Exploring the Niagara Frontier: The Hartland Nature Trail

This is the entrance to the nature trail. (PHOTOS BY BOB

CONFER)

A lot of people are familiar with Hartland Town Park. Located on Landers Lane, which is the access road adjacent to the Hartland fire hall on Route 104 in Gasport, it is popular with little leagues and softball leagues. It is one of the nicer parks in Eastern Niagara County, with 4 ball diamonds (one now has lights), a playground, and tennis, volleyball and basketball courts.

With all of that activity at the front of the park, most visitors don’t realize that the town’s 50-acre property also boasts a very fine nature trail.

To access the trailhead, drive to the north end of the vast access road/parking lot and park near the gate. You will see a stone path lined with boulders leading into the woods.

The trail heads through a nice patch of pines and spruces.

The trail in its entirety approaches three-quarters of a mile in length, half of it in the woods, half out in the open. It is as nicely-maintained as the ball diamonds with no blow-downs blocking the trail and no ruts. The makeup of the trail ranges from crushed stone and firm needle-covered dirt in the woods to a gravel path that traverses the eastern side of the park. The trail remains flat throughout; there are no elevation changes or ditches to cross. This all makes for a perfect hike for a family with little ones – you could even push a stroller for the entire length with no problem whatsoever.

For the first third of the hike, the trail meanders through deciduous woods. If you want to catch your breath or admire the scenery, there are 3 benches located in this section, courtesy of Danielle Forrest, whose Girl Scout service project a few years back saw some improvements to the trail.

Look just behind the first bench you encounter. Behind it will be a shagbark hickory. You will see how the tree gets its name.

Benches throughout the park give you a chance to relax and

enjoy the scenery. 

Just after the benches you will soon come upon an intersection.

To the left will be a trail that heads towards private property (which you cannot access).

To the right will be a trail through the heart of the woods -- unless you want to cut your hike short, don’t take it.

For the best hike, keeping heading north.

The trail cuts through a pretty 2-acre patch of Norway and red spruces. They are approximately 50 to 60 years in age and quite tall, affording a nice change in scenery and habitat – this stretch would likely hold a wide variety of warblers when they migrate through the area in late-April, early-May and again in September.

After getting through the spruces, the trail will make a sharp right and it will parallel the intermittent stream (“ditch” to some) that serves are the property boundary. This section has taller grass along it and more wildflowers (as they are getting full sun).

The well-maintained nature trail is 

family friendly.

Because of the grass and the remnant standing water in the stream, mosquitoes are prevalent on this stretch, so, if you are sensitive to them, be sure to spray yourself before hiking. It should be noted that 80% of the hike is free of biting insects. The mosquito section is short, maybe 150 yards in length.

What really impressed me was the total lack of deer flies on our July hike (this is likely an outcome of the ample canopy of the forest inhibiting really thick undergrowth, which deer fly love to hide in). This is extremely unusual for Eastern Niagara County, because many woodlots have overwhelming numbers of these bothersome – and painful insects (the subject of an upcoming column). So, the Hartland Nature Trail provide a nice, stress-free change of pace.

Upon finishing-off that stretch of open woods, the trail will head into open space. There is a gravel service road that leads to the cell tower at the back of town property. You will hike that road back to the parking lot.

At first glance, it may seem to be the least attractive portion of the hike. Not so, just keep your eyes open. The forest edge, nearby fields, and power lines attract wildlife. Later in the day you will see deer. During the daylight hours pay special attention to the bird houses located on the power poles – they are home to tree swallows and one box has a nesting pair of eastern bluebirds – our official state bird.

The sassafrass, an uncommon tree in eastern Niagara

County, can be found at the park.

Those are just a couple of the birds that frequent the park. On this week’s walk with an excited and boisterous 2-year-old I still managed to see or hear 20 species of birds, solid numbers for the non-migratory season. Among them were thrushes, vireos, catbirds, and turkeys.

If you want to experience an interesting bird, visit the park at sunset during April. The folks at Tri-Town Ambulance (right next to the park) routinely hear snipes at the park, with their haunting huhuhuhu breeding sound. One can see why snipes like the park: A good portion of the woods has standing water in the spring (perfect habitat). That water is gone by summer and helps to keep down the mosquito numbers.

Wildflowers, like these blackeyed

Susans, are abundant in the park.

There are so many birds at the park because although the woodlot might be no wider than 200 yards in spots, it is a rich and diverse forest. It is dominated by maples, aspens, ashes, oaks, cherries and, one of my favorites, the tulip tree. I was really surprised to see a young sassafras tree on this week’s hike; it is one of just 2 that I’ve ever seen in Eastern Niagara County.

The Hartland nature trail is an exceptional and family-friendly jaunt, one that looks to get even better. The town applied for and received Niagara Greenway funding, some of which will be used to put interpretive signage on the trail.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the park, do so. It’s one of the neater – and lesser known -- places to explore on the Niagara Frontier.    



Bob Confer lives in rural Gasport, where his 2-year-old is known to enjoy nature hikes of a mile or more in length. She’s likely in training for daddy to chase her during her teen years. Follow him on Twitter @bobconfer or email him at bobconfer@juno.com. 

From the 17 July 2014 East Niagara Post

A CON-CON WOULD BE A CON GAME

For the past few years it has been popular for folks of the right persuasion (Republicans and neoconservatives) to call for a constitutional convention (“Con-Con”) in hopes of passing a balanced budget amendment (BBA). A lot of people have jumped on that bandwagon; no doubt your email inbox or Facebook news feeds have shown that. 

Building on that, radio host Mark Levin released a book last summer titled “The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic” that calls for a Con-Con to address what he sees as America’s woes: unjust courts, overtaxation, overspending and the loss of states’ rights.

While all of these efforts might be, for the most part, well-meaning, they are extremely dangerous. Ignore the fact that a BBA in itself is counterproductive to its intent -- to balance a budget, government needs only to increase revenues (taxes) to meet expenses (spending). The real danger in a Con-Con is that it would open Pandora’s Box.

Article V of the US Constitution allows for a constitutional convention by which new amendments to our federal government’s primary legal document can be proposed. 34 state legislatures would have to submit applications for a Con-Con. Once said convention has proposed an amendment, it would have to be ratified by three-fourths of the states in order to become part of the Constitution.

Under such circumstances -- in today’s world especially -- it would be a free-for-all and any amendment under the sun could be proposed. That’s why you never hear anyone on the left denouncing the right’s calls for a Con-Con (as they do for anything the right brings up – and vice versa). They know that they, too, would have the ability to propose amendments that meet their desires, whether it’s recognition of abortion as a right, an increase in federal powers, or permanence of social welfare programs.

The Constitution is a document better left alone. Adding to it is dangerous. Sure, some amendments introduced after the Bill of Rights have some merit, like XV which clarified that no one may have their rights abridged on the basis of race or color. But, others have been downright ruinous to the United States, including XVI (which gave the feds the ability to collect income taxes) and XVII (which transferred the election of senators from the states to the people). Who knows what would come out of a Con-Con. The outcome may make XVI and XVII look docile by comparison. The legal basis of our federal government could be forever transformed, even fully dismantled and replaced with something new.

Were new amendments – whether they were new controls or new powers – to be installed, who’s to say the law would be followed? The Constitution in its past and current states clearly defined the expectations and parameters of the federal government. We have allowed our federal government to grow well beyond the lines, to the point that it has almost become a national government, one that has assumed most all powers that truly belong to the states and the people. It’s long been said that were the federal government to actually operate within its constitutional limitations, it would be one-tenth its current size.

It seems like every day we are getting closer to a Con-Con becoming a reality. This year alone, 70 bills and resolutions to call for a constitutional convention have been introduced among the legislatures of 35 states. Of them, only Georgia and Michigan have passed con-con applications, but the fact that so many legislators and legislatures across the country have seriously considered them is frightening. As our federal government continues to confound people on both sides of the aisle and calls for a convention become common on social media, in newspapers, and around water coolers, a Con-Con within the next decade is certainly foreseeable, especially given its novelty.    

If you value what our United States were intended to be and what they should be (by their very definition in the Constitution as she stands now) then you shouldn’t be among those calling for a constitutional convention and you should be educating the people who are. A Con-Con would be a con game, as it would let the wolves run the hen house and America would never be the same.   



From the 21 July 2014 Lockport Union Sun and Journal    

VOUCHERS FOR VETERANS

When sending off our men and women to fight for our defense or interests abroad where they face the barrel of a gun or travel along bomb-strewn roads as a course of their daily duties, it only makes sense that upon their return we give our warriors some sort of reward since most of them are paid peanuts for the risks they take. It isn’t unreasonable to say that we should offer publically-funded healthcare to our veterans. They deserve it and it should be our responsibility to maintain and improve the health of bodies and minds that were scarified for us.

But, the current way of doing things – clinics, hospitals and doctors maintained by Veterans Affairs (VA) – shouldn’t be the only way. By following that path, we’ve achieved the cruelest of ironies: After they have survived wars and occupations overseas, the health system that was meant to protect our veterans at home could ultimately end up being the very thing that kills them.

Consider what has happened in our own backyard a few years ago. A routine inspection discovered that 716 vets who were served by the Buffalo VA Medical Center could have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis from reused insulin pens. Hospital staff did not follow the necessary protocol and failed to dispose of the one-time use pens, which in turn created a health risk similar to that of sharing a syringe.

This was not the first HIV scare to plague the VA and its patients. In early 2009, some 10,000 patients from VA hospitals in three states (Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee) were put at risk of contracting the disease after unsterilized colonoscopy equipment was repeatedly used. After checking every one of the individuals exposed to the dirty tubes, it was found that 16 of them were infected — 10 with hepatitis and six with “unspecified infections”. That’s 16 too many.

You need not be reminded of the current VA controversy, one in which administrators left veterans to have their health worsen – and even die – while put on unconscionable waiting lists, waiting lists that were purposely covered-up to make the health centers look better than they were.

Were all of this to happen in the private sector, doctors, nurses, and hospitals would lose their employment and their licenses. Not in the VA system. It is, after all, a federal bureaucracy. For all of the above mentioned matters and many more, very few heads rolled; the guilty parties kept their jobs and were rewarded handsomely.   

It doesn’t make ethical and moral sense to subject our veterans to such a system, so set in its ways and so averse to change. The VA has no reason or will to change because it’s a monopoly. They have a captive audience and there is no competition allowed for it.

One of the greatest aspects of free markets and free choice is competition…the dueling participants (individuals or organizations) will always aspire to offer and/or acquire the best, most diverse and effective products or services possible. Without that motivation, limitations and suspect quality rule the day.

We need to allow our vets some of that freedom (after all, didn’t they fight for freedom?) and give them the ability to choose the care they want, from who they want, and from where they want. They shouldn’t be limited to a single source. Let them get their care from a VA medical center if they’d like. Let them get their care from a Kalieda medical center if they’d like.

The best way to achieve this is through some sort of voucher system, whereby veterans would receive government-funded insurance or their providers would receive publically-paid reimbursement. It’s a simple concept that would allow the vets to escape the ills of the VA system while pursuing the best care at some of America’s best facilities.

The voucher system would not be dissimilar to Medicaid, through which recipients receive stellar care and benefits that far rival what most privately-insured individuals get. If that Cadillac insurance system can work so well for non-contributors, why shouldn’t something similar –or better – work for those who did contribute to the greatness of our nation?          

Simply put, choice and safety are two things that we can - and should - offer our veterans. What we do now affords neither. It’s time for a change…why expose them to ongoing health scares – on domestic soil, no less -- after everything they’ve done for us? 



From the 14 July 2014 Lockport Union Sun and Journal

Exploring the Niagara Frontier: All Around the Mulberry Bush

I love eating. I love nature. I love eating nature.

That means the month of July is special time for me and other wild locavores on the Niagara Frontier, as we are blessed with so many types of edible fruits in our forests and fields. From wild strawberries to black cherries to blackcaps, one’s palate can never be bored. Years like this, which have seen consistent rainfall from bud to flower to fruit, are especially bountiful and some plants seem overflowing with juicy fruits.

Among the most overlooked and underappreciated of these is the mulberry.

Not everyone has a taste for mulberries. My wife and daughter could do without them. As a matter of fact, just last week my two-year-old took a bite out of one, handed me the rest of it and in disgust said, “Here. You eat it.” She hasn’t touched one since.

Those of us who enjoy mulberries appreciate the subtle fleshiness of the fruit and the unforgettable flavor that is at once sweet and tart. They are so juicy that they often pop in your mouth when you bite into them.

Every year I collect the berries in volume and have a quarter-quart as my morning and afternoon snacks at work over their two-week peak.

If you do that, be sure to have a toothbrush handy in your desk as the juices tend to darken your teeth, just as they do your hands when picking and eating them.

Similarly, if you go out and pick them, be sure to wear old shoes that you can leave on your porch or in your mudroom. When mulberries are at their peak the ground below a mulberry tree will be littered with overripe berries and you will step on them. You don’t want to be bring that dye into your home and stain your carpets or woodwork.

Where to find them

Mulberry trees can be found mostly in the agricultural areas of Eastern Niagara County, especially those with dairy farms in the immediate vicinity. It won’t be often that you’ll find them in woodlots.

That’s because one of the greatest consumers of mulberries is the European starling. These pesky birds inhabit feedlots by the hundreds because they love to eat the corn and other grains that the farmers put out for their cattle. The starlings will wander away from the farm when mulberries are ripe and, if you don’t make periodic visits to your local mulberry tree, they will clean it completely of the berries.

If you want to find a mulberry tree, narrow your search to within a half-mile of a dairy farm and look for them in hedgerows and along “natural” hedgerows (like creek edges). These are places where the farm starlings will roost and defecate – it is their droppings that spread mulberry seeds and ensure future generations of trees. I guess starlings are good for something.

Mulberry trees can also naturally appear in lawns. That’s because the robin, one of our most common backyard birds, is an avid devourer of mulberries, and they, like starlings will plop the seeds in their stomping grounds.

Do you want a cue that there are likely mulberries in your neighborhood? Check the hood of your car this week or next. If there are bird droppings on it that are deeply purple, chances are your feathered friend had mulberries for dinner.  

What to look for

Mulberry trees are relatively short trees. They are 20- to 50-feet tall and can start producing fruit at about 15-feet in height (which is why you’ll need an a-frame ladder if you are serious about harvesting them).

The leaves are mostly oval or heart-shaped but they can also have a mitten shape and are typically three- to five-inches long and two- to three-inches wide. Mulberry leaves are also very glossy on the top. If you encounter the trees in the fall, the leaves will be yellow.

The bark of the trees is furrowed, even scaly, and not the least bit smooth.

The tree has a spreading crown (it doesn’t grow straight up like, say, a tulip tree) and has been known to be planted as a shade tree for that reason.

In the spring, mulberry trees produce greenish, spiked flowers than can be up to two-inches long. They gradually turn into fruits which first look white, become pink-red, and then turn a deep purple – almost black – when ripe. The fruits are one- to one-and-a-half-inches long. When picking them, a small bit of green stem will remain atop the fruit. That stem is edible and will do nothing to either improve or ruin the flavor of the fruit.  

The fruits might start to become ripe around July 1, but really don’t become so until the second and third weeks of July. It’s rare that you will see any into August.

Interesting and miscellaneous facts

The red mulberry is native to North America and we are just at the very northern edge of its range. It is the one you are least likely to find in your travels in Niagara County.

You will encounter its Persian cousin, the black mulberry, which was brought to the States to create a silk industry. Those who introduced them here failed to realize that silk worms love white mulberry leaves but have no care for black mulberry leaves. After failing in that regard, settlers decided to keep the trees anyway because of the delicious berries.

Mulberries aren’t berries, they are collective fruits. But for layman’s sake, throughout this column, I identified them improperly as people have for centuries.  

It is highly encouraged that you thoroughly wash mulberries before eating them due to the likelihood of starling droppings on them. Starlings are not the cleanest birds.

Mulberries can eaten raw or put in pies, jams and jellies. They are quite tasty when served warm over dumplings/biscuits. My favorite treat is to top vanilla ice cream with them.


Bob Confer lives in rural Gasport where he doesn’t mind robins spreading their droppings in his lawn, hoping that they become mulberry trees. You can email him at bobconfer@juno.com . You can follow him on Twitter @bobconfer.



From the 10 July 2014 East Niagara Post

Exploring the Niagara Frontier

I was recently approached by my friend about writing a column for East Niagara Post. I couldn’t pass up the chance as I enjoy writing, something made evident by my 9 years of piecing together an opinion column for the Greater Niagara Newspapers.

Although public policy is a constant subject of my GNN columns, it’s not one of my passions. It’s one of my frustrations and something that I feel obligated to educate the masses about.

When it came to the invitation, I asked if I could pursue one of my passions — the outdoors — and educate the masses about that. I’ve always wanted to write a nature and science column and I’ve always felt that the Niagara County could use one. The Buffalo News’ Sunday science page — with its cornerstone contributor, Gerry Rising — is one of its most popular installments (and my favorite). There’s no reason why that sort of educational success couldn’t translate to Niagara County media as well.

That’s where this column came from. Where is the column going?

“Exploring the Niagara Frontier” will do just what the name says — explore the Niagara Frontier. Every week we will look at some natural aspect of the region — like a specific animal or plant or perhaps an interesting geological feature — or maybe we’ll check out one of our numerous public assets, like Royalton Ravine Park or the Lockport Nature Trail.

The focus will be on telling stories about our precious natural world and giving folks a background on some of the living creatures that we either, one, take for granted or, two, let slip undetected in our backyards.

Like East Niagara Post, we will train our attention on Eastern Niagara County. Too often, the wonders of this area take a back seat to the magnificent natural beauty of the Niagara River, Niagara Falls, and the Gorge. But, as you will discover (that is, if you don’t already know it), we’re pretty darn blessed with our own special brand of natural beauty on this side of the county — there are many reasons why people who live in Buffalo or the north towns commonly refer to Eastern Niagara County as “God’s Country.”

You may be asking yourself, what is guy who owns a plastics factory doing writing about nature?

It may seem counterintuitive at first since plastics have a bad reputation, some of it deserved, in environmental circles.

The thing is, we don’t produce disposable goods at the plant. We pride ourselves on manufacturing durable goods, items made to last a lifetime (kayaks, swimming pool ladders, docks, and more).

You’ll find that I’m not a guy who toes the industry line. For one, I absolutely despise the insanity of bottled water. I still can’t believe U.S. consumers blow their money on a staggering 30 billion of these bottles every year. I also find it jaw-dropping that only 30 percent of them are recycled. Such nonsensical consumerism contributes to the 32 million tons of plastic waste put into landfills annually.

So, I may be a manufacturer, but I’m a manufacturer who understands my and my industry’s roles in the Big Picture.

You’re probably wondering, too, just what is my background in nature?

I’m basically self-taught when it comes to biology and it’s a love affair that’s lasted a lifetime.

As early as the second grade you could find me keeping a field guide to the birds close to me at all times. It went to school. It went out in the field. It probably even went to bed with me.

Growing up on a 280-acre farm which my family worked till I was 10 (a farm that I still live on to this day, although its tillable land is rented out to a local farmer), I roamed field and forest and played in creeks through my childhood and teen years and had an insatiable hunger for learning about everything from the minute to the monstrous.

Then, when most other teenagers may have been shooting hoops or playing ball, my sports were, instead, the outdoor pursuits — hunting and fishing.

A naturalist who hunts? Yes, I am a nature enthusiast, but I am at the same time someone who also selectively harvests his nourishment from the land. It’s a part of Man’s role in the bigger scheme of things; you’re only kidding yourself if you don’t recognize our spot at the top of the food chain.

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a family who encouraged my love of the outdoors — from parents who stocked my library, took me hunting and fishing, and helped fund my Boy Scout adventures to a loving grandmother who took me on hundreds of Saturday trips to the Alabama Swamps to watch birds.

Had I not gone on to the family business, I’m certain I would have taught biology or earth science at a local school.

That career choice didn’t prevent me, though, from being an educator. During my college years I was the nature director at Camp Dittmer in the Finger Lakes. I was a scout leader for years and a constant focus of mine while on the trail was talking to the boys about the world around us. And, for 16 years at Roy-Hart I spoke to Mrs. Brown’s class about local wildlife, even taking them on nature hikes at Royalton Ravine Park.

So, that’s where the nature bug came from --as well the associated urge to share my knowledge and experiences with you. It’s in my blood.

Be sure to check in every Thursday when we can explore the Niagara Frontier together. In the meantime, get outdoors and enjoy our natural world.

Bob Confer lives in rural Gasport where you can still find him roaming fields and forests and playing in creeks. You can email him at bobconfer@juno.com and follow him on twitter @bobconfer.


From the 03 July 2014 East Niagara Post

EMPLOYERS DON’T NEED 24/7 ACCESS TO WORKERS

Wireless technology has been a boon to the business world in the twenty-first century as it gives businesses unprecedented access to their clients while considerably speeding-up various functions of their operations.

That same technology has also been a bane to many workers. The ubiquitous smart phone has become a  ball-and-chain, weighing them down and making them accessible to their bosses, customers and the grind of work at all hours of the day and night.

In my personal and professional dealings I have witnessed far too many people frustrated, even burned out, over the unfretted access that their employers have to them. I’ve had many a meeting interrupted by someone’s phone going off. I’ve watched as my friends have had to take calls or answer emails long after they’ve left the office. 24/7 access can sap the enjoyment out of work and life in general.

Surveys have shown that after the close of a typical workday 40% of white-collar workers remain connected right till the next day. Other studies have also shown that people just can’t get away, even when they are away. More than 80% stay connected to the office while on vacation, checking in at least once a day. 40% check in multiple times a day.

It’s an epidemic and it’s not just Corporate America who is to blame. I’ve seen small businesses and non-profits exert the same amount of unnecessary pressure on their workers.

No one can rest (or are misled to believe so). If they do, they are blasted by their supervisors or ripped by their customers. Many workers are willing participants in this mess, feeling guilty if they haven’t checked their emails or messages in the evening or on the weekend.  

Why is this expected of everyone? Just because the technology exists, it doesn’t mean we should abuse it.

I have a policy at the plant, shared with my customers and suppliers, that says my coworkers are off-limits after hours, on the weekends and while on vacations. Much to the frustration of some of my clients, we don’t even give out my coworker’s cell phone numbers. 

We don’t want them to take their work home with them because quality of life is contingent on a good job and it’s also contingent on a life outside of that job. Plus, a rested employee, one who can maintain a decent personal life, is a better employee overall.

The rule at the office is, too, that our people must follow the same rules when dealing with our customers and suppliers. It’s the Golden Rule.

It may seem old-fashioned or outdated to some business managers since we live in a 24-hour world. But, everyone needs to realize that constant connectedness with cell phones, smart phones, Blackberries and the like is maybe a dozen years old. The business world did just fine before that and it will be just fine when today’s technology goes the way of the telegraph.

If we can do it with a 24/6 facility and products that are sold to and competing against companies from all over the world, you as employer can do it, too. If you keenly focus on what matters most during business hours --- high levels of effective customer service and the very best product quality – there is no need to harass employees after they’ve punched out for the day. There’s no need to subject your workers to the constant barrage of information and requests. Let them be people – and not just assets to your company – and you’ll find they’ll be more productive and they might even stay with you for a while.

Likewise, workers need to cut the ties when not at the office. How many of you glance at your aggravating smart phones and pine for simpler times? Those simpler times are just one power button away. Use it. Turn off the phone at night when trying to relax or spend time with your children. Be you on the weekends. Disconnect when on vacation.

The company will still be there the next day and so will the work -- get it done then.




From the 07 July 2014 Lockport Union Sun and Journal