Is there a connection between the saying "Today is the first day in the rest of your life" and "Everyday is Earth Day"?  
 
As you ponder that question, just say "Yes" and come out for a CATS Earth Day project this Saturday, April 21st. 

The CATS Spring Travel-Writing Contest is underway. Yes, you are invited to enjoy New York’s Champlain Valley, hike on CATS trails, patronize local businesses, write about your experiences, and enter the contest. And please tell your friends about it, especially if they are writers.

The First Place prize is $500 and People’s Choice prize is $250 so it is definitely worth the effort. All the entrees should be submitted by April 30th.

Mark your calendars! On Saturday, June 2 you are invited to celebrate Champlain Area Trails (CATS) between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM at Blockhouse Farm in Essex, New York. Discover what the CATS crew has been up to over the last year and join us on the adventure ahead. Brian Mann, inspiring commentator for Adirondack Life, Adirondack Explorer and North Country Public Radio, will address matters local, environmental and outdoorsy. Don't miss out!

I am confident that the usual blanket of snow will arrive just a little bit later than expected this year... [so] even if we have springlike conditions in January, we'll find a way to get outside and play.

[Originaly published in the Adirondack Almanack on February 6, 2012.]

An independent field biology study turned out to be especially fruitful for both teacher and student. Every week since January 2011, Westport ninth-grader Peter Hartwell and mentor David Thomas Train have been exploring the Champlain Area Trails along shoreline, streams, wetlands, and woods near Westport. Those explorations eventually prompted them to enter the Champlain Area Trails Society Travel Writing Contest.

We have some fabulous winners in the first Champlain Area Trails Travel Writers Contest! 

We spent a day in December walking in the woods along and above the Beaver Flow Trail with Alcott Smith. A renown NH naturalist and retired veterinarian, Alcott was to speak on how animals prepare for winter. It was an educational hike sponsored by Northeast Wilderness Trust in this forest we know and love, so we were pleased to support both (we also love to learn new stuff and hike around aimlessly). It seemed like a perfect way to spend a Saturday.