North Woods Blog

According a news release from the USDA Forest Service as part of the North Forest Futures Project the amount of forest land has actually expanded by 42 percent over the past century even though the region’s population has increased by 130 percent over the same time period. The states that make of the Northern region are: Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Links to a graphic representation of the change in the amount of forested land in comparison to the rise in population can be found here, and how New York compares to other states in the Northern region here.

“While it’s heartening to see our northern forests thriving in great times of change, we should also use this report as a reminder to remain vigilant about working together across all lands to make sure these positive trends continue,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell.

Check out this very interesting NYT piece on the state of trees.  Trees everywhere are under attack…the common culprit being hotter, drier weather.

On a related note, Sustainable Saratoga is looking for volunteers for its urban forestry project.  Show your appreciation for the green around us and learn more about the project here.

For our ES Capstone project, we are hoping to learn about the values and perceptions that students, faculty/staff, and community members hold towards the North Woods. By performing this stakeholder analysis, we expect to learn about the multiple interests of different user groups, as well as the challenges facing the North Woods. Our ultimate goal is to develop a list of recommendations to Skidmore College on how to best balance these multiple interests in a way that promotes the North Woods’ sustainable use and prevent long-term degradation. There are many ways to share your voice and participate in this project. Here’s how:

-Contact us (via NWStewards@gmail.com for a very brief, informal (and anonymous, if you so choose) interview
-Fill out a comment card at any of the five North Woods kiosks
-Participate in the Open Forum Session and help develop recommendations for the sustainable use of the North Woods (Time and location are TBD)
-Blog your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions in the “Forum” page of this blog (a link is located at the top of the page)
-Contact us at anytime (anonymously or not) with your feedback at NWStewards@gmail.com

We thank you in advance for your feedback. Please feel free to contact us at anytime with your questions or thoughts.

Sincerely,

Adam Schmelkin ’12
Charlie Glassberg ’12

On Thursday, November 10th, the North Woods Stewards and the Outing Club took advantage of the Full Moon and planned a night time walk. Everyone came to Falstaff’s at about 7:30 for some hot chocolate and (leftover Halloween) candy. The group walked the Red Trail loop, which took about 25-35 minutes. Although the sky was cloudy, the group of about 25-30 students didn’t need much light – the full moon cast a glow behind the clouds that allowed everyone to see (in night vision). With a little drizzle going on, the weather made for a spooky good time.

No worries if you missed the walk this time around; there will definitely be another moonlight walk this spring!

On October 22nd a dedicated group of volunteer Skidmore students, faculty, and staff, along with help from community members, spent the day picking up trash, removing Japanese knotweed, and building water bars. There was an estimated 30-35 people at the event. The weather could not have been better with the sun shining, and the autumn leaves crunching beneath peoples feet. The day was a great success with over ten water bars being built, the woods being cleaned of all trash, and a large portion of the Japanese knotweed removed. Thank you to all the volunteers, and hopefully we’ll see you out in the Spring!