Today we attended an anti-fracking demonstration at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York and learned knot tying skills. Prior to the demonstration, our professor Patrick Hossay taught us numerous knot tying techniques in a park in Albany.
Stanley safely belaying himself using the knots he learned.
My classmates Tina and Tom during the demonstration.
The demonstration was organized by the group Frack Action. The basic message they were sending through their demonstration was that fracking, regulated or not, should not be done in New York. There have been articles in the press claiming that a bill is being discussed for the allowance of fracking in five southern counties of New York. This would be like a trial run to see if fracking should be allowed in other parts of New York as well. Although there was not much of a crowd at the demonstration, the speakers there had valid points of why fracking should not be allowed in New York. They mentioned water contamination and how natural gas companies were not taking responsibility for the negative side affects.
State Capitol building in Albany, New York.
The demonstration was organized by the group Frack Action. The basic message they were sending through their demonstration was that fracking, regulated or not, should not be done in New York. There have been articles in the press claiming that a bill is being discussed for the allowance of fracking in five southern counties of New York. This would be like a trial run to see if fracking should be allowed in other parts of New York as well. Although there was not much of a crowd at the demonstration, the speakers there had valid points of why fracking should not be allowed in New York. They mentioned water contamination and how natural gas companies were not taking responsibility for the negative side affects.
Man attending the fracking demonstration.
Attending this demonstration was a good experience, even though it was not the most successful one. It showed me that people still care about things enough to show up and support such a thing. While walking and chanting through out the capitol building, I witnessed an employee shove a girl protesting out of his way. Although I did not see the entire incident, he had no right to put his hands on her. She was simply exercising her rights as an American. I think because he may feel differently about protesting, or fracking, he felt the need to show it and try to start a confrontation. Protesting for something you believe in felt good, and I honestly wish more people had shown up to support the cause.
After leaving Albany, we headed for Adirondack Mountains. Once arrived and settled, we had a wilderness skills demonstration from professor Patrick Hossay. One skill we learned was how to start a fire using optics, friction, electricity, and spark. Some optic objects you could use to start a fire are magnifying glasses, a bag of water, ice, or sunglasses. If using the friction method, you could use a bow staff drill or a hand drill. Electric methods can be done with batteries, or the wires inside a flashlight. The spark method could be done using a magnesium striker, a striker, or a char cloth. Some easily flammable materials that could be useful to have when starting a fire are birch bark and cotton -- clothes, bandanas. A quality required for being a good hiker is to always keep mental notes about resources you see while hiking. For example, say you pass a birch tree, make a mental note of where you saw it so in case you need something to start a fire with, you can go back get it. Another good things to look out for is fat wood. Fat wood is incredibly dense with sap and easy to ignite. When a tree is struck by lightning and falls, the roots of the tree continue to pump sap out. This is what creates fat wood.
After this demonstration, I feel much more comfortable as a hiker. There are certainly many more wilderness skill to learn, but I still feel I learned a great deal from this lesson.
After leaving Albany, we headed for Adirondack Mountains. Once arrived and settled, we had a wilderness skills demonstration from professor Patrick Hossay. One skill we learned was how to start a fire using optics, friction, electricity, and spark. Some optic objects you could use to start a fire are magnifying glasses, a bag of water, ice, or sunglasses. If using the friction method, you could use a bow staff drill or a hand drill. Electric methods can be done with batteries, or the wires inside a flashlight. The spark method could be done using a magnesium striker, a striker, or a char cloth. Some easily flammable materials that could be useful to have when starting a fire are birch bark and cotton -- clothes, bandanas. A quality required for being a good hiker is to always keep mental notes about resources you see while hiking. For example, say you pass a birch tree, make a mental note of where you saw it so in case you need something to start a fire with, you can go back get it. Another good things to look out for is fat wood. Fat wood is incredibly dense with sap and easy to ignite. When a tree is struck by lightning and falls, the roots of the tree continue to pump sap out. This is what creates fat wood.
After this demonstration, I feel much more comfortable as a hiker. There are certainly many more wilderness skill to learn, but I still feel I learned a great deal from this lesson.
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