The Things You Find at Skytop

Today, I taught a New Paltz 6th grade program, Water: Concerns & Solutions. This program is pretty awesome as the class hikes around the Mohonk Mountain House property and tests pH levels from various water sources. The program samples at the lake and up at the Skytop Reservoir. A highlight of the program is to hike up to Skytop, not via the Lemonsqueeze, but up some pretty steep stairs on Sky Top Path. Once at the top, the students are able to enjoy lunch and explore the Skytop tower. During their exploration, a Katydid greeted us! So I snapped a photo of it, of course posting it to Instagram, and later on today, the Mohonk Mountain House reposted it! I really love the Instagram social media platform. The Preserve uses my photos and reposts my photos all the time, so having my posts reposted elsewhere is pretty awesome! Love being a local photo celebrity! Just kidding.

Repost of my photo of a Katydid on top of Skytop by the Mohonk Mountain House

Mohonk Preserve Auction

Although, I did not attend the Mohonk Preserve's Annual Auction, I was sent photos of my work being a hit at the Silent Auction. I am thrilled that there were several bids on my drawing! And the winner was one of my volunteers from the Daniel Smiley Research Center! I am super glad it is going to a home that I know appreciates art and will take care of it!

theChristyBel

The Spring Peeper

On Display with My Biography at the Auction
Photo Credit: Wendy Toman

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Rowing the Row Boat on Mohonk Lake

Sky Top from Mohonk Lake

Hiker's Holiday: A Day of Fire

Every year, the Mohonk Preserve partners with the Mohonk Mountain House to help with the hotel's event, Hikers Holiday. For over 80 years, this program allows people from all over the country come to the Mountain House for a specific week in the spring and participate in organized, guided hiking all over the Shawangunk Ridge. This year's theme was: Earth, Wind, Fire. The Preserve will usually allow several staff to help lead/co-lead these organized hikes. I was asked to co-lead a hike out at Sam's Point Preserve. This hike was held on the 'Fire' day as the participants were able to see remnants of the fire that had come through last year. The participants were all very interesting and fun to be around. As we hiked around Lake Maratanza, I was able to get to know a bunch of them. Many of the participants had been participating in Hikers Holiday for over 10+ years. Crazy! It was a super hot day, so our hike only lasted half the day. But all in all, it was a great day to get out on the land!

TheChristyBel

Fire Scar on Right, Unburned Land on Left

Burned Area Rejuvenation

Epicormic Sprouting
Pitch Pines will grow needles directly from the trunk to encourage rapid growth

View of Lake Maratanza

Summit Pose at Sam's Point with my co-leader, Michael Rider, Mohonk Mountain House Resident Naturalist

Snow Day on the Mountain

It was snowing!
Mohonk Lake in Total Narnia Filter!

Mohonk Lake: Winter Style

Mohonk Lake, Frozen Over!

So Pretty!

Mohonk Lake Freezes Over

My first New Paltz-Gunks Winter was very different than the one we are experiencing right now. Today, I discovered from our Mesonet Weather Station, that it was 1 degree outside! That is amazing! I have not seen such low temps since Wyoming. With the low temps and the calm winds, we also discovered that Mohonk Lake froze over! This was a whole few months earlier than last year. Super excited to see how Mohonk Lake does this winter season! Enjoy the pics!

TheChristyBel

The Mesonet Reading of Such Low Temps!

Ice Crystallization on my Window

A Light, Thin Ice Over on Mohonk Lake

Super Glisteny!

The Mohonk Winter Scene

The Wintery View From The Mountain House Patio

My Mohonk Lake View Is Much Different Than My Summer View!

Mohonk Red Witch Hazel

I Still Cannot Get Over This Red in the American Witchhazel!

Mohonk Red American Witchhazel

While my parents were in a tour of the DSRC Archive Room with Paul,
I discovered the Mohonk Red American Witchhazel in bloom!

Super Pretty!

Leaving Footprints

"Footprints" Found at the Reservoir
You Can Learn A Lot About What You Observe & See
Can You Guess Who's They Are?

A Lake Brain Break

It's really nice working up at the Daniel Smiley Research Center on really hot days during the summer. If I need a brain break or I head into work early, I can walk up to the Mountain House and show my staff ID to go swim on the list! I really love Mohonk Lake. It is one of the most amazing lakes to swim in - great temperatures, clear and clean water, and just an amazing lake! If you're ever in the area, you definitely need to check out this lake!

TheChristyBel

A 15-Minute Walk From My Office & I Am Soaking Up Rays

Selfie with Fish

Took a Selfie with Fish After We Finished the Lemon Squeeze at the Mohonk Mountain House

My Favorite Sky Lake

Went to Mohonk Lake with Amanda today. As we chatted, sunbathed, and tanned, I took a closer look at the sand and discovered the true colors of this place I have come to love. Mohonk Lake is just beautiful. They call Mohonk Lake a sky lake. It was created by a glacier and was filled with the melt. The water is clear, clean, and wonderful to swim in. There is so much wildlife in this lake too. Even though the lake is fully sky fed (rain and snowmelt), there is so much wildlife. Fish, newts, frogs, snakes, insects, beaver! And the colors....can you paint with all the colors of Mohonk Lake?!? hehe.

TheChristyBel

The Colors of Mohonk Lake

This time of year, the male Sunfish, will excavate a bowl in the sand to attract a female.

He's Looking for a Lady,
He's Looking for some Love.

Mountain Laurel & Sheep Laurel Peak

Mountain Laurel

A Phenological Update: Late May into early June is clearly one of my most favorite seasons of the Shawangunks. This job has given me so many opporutnities to learn about the natural landscape here and I have been expanding my flora scope. Currently right now, we are experiencing the Laurel peak. Quarter-sized, umbrella looking, white, sticky flower blooms are opening up all over the Ridge. That flower is called Moutain Laurel. Kalmia latifolia is a broad-leaved evergreen shrub that has round flowers that come in dark shades of white to pink to even red/maroon. Although this plant is very poisonous, it is a great flower for many pollinators. Similar to the Blueberry, this plant really thrives in acidic soil (mostly 90% of the soil around here is acidic from the conglomerate). But right now, it is just in full bloom boom here. And a large popular attraction for the spring (similar to the fall foliage peak in the fall). If you have not been up here in the spring around this time before, you definitely need to add it to your bucket list. It is just beautiful and it smells nice too!

Some Pink Morphs

Not Mountain Laurel, but the tinier cousin, Sheep Laurel
Just as beuatiful!

So cute!

Hudson Valley Weather Visits the DSRC

Every month, I tabulate the weather records and formalize it into a summary for distribution to the public. Amanda, the Media Associate, posts all of our weather summaries online and shares them on social media. When she posted our February weather summary, it sparked the attention of Hudson Valley Weather. For those of you who do not know, they are the "MountainWeather.com" of the Hudson Valley. They are more reliable than the Weather Channel. Pretty impressive. Majority of the locals of New Paltz swear by Hudson Valley Weather. They have told me that even though this organization started out as a hobby for a bunch of businessmen and engineers, they have been predicting the weather of the region more accurately than the Weather Channel. So, back to sparking their attention. They were so stunned that we had a weather station at Mohonk and wanted to close in on some partnerships with using our data and having access to our summaries. So with that, they wanted to meet us. I felt more like a fan than the celebrity when they met us. We talked about what the Daniel Smiley Research Center does, the history of the weather station and data collection, many of our research projects, and of course, brought them up to the lake and weather box. It was a super great meeting and introduction to each other! Hopefully we will develop some closer ties and able to use each other as we continue the focus on Climate Change. 

TheChristyBel

We made their blog!

Daniel Smiley Research Center Staff Meet Hudson Valley Weather Staff
Weather Nerds All Around!

Chilly Morning

Temperatures here in the Gunks are not as frigid as they are back west. I think we have only gone below 0 degrees a handfull of times, but it has been really cold here. The humidity really plays a role in how cold the east is - it's bone-chilling cold! I am not sure if I like it.

But as I look from my office window at the Daniel Smiley Research Center, the ice crystals are just so beauitful and makes me really appreciate being inside and admiring the cold and winter from a warm room.

TheChristyBel

It's a Bit Chilly Outside

Snowy Morning at the Mountain House

Photos from my morning on the lake

My Snowy Morning on the Boat Wharf

Little Pano of Mohonk Lake and the Mountain House

Ice Skating at the Mountain House

Being an employee of the Mohonk Preserve is pretty awesome in itself. But let me tell you, there are some even bigger perks - as an employee I have some pretty awesome advantages to accessing the Mohonk Mountain House. As an employee, I get discounts and free access to many amenities at the Mountain House - including ice skating at the ice rink pavilion! This evening, the Tomans, Marc, and I all went ice skating during the open session. Enjoy some of the moments we all shared together!

Get Outside!

TheChristyBel

Skating was soooo fun!
Although terrifying - I have not been on skates since 2007!

Fun Time and Friends

The Mountain House Ice Rink Have Chairs to Use on the Ice!
Fun, Yet Terrifying!

Especially When David Pushes You!

Spending Time with Fish is ALWAYS FUN!

Really Fun!

Holding Hands, but Trying Not to Fall

Fun Times!

Obligatory Couple Photo