June 26 through 28 - ADK Spring Outing to be held in Long Island. For details, go to www.adktravel.org/springouting.htm.
June 27 - Beaver River Hike/BBQ/Boat Tour
Nov 15 - Fall banquet
Sept 5 - North Country Team Work Hike
Sept 13 - Onondaga Trail Series Hike #5
Sept 20 - Onondage/Link Trail Dedication Hike
Sept 25-27 - Fall Outing,
Discover the Lower Hudson Valley - see www.adk.org
The Finger Lakes Land Trust is doing a series of hikes this spring called "Hike for the Highlands" which is meant to highlight the resource of the hillsides at the south end of the lakes and the trails that traverse these "highlands", as well as raise money for their protection. The series actually takes place on three successive Saturdays. On May 30 the hike will be at Bear Swamp State Forest in the eastern Finger Lakes, on June 6, the hike will be in the Bristol Hills and on June 13 in the Finger Lakes National Forest. The idea is that hikers will raise money per mile hiked.
If you want more information about the hikes, please go to www.fllt.org/news/index.php?id=58. or contact
Emily Eisman, Outreach and Membership Manager at
emily@fllt.org or 607.275.9487.
Ticks have been moving westward and are now found abundantly in Onondaga County, including Green Lakes State Park where in 2008 60% of the ticks were found to be carrying the Lyme disease bacteria. Dr.Bob Michiel of our chapter was able to secure the advice of Dr. Cynthia Morrow, the Onondaga County Health Department Commissioner, in the form of an excellent article that was printed in the Finger Lakes Trail News (Spring, 2009). The Sunday, May 3rd edition of the Post-Standard also contains an informative article on this subject. Also check www.cdc.gov/ticks/index.html for additional information. To prevent these guys from jumping on you, apply "insect repellent to exposed skin and to clothing and by wearing long sleeves and long pants (preferably light-colored so that you can easily see the ticks) tucked into socks . . . a complete body check, including the groin and scalp, with prompt tick removal (within 36 hours) will eliminate the transmission of Lyme disease . . . avoiding wooded areas with a great deal of leaf litter and high grass will reduce the risk of tick bites. This is just one reason why well-maintained trails are so important!"
- Dick Lightcap
Black flies are usually found in abundance in the wooded areas around June in the Adirondacks and in May in Central New York. They breed in clear streams. If you can distinguish between the sexes, only the females bite. They only live for a few days to a few weeks. They do not bite at night. Usually cold temperatures or wind discourages them.
The June 2009 edition of AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club) Outdoors informs us that Bti (bacillus
thuringensis israelensis -discovered in an Israeli desert in 1977), a natural soil bacteria and 'bio-pesticide,"
provides for effective, but safe attacks against these bothersome insects. "70 towns in the Adirondacks have continued to use it. The village of Lake Placid is one of the success stories."
Since most insect repellents are not very effective against these rascals, some hikers wear head nets, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Others are finding new repellents such as permathin (Repel Permanone),
that are sprayed on your clothes prior to wearing them, to be superior to saturating your skin with chemicals.
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