5th Annual Ashokan Watershed Conference

"Flowing Through Time", the 5th Annual Watershed Conference, will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2014 from 8:30am to 4pm at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, NY. All those who would like to find out more about the conference or register to attend can do so at link below.

http://ashokanstreams.org/conferences-training/watershed-conference/

Catching Up On The Weather And Other Things

So after my minor weather related outburst the other day I couldn't bear posting about the weather for several days. Things in the valley are very cold again at this point. But here is a brief recap of where we stand at this point.

A day or two after the 21 inches of snow that fell a couple of weeks ago, we got about another 6 inches. As soon as we finished clearing that away, the weather got very warm. It was hovering in the high 40's for several days in a row. The snow melted down significantly but there is still a fair amount around. During the days it was melting, if there was someplace for the water to run off, it did, but otherwise it just formed puddles. And now that it has gotten frigid again those puddles have refrozen making for really, really treacherous conditions. BEWARE when you are walking. This is the time when I get out my ice cleats. But yesterday I even slipped with those on my feet. Some driveways are better than others but walk slowly and carefully until you figure out where the icy spots are around your house!

On a completely different note, I have gotten behind in my posting so I put up several posts at once today. Be sure to scroll down and check out all the other fun things I have put up.

I hope wherever you are you are staying warm. And I will remind you that this weekend marks the end of February so spring is that much closer! I am the eternal optimist!!

WV In Kaatskill Life

The current issue of Kaatskill Life has articles on both Woodland Valley and the Romer Mountain Ski Slope. The WV article was written by resident Paul Misko. The magazine is a little hard to find. I got my copy at the General Store in the the Emerson shops. Check it out for some great local history.

Rick Altman & David Oliver

 ~RICK ALTMAN & DAVID OLIVER~

An Evening Of New Music For Vibes and Marimba

Inspired by Jazz, Folk, Ska, Afro-Cuban and many other World musics.

Sunday, February 23, 2014, 8 to 11 p.m.

*donation*

HARMONY

52 Mill Hill Rd. Woodstock, NY  (845) 679-3484

more info: www.rickaltman.com

James Wolf And His Boo Bikes

Here's a great photo of WCA member James Wolf by photographer Fredrik Wissink. Those of you who know James personally know that he makes incredible world class bikes from bamboo. Those of you who don't know him can check out his website at http://boobicycles.com .

The Bear Hunt

WCA member Boreegard (aka Mike O'Neil) recently transcribed this from Paul Miller's tape recording. it is a very wonderful piece of WV history.

The Bear Hunt 

by Paul Miller

    No doubt about it—Claude Yerry was one of the very best hunters in Ulster County.  He knew the woods like the palm of his hand.  He knew the best spots to hunt.  He knew the habits of the game.  As a matter of fact, John Lord said, “Well Claude Yerry—he’s half man, half a bear.”

     He could travel very fast in the woods.  There were very few people who could keep up with him.  He saw everything that was going on around him.  He could spot game, get a gun up and crack off a couple of shots before you were aware that there was any game around. He was just a great hunter.

     Claude liked kids and seemed to be very happy to take any one of us along when he’d go hunting; and really, rabbit hunting with Claude was a lot of fun.  I’ve known Claude to take down a whole section of stone wall because there was a rabbit in there and he wanted to get him out—and he did get him out.  On one occasion I saw Claude actually dig a rabbit out of a bank.  He was head and shoulders in the ground digging the rabbit out, and he got the rabbit.

     Well, when you went hunting with Claude and you got some game, it didn’t make any difference who shot the game or who got it, Claude always said you had to whack-up what you got.  And as kids, when Claude whacked-up or divided the game, you generally came home with a little more than your share.  He was awful good to kids. 

     I got to go bear hunting with Claude a time or two when I was a kid.  In those days there was no law on bear.  You could hunt ‘em any way you wanted.  And the way the bear hunters did hunt bear was to find a track after the first snow, and track ‘em in snow to the dens, and then shoot them in the dens or as they came out.

     This one time between Christmas and New Year’s, Jim Austin was visiting me.  The snow was about knee deep and it was pretty late for a bear to be out—he should have been in his den hibernating, but he wasn’t.  Claude ran across the bear’s track and he invited Jim and me to go along with him and track the bear in.

     So we did.  We got up in the morning.  God, it was way before daybreak—black dark out and cold.  We went out and walked up the road.  There wasn’t any road—hadn’t been plowed—just knee deep snow.

     We picked Claude up at his house and we went up to the end of the valley, which was about two miles from our house, and then followed the old road that used to lead over the mountain to Winnasook.  Claude knew just about where that bear was going to cross the valley.  And up along that road we struck the bear track.  Well, the bear went right straight up the mountain, and of course we followed.  Where the tracks went, we went.

     The tracks took us straight up the mountain to the foot of Giant’s Ledge.  Then the bear turned, in I’d say pretty well a northerly direction and walked along under the ledge and up the ridge to the top of Panther Mountain.  Up there the snow was even deeper and it was cold.  Holy smoke, it was a cold day.

     Jim and I had some lunch with us but Claude wouldn’t stop to eat.  He wouldn’t stop for lunch so we had to eat on the go.  By the time we’d gotten to eating our lunch the sandwiches were frozen, but we ate them anyway.

     And the bear tracks were continuing in a northerly direction.  While we were on the top of Panther mountain, Claude looked down in sort of a westerly direction, down into Big Indian Valley, and he said that the bear was going to hole up on “such and such” a ridge, which he pointed out to us.  And he says,”He’s going to be either on this side of the ridge or that side of the ridge.  There’s no use in us following all the way around this big circle to get there.  We’ll just go right down there and pick his track up down below.”

     Well you know, I didn’t know about that, but Claude said so, so it had to be so.  So we broke on down into the Big Indian Valley and, yes, sure enough, we picked up the bear track down there again.

     This was a big bear, no question about it.  And he had no business being out that late.  He should have been holed up, but that’s where he was.  And the we struck what they call “back tracks.”  A bear will make a side trip and then he’ll turn around and come back right in his own tracks, then start off in another direction.  And he’ll keep doing that ‘til he gets quite an area tracked up that way.  That indicates that he’s going to hole up pretty soon.  I’ve been told by some old bear hunters that bears will walk around and make a lot of tracks—go around here this way and that way—kind of to throw anything that’s following him off the track.  I’m not sure I believe that, but anyway, that’s what they said.

     We followed these back tracks around quite a bit.  But Claude was pretty smart.  He would dip the snow out of a bear track and he would point off in one direction.  And then he’d come back and point in another direction, and we’d take that track.  So we avoided a lot of these side trips that the bear ad taken, and pretty soon we came up to the bear.

     I suppose it was two or three in the afternoon.  Anyway, there was still plenty of daylight.  We shot the bear.  And the bear was just about where Claude said it would be—on the side of that ridge in the Big Indian Valley.

     Well, now we had to take the bear out.  Jim and I were pretty tired by that time.  But Claude seemed to be still fresh.  We used my belt to drag the bear, and we got him going downhill.  I remember one time Jim and I were carrying the guns and Claude was dragging the bear, which of course was rollin’ down the mountain with him.  The bear started to slide and took Claude from behind.  And there was Claude—ridin’ down the mountain astraddle of the bear!

     So we got him down on the flat land, and as I said, Jim and I were pretty tired; but Claude, he was still fresh.  We struck a wood road down there and Claude took off to get help and left us with the bear.

     He found a native there, a resident of that area, who had a team and sleigh and he brought him back.  Jim and I were pretty near froze by that time, but we put the bear in the sleigh and went down to the Big Indian railroad station with a whole bunch of people.  There were trains back then—the U and D (Ulster and Delaware) was still runnin’ and there was a train due later that afternoon.

     We put the bear on the train and took him into Phoenicia.  And there in Phoenicia at the station we waited again, and Claude got another sleigh, and we put the bear on that sleigh and we hauled it into Woodland Valley to Claude’s house.  And there we left it for the night.

     Well—that was a really long day.  It was pitch dark and late at night by the time we got home.  We were tired but happy.  We had a bear!

     Claude liked to take pictures.  So the next day Jim and I went up there to Claude’s house, and my brother Tryon took his camera and went with us.

     We got some pictures of Claude and Jim and myself with the bear.  He was a big bear.

     And that’s the story of that hunt.

(Transcribed from Paul Miller’s tape recording HUNTERS AND SOME OTHER CRITTERS).     

WHY IS IT SNOWING AGAIN TODAY?????

Yes folks, I was shouting in the title of this post. I am truly sick of all this snow! It snowed yesterday about 4-5 inches. I had not even begun to clear that up when I looked out the window this morning and it was snowing again. At this point, I have no idea how much we have on the ground. It just seems to be melding into one big long storm and getting deeper.

The forecast is for it to go into the 40's in the next few days. If this all melts and then refreezes it will be a mess! I will keep you posted.

Adorable Baby Alert!!!

Sorry for my excessive use of exclamation points in the title of this post but this little guy deserves the excitement. He is Woodland Valley resident and bon vivant Seiya Dante Raffaele. He is the son of Julia Rose and John Raffaele and the brother of Maya Raffaele. I thought that after the relentless pounding that we have gotten over the last week from the weather, a infusion of intense adorableness would be just what the doctor ordered!!

He is a couple of months old at this point and looks like he is thriving. Thanks for laying the charm on us, Seiya. You have brightened my spirits and I am sure you will put a smile on the faces of all the other people who read this blog!!

Just A Bit More

Just when we thought we were done with the snow we had another storm dump about 4 additional inches on the valley yesterday. Actually, I wasn't quite done digging out from the first go round when this other smaller event took place. (See photo above - we knew there was a car in there somewhere). But this one cleaned up much more quickly.

There is a LOT of snow around the valley though, so I would advise anyone coming here anytime soon to confirm with their plow man/woman that their driveway has been cleared. Otherwise, you will have no place to park. And leaving a car on the road in these conditions is dangerous.

And this reminds me, as I drove down WV road I noticed that some people have chosen to not plow their driveways. I have been told in the past that if your driveway is not cleared and you have a fire at your house and the fire trucks can't get to the structure that your insurance will not pay your claim. I don't know if this is true for all insurance companies but I would advise you to check before you make the decision not to plow.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you are all staying warm.

Total

The snow seems to be finished at last. Last evening I decided to shovel my back porch between the two bands of the snow.  I am glad I did! If I hadn't, I don't think I would be able to open my door. The final total for this storm is around 21 inches. We got about 11 inches in the first band (that came through yesterday morning through about 8pm) and then got another 10 inches on top of that in the second band (that came through overnight). Unfortunately, now we have to get out the shovels and move it. Personally I would rather stay indoors and watch movies. But move it I must.

The highway department has continued to plow all night. I just heard them come through again so hopefully the roads won't be too bad. But if you can I would stay put until they get this mess cleared up a little further.

The winds have picked up this morning and are starting to blow things around but except for a few strong gusts it hasn't been too bad.

So far there has been no disruption of phone or power but I will keep you posted on that.

So it's out to start clearing all this up. I think it will be a long day.

Snowing Heavily

It is snowing heavily here in the valley. There is about 3-4 inches on the ground already. It is light and fluffy and easy to move. The plow trucks have been up and down the road already and I am sure they will continue through the night. There have been no disruptions to power or phone at this point.

Below is an announcement from the Shandaken Town Clerk, Joyce Grant. Please heed her warning and don't travel if you don't have to. Stay Safe!!

Town Hall Offices will be closing at 11am. Please stay off the roads, if you can. All Forms & Applications are available on our website shandaken.us. If you need to call for anything..(before 11am) Clerks Office 688-5004, Supervisor 688-7165, Assessor 688-5003, Bldg. Dept. 688-5008, Highway 688-5031. I will be accessing my work computer from home if you need tax info, etc.... email townclerk@shandaken.us - Please Be Safe!

- Joyce Grant

 

Phoenicia Water District Alert

I received this alert in my email box this morning. Please share this information with anyone you might know who lives in the Phoenicia water district.

** CONSERVE WATER ALERT - Until Further Notice! ** Phoenicia Water District: Constant Freezing Temps have caused an EXTREME Water Shortage in our reservoirs. PLEASE Conserve Water & Check for leaks in your Home & Basement. Call Water Comm. Rick Ricciardella for info 688-5172. Please, share this notice.

Community Garden Plots Available

For those of you who, for one reason or another, can't have a garden on your own property, here is a wonderful opportunity to have one nearby.

SHANDAKEN COMMUNITY GARDENS GARDEN PLOTS AVAILABLE NOW FOR 2014 SEASON

Contact: Juliet Greenwood, Membership Coordinator (845)-202-1117 shandakencommunitygardens@gmail.com

Shandaken Community Gardens volunteer steering committee and members spent the 2013 season building a 26-plot garden from the ground up, growing a bountiful harvest, enjoying and donating that

harvest, hosting arts and gardening events, and preparing the way for future seasons. Now is the time for you to get involved and claim one of the beautifully prepared plots for your 2014 garden!

Within the organic, non-GMO, community-run garden located at Phoenicia Elementary School there are a number of available 10ft by 10ft, raised beds with beautiful compost soil. For annual membership dues of $25.00 per year and a one-time infrastructure donation of $25.00, you can join the group of gardeners from Shandaken and the surrounding area who shared in the creation, maintenance, and community spirit of Shandaken Community Gardens.

The infrastructure that SCG gardeners can now enjoy includes an eight-foot deer fence with lockable gates, a shared tool shed with room for your personal tools plus many available shared tools, two sets of compost bins, water barrels and spigot for convenient "water wise" irrigation, lovely seating, a group-tended community circle flower garden, and available advice from our Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners and other experienced gardeners on the steering committee. In other words, first-time gardeners are welcome! There are also many opportunities to participate in food activism on the local level, and further growth of the Gardens as a community resource for "the shared experience of growing food, flowers and herbs", as the mission states.

The Shandaken Community Gardens' relationship with and support from the Ulster County Board of Education and Phoenicia Elementary School staff and PTA makes many of our efforts and programs possible. In the 2014 season, we are looking forward to building on our educational programs for gardeners, families, and children. We are also dedicated to making participation in the garden possible for everyone, regardless of circumstances.

The available plots are assigned by lottery to all paid applicants after the returning members make their commitments to renew. The deadline for returning members to renew their membership and pay their annual fee is February 14. After February 14, all remaining plots become available to the community, one per person. Plots which remain unclaimed after March 15 - if there are any - will be assigned by lottery to anyone who requested a second plot. We officially start the season, breaking into the winter-rested ground at the end of April!

Information and membership forms are available at www.shandakencommunitygardens.org, or by contacting the Membership Coordinator, Juliet Greenwood, at 845-202-1117 or shandakencommunitygardens@gmail.com.

Power And Phone

A few weeks back Josh Sheldon wrote to say that he loses his phone service (even with the old kind of phones that don't require electricity to run) when there is a power outage and asked me if I lost mine in that situation too. I said I didn't think so but I am still not sure because we haven't had any interruptions in power for me to check. Anyway, Josh asked some other people and then called Verizon. Here is what he found out and the good suggestion he has for valley residents.

Last month I asked you and other WVR residents about their land line service, here's what I found out:

According to Matt Millin, the local field foreman, in rural areas (like ours) for the last 20 years Verizon has been installing devices called multiplexors which break up the dial tone for multiple residences, there are two multiplexors on Woodland Valley Road.  These multiplexors are less expensive than running copper cable to each and every residence but the problem is they need to be electrically powered so during power outages they rely on backup batteries but often these batteries need to be replaced regularly and aren't always.  

The only thing we can do is complain to Verizon when the service goes out and threaten to switch to Time Warner, if enough people do so they'll be forced to run copper cable to each residence or at the very least be more proactive in replacing the backup batteries.

All the best,

Josh Sheldon

Another Inch or So

After I posted yesterday it started to snow more heavily again. By the time it had finished we got another inch or two. So the total for yesterday's storm was about 10-11 inches. The clean-up went fairly quickly though, so at this point everything is pretty much back to normal. Today was very sunny at times so some of the snow has started to melt down already. There is talk of another storm over the weekend but we will have to wait and see. Let's hope it won't be too bad!

Still Snowing Lightly

I am taking a brief break in the shoveling to post an update on the current weather conditions here in the valley. I know many of you who are away from your houses get very concerned when the conditions are bad. Anyway, the current total for this storm is about 9 inches. It is still snowing lightly but I think the bulk of the storm is past.

The forecast was for a wintry mix at the end of the storm but, at least in this end of the valley, it has continued as snow. It is not as light as the last few storms because the temperatures are warmer but it is still fairly easy to move.

On other snow related valley updates, the plows have been up and down several times but I have not tried to drive to town so I can't report on the road conditions. There have been no power or phone outages so far. More snow may develop over the weekend but we will just have to wait and see how that storm shapes up. As usual, I will keep you posted.

This Past Storm

The storm that came through yesterday left about 3 inches of new snow on the ground. It is fairly treacherous walking outside because the old snow had melted and then refroze under this new cover. So you can't see the icy spots. I slipped many, many times last night, so be very careful.

The good news is that the town plows have been up and down several times so the roads aren't that bad anymore. Now we can just sit and wait for the snow to start again tonight and see what this one dumps on us. This is shaping up to be a long cold winter. Well, I guess the bright side is that at least we are done with January!

Important News Concerning FEMA Flood Maps

The big thing happening around town in the last couple of weeks are the letters that some homeowners have been receiving regarding the new FEMA flood maps for the area. People who own property within the newly redrawn flood areas are the ones receiving letters. If you haven't gotten one you are not in the FEMA designated flood area.

Many people who HAVE gotten these letters are very upset. As you all know, after the last several flooding events FEMA has redrawn the maps for Ulster County. It turns out that if ANY of your property (not just where the house sits) is located within the flooding area the ENTIRE property is considered inside the area and is eligible to purchase flood insurance (although it is my understanding that if the house is high you may be able to get an elevation waiver that would decrease the rates for that insurance - but at this point I am not clear about the details of that). Some folks are worried about this development because if you have a mortgage you might be mandated to carry this insurance and the rates are going to rise in the next few years. (It is rumored that the rise will be steep although no solid figures have been released.)

If you would like to see the new flood maps and figure out where your property is in terms of their flood zone determinations you can go to:

http://apps.femadata.com/PreliminaryViewer/?appid=23791d2c76bc423493c1bba064fb83e1

FEMA is leading a public meeting on this issue tomorrow February 5th from 4pm to 8pm at the Woodstock Fire Hall at 242 Tinker St. This would be a good meeting to attend if you have questions. 

There is also a notice on the Town of Shandaken website asking homeowners to contact our Congressman Chris Gibson to tell him to help maintain current flood insurance rates. You can read it for yourself at:

http://www.shandaken.us/news/shandaken-homeowners-please-help-maintain-current-flood-rates/
The Senate has acted on this issue and the House of Representatives is taking it up in the coming weeks. You may want to consider contacting Congressman Gibson if you are in a flood zone.

These are very important issues in our community because so many people now live inside the designated flood area. I urge you very strongly to please take the time to find out more about what this means for you and your property.

NY Rising Communities Public Meeting

The towns of Hardenburgh and Shandaken have been selected to participate in a NY Rising Communities Reconstruction Program to rebuild from the devastating effects of the recent major storms, and to make our communities more resilient against future storms. There is a potential $3 million dollars in funding available for each community. Join the discussion and decision making process by attending the upcoming meeting on February 18th, 2014 - 7pm at the Shandaken Town Hall and make your voice heard!