I am disturbed by liberals advocacy for free trade at all costs. I don’t understand how Democrats have become the ultimate advocates of free trade over fair trade. Or how the flood of cheap imported timber, farm goods auto parts and electronic devices are good for anyone.
We all need the basics to live but nothing in the constitution guarantees that they should be cheap. A lot of things we all could do without. People hate inflation but maybe it should not be a time for cutting corners and more discount items but simply buying less and doing without.
Many states – West Virginia and Pennsylvania have implemented purple paint laws that allow landowners to paint trees purple to indicate private property, replacing the Posted No Trespassing signs which used to require that the property owner be listed to ask permission to access or hunt or contact them about other concerns about their land.
The idea is that people can nowadays find landowners either by the county websites with their interactive GIS browsers, via their ArcGIS REST Services or various apps such as OxHunt. No need to list the landowner on the sign – traditionally posted signs were pretty expensive to post in a legal number, a few bucks a sign which can really add up if you are posting more than a few acres. Purple paint in contrast is cheap.
The DEC has been marking their property borders with yellow blazes for some time now to supplement their state land signs. Paint means you can cover a lot more area for cheap. Does purple paint mean that more land owned by private owners will be closed off from public use or does it just reinforce existing posted signs?
Honestly I think the solution should be a hybrid model. Maybe their should be some relaxation on the distance of posted signs with the use of purple paint but I think traditional posted signs with landowner contact information posted at major access points like corner posts, driveways, or road borders. Online databases are good but no trespassing signs are more effective and I think landowner information should be listed near the entrances.
I was looking at the big tractors and brush hogs the DEC uses for mechanical removal of msintance of fields for wildlife. As if there wasn’t a more natural tool – fire. They really should consider more controlled burns of the land, low slow burns, grass fires in the open fields during the spring months.
For too long fire has been feared, in part due to uncontrolled wildfires that burn much too hot. Then many have expressed concern with air pollution, after all if you burn a field, especially when it’s damp, your going to end up with a lot of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide in the air. But this is a natural source, unlike the increadible amounts coming out tail pipes in the cities.
I have to admit I am getting tired of visiting the same places every time I go out and camp. It seems like lately, I’ve been following almost the same schedule every year, never mixing it up for the holiday weeks.
I’ve been thinking about some alternatives this year — things to for me to consider — not necessarily what I will end up doing.
Memorial Day Weekend to East Branch of Sacanadaga River?
I am getting tired of going out to Vermont each year for Memorial Day Weekend. That weekend is often too wet and buggy to be great for camping, so I’m thinking this year if I want to enjoy the long weekend, I should think about not going so far away — maybe some camping along the East Branch of Sacandaga River?
Summer Trip to the Adirondacks and North Country?
I haven’t done a summer trip up through the Adirondacks in years. I have spent little time in the North Country. Rather then doing the Finger Lakes again, this might be a good alternative.
Autumn Trip to Southern Ohio?
I am thinking rather then West Virginia this year, I could go out to Southern Ohio for my autumn road trip. There is the Warren National Forest down there, which would be a nice change compared to always going to West Virginia.
