Pictures of Huntington Camp- aka Camp Pine Knot

Please visit KathyBernhartsBlog to view photos of our week.

Walking on a Bogg & Climbing Black Bear Mountain

We began our hike at Ferd's Bog today. This is the first time that I have been on a Bog. I was hoping to see more aquatic life that traps insects.in the bog yet we are in the Adirondacks where acid rain has drastically effected how life sustains itself in this area. We tried spishing for birds and were not completely successful, although we did hear some birds. We did see many pitcher plants blooming on the bog. These are carnivorous plants. In addition, we were unable to identify the two types of caterpillars that we discovered.

Following this journey, we start our trek to the summit of Black Bear Mountain. This was a mild hike with a nice terrain for all ages and types of skill level for the most amateur hiker. We were able to identify some trilliums in bloom on our way to the summit. At the top of the summit, we ate our lunches and took a short break. The scenery was spectacular. I was moved by the vast definition of mountaintop terrain.

After dinner, we watched Storyofstuff.com WOW...I believe that all teachers should watch this clip. It should be broadcast on national primetime television. I am a bit concerned for my classmates as they navigate through life as consumers in a fragile world. I am not sure that they completely understand their role in the process. This does not surprise me, but I do care about the future of our resources and am hopeful that their values are transformed in the near future.

Adirondack Museum

Today we spent our morning at the Adirondack Wildlife Center. It is an incredible place that does not have a zoo-like feel to it. Instead, it represents many aspects of wildlife from aquatics to birds to mammals. The facility operates using solar panels for their energy consumption and solar tubes used for geo-thermal energy. I enjoyed walking through the nature scape, but honestly the grounds seemed to be a huge nature scape, not just the designated area of play.

Up close with a hanging PURPLE TENT that "traps" Emerald Ash Borer Beetle it not what I had expected. The triangular shaped tent is not a complex gadget used to attract and trap the beetle. It is simply a three sided sticky bug trap. It had a slug, leaves, debris, and a few beetles but no larva that I could see. The mature beetle is harmless and the larva is the threat. How do these tents help?

Another highlight of the Wildlife Center was the large pond. When standing in the atrium lobby you felt like you were in the pond just outside the window. I enjoyed the design of the building inside and out.

The afternoon we spent at the Adirondack Museum. This is a cultural center with historical artifacts displayed in a town like setting. Each building has a theme. My favorite was looking at the hand tools used in the kitchen and gardens. Modern society relies on machinery that using an exceptional amount of energy instead of incorporating more hand tools. I tried taking pictures of individual artifacts inside the glass cases but the glare of the canned lighting above did not allow for quality pictures. Instead I took pictures of the descriptions and hopefully I can find images on the web.

I believe that by using hand-tools instead of using petroleum based machinery that consumes energy, as a society we can begin to reduce the amount of natural resources as individuals. Corporate America will collapse when individuals begin to refuse buying into the massive consumption game of keeping up with the Jones'.

Please check back to view photos of my adventure today!

Sustainability and personal responsibility to Mother Earth

Yesturday, we viewed Beth Klein's PowerPoint presentation on Sustainability: personal response to climate change and energy comsumption. I enjoyed Karl's analogy of the worlds oil reserve and a slurpie. This is something that most children will be able to make connections with. Viewing the different aspects of Beth and Karl's committment to reducing their own carbon footprints is an example of individual responsiveness to the Energy crisis. Not only are they concerned about how much energy they comsume but also climate change due to over consuming. Beth and Karl also stated that it took small steps to convert their home to sustain their own energy consumption. Small changes do make a difference.

As a property owner and landlord, I try to incorporate energy effieiency. I would like to use an alternative to heating my home. Natural gas is a thing of the past. I would like to begin a timeline for converting my home to be more energy efficient. As I have worked with NYSERTA in the past, I feel that it may be time to begin the next phase.

Monday at Huntington Camp

The rain is blissful and the temperture perfect for a walk through the woods. As we trek towards the house boat that Mrs. Durant stayed in during black fly season, I sky is gray and the rain begins to fall. The boat was left in the  bay for decades abandoned before being refurbished in 1999. THe existing mold took my breath away, it was ifficult to stay inside for too long. The bunk beds had steps built into the frame. These were not private quarters. I suspect that Mrs. Durant was close to her helpers given the proximity of space inside. Next, we walked to a Catholic Church that had a beautiful clapboard ceiling with a painted on stencil design.
Following this we took another trail to the Kirby Camp. Legends says that Mrs. Kirby may have been the mistress of Mr. Durant. Is this really just a legend. Most accept the legend but I wonder about the type of person Mrs. Kirby was. Perhaps she was a woman of dignity.

Off for lunch...

Adirondacks here I come!

Over the past week or so I have navigated through the EDU 548 course web-site. I have learned a lot of information about the Adirondacks. I will continue to read and post.