March Newsletter 2023

**Lake Bonita, Moreau Lake State Park, pic by M Waldman**

IT’S MUD SEASON! WHAT’S THERE TO DO?

Mud season is what is called the period between winter’s end (late March) and spring’s start (May) when unpaved roads, dirt paths, and hiking trails become a muddy mess from melting snow and spring rains. Just as miserable as the mud is its weather: warm one day and-cold the next with alternating sunny, snowy, and rainy skies.

Why do we even have mud season? First, usually our ground freezes in winter. As air temperatures rise above freezing (32º F), the ground thaws from the surface down, triggering any snow or ice on top of it to melt. But because the ground’s lower layers deep underground don’t warm as quickly and remain frozen, water from melting snow and spring rains aren’t able to seep down very far. Instead, this water “sits” near the surface where it waterlogs the top layer of soil and creates a sea of mud—sometimes up to several inches thick, as you know.

It has its highlights—watching cars on our dirt roads sink into their axles, washing the dog for the 100th time before he comes inside, making you feel not guilty for staying in to watch a movie.

What to do in Mud Season? Some inventive retailers suggest “mudshoeing” in snowshoes or in biodegradable mud boots from Wanderers Supply. “If you get stuck, just step out of them,” says the owner. “By summer, they’ll be mulch.” Others recommend an “organic, free-range” mud facial, cheaper from the backyard than from a resort. Or attend the Berkshire Mud Sculpture Invitational in West Stocktonborough, Massachusetts where last year’s entry–a full-sized replica of the Mayflower–was described by one attendee as “quite moving, especially after the rain started.”

Around the Taconic Ridge and without traveling on dirt roads, here are 10 things you can do to liven up the season.

1) Visit a maple sugaring operation and help support the farmers who tap the trees and boil up the sap. The sugar house at Ioka Valley Farm (www.iokavalleyfarm.com) in Hancock boils up 7,000 gallons a year from 14,000 taps. You can take tours of the sugar house as long as the sap is flowing, often to mid-April.

2) Have a pancake breakfast at this same Ioka Valley Farm, served with their own maple syrup. They are open weekends from 8:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Delicious!

3)Mindfully and respecting private property, gather some ramps and fiddleheads, taking only a bit and leaving the early emerging ones alone. Recipes abound; sear both to bring out their flavors.

4) Get a fishing license from your town hall or online and fish for trout in one of our local lakes, ponds, or rivers--the Wyomanock, Kinderhook or Poesten Kill streams and Glass Lake and Second and Shaver Ponds—all in Rensselaer County, or on the Mass. side of the Taconics try Hemlock Brook and the Green River in Williamstown, Pittsfield State Forest’s Berry Pond, or Onota or Pontoosuc Lakes in Pittsfield. Also, good to know—all the above are stocked with trout by DEC or DCR. Come and get ‘em!

5) Look for turkey and bear tracks in the mud. Follow one but not the other!

6) Feed the birds returning from migration, but take the feeders in at night so the bears don’t get used to coming to YOUR house for dinner.

7) Try out one of the local breweries in the area:

a) The Beer Diviner in Stephentown tucked away into the mountains and is open Thursday to Sunday (check hours). Have fun sampling such “nano” brewery names as “Wee Heavy Times Scottish Ale” or “Ancient Gruit Ale” while you listen to live jazz, glues, rock, and funk. Pair the beer with pizza and cheese & meat platters.

b) The Roaring 20s Brewery and Taphouse on Rt. 20 in New Lebanon (www.roaring20sbrewery.com), open Friday to Sunday, is located in an 1880s schoolhouse that recently went through a 3-year renovation. Come for music on Friday nights, locally crafted beers like “Black Diamond Schwarzbier” and “The Girl from IPA-nema” along with food.

8) Look for early wildflowers like trillium, skunk cabbage, trout lilies, and spring beauties. No picking in state parks or state land please!

9) Get the bike out once the rail trails have dried up and try the mud-free Ashuwillticook Trail in the Berkshires or the Empire State Trail running through Rensselaer County, Columbia County and points south. These are good for walking too!

10) Walk the accessible trails (usually nicely graveled) and boardwalks that usually are mud-free. Try BNRC’s Parson’s Marsh in Lenox, their Thomas Palmer Reserve in Great Barrington or their Jackson boardwalk in Stockbridge. CLC’s Ooms offers a boardwalk around the pond; RPA’s Albert Community Forest has a new accessible trail too.

No need to fret about mud season. And if you do track mud into the house, panic not. First, let it dry. (Dried mud is much easier to clean than fresh mud!) Once dry, brush, shake or vacuum off the area to remove caked on dirt. Using a mild detergent and water, blot the leftover stain until clean. Baking soda, vinegar, and a cut piece of potato are also good options for natural stain removers. And if you are unlucky enough to get your car stuck in the mud, place rocks, kitty litter, or your car floor mats at the edge of your tires to add traction. NOW GO OUT AND ENJOY A WONDERFUL MUD SEASON!

HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID MONITORING

March is the best time to inspect hemlocks for Hemlock Wooley Adelgid (HWA). The cottony egg sacs are at their largest and easiest to see and it is warm enough to take off your gloves! If you have had the training and the time, you should take advantage of the conditions and get out to monitor and report your findings on the NYS IMap Invasives app. If you find HWA on your own hemlocks you should contact a reputable tree service or research treatments. Remember, do not inspect for HWA in April, as the eggs will be hatching and the inspector can become a vector, spreading the nymphs from one tree to the next.

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid threatens the health of the beautiful and important hemlock stands on the Taconic Crest, the Rensselaer Plateau, elsewhere in the region and maybe your own back yard. According to the NYS Hemlock Initiative of Cornell University, the “Eastern hemlock is New York’s third most common tree species and a foundation species in our forests. Hemlocks are important for maintaining healthy wildlife habitats as well as human interests such as clean freshwater resources.”

**HWA on hemlock, photo from blogs.cornell,edu**

Not every hemlock can be saved but those of significant importance will be targeted for saving. There is hope that with early identification and new integrated treatments, the advance of HWA north can be slowed and the most important hemlocks can be saved.

For more information see: NY's invasive species database and mapping system | NY iMapInvasives www.capitalregionprism.org https://blogs.cornell.edu/nyshemlockinitiative/ and https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4969.html

Outings: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.

Friday March 3: TCT Hike – Snowhole B
Wednesday, March 8: Grafton Lake State Park – Dixon Fire Tower B-
Wednesday, March 15: Brothers, Charcoal, & Stevens Glen trails C+
Saturday, March 18 : Alford Springs Father Loop B-
Monday, March 20: Snowhole from Petersburg Pass B
Monday, March 27: Clark Art Museum Trails & Williamstown Rural Lands Trails B-

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than trees.” – Henry David Thoreau