Graduation

Jessie (Jessica) McDonald Jazrawi, daughter of WCA members Linda and Bob McDonald received her MBA recently. She finished her studies in 2 years. Her parents are very proud! Pictured above are Bob and Linda with Jessie after her graduation. Below is Jessie with her husband Danny. It was a great day for all!

A Spring Poem from Mike O'Neil

And Life Begins Again

To see the lovely uninvited wildflowers peeking through the backyard forest,
To enjoy the red squirrel we’ve named Reddy, robbing our birdseed,
To see the Chinese Lemon tree set leaves and ambrosiac flowers ,
After the impossible winter,

And, life begins again.

Boreegard
April 27, 2009

Trillium

Another beautiful thing that is starting to bloom right now in the valley is the Trillium. I noticed these lovely flowers on my walk yesterday. If you would like more information on this plant you can go to Wikipedia - Trillium and read about it.

More Dafs

I work so hard to plant these I can't resist putting up a few more photos of my daffodils. They are spectacular this year!!

The Dafs At Their Peak

Although the weather over the past few days has been cold and rainy (with a little snow mixed in for effect) my 4000 daffodils are finally peaking. No matter what the weather, they are very optimistic, sunny little flowers!!

Wintery Mix??????????

I know I said that I wouldn't be posting anymore weather for a while but after a beautiful weekend the temperatures dropped dramatically last night and we had some rainy snow today. At this point it has changed back over to rain but, Yuk, Brrrr, I want spring back!!!!

About The BambooCycle

I asked James Wolf to tell us a little more about his bikes and here is what he said.

"I have been making bike frames for a while now using bamboo tubes and bamboo composite with a lot of not so Gilligan's island technology. I machine custom aluminum parts where necessary for mounting wheels, bearing and cable routing, but the frame structure is all bamboo/bamboo composite. They weigh as much as an aluminum frame, but bamboo is way more vibration absorbent gives a real smooth ride. I am making racing frames, but also will get into touring and commuting as well. I can make any size and any geometry, it all depends on the rider's size and preferences. I've been riding each of the prototypes, man what a cool feeling to ride on a BambooCycle!"

- James Wolf

James Wolf's Newest Bike Design

James and his wife Jen sent me these photos of James' newest bamboo bike design. Very cool! Thanks for letting me put these up James!

More Photos of the Woodland School

I received this message from Woodland Valley historian Rolf Reiss with some photos of the Woodland School. Thanks Rolf!

"Thanks to everyone who recently posted photos and information on the Woodland School.
I do not have any text to add but I wanted to share a few photo postcards I have from the school. The first card showing a very sour looking group of students and adults was postmarked in Woodland on Sept.21 1921 and sent to a Mr. Clarence Snyder in Kingston NY. The second card shows the backside of one of the main buildings and was also sent from Woodland on Christmas day in 1908. It has no message and was sent to Mr. E. A. Spinks himself in Brooklyn NY. The third card showing the front of both of the main buildings was postmarked from Woodland on New Years Day 1913 and sent to a gentleman in Williamson NY with wishes for a Happy New Year from Mr. and Mrs. Spinks."

- Rolf Reiss

Looking for Houses to Rent

WCA members Noni and Michael Connor are looking for one or more houses in the Valley to rent on the weekend of May 30th. They’re hosting a family party and looking for convenient places for their out-of-town relatives. If you’re interested, please email Michael at michael@michaelconnor.net or telephone 917-846-7608.

Beauty and the Beast

WCA member Paul Misko recently sent me this message.

"On a walk at the head of the valley I came upon two unusual sights. The first was an early Spring Beauty flower in bloom by the 1st of April. Later I saw a bat flying in small circles overhead, as if lost. He then just crash landed and fluttered around on the ground. For a few years now our brown bats have been suffering from a disease which causes them to leave their roost and fly around at the wrong seasons, and the wrong time of the day. The disease is called "White Nose Syndrome" , due to white smudges found on
the nose and wings. It causes the bats to leave hibernation early and search for non-existant food, thus burning up their stored fat reserve. They often die before finding something to eat. One picture shows the bat which landed on my porch during a snow storm. Many colonies of bats have been affected , and so far it's progress cannot be stopped. Bats may have rabies, so if you see one lying on the ground, don't pick it up."
- Paul Misko

Alexander Mallon - Astrologer/Astromomer

WCA member Alexander Mallon is both a certified Astrologer and an avid Astronomer. He owns one of the largest telescopes in the Hudson Valley. Check out his website at astrologyspirit.com and learn more about him.

Vacation Rental At Camp Woodland Site

Just received this information from WCA member Cara Cruickshank.

Beautiful, sunny, converted Camp Woodland Cabin on 7 acres! Take a walk to lake Ooshy Gooshy, have a picnic in the meadow, sing folk songs round the campfire, and enjoy the unfolding of spring, the magic of summer, or the golden glory of autumn!

This is the perfect opportunity to start that novel, compose that song, paint those watercolor miniatures, or just renew your resources and revel in the memories of Camp Woodland.

3 minutes to the best pancakes in the area, 5 minutes to hiking trails, 10 min. walk to the Esopus Stream, 15 min. to the charming town of Woodstock. Fully furnished, includes 1 bedroom, 1 loft, 2 full bathrooms, WiFi, phone, washer, dryer, dishwasher, woodstove, wood floors, clawfoot bathtub, deck, and plenty of skylights. Ideal for 1-4 people. No smoking.

Slide Show Link

Description Page Link

Available for weekends. Also available for longer stays in late May, early June, late August, the month of Sept, and as a winter rental Nov.-March.
Call: 845-688-2068 or Email: storydanz@yahoo.com

WCA Friend Gary Shaver

I just received this message from Boreegard (aka Mike O'Neil) about Gary Shaver.

ANNUS HORRIBILIS

The terrible news that Gary Shaver’s Beaverkill Trout Hatchery over there in Lew Beach, Sullivan County was barred from delivering trout for stocking (at least this year), came as a shock. His fish had tested positive for three pathogens—Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, Aeromonas salmonicida, and Yersinia ruckeri (Enteric Red Mouth), and while this did not prohibit him from selling his trout for human consumption, it effectively put the kybosh on his stocking operation for the rest of 2009. Those of us who have bought the Shaver’s beautiful, plump, lively trout each year (in my case to stock the fly fishing section of Woodland Brook) would have to scramble and make other arrangements—if that were still possible. Then came the worst possible news. On March 13th, in the middle of a work day (nearly every day was a work day for him), Gary suffered a massive heart attack and died before he could be admitted to the hospital.

The poet might weave limpid lines about the sublime beauty of nature—its gentle rains, the verdant mountains, the fiery sunsets. But try to wrench a living from the tempestuous, unpredictable vagaries of nature and you will soon discover that it is a hard road to travel in the best of circumstances. It takes a special person to carry it off, and Gary was just such a person—one with heart and solid resolution, and a droll sense of understated country humor that saw him through when others might falter. But this terrible year, this annus horribilis, was too much, even for him. To his wife Betty, mother Gloria, his children Sherry, Fred, Kevin, and Lisa, their spouses and their children, we send our profound commiserations, and love.

- Mike O'Neil

Tax Freeze Removed from the Budget

A few months ago, as part of his upcoming budget, Governor Paterson proposed a property tax freeze on all the State lands. This could have had very serious tax implications for all of us here within the boundaries of the Catskill Park. If the state capped the share of money they were willing to pay, any tax increases going forward would be left for us, the individual tax payers, to bear.

With the permission of the Board of Directors, I signed a petition (as the President of the WCA) to have this proposal removed from the Governor's plan. We joined many, many other organizations in this fight and I am happy to report that we were successful in our efforts. Early this week I received this email from the Catskill Center.

"The New York State Budget Bill Eliminates Governor's Proposal to Freeze State Property Tax Payments on State Lands!

After months of grassroots organizing and negotiations, Catskill Mountain communities located on State Forest Preserve lands can breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to State property tax payments on those lands. This week the Governor's proposal to freeze the taxes was removed from the NYS budget! Efforts by members of the Catskill Center, combined with the support of our regional elected officials and sister organizations, were instrumental in this major victory! Thank you for helping us win this fight!"

To read more go to:
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development's Press Room

WV Campground Parking Lot Repairs

The Woodland Valley Campground has had a big pile of stone in the parking lot at the Giant Ledge Trail head all winter. Apparently, they didn't have enough time before the bad weather set in to finish putting the stone on the roads and lot. They are planning to resume in the spring so the stone should be gone shortly.

Happy Opening Day!

I saw many, many cars parked along the side of Rt. 28 and Woodland Valley Road this morning and I wondered what all those folks were doing. Finally I realized that today is opening day of fishing season in New York. So get out your rods and reels and join the fun! Yet another glorious sign of spring!