On Saturday, June 1st the Balsam Lake Mountain volunteers will host a presentation by Dr. Mike Kudish, Professor Emeritus from Paul Smith's college and Catskill Forest Historian. Dr. Kudish has studied the unique peat bogs that are located near the summit of Balsam Lake mountain for many years. He will discuss the information that he has gathered from those bogs and others nearby. That information has given him a fairly good idea of what the area looked like several thousand years ago. Dr. Kudish will also spend some time discussing the connection between forest fires and railroads in the Catskills. His recent book, Where did the tracks go in the Catskills? explains the significant number of railroads in the Catskills, but what was their impact? And was it similar to what Dr. Kudish discovered in the Adirondacks of NYS?
Dr. Kudish will begin his presentation at 11:00am on Saturday, June 1st at the summit of Balsam Lake Mountain. Following discussions, there will be time for a trip to one of the bogs to see first hand the information that Dr. Kudish will discuss. We sincerely hope that you can join us.
In the event of heavy rains, the presentation will be moved to Sunday, June 2nd. Please wear appropriate hiking boots and clothing and bring plenty of water and snacks. For any additional information or questions, you can contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Laurie Rankin at laur090@yahoo.com.
