History Of Fires

WV resident Rolf Reiss sent this to me and I thought it was interesting. This is another reminder why  the burn ban is in place. Thanks for sending this information, Rolf.


Apparently Woodland Valley has a history of forest fires.
This is from the Catskill Mountain News of Oct 23, 1914.

Headline; BAD FOREST FIRE.
200 Men Required to Subdue Flames Near Phoenicia--- U&D Sent 75 Men.

Forest fires have been raging a few miles from here for the past three or four days. One was reported at Hunter, one at Woodstock and one in the Woodland Valley, up from Phoenicia. This one seemed to be the largest and nearly 200 men were fighting it. On Wednesday when it seemed to be impossible to control it, the Ulster and Delaware railroad officials sent 75 men to help subdue it. The fire was then covering an area which would have taken ten miles to circle.

- Rolf

Man Charged For Starting Fire

According to the Kingston Freeman the man that started the illegal fire to burn trash at the end of Muddy Brook Rd has been arrested and charged with starting a forest fire. Here is the article from the Freeman http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160426/phoenicia-man-charged-with-starting-forest-fire-that-burned-5-acres

And again, I will remind everyone that there is a burning ban in effect until May 14th. Please heed this ban!! I would also encourage anyone who sees another person ignoring the ban should call the local police. Burning trash outdoors right now puts all of us in danger! DON"T DO IT!!!!

Raining Today

It has been raining in the valley since last night. Usually, I don't post about rain but since yesterday's brush fire episode I thought it was important to let you know that the weather has put an end to any worries about hot spots.

As far as I know no one was hurt and no houses were damaged from the fire. Word on the street is that the blaze was started by someone at the end of Muddy Brook Rd who ignored the burn ban and made a fire outdoors. No word yet on whether that person has been fined or not.

Kudos to all the emergency responders! They are brave and super terrific in their dedication to keeping us all safe. I think I can speak for all in Woodland Valley when I say THANK YOU!!

Contained

This post is being written from the fabulous Phoenicia Library in an effort to bring you all up to date as soon as possible. As I came out of Woodland Valley I talked to the emergency worker stationed at the beginning of Muddy Brook Rd. He was there to prevent people from entering the road and getting in the way of the fire department. I asked him how the efforts to battle the fire were going and he said that at this point they had it contained. It was great to hear that news!

As I continued driving to town I saw firemen at the Woodland Valley Bridge and along High St taking their gear off and emptying the water from the fire trucks. So everything definitely seemed to be winding down. 

It has also started to rain lightly. More rain is expected later so that should make the general conditions here better. And hopefully, it will aid our neighbors to the south to contain their brush fire too.

So you can all breathe easy, it looks like all is well in the valley again.

Brush Fire At The Beginning Of Woodland Valley

Ironically, after posting earlier about the fire near Ellenville it turns out that there is one much closer to home. It seems there is a brush fire burning right now at the start of the valley. Apparently, it started at the end of Muddy Brook Rd and has gone up and over Garfield Mt toward Herdman Rd. I don't have a lot of information at this point but several local fire companies have been called out to fight the fire. I think it is slightly out of control but they are working on it. That is all I know right now but I will keep you up to date.

Wildfire To The South

There is a wildfire burning to the south of us in Sam's Point preserve near Ellenville. http://www.dailyfreeman.com/general-news/20160424/state-emergency-personnel-respond-to-brush-fire-near-ellenville Although this is far away, it is a good reminder of the dry conditions that exist throughout the NY region. Please be extra careful and observe the burning ban that is in effect until May 14th. There is rain in the forecast for this week so hopefully that will bring some relief but until then please be extra careful.

Not A Good Year

Many of you know that I over the past 20 years I have laboriously planted thousands of daffodils in my yard. Each spring I wait patiently to observe the fruits of my labor. But this year has been disappointing. There were hardly any flowers. About 1/2 to 1/3 of the blubs never got any flower shoots at all. And, since the weather has continuously bounced back and forth between winter and spring, the cold temps and snow have taken a toll on the flowers that did bloom.

Since daffodils need a dormancy period, I initially thought that the warmer winter had affected  the bulbs adversely. But then I noticed that every one of the bulbs that I planted this fall bloomed. So now my hypothesis is that it was the extreme dryness of last summer that affected the flowering (or lack thereof) of the bulbs this spring. I don't know if that is really the case, but that is my unscientific guess.

So, my apologies to any of you waiting to see the daffodil show at my house. Just like me you will all have to wait until next year.

NY Primary Vote Today

Whether you are a democrat or a republican make your voice heard today and vote in the NY primary. This year's presidential race is important for many reasons and every person in this nation should weigh in by casting their vote. Woodland Valley residents vote in the M.F. Whitney firehouse in Phoenicia. The polls are open from 12pm to 9pm. See you there!

Upcoming Long Path Race

Phoenicia Ridge to Valley Trail Half Marathon Race June 4th Join us on a half marathon trail race that celebrates the hamlet of Phoenicia and the coolest new trail in the Catskills. The race will start in downtown Phoenicia and head into the woods 1.2 miles later. From there, the Long Path gently ascends Romer Mountain, putting you on a ridge with rolling terrain and plenty of breathtaking scenery, including sweeping views of the Burroughs and Devils Path ranges. The race will end near the Woodland Valley Campground where we'll have a barbecue. This is a perfect first half marathon for newbies and a nice fast course for more experienced runners. Shuttle service to be provided to get you back to your car from Woodland Valley. More details to come, but you can register here now: http://www.storehouseny.com/#!registration-/mgb6d This event is part of the Long Path Race Series, which aims to build awareness for the Long Path and the work of the Trail Conference and its volunteers and to get more people running and hiking on New York's beautiful trails.

Phoenicia Library in HV Magazine

Our awesome Phoenicia Library has been featured in an article about how libraries in the Hudson Valley are thriving. http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/April-2016/Hudson-Valley-Libraries-Are-Thriving/

If you haven't been to the Phoenicia Library lately I encourage you to stop by and visit. There is a LOT of fun things happening in addition to great books, DVDs, CDs and other things to peruse and borrow. I myself joined the ukulele lesson a couple of weeks ago and had a blast! So check out the Phoenicia Library schedule of events online and see what's up! http://phoenicialibrary.org

What's Left

This morning seems to have brought some bitterness, both on the part of the weather and my own attitude. I woke up to find the temperature at 13 degrees. Ah, a lovely spring morning in the Catskills (here is where my bitterness kicked in). But it has warmed into the 30s at this point so at least the thermometer is moving in the right direction.

There is a lot of snow left around from the two storms we have had over the past few days. The ground was warm when it first started snowing so a lot of it melted down. It is not as deep as you would expect after 11 inches of snow. But there is still a fair amount around and last night's deep freeze hardened up anything that had melted yesterday. My driveway and walkways are icy. So be careful on your own property, things might be icy there too.

The sun is shiny brightly and the forecast is for it to go into the 50s on Thursday so lets hope this all melts off. We shall see. But for right now spring in the valley is on hold.

More April Snow

Today's snow stopped in the early evening. It is hard to tell exactly how much we got because the snow packed down almost as quickly as it landed. I measured another 6 inches on the parts of my porch I had cleared yesterday.

I heard from several people that the roads were difficult today but I can't verify that because I didn't leave (although I was supposed to go to the city).

After thinking that spring had come, all this snow is quite a letdown. I am especially sad because I think it has ruined my daffodil show for this year. About 1/3 of my daffodils had already bloomed when the snow came and the depth and weight of it pulled them over. Those blooms look ruined. There are still more to bloom but I don't think I will have the big, bright show I usually see in the spring.  Too bad, but I guess there is always next year.

April Snow!

I haven't posted too many weather reports to the blog this winter because there really wasn't much to say. We experienced a very mild season that I thought would lead into an early spring. That changed overnight with some arctic air blowing in and bringing us 5 inches of April snow (my poor daffodils are under there somewhere...Boo Hoo). The forecast is for more light snow today and possibly up to another 3 to 5 inches tomorrow. Ugh! So much for an early spring. I will keep you all posted on what happens over the next couple of days.