Best and worst of 2017

Many years ago an older friend, Jesse Sweet, and I were talking on his front porch one evening. Jesse sense that I was a bit frustrated and disappointed at some recent events. He smiled and said to me, “Just look down that road. It is not a straight line but rather has a lot of turns as well as some up and down sections. There are probably some rough spots but it leads to some good places. Life is a lot like that road.”

Over the years I try to remember those words when I get upset at happenings or things that seem to be trends. This past year has been one that many of us certainly see the many negative happenings and get discouraged about them. Some of the definitely bad developments for outdoorsmen in 2017 are as follows:

The trend and further plans of the federal government to take away land from national monuments and turn over or sell federal lands to the western states is dangerous. These lands are currently open to hunters, fishermen, hikers, and the public in general. States like Utah have an abysmal record of exploiting the lands for strip mining or oil drilling and shutting out the average citizen.

The plans to relax or remove emission controls and discard EPA regulations means that the threat of acid rain or other airborn pollution will be growing. The plans for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will create big problems and the administration plans to remove barriers to the Pebble Mine – the world’s largest open strip mine – will create an ecological disaster in southwest Alaska.

Locally the high water on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River was an economic disaster for most businesses in the area last spring and summer. Fishermen and other outdoor sportsmen generally had much of their season ruined.

Turkey hunting was poor in 2017 and next spring also looks very tough due to low numbers of young turkeys in most surveys. There are several factors contributing to the decline but the single biggest factor is the

weather since very few poults survive the cold wet weather that has characterized our recent springs. Ruffed grouse suffer from the same conditions.

Trout fishing on streams last spring and summer was a waste of time since the frequent floods made fishing nearly impossible much of the time. It probably also had an impact on the overall trout population in many areas.

Camping is getting tougher for people who use the state campgrounds operated by the OPR or DEC. The state has not constructed any new ones and with the rising popularity of camping it is tough to get a site. Surveys show that a majority of people are unhappy at not being able to get into campgrounds at popular vacation times and are very upset with the reservation system. There is no indication that this will improve in the near future.

Some things are a mixed bag. Deer numbers are up in most areas, although many hunters had a disappointing season. Early indications are that the deer harvest will probably be up in most management units. It is generally a case that the deer are there, but hunting conditions and other factors in specific areas made it difficult. It is these trends that we discussed earlier that can cause some concern.

But there were some very positive things that happened in the past year that made it enjoyable and give cause for optimism, Fishing on lakes and other areas was good and shows that the fish populations of many waters are healthy. Bass fishermen did well on lakes and ponds when weather permitted. Fishing for trout or landlocked salmon on a lot of lakes was very good this summer. There was an excellent run of salmon up many Lake Ontario tributaries such as the Salmon River this fall.

Under its new leadership the DEC has shown a refreshing change in several things. There is a new openness in communication with writers and getting information out to the sportsmen. Many of the top personnel in the DEC have become hunters and show a greater awareness of these issues affecting sportsmen than in recent years.

The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation became an independent organization and made significant gains in efforts to protect the loon population. Increased awareness, efforts at banding, and research all are positive things. (adkloon.org)

The Adirondack Hamlet to Hut organization has gotten organized, and made a good start at mapping trails and arranging accommodations for those who enjoy hiking but want a more accessible experience than that advocated by the environmental extremists. (adkh2h.org)

A court decision saved the Adirondack Scenic Railway from having the tracks torn up from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid. This will become a boon to tourists as well as sportsmen in the near future as the tracks are improved and programs are developed. The “Meanie Greenies” like ARTA and other organizations wanted to replace the section of tracks with an $11.5 million super trail for locals to go jogging after work!

The future finally looks brighter for the Seneca white deer. The new owner of the Seneca Army Depot property agreed with Seneca White Deer, Inc. that this unique herd is worth saving and can be a major tourist attraction. A generous donation by the owners of Heron Hill Winery enabled a new visitor center to be built and tours have started that showcase the wildlife as well as the interesting military area of the area. (senecawhitedeer.org)

So while it is easy to be discouraged or depressed at some of these, or especially political developments, maybe we should remember the words of an old song by John Denver – “this life ain’t no easy freeway, just some gravel on the ground.” Short Casts New Year’s Wishes: Another calendar year draws to a close. Let’s be grateful for the good times we have had and the enjoyment that we shared with friends. Close friends and companions have made the experiences of the past year more memorable – whether it is camping, paddling, hunting, fishing or hiking.

Once again I want to thank everyone for the information, comments, and encouragement that you have provided me in the past year. I truly enjoy visiting with everyone about the column and the outdoors in general. Thank You!

My wish for all of our readers is that the coming year will be filled with good health, peace and enjoyment. Happy New Year!

Recycle Christmas Trees: As we wind down the holiday season many Christmas trees will be removed or discarded in the next few days. Many communities collect the trees and chip them up so they can be used as mulch.

Another good use of trees is to fasten them in your backyard where they provide windbreaks or shelters near the birdfeeders. This encourages songbirds to use your feeders and provides a safety factor when the neighborhood hawks come calling.

On private land they can be wired together to provide brush cover for rabbits to help them avoid predators like hawks, owls, coyotes, etc. Construct a ground blind for hunting areas with several trees. Even in your pond they can be wired together and weighted with a concrete block to provide shelter for small fish so they will not all be eaten as fry by the larger fish in spring.

Making Sense of Climate Denial: The DEC has provided notice of a free online course entitled “Making Sense of Climate Denial” that is provided by Harvard and M.I.T. It is primarily delivered by short videos and involves two to four hours of effort a week over a seven week span. It is an introductory level course that focuses on climate change communication and includes forums.

The four main areas covered are: How to recognize social and psychological drivers of climate change denials. How to better understand the evidence of evidence of climate change. How to identify techniques and fallacies that climate myths employ to distort science. How to debunk climate misinformation. For more information or registration check online at edx. org/course/making sense climate science denial.