Tag Archives: Lake Ontario

Busy Summer for Moore Dirty Boots!

8 Jun

During quarantine, I created the acronym L.O.V.E. for Lake Ontario’s Valued Ecosystems and launched Moore Dirty Boots, LLC. Our media and adventure education is now complemented with our Sustainability Innovation Department! I’m developing an illustrated sustainability guide and working with a fantastic team of marketing professionals, artists and graphic designers. Projects are in the works within each category and there will be feature articles and media.

Saturday, June 12 I will be cleaning a stream with Girl Scouts to support the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network with an “Embrace the Lake” event. We will continue south to Treman Marina on Cayuga Lake’s southern end to board The Teal, Discover Cayuga Lake’s research cruise vessel and Floating Classroom. After our seminar we will head back north for a stop at Cayuga Creamery to celebrate our day caring for and learning about Cayuga Lake.

Working with students to improve the watershed and share information presented in W.O.W.!, Women On Water is a great honor! W.O.W.! is a series I created for Audubon NY that may gain new life, even being presented in a Sunset Cruise later this summer upon the Discover Cayuga Lake boat.

This Thursday, I am registered for a writing workshop with Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass! As this book affected me profoundly, I’m thrilled to be attending! I’m so glad to be able to include her perspectives and insight-within my limited understanding, in my work. Reading about the author discovering and assessing wild strawberries as they ripened, was a retelling of my own memories. It was also a red maple which I swung from and read within. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s call to experience and nurture our surroundings, led me to incorporate celebration as a major component of outreach. In addition to energy, transport, food and waste; outreach is a fifth pathway for sustainability. Service, education and celebration can transform relationships among people and the relationships with our physical surroundings. I’m so eager to hear from this inspiring author and scientist!

August 14, I’m hosting Love Your Greats Day with a series of events on Lake Ontario, including a Butterfly Walk at 11 am at Alasa Farms/Cracker box Palace. Lunkenheimer’s Craft Brewing Co. is located right on the way to Chimney Bluffs where we will reconvene after lunch. East of NYS Park Chimney Bluffs, we will clean the beach at the NYS DEC Wildlife Management Area. The beach side forest is lined in fine pebbles and sand, as well as trash. We will improve and enjoy this space together. Susan Gateley will celebrate the release of “Natural History of Lake Ontario” on Arcadia Press, with a sunset bluffs/beach walk. Please mark your calendars and join in this special day however you can!

It seems butterfly season has begun, with milkweed popping up and casual walk & talks with little ones. My ten year old friend scored high marks when he told me viceroys pretend to be monarchs to be safe from predators.

I’ll be reading about butterflies at Sodus and Port Byron libraries, hopefully with caterpillars, chrysalis or butterflies in nursery!

September 12, Karen Haas of Bayview Wellness Center and I will co-lead a yoga hike at Sterling Nature Center. Our yoga hikes here were AWESOME, so I’m so glad we are co-hosting this yoga hike again. Donations to the Sterling Nature Center are encouraged!

These are the major highlights on the schedule thus far. Who knows what might be next? I look forward to seeing work along the pathways for sustainability. We all can do better, together!

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L.O.V.E. = LAKE ONTARIO’S VALUED ECOSYSTEMS

14 Jun

L.O.V.E. = LAKE ONTARIO’S VALUED ECOSYSTEMS.

BY KRISTEN MOORE

Sun shines over Lake Ontario from Scott's Bluffs

A sunny afternoon glimmers from the eastern edge of Scott’s Bluffs.

When winter seemed like it would never end, this acronym came to me. Clean water has always been important to me, especially growing up beside Lake Ontario.

The lands along Lake Ontario’s southern shore are abundant with wildlife ranging from Bald Eagles, Ospreys and Great Blue Herons to turtles, trout and trillium. As an adventure educator, I hope experiential learning will captivate people and foster healthy behaviors including outdoor exercise, recreation and stewardship.

The Red Creek Marsh Unit is an area I’ve enjoyed exploring for years. Reading books in the shade of tall oaks, kayaking, picnicking, clearing litter and invasive species; I know it well. Mute swans and Canada geese rely upon these waters, as do turtles, beavers, raptors and others.

Still marsh waters foster huge reflection of sky and greenery

Still waters create a mirror of the sky, with a single lily pad showing off in the foreground.

Sunlight and white, puffy clouds reflect upon a marsh's waters beside the nose of a green kayak

White, puffy clouds and sunshine reflect from the waters of the Red Creek Marsh Unit.

Water chestnut is due to grow in here soon. Hydra algal blooms have been a problem in the past. Poison oak here has harmed me, along with wild parsnip? This wild area is a treasure to marvel and care for.

Sodus Bay, with Chimney Bluffs to the east and Crackerbox Palace/Alasa Farms to the south; the bay and lake have defined life in this area for quite a long time! Historic Huron and the Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum both have artifacts and information about our local families and culture that demonstrate great richness of people and environment.

A black horse named "Double" looks over the fence at the photographer.

“Double” looks at the camera, perhaps wondering if baby carrots are to be enjoyed today.

Stone Bench and View at Alasa Farms

This stone bench sits beside the eastern pastures at Alasa Farms. An animal sanctuary and Genesee Land Trust property, Cracker Box Palace is a gift to many species.

What can we do for L.O.V.E.? We can participate in invasive species removal events. We can clean spaces of litter, take pictures & video-while posting on social media. We can conduct watershed education with events like kayaking with local historians and conservation leaders. We can explore the geology of our beaches and bluffs, igniting people to learn about our glacial history and earth sciences. We can help Randy maintain trails at Crackerbox Palace/Alasa Farms. We can raise pints from Lunkenheimer’s to support the Genesee Land Trust and Sodus Bay Lighthouse Museum!

These spaces thrill me with their variety, rhythms and life. To me they are L.O.V.E., Lake Ontario’s Valued Ecosystems.

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Yoga Hike at Sterling Nature Center Invigorates Body and Mind

20 Jun

Participants look north over Lake Ontario as they strike a yoga pose on top of MacIntyre Bluffs at Sterling Nature Center in Sterling, NY.

Our busy lives can affect our health in many ways.  Therefore it is particularly important to develop and maintain a wellness practice that will enhance one’s physical vitality and resilience to stress.  Recently, I was thrilled to team up with Karen Haas and Susan Gately to facilitate a yoga hike at Sterling Nature Center in Sterling, NY.

Teachers from Red Creek gathered at the 1,428 acre nature preserve to follow yoga instructor Karen Haas of Bayview Wellness Center in Fair Haven, NY in yoga poses throughout the Cayuga County park. Lake Ontario sailor and scholar, Susan Gately provided insight into glacial geology, erosion of the bluffs and beach, beaver activity, bird identification and more.  A treasure of a property along the shoreline of the Great Lake between New York and Canada, attendees practiced yoga and hiked in many different settings.

A meditative walk through a quiet forest set the tone for yoga beside the lake.  Group poses, chosen to match the location, warmed participants up before a quick walk along the sandy beach and up the steep trail to MacIntyre Bluffs. Practicing poses high up over the lake in perfect June weather was a spectacular experience! We placed our arms upon each other’s shoulders and moved into a group eagle pose, as if we were going to soar to Canada!! Liberation, joy and slight pain were all bursting through this part of our session.

Participants took pictures before descending the trail to the beach to observe our surroundings. Evidence of beaver activity drew us away from the pebble beach to look over the tip of a marsh adjoining the lake shore.

A tree stump and logs shows evidence of the labor of beavers.


Exploring and researching new locations and activities is a favorite part of my work.  Before developing this walk, I was unacquainted with this nature preserve.  Now that I know how to get here and I’m aware of the numerous and diverse trails and waterways, I’ll be sure to return!

If you do go to the Sterling Nature Center, don’t rely upon Google Maps.  Numerous guidance tools may be wise, including a paper map.  Trail maps are likely available onsite at the kiosk beside the parking area and can be viewed here.

Participants reach to the sky while overlooking Lake Ontario’s blue waters during a recent yoga hike.

 

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Sharing Concerns and Joys Helps Us All

15 Aug

Nature feeds me.  To run up a steep wooded trail and emerge high on a bluff overlooking an enormous inland sea, mere miles from my home, has been a great joy to me since I began high school.  Listening to the waves crash in consistent rhythm and to watch the sun as it sets upon the day brings me to the present moment and the wonder around us.  I’ve watched a solar eclipse with friends in these woods and spent many happy times with dogs and friends alike.  Each season offers something different, from snow covered beaches, to springtime melt and wildflowers, to summertime fun and vibrant Fall; our shore of Lake Ontario is an amazing location to be protected and savored.

An increase in news coverage and facilities, as well as the prevalence of social media has brought untold numbers of visitors to this fragile environment.  A local treasure, it is a fascinating place to witness quick changes in the landscape brought upon by erosion.  “Bluff mud or dirt” is a unique, colorful type of soil that can cake one’s shoes.  Pebbles beg for closer inspection and pockets or buckets often become filled with the rounded stones.  Visitor’s are directed not to remove stones from the beach but they often have a strong pull.

Sun shines upon Lake Ontario's blue waters as a dog walks along the varied shore, leaving paw prints in the clay.

Sun shines upon Lake Ontario’s blue waters as a dog walks along the varied shore, leaving paw prints in the clay.

Though I am happy to clean the beaches and shore, I’m bored by pictures of garbage myself! So, I’ve dug into my archives for some photos celebrating special times in varying spots in this stunning place.

Two dogs run in a happy play-date at water's edge. This was not taken at Chimney Bluffs where dogs are not allowed on the beach.

Two dogs run in a happy play-date at water’s edge. This was not taken at Chimney Bluffs where dogs are not allowed on the beach.

We impact others with purpose and by accident.  This balloon may have brought cheerful wishes to someone, but it came to rest upon the beach.  Balloons become tangled in nature and create traps for wildlife and clutter up the outdoors. Please use them with care if you must!

Balloons oftentimes get away from their owners and end up where they don't belong.

Balloons oftentimes get away from their owners and end up where they don’t belong.

Many people become overwhelmed by negative conditions or circumstances.  Sharing these troubles can be helpful.  This worry box was seen in Ithaca, NY at Gimme! Coffee two years ago.  A fourth grade class made it to gather coffee patrons worries and ease their discomfort.  How sweet!

Created by a class of fourth graders in Ithaca, NY, this worry box encourages coffee shop patrons to leave their worries behind.

Created by a class of fourth graders in Ithaca, NY, this worry box encourages coffee shop patrons to leave their worries behind.

"Join us in transforming this weight into hope."

“Join us in transforming this weight into hope.”

How does the worry box relate to Lake Ontario? Many of us DO worry about the lake and how the water affects us both positively and negatively.  Our behavior affects our environment.  We can change our behaviors for the better and share our concerns and successes.

Limiting use of plastic, in beverage bottles and shopping bags is a great place to start to change one’s own habits. Bottle caps, juice box straw sleeves and beverage containers are some of the most frequent debris left on beaches.

Join me August 20 at Chimney Bluffs at 9 am for a morning paddle and hike, before we clean the beaches of debris.  Contact me to reserve a kayak ASAP.  Great Lakes 2016 will be occurring on all of the Great Lakes as teams simultaneously test for micro plastics and clean shorelines.  Susan Peterson Gately‘s film, “Lake Ontario: A Quest for Hope” will also be showing in Fair Haven on August 20 at The American Legion from 4-7 pm.  Guest speaker Jean Siracusa of Happy Bee Heirloom Farm will be there.

Many people do care about the environment we share and each other.  Ursula Gaul Graf was one of those people.  Her legacy continues. A bench bearing her name invites visitors to sit on the west end of Chimney Bluffs State Park and to “Please Enjoy the View.”   This brass plate made me wonder who she was and led me to read about her life well-lived.  Please read her obituary and consider accept her invitation.

A brass nameplate shares Ursula Gaul Graf's wish for visitors to enjoy the view at Chimney Bluffs.

A brass nameplate on a bench beside Lake Ontario shares Ursula Gaul Graf’s wish for visitors to enjoy the view at Chimney Bluffs.

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We Love It, Therefore We Work For It

15 Jul Brown dog looks into Lake Ontario.

Sun shines upon the pretty blue waters of Lake Ontario

As foamy waves recede, rounded pebbles are revealed before the blue waters of Lake Ontario

 

The Community Room at The Wolcott Public Library filled up with citizens on July 11, 2016 for a showing of Lake Ontario: A Quest for Hope, by local resident, Susan Peterson Gately.  Ages ranged from six to seventy eight.

Residents gathered at The Wolcott Library July 11 to learn more about Lake Ontario

Residents gathered at The Wolcott Library in Wayne County, NY July 11 to watch and discuss “Lake Ontario: A Quest For Hope by Susan Peterson Gately

Audience members listened attentively as the film explained numerous aspects of Lake Ontario and its watershed that can surprise visitors and residents alike.  From shoreline dynamics and geology to living aquatic species to industrial pollution, the film offers a comprehensive view of this body of water.  Roughly forty people attended the film on a hot, July evening.

The dangers of microplastics were explained by Dr. Sherri Mason of SUNY Fredonia.  In the film she explains how plastics absorb chemicals in the water which are desorbed into creatures who consume them.  This means humans are consuming concentrations of chemicals that are stored within  the tissues of organisms.  So, not only do plastics become stuck inside species and their habitats, they also concentrate pollutants.

“What can we do?” was a question repeated by viewers.  Lifestyle choices were discussed including reusable shopping bags.  Reusable containers for drinks and food also save resources and reduce pollution.  Growing one’s own food reduces carbon emissions created during transportation and can also reduce chemicals used in the growing process.  Buying in bulk and using reusable containers can save money, reduce waste and it feels great! Small changes in one’s behavior do add up and can motivate and influence others too.  @PlasticFreeJuly is active on Twitter offering enthusiastic advice as people aim to reduce their reliance on plastic this July.  The Plastic Bank, (@SocialPlastic on Twitter) intends to use plastics reclaimed from the oceans and recycled into usable goods like these sunglasses.  Read more about this company who intends to clean oceans while empowering people in this June 8, 2016 Forbes article, “Social Plastic Makes Headway in Haiti.”

Beaches along this part of Lake Ontario are made of sand, clay and brightly colored pebbles of great variety

Beaches along this part of Lake Ontario are made of sand, clay and brightly colored pebbles of great variety

For those who enjoy scrambling upon beaches or viewing the shoreline from boats, there will be at least one event this summer when people can come together to clean beaches and test for plastics.  On August 20, 2016 volunteers in the Wolcott, NY area will take part in an effort occurring simultaneously on all Great Lakes with Mission eXXpedition.

Small Plastic Fills A Bag Quickly As It Is Extracted From a Favorite Fishing Access Site

Small Plastic Fills A Bag Quickly As It Is Extracted From a Favorite Fishing Access Site on Lake Ontario in upstate New York.

Paul Baines of the Great Lakes Commons was on hand to share the concept of “Commons.” Commons refers to things which offer value to others and which require care, like bodies of water or algebraic equations.  His group suggests that the Great Lakes be governed by the people who share the shores and waters for their mutual benefit.  Though a unique idea to many in attendance, The New York Times featured an article with a similar notion yesterday, July 13, 2016. Read the full article here: http://nyti.ms/29Hdomc

A short excerpt from the article reads: Chris Finlayson, New Zealand’s attorney general, said the issue was resolved by taking the Maori mind-set into account. “In their worldview, ‘I am the river and the river is me,’” he said. “Their geographic region is part and parcel of who they are.”

It was an honor to introduce Mr. Paul Baines to Lake Ontario from the rural shores of Wolcott, NY where the immensity of the lake impresses quietly.  Our aim is to connect people, to each other and to the lands where we work and play.  Please consider how your actions and choices affect the lake whose shores we live upon and join us in celebration of what can be done!

Brown Dog Trots Happily Upon Lake Ontario's Shore

 

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Mission EXXpedition Leads Simultaneous Great Lakes Events

20 Jun

2015-04-20 19.00.09

Adventures in the Finger Lakes will be hosting an event in partnership with Mission EXXpedition at/or near Chimney Bluffs along Lake Ontario’s shore in Wayne County, NY on August 20, 2016.
Participants will collect water samples for analysis of microplastics. Volunteers are also encouraged to clean beaches and shoreline.

Bluffs constantly change. A previously safe perch loses stability and can easily give way.

Bluffs constantly change. A previously safe perch loses stability and can easily give way.

Mission EXXpedition is an organization with crews largely comprised of women, traveling our waterways creating documentaries, collecting data and sharing their discoveries and insights.  Learn more about this group and details about the upcoming Great Lakes event here.

Sun Reflects on Flat Blue Water

A brown Labrador retriever, named Hope, sips water while a sun sets and reflects upon the flat waters.

Local author and sailor, Susan Peterson Gately will be showing her film, “Lake Ontario: A Quest for Hope” in Fair Haven on August 20 also.  The title is not a deliberate homage to the dog but it still works.

Befitting Adventures in the Finger Lakes, there will be healthy food on hand, water crafts and possibly lodging.  We will pause to come together and celebrate our shared environment.  More details will follow.  Please communicate your interest in participating via email, blog comment, Twitter, etc.   Thank you so much! It is sure to be fun!

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Here and Now

23 Nov

Current events worldwide seem surreal when one looks around our area and observes rural agricultural lands, immense clean lakes, forests, fields and parks etc.

Our cultural and natural resources are incredibly numerous, yet there are threats of all types.  The 2015 Annual Research Conference of the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges focused upon regional environmental threats. On November 12, scientists and researchers gathered from across NY to share current findings and project successes and difficulties.

The collective of dedicated researchers and policy makers present offers our region current research concerning the health of our lakes with respect to mercury contaminants, nutrient pollution and invasive species. SUNY Brockport, Cornell University and Hobart and William Smith Colleges all shared current findings. Yet, up and coming researchers were also recognized throughout the conference.  Bob Johnson of the STOP Hydrilla Task Force noted that hydrilla was first detected within Cayuga Lake by a high school student conducting research on the Floating Classroom! (For those unfamiliar with the Floating Classroom please check out the link or get on the boat for a unique hands-on research experience.  I’m excited for my first trip aboard this Cayuga Lake research vessel.)

A student poster session offered an opportunity to view recent research and speak with the researchers.  Ranging from domestic landscaping plant surveys to data collected by FLI’s Watercraft Steward Program, it was rewarding to see so much work being done to ascertain the health of our environment and the potential impacts of our behaviors. The atmosphere of collaboration and active study offers much promise for the area.

Reports of mercury contamination and round gobies were offset by a positive report concerning hydrilla in Cayuga Lake.  Identification of hydrilla in Tinker Pond in Henrietta prompted a little head-scratching.  This small body of water is quite land locked.

This has been a month of travel and will be for many over the upcoming holiday week.  Enjoy family, friends, safe travels and the outdoors. Below are a few recent photographs of the beauty all around us.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 

Rainbow over eastern ridge of Cayuga Lake.

A faint rainbow arks into the clouds from a rosy horizon on the eastern ridge of Cayuga Lake. Photo captured at the Finger Lakes Cider House by Kristen Moore.

 

 

Dog walking through shallow waters along shore of Lake Ontario.

Beloved brown dog walking through shallow waters along shore of Lake Ontario.

Pink skies and waters create stunning scenery over Lake Ontario in Huron, NY.

Pink skies and waters create stunning scenery over Lake Ontario in Huron, NY.

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