The Rattlesnake Hill Wildlife Management Area is a 5,100 acre upland tract, situated approximately eight miles west of Dansville, New York. Roughly two-thirds of the area lies in southern Livingston County, while the remaining third lies in northern Allegany County. The tract was purchased in the 1930’s under the Federal Resettlement Administration and is one of several such areas turned over to DEC for development as a wildlife management area.
The area is appropriately named after the Timber Rattlesnake, which may be occasionally found in the more remote sections of the “Hill”.
The area offers an interesting blend of upland habitats such as mature woodland, overgrown fields, conifer plantations, old growth apple orchards and open meadows.
The area is inhabited by a variety of game species and is open to public hunting. The white-tailed deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, grey squirrel, cottontail rabbit and woodcock are found on the area. An occasional snowshoe hare may be observed adjacent to thick creek bottom brush or conifer plantation habitats.
A number of small marsh units have been developed and provide limited hunting for waterfowl. Some of the area’s furbearing species such as mink, beaver and raccoon may be occasionally viewed at these marsh units.
When I was a younger individual I used to enjoy politics and politicians.While I still enjoy the analysis side of things and the personalities, and sometimes the creative ways that politicians find to get around problems they face, I have a growing disdain for politics. I hate the cult nature that has grown around leading politicians like Trump and Biden, how people feel they have to take certain actions in support of their preferred leaders. Or how politics often becomes a way that individuals hide from their own personal failings.
Nowadays I tend to see politics are more of a freak show, something entertaining but without much of a consequence to myself or something that I have much of a stake one way or another in. Yes, it provides me a living, something to grab some of fat off it’s hide to sustain me, but not something that I consider deeply personal or important like much more ideological people do these days. If anything when people talk about how awful the other side is, I just sit there quietly, moaning to myself, realizing how ignorant people can be to the awfulness of their own party.
I’ve always been an independent when it comes to politics. I don’t really like either party, or how they bring out the worse of American society. But also I realize when politicians play their public relations game up front, the thing to watch is in details and how things are being made worse or better behind the scenes. Usually it’s the little stuff that politicians never talk about that make the biggest difference in life. Things rarely noticed outside of industries they are most apply to.
I don’t play victim to politics. Instead I focus on my own life, realizing what the politicians do it outside of my control. I can vote or even campaign or show up at public hearings and scream, but it’s like buying a lottery ticket. Chances are good it won’t make a difference, what is bound to happen will happen. It’s not to say that sometimes one won’t get lucky and make a difference but it’s rare. But choices in my own life are things that I can truly control, and have much more power over rather then that of the politicians.
I never liked Trump as I didn’t think he was a serious candidate for president or even a serious president. He’s not somebody I think is willing to listen to facts or even understand complicated nuisanced issues. Most politicians like to toot their horns and be obnoxious ideologues by throwing red meat to their base, but I never got the impression that Trump goes any deeper than that.
I never got rallying around the flag or the support our police and military movement. Government workers have jobs and we expect them to do it competently for pay. It’s what I do too. But I don’t expect any parades in my honor. Government workers get paid, and many have unions and if they are concerned about low pay or unsafe working conditions – the solution shouldn’t be parades or medals given out – but better pay, benefits and working conditions. Government workers aren’t virtuous but they deserve fair working conditions.
Indeed, I’m deeply cynical about the government. I don’t think the government is out there to help but instead is motivated by a complex web of personal ambitions. Every government program after all is motivated by a desire of politicians to get reelected or a government employee to get a promotion and make more money. So if anything I’m a libertarian – regulate the corporations and big businesses but leave the little guy alone.
They estimate roughly 1 in 4 rural residents burn at least a portion of their household trash. With most things packaged in lightweight plastics and paperboard, a significant portion of waste can be burned. Rural households that burn can often only run to the transfer station or the landfill once or twice a year as most can go up in smoke.
Most of it is inevitably burned in smelly trash burning barrels which are typically 55 gallon drum with holes shot or poked in it. But it can be done better. Burn barrels are fine for disposing of trash in outlying areas but they have several shortfalls that very from a nuisance to a downright public safety threat.
They can smell bad when certain plastics and other trash is burned – as they tend to smolder due to the trash being wet and not enough oxygen
Some of the chemicals released can be toxic, especially when trash solders due to moisture and lack of air
They pose a fire risk – as many are used without screens and are placed near grass or trees
Hot fires eliminate the volatile organic compounds, along with many of the toxins like arsenic, dioxin and furans from incomplete combustion.
I think when I build my incinerator, I would include a fairly high stack maybe 5-6 feet high to create a good draft. A good draft would mean a hot fire, with less emission and odors. Forced air into the incinerator using a blower motor of some sort would increase the incineration process. While a fan would take energy which is always precious on an off grid cabin, the benefits of more complete combustion with less odor and ash might be worth it.
Adding scrap wood and cleaner burning plastics to the fire could further help increase combustion temperatures, reducing ash, unburnt waste, smoke, toxins and odors. Rip roaring fires can make ordinary kitchen and farm trash quickly disappear.
I would sort the waste that went into it. Food waste is good for composting or feeding to pigs and goats. A lot of and metal can be recycled – although maybe it would be better to burn the cans out then waste perfectly good water which may be precious on an off grid homestead. Plus who really wants to wash your trash?
I would also take steps to make sure that the incinerator is away from grass and trees, and that the smoke stack is covered so no paper or sparks could fly out. This would allow disposal of waste even during open burn bans and dry conditions outside. Trash accumulates regardless of the weather in our consumer society. Every time you go to the mail box there is more paper trash and kitchen waste baskets are quickly filled with plastic wrappers, bottles and paperboard boxes. Homesteads also produce feed sacks, pesticide containers and twine needing disposal.
It would be nice to use some of the heat from the incinerator to heat water for washing and other chores around the farm. A lot of city people pay to get rid of their trash, it would be nice for waste to be an actual asset – heating water and providing a useful service on the homestead.
There are a lot of good plans on the internet for improved burn barrels and incinerators widely used on farms and rural homestead. A hot fire can eliminate most waste, saving money and time, turning waste into an asset rather than more fill at the massive garbage dumps.
They will likely become essential tools for many homeowners, especially those with acerage to regularly rebuild driveways, lawns, pastures and bury debris.
I don’t get the small town people who love Donald Trump so much. You see so many signs, some hand painted for the man.
Donald Trump a mediocre New York City billionaire who acts like a bull in a China shop. He’s never hauled manure, worked on an engine or dug coal during his whole life. Most of his ideas are piss poor slogans, hardly well thought out. He’s hardly a strong advocate for conservative causes – his fickle manner often overrides whatever good that could come from his advocacy. He’s delegitimizing conservativism in the eyes of billions.
Now I totally get that people want government off their backs. I don’t want the government telling me what to do when I own land out in the country. I don’t want to have to go through excessive hoops when I buy a gun, I don’t want to be looked down upon because I own guns, kill deer for food or homestead on my land.
I get that, but I just don’t think Trump is much of an advocate for conservatives or rural Americans more generally.
