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.
Most of the winter, I keep the main gas heat in my apartment set at 50 degrees, only turning it up to 55 or 60 degrees during periods of exceptional cold to ensure pipes don’t freeze. I don’t like wasting heat, because it’s expensive and a waste of fossil fuels that are non-renewable.
I am glad that the winter heating season is almost over. Sometimes I’m cold, but I’ve never seriously thought about leaving the heat much hotter. I could have it warmer if I turned on the electric heat upstairs, but I avoid doing that as it’s the most expensive form of heating, and I don’t need it. I’ve also considered a small space heater for my desk, but I’ve never gotten one, in fear that it will increase my electric bill.
I enjoy the fresh air, even if it means more noise, followed hot and humid nights. But the breeze is nice, as is getting out and spending nights down at the park or breathing in the fresh air. I don’t do the air conditioning thing, preferring to save money by using less energy, and spending more time outdoors, enjoying cold beverages.
One observation I have about President Donald Trump, is the need for more High Schools to teach basic economics. I didn’t learn much about economics, until I studied them in college. There should be a mandatory course on both macro and micro economics. It’s obvious that many in our country have a poor understanding of how the global economy works, why some communities and occupations struggle, and the pros and cons of each policy choice our society makes.
NY 990V, Bear Kill Road in Conesville is one of the few state reference routes that is signed as a touring route.
All reference routes start with 9, followed by the DOT Region (9). Undivided reference routes are then given a suffix of 0-5 and a letter. 990V was given a “V” because it looks like a “V” on the map, where it goes around the Schoharie Reservoir.
What you probably didn’t know is that NY 990V is exactly 9.90 km in length.
Lately there has been a lot of talk about the successes of Mothers Against Drunk Driving or MADD. Why is MADD not a potent political factor any more?
Besides, their successes at eliminating drunk driving making their organization obsolete, their failures at preserving the National Maximum Speed Limit have been under reported.
Well, a lot their failure as an organization was their disastrous campaign to preserve the National 55 MPH speed limit. Their Save the National 55 Speed Limit campaign became their focus of the organization and it was a focus that may have felt noble to its members but it was one that was not popular with the public.
Motorists like driving fast on the expressways. MADD for years pushed for tougher penalties against speeders, they were outright rebuffed in conservative states and in liberal states, the tougher penalties still were widely ignored. Motorists ignored the law and judges for the most part rarely gave tickets beyond the mandatory minimum. Radar detectors and CB radios allowed people to rat out the bears.
So no, MADD wasn’t a success at their second campaign that went up strongly against motorists desires for faster driving, even if they’re first campaign was quite sucessful.
Many people think that the climate is warming generally in Albany or maybe that summer days are getting warmer in Albany. The opposite is actually true – in the past twenty years summers are colder then in the 1950s and 1960s. In contrast winters and especially springs are warmer than years past.
