The winter of the ice volcanoes

 

Cold winters like this – with temperatures in the teens and twenties being the norm -- tend to make some people question why they live so far north. Those who stay know that, despite their nastiness, our winters are interesting in their own right and beauty can found in such harsh conditions.

 

One of the coolest sights of the winter months is out in force this year after a few warmer winters that weren’t conducive to their best development: Niagara County’s Lake Ontario shoreline is now home to countless ice volcanoes and more are being made.

An ice volcano is not a true volcano since it’s not a geological phenomenon. But, they are called volcanoes by laymen and scientists alike because there is no better way to describe what happens when the conditions are right and they are in their full fury.

When the waves come roaring in with heights in excess of 5 feet, they will go under ice sheets that have formed along the shore. The power of the waves will plow through a weak point in the ice – a hole or a crack – and spew through that spot.

Done repeatedly, that hole will grow in size and it is not uncommon to find blowholes up to 4 feet in diameter. Most become much smaller over time (and after subsequent freezes), but the waves still must seek the point of least resistance, so the water continues to break through the ice sheet in that spot in varying amounts of pressure and spray distance -- in a really good wind you can see eruptions 10 feet in height.

In a sustained storm, small conical mounds (over 5 feet in height) can appear over a day’s time because of this ... the spewing water creates its own mountains. Over days of good wave action, working ice volcanoes can make mountains up to 20 feet in height and they will continue to shoot water until the waves come to an end and the volcano becomes capped due to the lack of water exploding out in volume and consistency.

Ice volcanoes can be found anywhere along the Lake Ontario shore, but the best in Niagara County are to be found at Golden Hill State Park and Olcott Beach. That is because the shoreline in those places is somewhat protected by Thirty Mile Point and the breakwall, respectively, which inhibits a great deal of the predominant westerly winds and allows for a certain calmness which in turn allows substantial ice sheets to form along the shore. When the wind shifts to the north or northeast, that’s when the volcanoes will appear.

To see them in all of their glory, you will want to be there on the windiest, nastiest day possible, so prepare for the occasion — dress warmly and bring a facemask or scarf. You do not want to go on a calm day or one with a southwest wind as you will not see any eruptions (although you will still get to marvel at the size and shape of the volcanoes).

At Golden Hill, the best spot to see them is in the area near the boat launch, which is the entrance a quarter mile east of the main entrance to the park (where the campsites and lighthouse are) on Lower Lake Road in Barker. There is a spacious parking lot at the boat launch (and there is no admission fee charged even in-season). In Olcott, park in the hamlet or along Krull Park and walk to the area of the swimming beach.

 
A word of advice: do not venture out onto the ice sheet to look at or climb the volcanoes or mountains. The areas around the volcanoes can be incredibly strong from the build-up of ice or they can be very weak (there’s a reason water is blowing through that area) and they can easily cave in, and often do, just from their own weight.

So, the next time Mother Nature turns on us and you don’t mind taking the ride out to the lake and facing the elements head on, get out and enjoy the ice volcanoes. If you are there at the right time and under the right conditions, they can be pretty awesome ... and in the future you’ll be hoping for more cold and windy winters.

 

 

From the 11 January 2025 Greater Niagara Newspapers

It might be time to recertify your pistol permit

 

When my fellow handgun owners and I applied for pistol permits we did so with the understanding that they were lifetime permits, revocable only by our moving out of state or committing a crime.

  

Then along came the NY SAFE Act in 2013 which changed the whole landscape of gun ownership in the Empire State. Among the tenets of that law was the requirement to recertify those once-unlimited pistol permits every 5 years.

 

This began in January of 2017. The New York State Police were granted control of these pistol permit renewals. This move, atypical to standard pistol permitting which is run by county clerks’ offices, saw the creation and administration of an online process through which handgun owners could affirm that they still own the guns appearing on their permit.

 

For those of you who immediately took part in that recertification process in early 2017 (and then again in early 2022), you’ll need to renew soon, maybe even this month.

 

If you just did the math, you might be scratching your head now: 2025 is the 3 year mark, not 5.

 

It is. But, the State tweaked the rules yet again back in the late-summer of 2022. Now, those who hold a concealed carry permit must recertify every 3 years, not the 5 that continues to pertain to other permit holders.

 

Many are unaware of this change to their status and they likely find it frustrating because concealed carry permit holders already went through deeper consideration in order to become permitted. We were vetted.

 

At this time, recertification is not an arduous task. The process was made easy and many of the reservations we originally had before its launch never appeared – there were and are no extra classes, interviews, and references required for recertification. That could change one day (this is New York, after all) but for now it’s just some basic data entry and affirmation.  

 

To recertify your pistol permit, visit the website https://gunsafety.ny.gov/ and click on “pistol permit recertification” then, scroll down the next page and click on “online recertification”. You will be taken to the online form.

 

The whole process takes just a few minutes; just be sure to have your driver’s license and pistol permit handy. As you log-in you will enter your driver ID number. Then, you will be checking your personal information and verifying every handgun that you own – manufacturer, model, serial number and co-registration with spouse if that applies.

 

Many will find this to be an exercise in futility because we all know that the state already has the information – it was entered when you got your permit, it is updated every time you purchase a pistol, and you just verified everything a handful of years ago. Even so, don’t tempt the fates and ignore this simple process.

 

And, do it now or soon. Be sure to check your records as to when you last certified your permit and tackle this before your expiration date comes. Back in January of 2018, with the initial deadline looming, the State Police said they wouldn’t take criminal enforcement action against permit holders who unknowingly failed to recertify. But, that was 2018. This is 2025. At lot has happened since then – a new Governor, a new State Police Superintendent, and many more attempts, some successful, at new gun laws.

 

 

From the 04 January 2025 Lockport Union-Sun & Journal and Wellsville Sun

Exploring the Western NY Wilds: What backyard astronomers can expect in 2025

 

If you live or vacation in Allegany County you’re probably a backyard astronomer of sorts. You might find yourself outdoors on a clear night marveling at the countless stars in the heavens. There’s something innate, something primeval, about the love affair with the nighttime skies. The universe is fascinating, awe-inspiring, and relaxing – after a day of hustle and bustle and going in a hundred different directions, it’s comforting to look skyward, see that vastness and realize that we and our human experiences are but tiny, inconsequential blips in the whole scheme of things.

Far from the inescapable light pollution of big cities and their suburbs that haunt WNY locales like the Buffalo and Rochester metro areas, we’re blessed in Allegany County with incredible dark skies that lend themselves to great viewing of the cosmos.

As a matter of fact, some people even travel here to take in the nighttime sights.

They plan for it, based on the calendar of events for celestial activities.

You should plan accordingly, too. Mark your calendars now, so you’re ready to get the most out of looking skyward.

To help you plan for skywatching in 2025, here’s a look at some of the nighttime sights on tap for the year.

Lunar eclipses

On the night of March 14^th there will be a total lunar eclipse. The timing is perfect – it’s happening on a Friday night, so your kids can stay up late without worrying about waking up early for school and, depending on your job, if you don’t work Saturdays you can stay up late, too.

Northern Lights

The aurora borealis or northern lights are more abundant when the sun’s face is covered with sunspots and it is emitting all sorts of flares and other solar energy. From the mid-2010s and through the pandemic years, the sun wasn’t too eventful as it was at the bottom of the 11-year sunspot cycle — and that past cycle was a dud to begin with. Solar Cycle 25 is well underway and it has been surprising astronomers with its liveliness the past two years.

2024 was a banner year for the northern lights as they were very visible a few times in Allegany County. Expect more of the same in the new year as the solar cycle peaks in 2025. We aren’t as lucky as northern Canada when it comes to these amazing celestial sights – they see them in abundance and in extraordinary detail — but that doesn’t mean the sun won’t surprise us on occasion. If I had to guess, Allegany County residents will get to see them quite well on five occasions in 2025.  

If you want to know when you have a chance, a great tool is the aurora oval (updated every few minutes) on the left side toolbar of the website SpaceWeather.com. If the green or red hue takes over or comes close to the US-Canada border on that map, it’s time to get outside and look. You don’t ever want to miss the northern lights. They are incredible and you have only so many good solar cycles in your lifetime.

 The best meteor showers

The Persieds meteor shower never ceases to amaze, throwing some really bright meteors out there. 2016 was an outburst year, and I saw nearly 100 shooting stars over an hour and a half period on the peak night. While 2025’s shower won’t reach such numbers, the Perseids is always a good show. Even during lean years, you can see 30 to 60 per hour, some of them being impressive fireballs, the sight of which will be seared in your memory forever.

In 2025, Perseids will peak on the night of August 12^th heading into the morning hours of the 13^th. Your best bet is after midnight. Look towards the constellation Perseus to see them in their full beauty. Viewing will be subdued in 2025 as there will be plenty of moonlight from an 80% full moon to obscure all but the brightest fireworks.

December’s Geminids shower, which is a consistent and totally underrated meteor shower (probably because your average person doesn’t like sitting outside in cold weather), will be a fine one to watch 2025 because of the moon will be less than 40% full and it won’t rise until after 2:00 AM on the night of the peak. This event will peak overnight December 13^th into December 14^th. Don’t overlook this event as skywatchers love this show for its sometimes colorful meteors. 

New moons

If you are serious about stargazing, you will as I do mark on your calendar every date on which there is a new moon. Basically “no moon,” the new moon ensures there is no moonlight robbing your skywatching experience, meaning you have full visibility of the stars, the Milky Way, meteors and more. You typically have perfect dark sky viewing for four days on either side of the new moon.

New moons will occur on: January 29, February 28, March 29, April 27, May 27, June 25, July 24, August 23, September 21, October 21, November 20, and December 20.


From the 30 December 2024 Wellsville Sun