Balsam Swamp is a sprawling state forest that stretches almost 5.5 miles east-west across 4 towns. The area is very rural, and the landscape surrounding the State Forest is predominantly forested. Balsam Swamp State Forest is comprised of a mix of native hardwood forests, hemlock swamps, and conifer plantations. There are no designated recreational trails on the forest, but there is ample opportunity for self-guided day hikes to explore the diversity of habitats represented on this State Forest. Additionally, the western section of Balsam Swamp State Forest is adjacent to Five Streams State Forest to the south.
The main attraction of this forest is Balsam Pond. The impoundment is approximately 152 acres and is a popular destination for fishing and paddle boat sports. Balsam Pond is a warm water fishery that contains a mix of largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, brown bullhead and sunfish. Tiger muskellunge have been stocked in the past with the last stocking occurring in 1995. However, there have been very few reports of anglers catching any of the adult tiger muskies. A shallow gravel boat launch is suitable for launching small fishing boats.
A small rustic camp ground is also located at Balsam Pond. Camping spaces are available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is no running water or electricity. A fire ring, outhouse, and picnic table are provided for each camping space. A sign on Balsam-Tyler Road in Pharsalia designates the entrance to the boat launch and camping facility. This is a carry-in carry-out facility. Please do not litter.
A lot of people don’t like after the leaves fall off the trees and the woods gets a palette of browns and grays. But I do as I like how so much more light filters down to the forest floor and the interesting shadows made by the hills and hollows with the low sun angle.
I wonder if made some kind of ranking to become a prime potential victim of scamming or there has just been a uptick in scams lately but I’ve gotten hit hard with obviously scammy material targeted directly at me.
Fake Facebook Dating profiles that match my interests perfectly for dating, even friends with one of my friends who is known to let anyone be her friends. I am thinking this is a romance scam.
Creepy fake text messages from my bank alerting me of fraudulent withdrawals with a tinyurl.com link to what mostly is a fake login page to my bank
Creepy fake text messages saying my package has been undeliverable with suspecious links
The later two have me a bit more worried as I had a legitimate bank fraud alert relating to my web hosting purchase earlier in the day and package undeliverable messages came around the time my bike light was going to be delivered. Makes me wonder if my phone has been hacked with some kind of Spyware, or maybe it’s just scammers carefully monitoring my blog and social media platforms – or maybe just dumb luck. I know a few years back when my truck broke down, and I posted it on social media, shortly thereafter I got one of those fake login scams in my text messages. Who knows!
The Isreal – Hammas conflict reminds me a lot of what you read in the history books about the Indian removal and creation of the Indian reservations in America. White European settlers with their early industrial revolution produced superior weapons that rolled over the unfamiliar countryside and took the land long settled by the red men – the Native Americans and forced them onto undesirable lands, the reservations. The red men fought back bravely with what they had, occasionally uprising and engaging in terrorism against the white men, but ultimately because of disease and the overwhelming power of the American colonists ultimately ended up signing away their rights and giving up much land that they had once farmed, hunted and lived on.
Isreal has long had a similar relationship with the Palestinian people. Many Isrealies are driven for a passion to recover their religious homeland, an ideology of Zionism similar to that of the American settlers and manifest destiny. Both are an ideology of hubris, a grandeous delusion built on superior military force. Religious ideology – fundamentalism in the form of the Jewish or Muslim faith – is fine but one’s religion should be private moral code not an excuse to bully or remove the Palestinian people from their homeland.
Like the white men taking over the red man’s land when a group has no practical way to lawfully to fight back, their option really is only to engage in the unconventional war tactics – namely terrorism and war crimes against civilians. As they said about the Viet Cong in the United States, “those commies never fight fair.” Isreal is responding with their own series of war crimes, starving Palestinian civilians from food, energy and water. Not unlike how the United States engaged in war crimes both against the red men throughout history, or more recently in Laos and Cambodia.
If there was adults in the room known as the globe, both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders would be rounded up and tried for war crimes. Bombing and kidnapping Israeli citizens who aren’t leaders or military people is disgusting and immoral. But likewise imprisoning Palestinians in their communities, cutting them off from food, water and energy – while bombing their towns is morally repugent too. Killing the opposing side is not the solution. Compromise and peace is.
First we need peace. Stop bombing and bullying both the Isrealis and the Palestinians. Then we need to hold leaders on both sides accountable for terrorism and war crimes. Not civilians even if they are sympathic towards the fighters. But actual leaders. Then we need to find a two state solution where both the Isrealis and Palestinians are free to create their own forms of government that uphold their own values that allow for the free movement of people and goods. There needs to be borders assertian that everyone agrees upon, with both sides losing a bit. We need democracy in both the Israeli and Palestinian states.
Pennsylvania does a much better job at preserving the history of the Civilian Conservation Corporation with signage of old camps and facilities, preserved old buildings and monuments. You almost get the impression that it is chapter of New York’s history that is to be forgotten.
But then again, I think conservation is at best an after thought in New York. But it’s always been that way – much of the state land is forest preserve – which is a decidedly anti-conservation concept.
Over the years I’ve written many essays I’ve never posted here. Some of them are ideas that are under developed, others are things forgotten. Sometimes I just want to wait to post commentary on an issue once it’s fully played out. But over the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to post more, post some things written long ago, because I think they are either relevant or quite interesting for people to read.
This time of year the mornings are quite dark. Sunrise isn’t until after 7:00 each day, making getting up and going to work a challenge. Camping means getting up in darkness, but at least it makes it easier to get out in the field before dawn when hunting.
In two and a half weeks the time will change, giving us a little extra sun in the morning in exchange for less sun in the evening. Soon though it will be pitch black at five. Mornings already are getting increasingly cold, almost warranting turning the heat on – and certainly at camp sitting by the heater warming ones hands.
Fortunately a hot cup of coffee and breakfast on the camp stove can help overcome the darkness. Morning still breaks, it’s just later then I would like. Eventually the seasons will change, spring will happen and summer days will return.
Some days are just more difficult than others. 😮 But you try to do your best, hold your head up when you are punched. Be the cow who chews her cud,🐮 patiently observing but taking no action. For today is a short one and tomorrow if you plan and work hard will be better.
