless peaks. This is also part of the agree- [email protected] ment the 3500 Club made with the DEC as part of being 7 Cloverdale Ave. White Plains, NY 10603 able to have the canisters on the summits. These canisters (914) 761-7225 make our club unique, and they should be preserved for future hikers. Membership We have come up with several things that we, as a club, can David White do to reach our goals, including: [email protected] training leaders on how to minimize impact; 28 Mulberry St. Clinton, NY 13323 stressing wilderness ethics to all our members; (315) 853-1070 enticing hikers toward reading the terrain and using map and compass; encouraging leaders to vary the routes they follow to trailless peaks; Subscriptions/Aspirants emphasizing the DEC guidelines of groups of no more than 12 on off Terri Maxymillian trail hikes, including the leader; [email protected] meeting the increased demand created by having smaller groups, by hav- PO Box 374 Marcy, NY 13403 ing our leaders schedule additional club hikes on short notice (e.g. via the (315) 939-4307(m) yahoo group, the club’s Facebook page, or on other media); The Wilderness Stewardship Committee realizes that many other groups also Outings have hikes in the Catskills. Our leadership role as stewards, and our desire to Manuel A. Peraza ensure that we can keep the canisters, means that we need to find ways to [email protected] reach out to others concerning the critical importance of maintaining wilder- 23 Kathy Pl., #2B Staten Island, NY 10314 ness character, and discuss with them how best to achieve it. (718) 698-4422 Jean Taylor and Jim Bouton Peripatetic Porcupine Ralph Ferrusi Expanding our [email protected] Conservation Corner— Environmental Education 34 Kim Lane Stormville, NY 12582 A Note from our Conservation Chair, Community The Catskill Center has begun Carol White The Catskill Canister is published four times yearly a new program called The by the Catskill 3500 Club, Inc. for $10.00 a year. Catskills Naturalist Apprentice Program (CatNAP), a certificate program for Articles, not previously published, of less than 1100 people interested in learning about the natural resources of the Catskill words on hiking, essays, or poetry, should be sent Mountains. It is hoped that participants will then provide education to others to [email protected]. about conservation of the natural world. Classes include tree and native wild- flower identification, invasive plant and insect education, general trail All material contained herein is copyrighted by the authors or by the Catskill Canister. maintenance, landowner workshops, and more; since its beginning in sum- mer 2012, classes have included mushroom forays, amphibian and aquatic Nominal dates for receiving the Canister are: plant identification, natural history hikes, and woods walks in over 40 work- Mar 15, Jun 15, Sep 15, and Dec 15. shops. Participants who register for CatNAP have two years to complete 45 hours of training. January—March 2013 the catskill canister Page 3 Sharing the Mountains, continued from page 1 enjoy their few weeks in the woods unmolested. If hiking on Clothing: Consider what you wear. A blaze orange hat, vest or a trail, I'll carry on a conversation with my companions, or gloves lets you be seen a long way away. The sports depart- with Bookah, letting hunters know I'm around. And equally ments of large discount stores have these and they are an inex- importantly, try to engage hunters in a friendly manner. pensive means to peace of mind. Hang a blaze orange bandan- We're ambassadors for our sport and we all like to enjoy the na on your pack. Leave white handkerchiefs or other clothing woods in our own way. at home. White looks too much like the upraised flag or tail of My intention is not to try to convince you about a whitetail deer.