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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 16, 2008 - 01:35am PT
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There's an article in Tuesday's New York Times on the weather station at Mohonk House in the Shawangunks. The station has been in exactly the same place since January 1st, 1896, and since then only five volunteer observers have been responsible for taking all 41,152 daily readings. The current volunteer is in his 34th year.
The station and its environs are virtually unchanged since 1896, and many of the original instruments are still being used. That, and the stability and consistency of the observers, makes it very valuable in terms of climate change.
Added to that, an extraordinary collection of phenological observations - essentially observations of natural history in the area. First birds, first snow, etc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/science/earth/16moho.html
Someday I hope to visit the Gunks, and will add a visit to the weather station to my list of things to do there.
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jstan
climber
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Sep 16, 2008 - 10:03am PT
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So often we don't even know about the people who have done the most for us. Dan Smiley's family had protected the Shawangunks even from plans to build a road along the ridge and had met all the challenges to the area since 1870. I think my first inkling of Dan's importance came when I happened on a tree house at the base of the skytop cliff. His parents had had it built, probably around the turn of the century and even when I saw it, it was a place you could find quiet and a chance to enjoy the rock all around you.
I met him in person in the late sixties. Very occasionally he would drive his green jeep wagoneer with the Mohonk logo on the driver's door down the undercliff road. He was a quiet person with a very broad understanding and a wry sense of humor. He did not miss much so I knew he was fully aware of the damage we climbers were doing to the cliff with our pitons. But he never let on that he knew. He was always gracious and interested. He would have been a great climber I think.
At the time had I been in his place I would have been jumping up and down over the damage and would have been visibly distraught. Not Dan. He was much like a steady wind out of the north. You face the wind knowing it extends to both horizons, nothing can stop it, and it will accomplish its task. Dan trusted us to do what was needed to protect our cliff. And so it was.
The Preserve he left behind will continue to act as a steward for the area and its task is to draw the people of the area ever closer to the natural beauty and the permanence that exists in their very backyard. It is an active effort, going out and bringing school children from all over the area to see what it is they share.
All this began in 1870. Even now, it remains a plan for the ages.
http://www.catskill.net/purple/smiley.htm
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Sep 16, 2008 - 10:14am PT
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I was going to link that book JStan! That's where I learned the depth of the efforts Dan Smiley made on preservation. He followed his bliss, and each day the awareness of just how important his work was becomes more apparent.
It's a wonderful read, and had me in tears more than a few times. How lucky we are to have had the Smiley family come to the Shawangunks.
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howlostami
Trad climber
Southern Tier, NY
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Sep 16, 2008 - 10:24am PT
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Thanks for posting up the great info. I'll take a lot less for granted the next time I'm walking the carriage road.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 17, 2008 - 12:00am PT
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Rather surprising - if there's one thing that all climbers like to talk about it's the weather. Although, as Twain famously observed, we never do anything about it...
I thought for sure this subject would generate more discussion, especially given the location, combined with a conspicuous article.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 28, 2008 - 02:54am PT
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In a somewhat related vein, it seems that researchers are now finding great value in the detailed information gathered by Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond from 1851 - 58, in Concord, Massachusetts. He made copious notes as to what plants there were, where, and when they bloomed. Overall, plants are now blooming seven days earlier. Many species have been extirpated from the area.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/28/science/earth/28wald.html
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