Would you enjoy staying at the Heart Lake Campground in the Adirondacks for a full week and not have to pay? Come and listen to Doug Paquette, the Director of the ADK Campground Host Program at Heart Lake, give details. One way to enjoy free lodging is to volunteer yourself as a campground host for a week. Another way is to participate in the Volunteer Work Weeks program. Do you want to know more? Then come and listen to Doug speak to us on March 10th and ask questions. See you.

In February, we will continue producing our "It's a Wonderful Life" sequel. John Million, current Deputy Executive Director of the ADK, will provide even more information on the Adirondacks. He is in charge of all ADK North Country operations and is particularly knowledgeable about the Adirondack Loj and John Brooks Lodge as well as ADK Education, ADK Trails, The Heart Lake Programs, and Retail Operations. An ADK member for many years, he is a fount of information. So come and listen as he entices and encourages all of us to venture forth and explore new vistas in the Adirondacks. He well may make a significant difference in the lives of both "newbies" and "old pros".

Our namesake, the Adirondacks, is an area comprised of thousands of acres. Many of us in the Buffalo area stick to close-to-home locations: the Niagara Gorge, Allegany State Park, Zoar Valley, Chestnut Ridge, Hunter's Creek, 18 Mile Creek, and so on. For those of us enjoying the outdoors in this mainly WNY pattern, maybe it's time to become "unstuck".

Come and hear 8 or 10 individuals tell you why they love to spend time in pristine Adirondack locations.  Maybe they hike, Maybe they canoe. Maybe they camp out. Or backpack. Or kayak. Maybe you would like to do the same, but just don't know enough about specific locations, directions, outdoor eating and sleeping facilities, or what to wear, when.

In addition to the much-publicized barrels and even bodies that have gone over Niagara Falls, there is a staggering number of disparate objects that have also gone over the Falls. Many of these objects have accumulated at the bottom of the gorge. Some are quite weighty and give new meaning to the term "heavy metal". Others are rather small and fall into the category of man-made jewelry. There are dozens and dozens of objects in-between, varying in size, shape, color, even degrees of deterioration. As an aggregate, they form what John P. Weiksnar considers an outdoor museum of 20th century "discards" ...with no directive curator whatsoever.

Would you enjoy a photo presentation of the steps involved in converting a pile of boards into a sleek, new canoe? Would you like to examine "up close and person personal" a completely restored canoe or another "work-inprogress"? How about a brief history of the wood/canvas canoe? Or a discussion of the specialized materials and tools used in constructing canoes?

Ken and Paula Malesa-Martin spent a couple of weeks in Iceland during 2006. They will offer a 30 minute powerpoint presentation, including photos, of this ever-changing island and will take us along the ring road to discover some of Iceland’s geological and technical wonders. Glaciers recede, volcanoes erupt, the Mid Atlantic Ridge continues to separate, and all of Iceland’s heat is geothermic.

Are you thrilled or frightened when you catch a glimpse of a coyote while out hiking? Have you heard them howling while backpacking in the woods? If you live in a rural area, do you tolerate coyotes on your property, or think they should be trapped? Do coyotes in Western New York worry you? Should they? Are they friends or foes? Learn to sort through the myths and the facts Tuesday March 11 during our main program. Canine expert Elise Able will present an interesting perspective on coyotes, and their role in our current eco-system. Elise, an animal rehabilitator since 1991 operates Fox Wood Wildlife Rescue in Glenwood, which specializes in fox, coyote, skunks and bats. Elise is a highly regarded writer and speaker on Eastern coyote and Red fox behavior and rehabilitation. Her program also features stunning photographs of wildlife she has captured during her many years of work in the field.

Well, would you like to burn off some calories in 2008 by paddling a canoe or kayak? Don’t know where to begin? Perhaps you might like to upgrade watercraft you already own. Need some advice? Then, come and listen to Pete Hornbeck, an Adirondack resident, who not only paddles canoes but makes them, too. Remember the Hornbeck Canoe ad in the Adirondak magazine we receive? That’s Pete’s ad.

Join ADK’s own Ed Kasperek to hear about his journey to Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the worlds "Seven Summits" Ed’s odyssey became months ago as he helped a local group train for the arduous journey. Learn what it takes to stand on top of this 19 thousand plus foot peak, and all about the surprising twists and turns experienced by the climbing party. Ed will also share his newly found insights on the tireless Tanzanian porters who made the climb possible. As he whets our appetite for challenge and adventure, he’ll also share news about a new Search and Rescue group being formed in our area, and give ADKers a chance to get in on this effort in its infancy

Have only this afternoon for a hike? No time to travel to the Adirondacks or the Bruce Trail? Then learn about upstate’s 880-mile hiking trail system, mapped and marked, open to the public, and probably only a half-hour from home.

Share your summer adventures with your ADK friends! We’ll also feature our traditional ice cream social.

Dr. Kirk Wipper will be speaking on the Canadian museum in Peterborough, Ont., Canada. Peterborough was a foremost canoe manufacturing center from 1850 to 1960. Dr Wipper's collection of canoes, kayaks and related items formed the basis for the 600 boats & 1000 items now on display. He is presently an honorary director. The museum is North America's only canoe museum and contains the world's largest collection of paddled watercraft. A third of the craft on display were built by Aboriginals. Items of a more recent vintage are Pierre Elliot Trudeau's fringed buckskin jacket and Bill Mason's famous red Chestnut prospector canoe.

This illustrated talk will demonstrate that there's more to a spring wildflower than just its pretty picture! The presentation will focus on the amazing folklore and natural history that are embedded in the common and scientific names of representative members of our local spring flora.

This etymological presentation will even consider some creatures entomological!

Program Speaker: Wayne Gall has been Regional Entomologist for the New York State Department of Health in Buffalo since November, 2001. He is responsible for providing technical assistance on arthropod-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and Lyme disease to the 17 county health departments in the Western Region, and for performing associated research. Wayne is Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Buffalo, where he teaches the graduate course, Arthropods of Public Health Importance. He is also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology at Buffalo State College where he maintains an office and lab. Wayne earned his B.A. in Biology at the University of Buffalo, M.S. in Entomology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Ph.D. in Zoology at the University of Toronto. Prior to his appointment with the NYS Department of Health, Wayne served on the staff of the Buffalo Museum of Science for nearly 19 years. His initial appointment in 1983 was as the Museum's first Administrator of Tifft Nature Preserve. From 1989 – 2001, Wayne was Associate Curator and then Curator of Entomology. Wayne resides in Lancaster with his wife, Susan, who is a School Nurse, and their three children.

Beat the March blues with amazing pictures that give you a glimpse into the Peruvian Rainforest. We’ll look at the indigenous people and their traditions, the local flora and fauna, medicine gardens, and the amazingly diverse insects, and amphibians in the Amazon Explorama, Explornapo and Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) areas.

We’ll also take a virtual walk on the unique ACTS Rainforest Canopy Walkway. This is an extensive multilevel system of aerial platforms and pathways on an Amazon Rainforest Reserve. This will be a perfect diversion for this wintry time of the year.

Program Speaker: Paula Malesa-Martin is an educator at a local high school, Frontier Central, where she teaches math and advises the very active Ecology club. She prepared this PowerPoint program to showcase the Amazon Rainforest Workshop for Educators and Naturalists. She also is a docent and horticulture volunteer at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. Her expertise at the gardens is working in the Rainforest greenhouse and in both the newly renovated dome and connecting houses, the New Florida Ecosystem and Epiphyte Pavilion Exhibits.

Her goal with this presentation is to create an awareness of the diversity in the tropical rainforest and to encourage support of a green environment especially the importance of the vanishing South American Rainforest.

We’ll start an hour earlier so we have plenty of time to enjoy eating, dancing, and each other’s company! The fun begins at 6:30 with a potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share (and a beverage if desired), and your own (preferably reusable) plate, cup, and flatware. After dinner we’ll dance off the calories. Dance caller Harry Slocum will return calling square dances, and line dances. Don’t be shy; you don’t need experience or a partner! We’re putting a new twist on this old favorite this year.

We’ll do a fun activity to keep everybody moving and socializing during the dinner part of the evening. You’ll get a chance to sign up for lots of different dance partners. Wear comfortable shoes, and dress in layers. No matter what the weather, this dancing warms you up!

Nearly 20 volcanic islands are scattered around the equator, filled with plants and animals that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago made up of 13 main volcanic islands, 6 smaller islands, and 107 rocks and islets. The very first island is thought to have formed between 5 and 10 million years ago. The youngest islands, Isabela and Fernandina, are still being formed, with the most recent volcanic eruption in 2005.

Please join us for our November program to learn more about this diverse and unique ecological treasure. Our tour guides will be three outstanding ADKers who journeyed there together. Barbara Landree, Lynne Kenney and Joanne Zurek are experienced and accomplished hikers and conservationists. Their backgrounds and experiences give them wonderful perspective, and we look forward to an outstanding program.

As ADKers we are all stewards of the lands we hike, ski, and snowshoe, and the waters we paddle. What can we do in a proactive way to preserve and protect the wilderness, and limit the impact of our use? Meanwhile, how can we best prepare to care for our fellow outdoor lovers or ourselves in case of a medical emergency? What are the best items to have in our wilderness first aid kits?

We’ll get some broad answers to these questions as our own Russ Crispell outlines the general principles of Wilderness First Aid and the Leave No Trace (LNT) program. He will illustrate his points with striking scenes from his six Alaska expeditions. Please join us for a program that is sure to educate, inform and entertain.

Russ Crispell is a longtime member of our Niagara Frontier ADK chapter, and the director of Outdoor Pursuits at the University of Buffalo. He is a Leave No Trace educator and a Wilderness First Aid instructor.