By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – No school and a day off from work for many people has people outdoors enjoying an unseasonably warm day with lots of sunshine on Columbus Day.
The top photo shows Gene Warner of Ohio getting his hook ready while fishing in the Oak Orchard River. He and five other friends made the trip to Orleans County to try to reel in salmon and trout.
Warner and two of his friends set up where there used to be a small bridge crossing the Oak Orchard River.
This photo, taken from Route 98 past Narby’s, is looking at the two remaining bridges at “The Bridges.”
These folks are out in a boat near the Route 18 bridge over the Oak Orchard.
After a day in the 70s today, the high temperatures will fall to 60 on Tuesday followed by 51 on Wednesday, 55 on Thursday and 52 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
Photos by Cheryl Wertman
BARKER – Golden Hill State Park welcomed visitors for its annual “Christmas at the Lighthouse” celebration at the historic site just east of the Orleans County line in Barker.
The lighthouse tower even had its own wreath as visitors climbed to the top for a scenic view on the sunny afternoon.
Santa and his elf Adrian arrive to hand out candy canes to waiting youngsters.
Young Kevin O’Neil lets Santa hold him for a picture along with elf Adrian.
Dad Ben Spencer holds his children, Carly (camera shy) and Parker (dressed for Christmas), for Santa and elf Adrian so that other family members can get pictures.
The living room in the lighthouse is decorated with a Christmas tree.
This campsite has a table set for a Christmas dinner for Santa and his snowmen helpers with a nice view of Lake Ontario.
The new playground at Golden Hill is completed and there were plenty of kids trying it out during the festive day.
Christmas and Halloween get together at this campers’ holiday display.
A view up the lighthouse spiral staircase from the ground floor looking up to the top.
A view from the top of the lighthouse with fall colors and Lake Ontario that somewhat resembled the Atlantic Ocean with all of the wind.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – I’ve heard about how the canal used to go near the Public Square in Holley and how remnants of the original canal remain. On Tuesday, after seeing the Tugboat Urger in Holley, I went for a walk on Holley’s trail system to see if I could find any signs of the original canal.
I didn’t find any stone walls or old artifacts from the original canal. But I did see a blue heron perched in a tree.
This branch hangs out over the canal in Holley, just west of the Bennetts Corners Road canal bridge. Holley has a trail system that goes from its canal park into the woods by the waterfalls and to the Public Square.
Get too close to the heron, and it will take off in flight.
The canal allows many close encounters with wildlife, from deer, ducks, birds, fish, turtles and more.
Looking down from the path on the south side of the canal there is what I think is a waste weir, where water is drained from the canal.
I think this water feeds Sandy Creek which cuts through the woods. I was looking for old canal remnants, but came up empty.
This is a good size culvert you don’t normally see in a wooded area.
Here is another look at the culvert with the zoom lens.
Follow the trail by Sandy Creek and you discover the top of the Holley Waterfalls.
You have options on the Holley walking trail – left or right?
I headed back to the path by the canal and met my friend, the heron. It had moved down a little closer to the canal bridge.
Once again, you get too close and it takes off flying.
If anyone wants to show me where the canal walls are from the original canal, send me an email and we can work out a time to go see it. (tom@orleanshub.com)
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 7 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Urger proves popular with fourth-graders
Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The historic Urger, a tugboat from 1901, was in Holley on Tuesday as part of its state-wide educational mission. The tugboat was a working vessel on the canal, hauling machinery, dredges and scows on the canal system for 60 years until the boat was retired from services in the 1980s.
The boat was built in 1901 in Ferrysburg, Michigan, and was a commercial shipping vessel in Michigan before joining the canal fleet in the 1920s.
In 1991, the Urger got new life as a “Teaching Tug.” It visits canal communities from early May until late October, educating children and adults about the canal system, which opened in 1825.
Fourth-graders from School No. 2 in Rochester visit the boat on Tuesday morning. Holley students stopped by in the afternoon before Urger headed to Brockport.
The Rochester students used to tour the Mary Jemison boat until it retired two years ago.
When the lift bridge went up in Holley, the cameras and Smart Phones came out to capture the sights and sounds of the century-old bridge.
A modern boat passes by Urger and the lift bridge, heading east towards Brockport on Tuesday.
Students were welcome to tour the boat and see a small kitchen, a bathroom and the sleeping quarters for the crew.
A crew of four lives on the boat from early May until late October, sharing New York State history with a focus on the how the canal, completed in 1825, turned NY into an economic powerhouse for business, and breathing life into many small towns along the canal.
“They learn how important the canal was to New York State, and how important it could be,” said Mike Byrnes, a deckhand on the Urger.
He lives in Waterford near Albany and has spent 13 seasons on Urger.
“The fourth-graders are a lot of fun,” he said.
The Urger captain sounded the horn on top of the boat. It has a light sound, like a whistle, and a deeper signal. The fourth-graders enjoyed the loud, low noise the most.
There isn’t much in the way of fancy technology at the helm of the boat. The captain uses a wheel and bell that rings in the engine room.
The Urger is 75 feet long and weighs 83.7 tons. The engine weighs 19.5 tons. It is a 1944 Atlas Imperial engine that was surplus from World War II. It replaced a steam engine.
The Urger is shown in this photo looking under the lift bridge in Holley.
Mike Pelletier, the engineer on the boat, is in his second season with Urger. The Newark resident said it has been eye-opening serving on the vessel and seeing the canal communities.
He gave Holley high marks for developing a nice park with amenities by the canal for boaters, and also for lots of signage pointing them to businesses and other services nearby.
“This has been a very educational adventure,” Pelletier said. “There is so much to the canal and not just for boaters. It’s beautiful now for walkers, runners and cyclists (who use the towpath).”
Pelletier said more canal towns should work on signage for boaters, directing them to restaurants, local businesses, libraries and other services. He’d also like to see more displays by the canal about local communities’ histories, giving visitors a historical snapshot about the town or village.
“The towns and villages need to incorporate it more,” he said. “Before I had this job I was as guilty as anyone of taking the canal for granted.
The Urger will be in Brockport the next few days before heading to Spencerport on Oct. 13. Click here to see the schedule and a contact number for local schools to get on the Urger agenda for 2016. The Urger crew urged local schools to arrange tours for next year.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 October 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Tugboat Urger, built in 1901, has spent the past week in Orleans County, first docking in Medina on Sept. 30 before coming to Albion on Friday. The vessel is heading to Holley today and will welcome Holley fourth-graders for a tour and educational program on Tuesday morning before departing for Brockport.
The tugboat was originally used as a fishing boat and commercial shipping vessel for its first two decades. In the early 1920s, the Urger was sold to New York and was used to haul machinery, dredges and scows on the canal system for 60 years until the boat was retired from services in the 1980s.
The tugboat, one of the oldest working vessels in the country, is pictured in Albion this morning with the Ingersoll Street lift bridge in back.
In 1991, the Urger got new life as a “Teaching Tug.” It visits canal communities from early May until late October, educating children and adults about the canal system, which opened in 1825.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – It was a spectacle of light and color last night in Medina as the sun set. This photo doesn’t do it justice. This was taken near the canal bridge by State Street with the First Baptist Church steeple in the background.
This photo is looking towards the canal bridge, which has been an iconic structure in Medina for a century.
A full moon was also out last night. This photo is looking through the bridge at the moon.
The National Weather Service is forecasting more warm autumn weather in the coming days. Today is forecast for a high of 73 with clouds increasing.
On Monday, the high will be 72, with a 50 percent chance of showers, followed by a high of 71 with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms on Tuesday. Wednesdsay is forecast for a high of 68, followed by a high of 61 on Thursday, according to the Weather Service.
Staff Reports Posted 27 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Cheryl Wertman
Orleans Hub photographer Cheryl Wertman captured the total supermoon lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon, tonight.
Tonight is a once in a generation phenomenon, a confluence of three things. The moon will be full and in its closest point in its orbit around the Earth, a so-called supermoon.
There will also be a lunar eclipse when the Earth will line up directly with the sun and moon, directly between the two when the moon will fall in the Earth’s shadow.
The moon will not look completely dark because light scatters off the Earth’s atmosphere, giving the moon a reddish color.
Heather Kuepper also sent in these photos she took in Gaines.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 23 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A canal boat named Canandaigua was out cruising on the Erie Canal today. I was driving along Presbyterian Road at the widewaters section when I spotted the boat at about 11:30 a.m.
I then hustled to the Presbyterian Road bridge to get the boat approaching.
Here the boat passes by the bridge and heads east towards Eagle Harbor.
A woman on the boat told me it was an “absolutely gorgeous day” to be out on the canal.
Today will be sunny with a high of 74 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo. More sunny days are in the forecast.
Thursday will be mostly sunny with a high of 72 degrees, followed by a mostly sunny Friday with a high of 74 degrees. The weekend will also be sunny with a high of 72 on Saturday and 74 on Sunday.
Staff Reports Posted 21 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Provided photo – Some of the volunteers are pictured by the widewaters section of the Erie Canal along Presbyterian Road near Knowlesville.
Volunteers collected nearly 500 pounds of trash from local waterways this past Saturday when Orleans County participated in the American Littoral Society’s annual New York State Shoreline and Beach Cleanup.
The 23 volunteers collected, recorded and removed more than 2,919 items of trash weighing 489 pounds from local waterways over the course of three hours, said Dennis Kirby, manager of the Soil and Water Conservation District in Orleans County.
The county has participated in the garbage pickup for 15 years and has collected over 20,000 pounds of trash.
The volunteers convened at 9 a.m. at Bullard Park in Albion for instructions and introductions before dispersing to assigned locations. Groups tackled trash at locations along Glenwood Lake, Butts Park, Lake Alice, Point Breeze and the Erie Canal.
At noon everyone reconvened back at Bullard Park to weigh the 18 bags of trash collected along with various items such as TV’s, fishing gear, and discarded tires.
Every item collected, down to the last cigarette butt, was recorded and categorized on data sheets that were then sent to the American Littoral Society for statistical analysis along with data submitted by all the groups participating across the country.
This allows them to observe and track trends in sources of trash. In Orleans County, over half of the items collected were from food and beverage related items.
Along with concerned citizens, volunteers participating in the cleanup represented 4-H clubs and local high school students. This event was sponsored locally by the Orleans County Soil & Water Conservation District in conjunction with the Orleans County Water Quality Coordinating Committee.
Press Release, Department of Environmental Conservation
BASOM – Trapping permits will be issued for the Oak Orchard, Tonawanda and John White Wildlife Management Areas beginning Oct. 1, for the 2015-16 license year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced today.
Permit applications can be obtained weekdays from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, by appearing in person at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Office on Casey Road between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or by writing to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Wildlife, 1101 Casey Road, Box B, Basom, New York 14013.
Trappers who obtain a permit will be required to report their harvest and trapping efforts in each area. The Western New York trapping season for fox, raccoon, coyote and other upland furbearing animals opens Oct. 25 and closes Feb. 15, 2016. On the John White WMA the start of upland trapping will be delayed until Nov. 1.
This year’s trapping season for mink, muskrat and beaver in this area of New York including Tonawanda, Oak Orchard and John White WMAs will run from Nov. 25 until Feb. 15, 2016.
The start of muskrat and mink trapping at the three WMAs starts later than the Western New York trapping season and will run from Dec. 5 to Feb. 15, 2016.
Wetland muskrat and mink trapping may be limited to dike areas only with no marsh trapping in wetland impoundments. This action is intended to allow the muskrat population to recover after the very hard winter of 2014-15 and an apparent reduction in muskrat numbers in the area. A decision will be made by Oct. 1 and information will be provided when trapping permits are issued.
The maximum number of traps a trapper can set for muskrat and mink on the three WMAs is 25. To accomplish this, the DEC issues 25 numbered tags to each trapper who obtains a permit. A tag must be attached to each trap the trapper is using on the areas. Any trap that does not have one of these tags attached is considered an illegal trap.
Individual trappers can only operate traps that contain tags with their assigned numbers. Traps set for upland trapping and beaver will not require numbered tags and will not be considered in the trap limit. The trap limit provides a more equitable distribution of the harvest and prevents trappers from monopolizing the better trapping areas.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
ALBION – Some leaves are pictured Thursday evening on a bright sunny day.
This week’s heat wave will continue today with a high of 84 degrees as well as mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
On Saturday, it will reach 82, but there is a chance for thunderstorms and showers. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook due to the scattered thunderstorms that could hit Western New York on Saturday afternoon and early evening.
Sunday is forecast to be sunny, but the high temperature will fall to 64.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photo by Tom Rivers
GAINES – A tractor is parked in a wet field along Kenyonville Road late this afternoon after two days of heavy rain.
The rain and cool temperatures will give way to sunshine and warmth on Monday.
The National Weather Service is forecasting mostly sun with a high of 72 degrees on Monday, followed by a high of 78 and sunny on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday will also be sunny with a high of 81 on Wednesday and 80 on Thursday, according to the Weather Service.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 September 2015 at 12:00 am
Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – It was another glorious sunset last evening. The top photo shows the grain facility along the railroad tracks on West Academy Street in Albion.
After several days with highs in the 80s, Western New York will get some relief from the heat.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 74 today, followed by a high of 76 on Friday. On Saturday, rain is likely with a high of 69, followed by a 50 percent chance of rain and a high of 67 on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
Here is another look along the railroad tracks in Albion last night.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 August 2015 at 12:00 am
Holley man catches second biggest fish in derby, wins $700
Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – Paul Czarnecki holds a 29-pound Chinook salmon that won the Orleans County Fishing Derby, which started Aug. 1 and continued until Aug. 16.
Czarnecki is a charter boat captain and owner of Tri-State Charters. He took Georgia Barkdoll of McConnellsburg, Pa., out fishing and she reeled in the 29-pound fish, which won the $4,000 grand prize in the fishing derby.
Barkdoll was unable to attend today’s awards ceremony at the Carlton Recreation Hall. Czarnecki said the fish was caught about 300 feet below the surface of Lake Ontario just off the shore from Point Breeze.
Bill Silpoch of Holley holds a 26-pound, 8-ounce Chinook, which won the $500 prize for first place in the salmon disvision and also another $200 for biggest fish caught by an Orleans County resident.
Silpoch, a senior building maintenance worker for Holley Central School, caught the fish on Friday at about 5 p.m. off Point Breeze. He was fishing on the Intimidator Sport Fishing charter owned by Mike Lavender.
Silpoch said he takes about three charters a year with family, including his sons, ages 11, 10, and 7. The winning fish was the biggest one he’s ever caught. It was about a 20-minute battle to land the salmon after it was hooked.
Mike Ayotte, former owner of Captain’s Cove in Carlton, caught the biggest rainbow trout at 12 pounds, 14 ounces. Ayotte now lives in Port Charlotte, Fla. Each of the division winners received a $500 check for first place.
Jared Wise, 17, of Rochester was fourth in the lake trout divsion with this fish that weighed 15 pounds, 0 ounces.
There were 644 participants in the derby, which is organized by the Albion Rotary Club. There were $8,800 in checks given to the top five anglers in four fish divisions, plus the grand prize winner.
Stan Allen, one of the derby volunteers, reads off the winning number for a prize held by Bill Downey, president of the derby. The Albion Rotary Club has been organizing the derby for more than 30 years.
For more information on the leaderboard and the derby, click here.
