The Mountain Lake Conservancy

We've moved Blog pages

2010-02-15T07:57:00.002-05:00

We have moved blog pages - please bookmark the following address below - we won't be posting to this one anymore..

http://mountainlakeconservancy.blogspot.com/

BrewRidge Music Festival, 3rd Annual - Virginia Is For Lovers

2010-02-03T13:54:00.001-05:00

BrewRidge Music Festival, 3rd Annual - Virginia Is For Lovers

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Shelter for Haiti with Blue Ridge Mountain Sports

2010-01-29T19:26:00.002-05:00

Check out this program from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, a close partner of Mountain Lake. Trade in your old tent and get 20% off of a new one!

Beginning January 27th, all Blue Ridge Mountain Sports locations began serving as drop-off points for the Shelter for Haiti tent drive. In an effort to provide critically needed shelter for victims of the January 12th earthquake that struck Haiti, Blue Ridge staff will be collecting tents in good working condition with all parts accounted for and any new tarps people are willing to donate.

All tents & tarps will be inspected and shipped to Convoy of Hope in Missouri, a 501©3 non-profit aid relief agency with staff working directly out of the Convoy of Hope warehouse outside of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. Since the earthquake, Convoy of Hope has shipped 12 shipping containers of badly needed food & supplies in addition to their staff providing medical aid to injured Haitians.

Following President Rene Preval’s request for 200,000 tents, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports contacted Convoy of Hope among other aid agencies searching for an outlet to ship donated tents.

“Competition for the canvas homes has boiled into arguments and machete fights, a sign of the desperation felt by the hundreds of thousands of people without homes struggling for shelter in this wrecked city. Haiti’s president has asked the world for 200,000 tents and says he will sleep in one himself.” 1

Next to food and medical supplies, shelter is the next primary concern as Haiti begins to see increased temperatures & rain moving into the spring months.

“Outside of the food area, the two prime worries are: one, medical services or medical equipment, and, two, shelter,” said Lewis Lucke, U.S. special coordinator for relief and reconstruction.”

As an additional incentive, Blue Ridge Mountain Sports is offering 20% off coupons for all tents & tarps with the donation of an old tent or new tarp for Haitian aid relief. To find the nearest Blue Ridge Mountain Sports store location, click here.

For more information about the Shelter for Haiti tent drive, contact Kurt Peterson at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, 866-905-2767×312 or kpeterson at brms.com.

Video of Lake Basin

2010-01-25T11:02:00.004-05:00

I ventured down to the lake basin this morning to see if the levels had risen due the recent precipitation. The lake is still partially frozen and the shore is about 5 feet from the extended boat dock. Check out the panoramic video to get an idea of the size of the lake.

Snow ceases to melt at Mountain Lake

2010-01-13T10:04:00.003-05:00

The snowstorm we had before Christmas is still present at Mountain Lake. 2 feet still blanket the mountain and cross country skiers have been frequenting us daily. The lake is completely frozen and it doesn't look like it will be melting anytime soon!

Sharron-Mays Memorial Grove

2009-10-14T08:57:00.008-04:00

Last week we held a memorial to honor the late Olen Sharron and Warren Mays. Olen and Warren were both big advocates in helping treat our hemlocks at Mt. Lake. We received many donations in their honor and decided to create a memorial. Back in July, we picked out a sandstone boulder from the lakebed that was smooth from years of water erosion. Ralph Johnson from McCoy's Funeral Home in Blacksburg came to pick the stone up and took it to his engraving shop. As you can see, he is an amazing artist! We placed the stone at the north end of the lake along the Indian Trail where the hemlock grove is vibrant and healthy, thanks to Olen and Warren's dedication to protecting the hemlocks.

The Sharron and May's family and friends came up for the memorial. Becky Sharron stands proudly next to the stone.

Click here for more information on this story.

Lake Update

2009-10-13T16:01:00.006-04:00

The lake levels have dropped slightly this October but during the entire 2009 season, the levels stayed somewhat constant. Below is a comparison between October 2008 and 2009. What a difference!

October 2009

October 2008

I found this praying mantis earlier this week and thought I would share this photo with you..what an interesting creature!

Mantises are masters of camouflage and most species make use of protective coloration to blend in with the foliage, both to avoid predators themselves, and to better snare their victims. Various species have adapted to not only blend with the foliage, but to mimic it, appearing as either living or withered leaves, sticks, tree bark, blades of grass, flowers, or even stones.

Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail Elderhostel

2009-10-07T11:12:00.004-04:00

14 participants showed up for our "Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail" Elderhostel program earlier this week. We hiked McAfee's Knob and the Wind Rock-War Spur Loop. Below are a couple photos from the program. Enjoy!

McAfee's Knob in the fog

War Spur Overlook

War Spur Connector Trail

Wind Rock Overlook

To see more photos from the program, check out our FACEBOOK page!

Women's Wellness Weekend

2009-09-17T15:17:00.006-04:00

On September 11-13, we hosted our first Women's Wellness Weekend. We had 8 women sign up and they participated in yoga, hiking and canoeing along the New. Below are a couple pictures from the weekend!

Instructional session on canoeing. No one flipped!

Grace on top of Bald Knob

Bonfire and smores!

To see more pics from the program, visit our Facebook page!

Virginia Living Article on Giles County

2009-09-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

New River Elderhostel

2009-08-18T10:01:00.010-04:00

We just finished up last week with our 'New River Outdoor Adventure' Elderhostel. We had a total of 24 participants all the way from Washington state to New York. We spent the week on the New River learning the basics of canoeing, rafting, rapid swimming, falling out of boats and much more. Monday and Tuesday were spent on the New from Eggleston to Bluff City. On Wednesday we hiked to the lakebed, Old Golf Course and Bald Knob. The most exciting part of the trip was to the New River Gorge on Thursday, despite the tailpipe falling off the bus! Below are a few pictures from the week.

Eggleston Cliffs
Don swimming the rapids at lunch

Steve teaching basic paddling strokes

Kayaking and canoeing below Eggleston

Our venture to the lakebed

Old Golf Course overlook

Prepared for rafting!

Jeff & Meryl

Jess relaxing in the water

Getting their game faces on for the class 5 rapids

Lunch break

New River Bridge

To see more pictures, check out our Facebook page!

Day Hikes along the Appalachian Trail

2009-08-03T13:00:00.002-04:00

We hosted our 1st 5 night 'Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail' Elderhostel last week. We had a total of 24 participants from all over the country! Below are a few photos from the program.

On our first hike, Susan's sole came right off her shoe! We were about 3 miles away from the hotel at the Bear Cliffs overlook. A little first aid gauze, tape, and zip ties and we fixed her shoe right up until she could purchase another pair.

Faye dipping her feet into Dismal Falls.

Bruce & Jan posing for a picture.

It decided to pour rain on our War Spur hike. This group was ultra-prepared, rain or shine.

We headed to McAfee's Knob for our final hike.

Stories, Songs and Walks Elderhostel

2009-07-21T14:04:00.005-04:00

Last week we held our Stories, Songs and Walks Appalachian Elderhostel. We had a total of 23 participants and learned about Appalachian poetry, oral history, ballads, music and the flora and fauna of the Appalachian Mountains. One evening, we ventured out to Wind Rock to watch the sunset. Below are a few pictures from the program.

Hiking along Old Turnpike trail

Hazel Beeler describing the differences between rhododendron and mountain laurel

Rick Mullins viewing the sunset

Group shot at Wind Rock

Our next Elderhostel is 'Day Hikes Along the Appalachian Trail' on July 26-31. We are offering a shorter version of this same program on October 4-7 - visit Elderhostel.org
and type in program #16937.

Rhododendron in Full Bloom

2009-07-14T13:00:00.003-04:00

Come up for a hike around the Indian Trail, the rhododendron is in full bloom! I ventured down yesterday to try and capture some shots.

The lake level is continuing to stay at the same level as the past month. The extended boat dock almost reaches the edge of the shore.

Sunset over the lake

2009-07-06T21:02:00.004-04:00

While working late tonight, I witnessed a beautiful sunset over the lake. I was also able to capture some hummingbirds drinking from the feeders.

It's hard to capture a clear photo ...how can i when they beat their wings 53 times per second!
View from the Lakeview building

2009 Dirty Dawg Mtn Bike Race

2009-06-29T16:59:00.004-04:00

Results from 2009 Dirty Dawg Mtn Bike Race

Rank	Name	Time
	Expert Men
1	Derek Dotson	2:22:28
2	Bryan Wender	2:23:55
3	Zachary Morrey	2:24:49
4	Gary Roach	2:25:49
5	Chris Pohowski	2:40:10
6	Robert Drinkwater	2:45:38
7	Chris Dobroth	2:47:23
8	David Tompkins	2:50:40
9	Ashwin Amanna	3:06:34
10	Brad Williams	3:08:48
11	Stacey Simmons	3:33:49
12	Bob Welsh	3:40:49
	Gordon Vadsworth	DNF
	Scott Stone	DNF
	Sport Women
1	Kristin Colonna	1:54:34
2	Magda Kanska	1:57:08
3	Jeni Walke	1:59:34
	Sport Men
1	John Eppen	1:08:39
2	Jon Gotow	1:17:48
3	Todd Fisher	1:21:51
4	Marvin Addikis	1:22:01
5	Richard Brecht	1:23:59
6	Steve Butler	1:24:48
7	Jim Steven	1:25:33
8	Ahmed Qureshi	1:27:44
9	Mark Zhu	1:27:47
10	Paul Johnston	1:27:57
11	Steve Aken	1:28:05
12	Dave Szakelyhidi	1:28:36
13	Michael Brady	1:29:03
14	Jeremy Ferrell	1:29:18
15	Andrew Rogers	1:30:34
16	Kerry Wood	1:30:50
17	Cole Harden	1:31:19
18	Ralph Robertson	1:44:38
19	Thomas Hash	1:51:21
20	Nathan Sharp	2:10:52
21	John McKenna	2:11:19
22	Donald Sharp	2:12:22
	Joe Blair	DNF
	Beginner Women
1	Rachel Higginbotham	0:55:22
2	Naomi Pomrenke	1:10:35
	Beginner Men
1	Ian Million	0:54:50

2009-06-23T14:08:00.003-04:00

The lake is continuing to rise from our recent rains. The shore is about 5 feet from the extended boat dock. Here are a couple pics that I took yesterday after work.

And the rain goes on

2009-06-12T09:46:00.005-04:00

We have received a record amount of rainfall here at Mountain Lake these past couple months! In May alone, we received approximately 10" of rain! We have been monitoring the lake level too. On June 4th, the lake was 36' below full pond whereas on April 30, the lake was 43' below full pond. That means our lake has risen around 7' in 5 weeks, averaging 1 foot per week! Below are some photos I took this morning.

View from the old boat dock

Only 10 more feet and our pontoon may float!
Standing on the extended boat dock

View from the extended boat dock looking out towards Newport House

Environmental Education program with Harding Ave Elementary

2009-06-02T13:14:00.005-04:00

Today, 44 2nd graders from Harding Ave Elementary visited Mountain Lake for their field trip. They learned all about different habitats and the animals and plants that are in this area. Below are a couple pictures I took during their program.

Sarah talking about different tree species

A red spotted newt they found in the wetland

Jack-in-the Pulpit along the carriage trail

Sara identifying a striped maple

Spring Mountain Beauty

2009-05-31T18:14:00.004-04:00

Below are some photos I have taken throughout the month of May. The colors are vibrant and wildflowers are popping out everywhere. There are yellow lady slippers on the Old Golf Course road and firepink is starting to come out along Bald Knob road. We are hosting National Trails Day on Saturday, it's free for the community, come join us for a day of hiking, biking, clinics and more! Visit MtnLakeConservancy.org and click on special events for event information.

View from the overlook on Route 700

Enjoying War Spur overlook on an evening trail run.

Pinkster Azalea

War Spur Trail

Mountain Lake Birding Weekend

2009-05-31T17:26:00.006-04:00

We just hosted our Mountain Lake Birding Weekend from May 29-31, 2009. Unfortunately, the Migratory Birding Festival canceled for this year due to low enrollment so we decided to still offer a birding weekend for those who had already booked their stay at Mountain Lake. Below are a few pictures from our trip to Glen Alton.

Elderhostel : Taking Flight: Birds for Everyone!

2009-05-21T15:52:00.005-04:00

This week we held our first Elderhostel of the season: Taking Flight: Birding & Butterflies for Everyone. This is one of our most popular Elderhostels and it is taught by Jerry Via and Bill Akers, avid birders who lead birding programs all over the world. Over half of our group of 16 participants were returning to Mountain Lake for this particular program. Below are some pictures I took from our trip to the Biological Station down the road to spot some birds and wildflowers.

Jerry talking about the Chestnut Blight. Despite the devastation the blight caused to the American Chestnut tree, the root collar and root system of the tree are fairly resistant to the blight, so a large number of small American Chestnut trees still exist as shoots from existing root bases. However, the shoots are seldom able to grow enough to reproduce before the blight attacks them.

Look at those birders go!

Jean is quite excited about what she sees in the trees!

Ferns unfurling from their fiddlehead stage

Foam Flower

Lily of the Valley

Red Trillium

BrewRidge a Success

2009-05-11T16:37:00.006-04:00

Our BrewRidge Music Festival was a success! We ended up switching our venue from the lawn to our Activities Barn based on the weather predictions. We had over 270 attendees and we raised over $4,000 for The Mountain Lake Conservancy. Thank you to all who came and helped put on this event. Check out the pictures below!

Chuck Haines from Williamsburg Ale Werks and volunteer, Matt

Ticket booth volunteers

Mike, Wesley and Lori at the Jefferson Street Brewery booth

The Jugbusters from Blacksburg, VA

Steve Villers from Blacksnake Meadery

John Bryce and volunteer, Dave Hrdlicka

Jefferson St growlers

The Pickin' Buds from Rocky Mt., VA

Laura Beth & The Clover Hollow Boys

Best volunteers ever!

And it just keeps rising!

2009-04-28T11:56:00.007-04:00

I ventured down to the lakebed last week to capture some early morning photos of the water. As I meandered through the basin, I passed over many springs, all of which were pumping water towards the lake. Take a look at this picture - this 6 foot pole was placed at the edge of the left shoreline in March. Although I did not walk to to shore across from the measuring stick (it was extremely muddy!), I would estimate that the stick is about 10 feet from the shore.

This picture was taken from the lakebed road. It gives you a good perspective of the true size of the lake. We estimate that it is a 1/5 of the way full.

This is a picture of a spring that is feeding into the lake on the left side of the shore. The stream feeds a small channel that then feeds into the bigger body of water.

MLC welcomes 2 new members to our Board

2009-04-15T16:07:00.005-04:00

We would like to welcome our newest additions to The Mountain Lake Conservancy Board: Tom McAvoy and Laura Belleville. Tom has been working with the MLC since 2000 on treating our hemlocks from the woolly adelgid. He has been employed with Virginia Tech's Deptartment of Entomology for over 20 years.

Laura has been working with the MLC for the past 3 years on various programming and marketing. She currently holds the position of the Director of Conservation and Regional Director for The Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Laura has been with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy for the past five years and has over 20 years of experience with other organizations such as The Nature Conservancy.We look forward working with both Tom and Laura and making many positive decisions for the mountain.

Lake Walk with Bruce Parker

2009-04-09T12:17:00.003-04:00

This morning, Bruce Parker, long time researcher of Mountain Lake, and Diane Tennant, a staff writer for The Virginian Pilot, came up to check out Mountain Lake for a future story on the natural lakes of Virginia. Mountain Lake is one of two natural lakes in VA, the other being Lake Drummond in the Dismal Swamp. Bruce talked with her about the unique geology that makes up our lake and the rare cycles it has experienced throughout history.

View of the lake from the East side of the Indian Trail.

We hiked over to 'Rest Rock' - once a popular rock to jump off of into the water below. Bruce is explaining the process of 'Solifluction' which is the term for rocks 'slowly creeping down a mountain.' Our lake was form by huge sandstone boulders that crept down from the top of the mountain and formed a partial dam over 8,000 years ago!

Bruce talking about the different rock substrates that form Mountain Lake.

Thanks to the New River Valley Bird Club

2009-04-08T15:55:00.002-04:00

A big thanks goes out to The New River Valley Bird Club for their generous donation of $100.00 to the Sharron-Mays Memorial Fund. This memorial fund was set up in honor of Olen Sharron and Warren Mays. Both were big advocates in protecting the Eastern Hemlock and spent many hours up at Mountain Lake treating and protecting our trees. To learn more, visit our the Sharron-Mays Memorial Fund page on our website.

What's our Drought Status?

2009-04-08T15:46:00.003-04:00

Recent rains have raised the lake levels, but it still has a long way to go before it returns to 'full-pond.' There is good news though. Southwest Virginia has moved to a 'DO' drought condition or 'abnormally dry' ...and it is on the verge of returning to normal! The month of March received 25% more precipitation than in recent years. If weather patterns continue to bring us ample rain, we we will no longer be in drought status.

Keep the rain coming!

Water is returning to Mountain Lake

2009-04-02T08:58:00.001-04:00

Trail Work day a Success

2009-03-23T10:41:00.003-04:00

Saturday was spent with some gracious volunteers from the Outdoor Club at VT and the VT Recreation Society. We went to work on the Indian Trail (1.75 mile loop around the lake) which was in desperate need of some loving. The rhododendron was so thick you could barely walk through in places. Our volunteers lopped away, making it passable for the many hikers that frequent this popular trail. Thanks guys!

Saving Trees to Remember a Friend

2009-03-19T16:09:00.003-04:00

To learn more about the Sharron-Mays Memorial Fund, click here.

1st Offical Members to Join the MLC

2009-03-17T08:23:00.005-04:00

Alex Bier and Jen Schaeffer of Christiansburg, VA are our first official members of The Mountain Lake Conservancy! The Conservancy is very happy to welcome our first members to our new membership program. Alex and Jen choose to join our 'Trail Lover' level which entitles them to receive a nice waterproof trail map, a year-round trail access pass, monthly email updates and a really cool MLC decal.

Check out out membership program here !

Water Levels rising in New River Valley

2009-03-13T09:51:00.001-04:00

Local Skiers visit Mountain Lake

2009-03-10T08:20:00.003-04:00

Clay and Terri Nichols took advantage of our recent snowfall at Mountain Lake. Below are a few pictures that they took!

5" of snow!

2009-03-02T07:09:00.003-05:00

I did not attempt to go to work today because of the road conditions..but Jeremy did drive up this morning and reported 5" of snow. I would suggest 4wheel drive if you drive up the mountain for skiing today! I will post some pictures tomorrow.

Snow !

2009-02-23T09:04:00.006-05:00

Mountain Lake received 2.5 - 4 inches of snow yesterday. It is quite windy up here so it has drifted in places leaving some surfaces sparse and others abundant with snow.Most of the trails have a sufficient surface for XC-skiing. If you plan on coming up, please park in our new trail access lot located 1 mile past the hotel entrance on the right. The parking fee is $3.00 per vehicle. If you have any questions about our trails, feel free to call at 540-626-7121 x444. Have fun and dress warm!

Releasing of the 'Laricobius nigrinus' beetles

2009-02-09T15:32:00.006-05:00

Today we released the 'Laricobius nigrinus' beetles to help battle the woolly adelgid that is killing our Eastern Hemlocks. Tom McAvoy and Ryan Mays from the VT Entomology Department work year-round with Mountain Lake to monitor and treat our hemlocks.

An untreated hemlock affected by the woolly adelgid.

Tom explaining the life cycles of the beetle.

Ryan placing the beetles on the hemlock tree. The beetles are a natural predator of the Woolly Adelgid and are native to the Pacific Northwest. The beetles will feed on the HWA eggs in the spring, then spend their summer in the soil. Then they will begin to pupate and their offspring will become active in the following fall.
Jar of beetles - Hundreds of releases of this species have been made from Maine to Georgia to help control the HWA.

The lab takes care of more than 40,000 beetles! The beetles live on these hemlock branches that are covered with HWA and are kept in the lab until they are released. Today we used paint brushes to gently place the beetles from their branch to the hemlock branches at Mountain Lake.

Click here to learn more about the beetle's life cycles

Fresh Snow blankets Salt Pond Mountain

2009-02-04T09:43:00.003-05:00

3 inches of fresh snow blanketed Mountain Lake as I arrived to work this morning. Temperatures currently read 2 degrees! Great day for a winter hike and in some places, cross-country skiing! Whenever we receive new snowfall, I will be sure to update the conditions on this blog. Feel free to give us a ring to check things out before you drive up.

Volunteer Jerry Austin, helps clear ML trails

2009-01-16T09:04:00.005-05:00

A big thanks goes out to Jerry Austin from Pembroke, VA. For the past couple months, Jerry has contributed his time to help remove fallen trees off various ML trails. Jerry is a certified sawyer with the Appalachian Trail and volunteers with various trail clubs in the community. Over 22 miles of trails need constant maintenance and The Mountain Lake Conservancy relies solely on volunteer efforts to accomplish this. We will be holding a Volunteer Trail Day on the weekend of March 21 for area clubs, students and community members to come up for a weekend of rewarding trail work. Please check the volunteer tab on our website for more information.

I spotted these raccoon tracks in the snow this morning.

Mountain Lake: coming back, maybe

2009-01-13T08:52:00.001-05:00

Mountain Lake Shrinking

2009-01-12T09:29:00.000-05:00

Great photos of Mountain Lake and it's emptying process.

Panoramic View from the North Side of the Lake

2009-01-08T08:28:00.004-05:00

We have received a lot of rain this week and the lake levels have risen a bit more. This picture was taken 1-7-09. As I walked down to take this picture, many springs were gushing. We have about an inch of snow on the ground today.

My morning drive up 700

2008-12-30T08:15:00.003-05:00

Chilly temps freeze lake

2008-12-23T11:16:00.003-05:00

When we arrived to work yesterday, our thermometer read zero...this morning, it was a chilly 18 degrees. The lake has frozen in an interested oblong shape. I have attached some pictures below.

The springs are running, breaking up chunks of frozen mud.

When temps drop, rhododendron leaves curl up tightly. As the soil begins to freeze up and water uptake becomes more difficult for roots and as the dry, cold air above ground begins to sap moisture from plants, rhododendron and many other plants take precautions to conserve their moisture.

Local School Reaches Out To Galveston

2008-12-22T11:48:00.004-05:00

Betty Massey, Executive Director of The Mary Moody Northen Endowment, sent me this story today. The MMNE owns and operates Mountain Lake and is located in Galveston, TX.

When Terri Robertson challenged her Virginia middle school to get involved in a civic project this year, she hardly imagined it would have her sliding through a Texas snowstorm in a U-Haul truck.

But that's what the principal of Ben Franklin Middle School in Rocky Mount, Virginia, and her husband did, driving to Galveston in a truck loaded with nearly 600 Christmas gifts for the students and faculty at Central Middle School.

It all began innocently enough, when Robertson asked her faculty to inspire students to take on a civic project to teach them more than the three Rs.

When she saw Hurricane Ike rise out of the Gulf of Mexico September 13, she knew her school had a mission.

"I went online and looked at Galveston, at the damage from the storm and then schools," she said. "Central Middle School caught my attention because its students seemed so similar to ours back home. We're a bigger school, 1,700 students, but our kids share so many things in common."

Robertson's first step was to contact Central Principal Connie Herbert and ask what would help most.

"It started out small, just our immediate needs," said Herbert. "We needed copy paper, for example. Mrs. Robertson sent boxes and boxes. We mentioned basic school supplies and equipment, pencils, paper, notepads and the like. She sent a trailed loaded with computers, phones, coffee pots, towels, school supplies, and cases of bottled water."

The the kids in Rocky Mount got involved. First they set personal, individually addressed Thanksgiving cards to every student and teacher.

Then they got their hands on 560 cereal boxes, filled them with gifts and wrapped each with care...most with a personal note, best wishes, hopes for recovery. There were contests to see who could make the most special package, and the packages reflected the personalities of the students who wrapped them.

"We all wanted to reach out to Galveston, to connect," Robertson said. "That's when my husband Mike and I decided to rent a truck and bring the gifts down here ourselves."

Three days, 1,250 miles and an uncommon snowstorm later, they arrived in Galveston and delivered their sleighful of kindness at Weis Middle School, where Central's students have been sharing space since the hurricane.

"It came on an important day," Herbert said. "It was the day we read in the paper that Central wouldn't be opening for a long while, maybe not until next year, and we all needed a boost. We love our school, we love each other, and this was just what we needed that day."

Galveston did her best to return the Robertson's kindness. There were tickets to museums, a comfortable room at the San Luis Hotel, a christmas party with the Central and Weis faculties.

Betty Massey, executive director of Galvestons, Mary Moody Northen Endowment, said everyone she contacted for help responded generously.

"Paul Schultz at the San Luis was a wonderful host," she said, "and the Robertsons really appreciated it- they said the San Luis was one of the finest hotels they'd ever stayed in, and hoped they could return on vacation. The Galveston Historical Foundation hosted them at their museums, everyone pitched in to help show our gratitude for such an incredible gift."

"We all care so much for our children," she said, "and we're overwhelmed that someone from so far away could do so much. It makes you wonder what we can do ourselves, right here at home."

Panoramic View

2008-12-16T15:28:00.002-05:00

Panoramic view of the lakebed, courtesy of Jay Moore

Recent rain and snow has done wonders!

2008-12-16T12:47:00.002-05:00

Look at these pictures taken today compared to the pictures that were taken back in October. The lake level is now what it looked like in early August. The lake has received over 2 inches of rain and a fair amount of snow in the past month. The boat that we could once see is now covered back up again and the tree at the far end of the lake is partially covered up. On November 25, I led a group down to the lake bed to look at the small pond and the boat. Now, we'd be submerged in water!

2008 Mt Lake Hemlock Summary

2008-12-11T13:01:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of Tom McAvoy from the Dept of Entomology at Virginia Tech:

In 2008 we continued monitoring hemlock woolly adelgid at Mountain Lake. Our monitoring indicated that hemlock woolly adelgid numbers increased since 2007. Therefore, approximately 75 infested trees were treated with imidacloprid using soil injection. These trees were on the east side of the lake between Indian and Lower Jungle Trails. Hemlocks on Blueberry Ridget and around the hotel had no hemlock woolly adelgid. A total of 486 trees have been treated since this program in 2001. While 50 (10%) of the treated trees have died, 12, of the 55 untreated trees that have been monitored have died. This is a 22% mortality for trees that were never treated. Treating the hemlocks has saved a significant number of trees. Most of the mortality has occured along the Indian Trail.

Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

2008-12-05T14:28:00.003-05:00

Our annual Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt was challenging and exciting! Families were given a sheet with a series of questions such as "Who discovered Mountain Lake and in what year?" Families also had to collect different items such as leaves from a coniferous & deciduous trees, rhododendron leaves and sedimentary rocks from the lake bed. They had to identify and take pictures of different animal tracks. The most challenging portion of the scavenger hunt was to hike as fast as you can to the highest point at Mountain Lake and take a picture of the view and record the elevation.

The first family back who had completed all the tasks including the grueling hike to Bald Knob on ice was the Moore family. Below are a few pictures, courtesy of Jay Moore.

Photos of Appalachian Trail Elderhostel

2008-11-25T14:11:00.004-05:00

Photos from our Appalachian Trail Elderhostel, courtesy of Matthew Collings from Berea, OH.

The Disappearing Lake

2008-11-24T13:03:00.001-05:00

This multimedia presentation was recently published by EARTH magazine. Great explanation on the lake cycles!

Appalachian Trail Elderhostel

2008-11-18T12:20:00.003-05:00

November 9-12, we held our first 'Appalachian Trail Hiking Elderhostel.' We had 16 participants from all over the country travel to Mountain Lake to participate in a level 5 hiking program. We hiked the Wind Rock-War Spur loop and McAfee's Knob. Below are some pictures from the program, compliments of Natalie and Norm Smith from Saratoga Springs, NY.

Tina Faris climbing up the rock face

Natalie and Norm Smith on top of McAfee's Knob

Jack Noll from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy talking about the mountain ridges

The famous McAfee's Knob

Winter has arrived

2008-11-18T10:50:00.005-05:00

As I drove up the mountain this morning, I was pleasantly surprised by the white surface blanketing the ground. We have around 3" of snow. Below are some pictures I took this morning.

View from Route 700

Mountain Lake from the sky

2008-11-12T13:42:00.003-05:00

The 'fall' lakebed

2008-10-14T15:41:00.004-04:00

These pictures were taken today by David and Terry Dodson from Bluefield, WV. They read an article (click on title to read story) in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and decided to come up for a visit see the drying lake bed.

Fall has arrived

2008-10-14T14:45:00.003-04:00

Fall has arrived at Mountain Lake and it is absolutely breathtaking. The leaves are very vibrant and you can see the changes as you drive up Route 700. This photo was taken by a guest early morning of 2 deer grazing in the lake bed. Come up and visit and see the beautiful fall colors at Mountain Lake.

A Day on Mars

2008-09-30T16:15:00.006-04:00

These pictures were taken by one of our staff Greg Zielske and his girlfriend Jess Coker. The lakebed looks different everyday. If you have yet to come up and experience the lakebed for yourself, I strongly recommend it.

This is a picture of the largest pond that is left of the lake. This is where the deepest portion of the lake is located. Check out the little island that is forming.

Jess standing on the edge of the abyss.

Spring meandering through the lakebed.

The cracked mud underneath the water indiciates the water levels rising and falling.

Several of these 'holes' have recently emerged in the lakebed. This one is about 1 foot in diameter.

No Child Left Inside

2008-09-27T14:35:00.003-04:00

U.S. House of Representatives approved the No Child Left Inside Act of 2008. This is a big step for environmental education, click on the title to learn more about this bill.

To learn more about The Mountain Lake Conservancy's environmental education programs, please visit our website at MtnLakeConservancy.org and click on the Education tab.

A few more pix from the bottom ...

2008-09-19T12:02:00.007-04:00

Here are some shots of the actual drain and where it is located. The first shot was while standing directly on top of it looking down (HOLD ON TO THE CAMERA!), and the second is shot looking back and down from the bank. The drain in the second shot is located in that finger of water pointing to the left at center.

The photo on the left is looking toward the drain from above where water is flowing into the pool. The photo on the right is from the drain looking toward that inlet.

Boat #8, not looking too seaworthy right now. This boat was elegantly made, not sure of the age, but guessing around the nineteen-thirties.

Standing over the big drain - video!

2008-09-17T15:33:00.002-04:00

Today I went down and walked along the bottom of the lake to see if the drain at the big pool would be visible. As I got closer I could hear it. You can hear the gurgling in the video. I carefully climbed down the rock slide, avoiding the mud and trying not to inhale the stale stench of death through my nose. As I got to within a few feet of it I saw a way to step across a couple rocks embedded in the mud and be able to stand directly over the drain and peer in. The water sounds and appears as if it is dropping straight in several feet. Reminded me of hearing water running in a cave passage.

Standing there on the shaky rocks felt precarious, so I shot ten seconds of video and climbed on out.
--dB

It's beautiful even when it's almost gone...

2008-09-08T14:24:00.004-04:00

These pictures of the lakebed were taken on 9/4/2008. Becca and I went down to the lakebed early Thursday morning around 7:30 am. Wildflowers and unique plants are merging out of the dried lakebed, along with some old boats and other interesting treasures.

This picture is of the largest pool. This is where the deepest point is located.

Spider spinning a web

View of the meadow

View of the east side side of the lakebed from Rest Rock

Check out the big spring feeding into the largest pool

Three small pools, lots of dead fish and that odor.

2008-09-03T15:17:00.005-04:00

There are now three ponds in the bottom of the lake bed. The largest water pouring in from the hotel end via a shallow stream and has some surviving fish, the medium pool has a few hangers on in their last hours, and the smallest empty and chock full of dead fish. Identified in this last pool were sunfish of good size and a large mouth bass up to 8 lb range. No trout were spotted - they probably died off a while ago.

This smallest pool also had a small stream of water coming in from a higher crack and then pouring out into a hole in the bottom against the western side. This is easy to observe.

The biggest two pools are full of muddy water. The stench down there is pretty bad, the flies are busy and it is not a good place to be with the sun and the heat. Perhaps the line of hurricanes on the way will help wash things down a bit and make access to the bottom easier.

Losing the Eastern Hemlock

2008-09-02T12:45:00.002-04:00

My good friend Will Blozan is an arborist and President of the Eastern Native Tree Society. He has been on a mission to save the largest of the surviving Eastern Hemlocks. His 'Tsuga Search Project' has been recording their size so that we may know what this extremely endangered species was capable of before they are lost.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/420/index.html?media_id=2131243

This video was shot in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Cataloochee Valley). Will Blozan is the subject of a documentary being filmed there.

You can find out more about the plight of the hemlocks and how they can be saved by visiting www.thevanishinghemlock.com
--dB

8/28...Has the rain brought the lake up?

2008-08-28T11:42:00.003-04:00

The rains from the past couple days have sustained the lake levels for a little while longer. It was interesting walking along the lakebed and seeing all the new plantlife that is emerging. It's a truly amazing process...

Check out the way the lake has formed a mirror-like image!
A foggy view of the lake bed
Becca and Chris walking through the cracked mud flats
Chris and Becca observing the lake from the porch of the Newport House

Next day, even less water...

2008-08-26T15:54:00.002-04:00

What a difference one day makes - Marsha took this picture this morning.

Found: Lifeboats from the Titanic!

2008-08-25T15:54:00.006-04:00

The lake continues to drop - latest estimate is 70+ feet below. There are some fish splashing around in there - rather sizable largemouth bass. Two ancient rowboats have been left high and well... muddy. They look like boats in some of our old pictures from circa 1930. No sign of the ladies with the floppy hats though - see our Recreation page (http://www.mtnlakeconservancy.org/recreation-paddling.html).

Enjoy our images from today's visit...
--dB

Fall Into the New - National River Cleanup Day

2008-08-24T15:37:00.002-04:00

Saturday I took my wife Ann and our two kids out for a day supporting our county's effort to clean up the New River. We loaded up the canoe and splashed on the sunscreen before heading out.

Read all about it here...

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/174313

Some of the things we found and hauled off...
- old nasty carpet
- over 100 old tires
- golf balls!?
- a marble
- a baby doll
- piece of toilet
- plenty of beer bottles and cans
- fishing pole (lower half)
- Virginia Lottery sign

I was really impressed with the group that Emma Betz brought out from Blacksburg High School. They worked really hard all day and hauled in a fantastic amount of debris. Giles County did a terrific job of putting this well run event together. Thanks to everyone who came out!
--dB

57' below full... and dropping

2008-08-12T17:54:00.002-04:00

Today I ventured out to take some pictures and observe what I could about the lake. I was surprised to see many small bass at the western side of the lake and one nice 8 pounder in the shallow water. There was plenty of activity - whenever the swallows would swoop down after bugs near the surface the fish would hit the surface going after whatever they dropped.

In the meadow and amongst the blooming flowers all around the lake I could hear the buzz of bees doing their job. Enjoy the pix!
--dB

Mountain Lake Teacher Workshop

2008-07-26T15:38:00.002-04:00

The Mountain Lake Conservancy recently held a Teacher Workshop for Giles County Science teachers on July 23-24, 2008. This 2 day workshop was funded by the Mary Moody Northen Endowment and focused on inquiry-based learning in the classroom and in the schoolyard. The goal of this workshop training was to assist teachers in improving students' understanding of science. We had a total of 9 teachers attend this workshop from Narrows High School, Narrows Elementary & Middle, and home school parents from the surrounding area. The workshop instructor, Nancy Schultz, did a fabulous job planning and teaching this workshop and we felt it was a great success. Thanks to all who attended and worked hard to make this happen!

Hemlock Adoption

2008-07-19T12:37:00.003-04:00

A special thanks to Linda Fountain and Frank Paxton for adopting Hemlock #153 near the Blueberry Ridge Cottages. Your contribution will help fund the treatments against the Wooly Adelgid.

For more information on the Wooly Adelgid, please visit www.MtnLakeConservancy.org- click on the Research tab- Forests.

Don't Tread On Me

2008-07-17T13:52:00.004-04:00

This morning while beginning our Mountain Bike Skills class and riding out the Fitness Trail we were lucky enough to see my first Timber Rattlesnake of the year. She was stretched out along the edge of the trail as we rode along toward the stables. We had just passed a young doe 15 yards earlier grazing along the bank.

As we turned back to view the snake again she assumed a defensive posture - we did not get close enough to encourage her to rattle - snapped a couple pix with the cell phone and went on our way.
Beautiful snake and a neat experience for our guests.

In over 15 years of mountain biking, this was the second rattlesnake I have seen. Pretty amazing!

Adopt A Hemlock

2008-07-08T22:44:00.004-04:00

A special thanks to Ted and Joy Reinhart from Williamsburg, Virginia. They recently adopted Hemlock number #594 along the Indian Trail. Their donation will help support the research and treatments of the 'woolly adelgid' that has ravaged the Eastern Hemlocks in the Appalachian Mountains. For more information on the woolly adelgid, please visit our website at www.MtnLakeConservancy.org and click on the 'Forests' link under the 'Research tab.

Natural History Elderhostel

2008-07-08T19:43:00.009-04:00

We recently finished up our Elderhostel program, "The Natural History of Mountain Lake" from June 22-27, 2008. We had 13 participants here for the week from all over the country. They enjoyed over 11 miles of hiking to Bald Knob, Pond Drain, Wind Rock and to the Cascades waterfall. Throughout the week they learned about stream water ecology, geology, wildflowers, forests and other interesting aspects of Mountain Lake.

MLC in the news and wildlife sightings

2008-07-06T15:32:00.003-04:00

Roanoke Times did a nice article in this Sunday's edition of the New River Current...
http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/168423
... our recreation staff really shines, I am very proud of their accomplishments this summer.

The past week was a rich one for me from a wild life encounter standpoint. Wednesday evening while returning across the ridge near the end of an out and back mountain bike ride I heard a loud and heavy sound above me - as I looked up I saw a large black bear in a white oak tree sliding down and shredding the bark and small branches as she came down. Only 30' away and in a real hurry, she hit the ground and charged off down over the side of the mountain. Very exciting!

Friday a large rattlesnake was found by my rec staff taking a nap across the width of Indian Trail - I am awaiting pix of this one. First rattler spotted this year that I know of - glad I didn't see it!

Saturday I had some trees to clear on Bald Knob Trail and as I climbed the steep and rugged trail I paused to strap on my kevlar chaps and heard the sounds of a turkey hen somewhere close. I looked up the trail and only 20 yards away I could see through the veiling fog a mother hen and her flock moving through the ferns. I stayed very still and watched them for about fifteen minutes before they eased on out of sight.

This morning we saw twin fawns as they awoke from a nap and spent the rest of the early afternoon watching three humming birds challenge for space at the feeder. Great stuff, I love summer in Virginia.
--dB

Current lake level - UPdate!

2008-07-03T12:48:00.002-04:00

As you probably know if you have been keeping up with things here on the mountain, our lake has suffered from the drought experienced in our region over the past few years. Tom McAvoy of the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech has been keeping track of our lake levels and has just sent us the following update:

Lake is 45' below full:

Date Feet below full pond % Full
10/1/2005 0 100
12/19/2007 -36 69
1/21/2008 -36 69
3/5/2008 -40 66
3/18/2008 -40 66
4/8/2008 -41 65
6/26/2008 -45 62

In other news...

We will be celebrating July 4th with fireworks on Friday night - be sure to come!

--dB

Rowdy Dawg UPdate

2008-06-18T15:44:00.005-04:00

Montgomery Parks and Recreation Presents:
WHAT: Brush Mountain Challenge Weekend
WHEN: October 11-12th
Saturday: The Brush Mountain Breakdown by Runabout Sports
Sunday: 20th Anniversary of the Rowdy Dawg by East Coasters Bike Shops

Race both - fastest combined time for two longest courses wins the challenge prize.

WHERE: Pandapas Pond Recreation Area - just west of Blacksburg

Start/Finish @ Broce's Field about 8 miles down Rt. 708 from Rt. 460

Go here for the new 2008 Rowdy Dawg website...

www.montva.com/departments/parks/rowdy.php

Hope to see you there, more details coming soon!

--dB

Dirty Dawg MTB Race Results from Sunday June 15th

2008-06-17T16:47:00.003-04:00

Place	Name/Class	Time
XXC	Dirty Dawgs – 28+ miles
1	Caleb Walton	3:01:42
2	Wake Fulp	3:07:04
3	Wade Newell	3:35:57
4	Brent Lester	3:39:45
5	James Pennington	3:57:45
6	Bradley Unagurait	4:05:30
----	-------------------------	---------------

ProEx	Coyotes – 20+ miles
1	Thomas Jenkins	2:03:42
2	Chris Pohowski	2:06:15
3	Scott Paisley	2:25:50
4	John Delong	2:26:35
5	Ashwin Amanna	2:27:15
6	David Tompkins	2:29:27
DNF	Brian Mayer
----	-------------------------	---------------

SportEx	Coyotes – 20+ miles
1	John McKenna	2:23:35
2	Daniel Evans	2:34:00
DNF	Jeff Shapiro
DNF	Chris Bayne
DNF	Alex Kurland
DNS	Bob Wright (arrived to start 53 mins late!)	2:30:00
----	-------------------------	----

SportLite	Yard Dawgs – 15 miles
1	Dan Repella	1:42:56
2	Ignacio Moore (singlespeed)	1:43:54
3	Mark Zhu	1:44:13
4	Mike Roth	1:48:16
5	Michael Kierce	1:52:45
6	Cole Harden	1:53:08
7	Steve Butler	1:53:14
8	Thomas Burke	1:55:15
9	Philip Modena	1:56:13
10	Zack Morrey	1:56:15
11	Jeremy Ferrell	1:59:19
12	Matthew Lester	1:59:51
13	Matt Swenty	2:00:30
14	Chris Betz	2:04:10
15	Dave Szakelyhidi	2:05:40
16	Michael Brady	2:07:28
17	John McDowell	2:09:45
18	Matt Hudson	2:13:10
19	Chuck Rockwell	2:23:39
20	Nathan Sharp	2:23:45
21	Donald Sharp	2:24:35
22	Lance Clark	2:39:14
23	Carl Huber	2:37:45
----	-------------------------	----

SportLite	Yard Dawgs – 15 miles - Women
1	Candi Pennington	2:30:20
2	Esther Howard	2:44:05
----	-------------------------	----

Beginner	Lap Dawgs – 10 miles
1	Dan Pierce	1:11:00
2	Jason Vantine	1:20:53
3	William Bertolini	1:22:54
4	Ian Million	1:23:32
5	Rob Crawford	1:31:20
DNS	David Lehn
----	-------------------------	----

Beginner	Lap Dawgs – 10 miles - Women
1	Karen Stoll	1:24:05
2	Janine Sprouels	1:25:12
3	Carlene Elswick	1:33:50
4	Anna Swenty	1:57:15
----	-------------------------	----

Thanks to everyone for coming out and enjoying the beautiful weekend with us! Thanks again to all of our volunteers that made the event run smoothly, all of the families that came out and supported the racers, and our awesome Trek Demo reps Tom and Janine.

Special thanks to our sponsors, Hammer Nutrition that kept away the cramps and the bonk! Chris Betz of East Coasters Bike Shops, Stan and Cindy of Stan's NoTubes, Mike at Hawley, all the gang at Quality Bike Parts, Than at Shimano, and Mountain Lake Hotel for all their help with getting our concessions up and all the other important logistics.

If anyone has pix they'd like to share please send them to me at: BBrown@mountainlakehotel.com

Mark your calenders for Rowdy Dawg on October 12th at Pandapas Pond!

--dB

June Wildlife at Mountain Lake

2008-06-17T14:27:00.006-04:00

One of our guests was able to spot this newborn fawn near the hotel on one of our trails last weekend. We are seeing a lot of these fawns in mid-June as they are born. Later in the day the new fawn was spotted again following it's mother in a nearby meadow.
A curious quail responded to a mating call imitated by this same guest - it landed on the deck of their cottage just long enough to capture this shot!

Spring has SPRUNG!

2008-06-08T22:17:00.004-04:00

The Flaming Azalea, Pink Rhododendron and all kinds of other wildflowers are popping out this week and the ferns have unfurled along the trails and in the woods. The mountain has come alive with color - bring a camera and come on up!

Thanks to Mallory on our Rec Staff for taking these pix this week.
--dB

Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend Press Release

2008-06-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 30, 2008

Contact: Ben Brown E-mail: BBrown@MountainLakeHotel.com

(540) 626-7121 x444 www.MtnLakeConservancy.org

The Mountain Lake Conservancy Hosts Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend June 13 - 15

Pembroke, Va. – The Mountain Lake Conservancy will host the Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend Friday, June 13 – Sunday, June 15 at Mountain Lake Hotel and The Mountain Lake Conservancy in Pembroke, Va. Mountain Lake Hotel packages for the cycling weekend are available.

Visit www.MtnLakeConservancy.org/special-dirtydawg.html for more information about the weekend and call Mountain Lake Hotel at 800.346.3334 for room packages that will include free race entry, and special late checkout on Sunday.

This is the second year The Mountain Lake Conservancy has hosted the Dirty Dawg Mountain Bike Race. Due to its first year success, The Mountain Lake Conservancy expanded the festivities to include cycling activities for the whole family. The weekend’s schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 13

Dusk Welcome to Mountain Lake Bonfire

Saturday, June 14

10 a.m. East Coasters sponsored Trek Bike Demo

10 a.m. Guided road and mountain bike rides start

4 p.m. Capt’n Insane-O’s Kids Challenge Course

5 p.m. Outdoor gear barter session

7:30 p.m. Conservancy benefit auction

8 p.m. Live music

Dusk Bonfire

Sunday, June 15
2^nd Annual Dirty Dawg Mountain Bike Race
8:30 a.m. Double cross country ‘Late Registration’ ends
8:45 a.m. Double cross country (XXC) race meeting

9:01 a.m. XXC (30 miles) race starts

9:15 a.m. Cross country ‘Late Registration’ ends

9:45 a.m. Cross country racers’ meeting

10 a.m. Cross country races start
3 pm Trek Bike Demo ends

The Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend is sponsored by East Coasters Bike Shops in Blacksburg and Roanoke, Mountain Lake Hotel, Mountain Lake Conservancy, , Giles County Industrial Development Authority, Trek, Quality Bike Parts, Cane Creek, Shimano, Bob Gear, Hammer Nutrition, Stan’s No Tubes, Salsa Cycles and Hawley USA.

To learn more about the weekend or Mountain Lake Conservancy, contact Mountain Lake Conservancy Director of Recreation Ben Brown at (540) 626-7121 ext. 444 or visit the conservancy’s website at www.MtnLakeConservancy.org.

The Mountain Lake Conservancy’s purpose is to further Mary Moody Northen’s desire to forge bonds between people and nature in Mountain Lake’s unique environment. The conservancy includes 2,600 acres of forest with more than 20 miles of challenging hiking, biking and cross country skiing trails with breathtaking views and awe-inspiring serenity.

2008 Summer Recreation Programs are underway!

2008-05-08T11:42:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we opened up our Conservancy Recreation Office with a brand new staff. Many of our personnel are Outdoor Recreation majors at nearby Radford University or studying at Virginia Tech. We have several naturalists on staff who will bring an educational component to our guided hikes and mountain bike rides.

Our new pump track is now entering the final design phase and we hope to start work on it soon.

ToeJammer Trail - our latest stretch of advanced level single track - is 90% cut out and should be ready to be part of the Dirty Dawg MTB Race in June. The new course is going to offer some technical riding not present in last year's course and also add quite a bit of climbing.
Check out some pix of highlights from the trail taken by the Moonstompers just a week ago.
http://www.moonstomper.org/gallery/v/granpapa/ML0408/

This week the WX has hovered in the mid 60's, a spot of showers here and there - but beautiful overall. We hope to run our first New River Sampler Trip this Saturday morning if we get enough hotel guests to sign up. If you are planning to be up here - come by the Rec Office ASAP to get your name on the list - we only have room for ten - don't miss out!

Break out your skis? New Maps! New Trail! & Dirty Dawg

2008-04-29T11:50:00.008-04:00

BrewRidge Music Festival Wrap Up
After an incredible weekend of perfect Spring weather for the BrewRidge Music Festival (rain didn't fall till we were cleaning up after the final act for the afternoon on Saturday), we were greeted with a light dusting of snow and ice this morning. The 40 degree swing in temps is quite a shock. Things kicked off right on Friday night with the Locust Mountain Boys from Craig County...Joe Wilson of 'The Crooked Road' and his beautiful wife Katherine showed up to tap their feet for the music. Joe and Katherine were instrumental in helping us put this event together.
Robin & Linda Williams and Their Fine Group really fired up the crowd with their foot stomping folk music and terrific sense of humor. The crowd enjoyed the warm sunshine and the cold beer, mead and cider flowing out from under the tents.
The Jugbusters from Blacksburg picked up where Robin and Linda left off as they nearly burned down the barn with some dance music you probably won't hear in the local club. Judging by these pictures it had the desired effect!
The brewfest was a blast by all accounts, the dance floor is now perfectly polished and the beer kegs are just tapped out. We're looking forward to it going even bigger and better next year - mark your calendars for the first weekend of May 2009.

New Trail Maps Now Available!
Our new GPS enhanced, full color, shaded, 1:24,000 scale USGS Topo maps are now ready for sale at the Conservancy. They'll also soon become available at East Coasters in Blacksburg. We had these professionally printed on a really nice weatherproof map paper that should withstand lots of abuse floating around in your pack.
New Trail - Toejammer
Toejammer is taking form, Both ends of the trail have been cut in and are ridable. The middle section of the trail has been flagged and is easy to follow with some short hike-a-bikes to duck brush. This past Sunday we rode it for the first time with Eggman, Sully, and Abner of the Moonstompers and Eric and Chuck of the Virginia Tech Freeriding Club. We hope to form a new trail club with them to help us improve our trail system and take mountain biking at Mountain Lake to the next level.

Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend - Progress!
With BrewRidge now out of the way, we've pinned our ears back and are setting our teeth into the plan for the big riding weekend and mountain bike race. The new race course is all set and will really show off the broad variety of trail types our system offers. A race course description will be forthcoming soon. Till then, if you are trying to prepare for the race - do lots of climbing and throw yourself into some rock gardens. You might want to go ahead and give Stan's a try too.

We're excited that the Trek/Gary Fisher demo will be here on Saturday the 14th, and can't wait to get our paws on the new Trek 9.5 EX to hammer our healthy rock gardens. I plan to warm up my legs on the new Madone 6.9 with a descent and climb of the famous Rt.613 'Backside Climb', my favorite part of our local stage of the old Tour DuPont (now the final climb of the Mountains of Misery).

We've got a lot of neat events planned and hope to have a good crowd.

APO Lake Cleanup
A few weeks ago we were visited by the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity. They spent the better part of a day picking up all kinds of material out of the lake. They got muddy and wet and did a terrific job and found some really neat stuff. Check out the pix below.

Trail work update

2008-04-21T14:24:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the delay in updating - was out of town over the past week guiding a cycling Elderhostel in Williamsburg. Got to see Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial W'burg - great group!

Last week good progress was made in cutting in the beginning and end of 'Toejammer Trail' on Salt Pond Ridge. Still have some flagging to do to locate the middle section - but it is mostly there.
There will be some bench work to be done on a short section along with a switchback - should be easily built in a day with a good crew. This trail has a lot of potential for alternate lines using natural obstacles for those so inclined.

Beautiful trail!
--dB

Spring rollercoaster

2008-04-11T17:57:00.002-04:00

Temps have been in the high 60's even lower 70's this week - fired up some emerging plant life in the forest. Work has begun in earnest on Toejammer with the trail taped and about 40% of the trail opened up. OH and they say it will snow up here Sunday!

The new MLC Mountain Biking Trail Maps are almost set to go out to the printer, we'll get them out to East Coasters and Tangent Outdoors to sell by the end of the month if everything goes as planned.

We are making more progress on the new disc golf course; a volunteer work day is scheduled for May 10th - if you like to play come on out and help us open up some new lanes. We are working on sponsorships for the baskets, more to come on that.

We installed our new parking fee post at the kiosk. Please leave $3 per car if you aren't purchasing a Trail Access pass for the year. The donation helps us afford to improve the trails, gravel the parking lot, buy chains for the chainsaw etc. We need new trail building tools too.
THANKS!!

Gotta run!
--dB

Spring is here... well sort of.

2008-03-21T15:05:00.002-04:00

Just got back from clearing trees off of some of the trails with the chainsaw (Upper Jungle, White Dot, Upper Doe, Lower Doe, White Pine Road, Middle Jungle, Old Turnpike and Chestnut Lodge). Only took about 4.5 hrs pulling the Bob trailer loaded up with the chainsaw and my lunch.

Cleared a few really tangled messes that have been in the way for too long - felt good to be out there opening up the trail.

Updated our website this week with information about the Olen Sharron - Warren Mays Memorial Fund - look for the pop up nav under 'Donations' or just go here...
http://www.mtnlakeconservancy.org/donations-OSmf.html

Thanks goes to Tom McAvoy for his help in writing the content.

Tuesday AM I joined Brad Buchanan for a meeting of the New River Valley Regional Bikeway Walkway Committee where I gave a 15 minute power point to inform folks of the trail development we are doing here at the Conservancy. They have invited the Conservancy to attend the next meeting on May 20th.

'Yield to Life' has expressed interest in coming up for the Dirty Dawg Cycling Weekend in June.

VT Cycling is holding an ACCC Time Trial on the Rt. 700 on Sunday April 6th. The finish line will be at the crest of the mountain as you first see the lake. We are opening up the Activity Barn and our parking lots to accommodate the racers and support staff as well as spectators. Should be fun - hoping for nice weather - last April 6th we got 6" of snow.

RideRiverRun has a website up for their event to be held in Pearisburg on July 6th. More info will be up soon - keep an eye on it - should be a neat event.

BCCS...
Last Friday evening Emily & Jeremy, joined my son Henry and myself for a trip up to Bath County for the annual Butler Cave Conservation Society 'Pancake Weekend'. We camped out near their old homestead - built about 1740 - and went to Williamsville early on Saturday AM to enjoy their amazing pancake breakfast featuring fresh maple syrup. We ate our $7 worth then spent the rest of the morning helping out with improvements at the homestead before joining in on a cave dig not far up the road. The weather held for us until late in the evening when the clouds finally burst.

--dB

Kiosk updated - Trail Access sign painted

2008-03-13T16:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we discovered that the fork on our trusty Bob Gear Trailer was not going to work with our new Gary Fisher Cobia 29'er mountain bike - we needed a trailer fork that was just a bit longer to accommodate the larger wheel. So we gave Bob Gear a call... they were happy to help us out and have joined our list of corporate sponsors.

Thanks Bob Gear!!!

We updated our Trail Access kiosk this morning with some new information for our trail users and also painted a rock beside the parking lot to point people in the right direction.

We're hoping to get to work on new trail maps in the next couple weeks. Our trail access stickers are now available for sale - get yours!

--dB

Trail Access passes are ready!

2008-03-10T12:48:00.003-04:00

We have received our new Trail Access stickers from the printer and they will be available at East Coasters and Tangent Outdoors beginning Wednesday. Cost will be $30. Proceeds will fund trail improvement projects and also help us pay for the gravel we just spread in the new lot.
Check it out...

Trail Access Parking Lot is OPEN

2008-03-07T14:44:00.003-05:00

Over the past two days we have been busy preparing our new Trail Access parking near the stables. The cold rain did not dampen our efforts as we poured five tandem loads of gravel into the lot this morning. Charles Gallo donated his time, tractor and diesel fuel to grade the lot and spread the gravel for us.

HUGE Thanks goes out to him for his generous efforts that made this new lot happen.

Other projects we've been busy with include cleaning up abandoned research projects from off the old golf course in preparation for sewing alfalfa for food plots for wildlife, rewriting the hotel newsletter and in-room booklets, and putting finishing touches on our new website.

Shimano & IMBA release economic study about mountain biking

The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) and Shimano American Corporation released a new document titled "The Economics and Benefits of Mountain Biking" this week at the US National Bike Summit in Washington, DC.

"We want legislators, policy makers and the public to understand how significant mountain biking is to both the economy and to keeping people healthy," said Kozo Shimano. "To put the activity in perspective, 50 million Americans ride a mountain bike – more than one and a half times the number of people who play golf."

The study reports that one in five Americans aged 16 and over ride a mountain bike, and contribute US$26 billion annually to the American economy while enjoying the sport. The benefits go beyond recreation. A recent cost benefit analysis concluded that every dollar invested into trails corresponded to almost three dollars in direct medical benefit, and The World Health Organization has recommended riding a bike as a way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Scientific research has also shown mountain biking to be a low impact, environmentally sustainable activity with no more impact on natural resources than hiking, and far less than many other recreational activities.

IMBA Executive Director Mike Van Abel highlighted the role of mountain bikers as conservationists who volunteer their time, labor and money to protect the natural and cultural resources where they ride. "From the beginning, IMBA members have embraced a stewardship ethic that benefits conservation of our natural lands and waters," said Van Abel. "This timely publication shows how that conservation mindset also gives back with economic benefits."

March eases in...

2008-03-03T11:57:00.002-05:00

Sunny skies and in the shade temps at 50 degrees today. This will take care of the rest of the nice snowfall we received on Friday nite. Saturday was a blast, XC skiing with the Buchanan family on Middle Jungle Trail and the stables' bunny slopes. Ann and Ruth even built a snowman! If Brad gets up here soon with the pictures I'll post them.

I spent most of Saturday nite - till 2AM finishing up and FTP'ing the new MLC website - 28k dial-up is painful. Still have some teaks to make and a bit more polishing and testing - but it is up.

www.MtnLakeConservancy.org

Planning to work on Toejammer (trail) this week while the wx holds.
--dB

The last day of February

2008-02-29T18:07:00.003-05:00

Today the snow melted off just a bit as the temps creeped above 32 in the sun - but remained about 30 in the shade at the warmest point. The rain that was forecast in our area is falling as snow right now and coming down fast. The morning may be ideal for back country skiing.

While finishing up the new website this afternoon to have it go live by Monday - I was interrupted by this fuzzy character. Fortunately, my ADT Alarm system scared him off or he might have broken in and stolen my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Just finished meeting with Mitch Hoeppner and Mike Collini to begin exploring our options for building a pro level disc golf course up here. They seemed stoked by what they saw. More to come soon...
--dB

1:40 PM, 3" on the ground and snow still falling...

2008-02-27T13:26:00.002-05:00

Glad I have my skis up here today - looking forward to breaking fresh trail this afternoon. Current temperature is a brisk 18 degrees - in Radford - it is a balmy 30! Really looking forward to getting out there.

The past few days has been chocked full of interviews with partners of the Conservancy and prospective summer employees. We have had some excellent internship applicants on the mountain and are going to interview a few more to make sure we select just the right person. If you are looking for an internship this year please give us a call as soon as possible - time is running out.

Tomorrow morning we will meeting with Healing Harvest Forest Foundation to discuss some forest management options.

Much to do... gotta run so I can go ski!
--dB

Wednesday Warriors Nite Snow Ride

2008-02-21T11:09:00.005-05:00

Last night the Wednesday Warriors (a group of DED-i-cated MTB'ers) came up the mountain, driving through 2" of falling snow to converge on our trails for their weekly night ride.

We utilized the new parking lot near the stables and rode for about an hour on Old Turnpike, Bald Knob Road, Moonstomper and Bear Cliffs Trail. It was glorious and after the ride we met at John and Heidi Morehead's house near Eggleston for a cookout and to enjoy the eclipse as the clouds cleared out.

More snow is in our forecast so I am getting out my cross-country skis to get ready to lay some fresh tracks - hope to see you up here!

Enjoy some pix that Emily took this morning showing evidence of our fun from last night...

Support Cycling

2008-02-18T09:31:00.005-05:00

As we reach the mid-point of winter my mind races towards Spring and I think of the things that I enjoy doing the most when the birds begin to sing. Ride my bicycle!

Couple things to be involved in as we await the warmer weather:
David Zabriskie has begun a new foundation called 'Yield To Life' This is a non-profit organization that is trying to educate motorists and cyclists about life saving behavior on our roads.

"We all travel life’s roads. I stand before you to ask for your cooperation in providing safe space for cyclists. When you see a cyclist on the road, please, yield to life."
–David Zabriskie, world-class cyclist and founder of Yield to Life

Also, you may have heard that Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador (formerly of Team Discovery Channel) are going to be prevented from racing in the Tour de France this year because they are with the new Astana Team. This is absurd. This is an entirely new team with new management, and they have implemented one of the most stringent drug testing policies of any of the Pro Tour teams.

Levi has an online petition set up to help them fight this ridiculous and arbitrary decision and hopefully get them back in the race.

If you'd like to support Levi go to www.letleviride.com

Baird Owl sighting and other pix

2008-02-14T15:30:00.006-05:00

Today the quiet air was chilled with fresh fallen snowflakes resting on the tree branches under a deep blue sky. Good day for pictures! We had some planning to do with our deer management program near the old golf course. Many of these pix were taken there. The Baird Owl was spotted near the Horton Center. --dB

Coyotes in the fog

2008-02-12T09:53:00.000-05:00

This morning when I arrived I was greeted with the yelps of coyotes playing down by the far end of the lake. Their cries could be clearly heard through the misty mountain fog that draped across the shoreline. I have also heard them while doing trail work alone on Salt Pond Ridge. It seems that the surging deer population is helping their comeback.

Yesterday the temperature hovered around 6 degrees most of the day, today we are suffering through a heat wave of about 30. Our snow is all gone - but it is still early enough in the season that it will probably be back.

Last week Brad Buchanan came up and shot some MTB action video of Moonstomper Trail, check it out. This is a section right near where it joins up with Bear Cliffs Trail.

This video is of another section of Moonstomper just below...

--dB

Exciting news & planning new programs!

2008-02-06T17:45:00.000-05:00

Exciting news!
Robin & Linda Williams (http://www.robinandlinda.com)have signed with us to headline our BrewRidge Music Festival on April 26th! We also have landed another talented group called Ridgewind Band to play.

With the warm and rainy spell we are experiencing it has been a good time to work on planning some projects. We have completed design work on a couple new stickers and logos for our Trail Access program and also the BrewRidge Music Festival

A new hunting program for the Conservancy is in the works that will get handicapped youth out in the woods to experience the thrill of hunting white tail deer and help us manage our deer herd at the same time.

Rudi Woykowski of Rudi's Reptile Removal is assisting us in developing anew program called, Reptiles & Amphibians for this summer that will give children and adults a chance to interact with animals in a controlled environment. Rudi also does wildlife rescue and recently rehabbed an owl with eye injuries.

This morning we made some more progress on our new Cascades connector trail with the help of a local land manager, Mr. Charles Gallo.

More coming on all this very soon!
--dB

Icey day, Lonely at the top.

2008-02-01T11:19:00.001-05:00

This morning we had an ice storm pass through leaving a glazed and greasy surface not fit for man, beast or machine. Only a few of us made it in to work so things are very quiet. The road was quite good till the last 100' coming over the top at the hotel - then all bets were off. Driving a Subaru with good snow and ice tires makes all the difference - chains would be nice though.

Looks like we might bringing one of the region's finest reptile experts into our fold this year. He runs a highly regarded wildlife rescue operation and also does many first rate educational programs for kids and adults. More to come - so stay posted!

Lots to do - so back to work!
--dB

Cub Cadet and The Power Zone may donate a Utility Vehicle to the Conservancy!

2008-01-29T15:27:00.000-05:00

Jim Higham, owner of The Powerzone (www.MowParts.com) in Christiansburg answered the call to help us maintain our extensive and growing trail system by loaning us an 18HP Cub Cadet Utility Vehicle. He is working to see that it will become a permanent part of our 'trail work fleet' here on the mountain joining our new 29'er and BOB Trailer recently donated by East Coasters Bike Shops. (www.EastCoasters.com).

Thanks to Jim Higham and Chris Betz, owners of these local businesses, for their outstanding support of our mission. Special thanks also to our volunteer, 'JR', for taking the time and expending the effort and fuel necessary to haul this machine up the mountain to us with his own personal truck.
--dB

Weather warms - but last week sure was fun!

2008-01-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

This week the wx has warmed a bit - 44 degrees this AM. However we are looking for snow again this coming weekend.

Check out pix of the Phlegar, Greenough and Hash families enjoying a fun day in the snow near the stables.

So far we've recorded more than 15 ski-able days. Our trails are perfect for the back country enthusiast. Make your own tracks or follow someone else's, just get out and explore.
Progress is being made on our new website, hope to have it up and kicking by next week.
--dB

XC Sking for 1st time

2008-01-26T13:55:00.000-05:00

Jungle Tr

Saturday was spent putting the roof on our trail access kiosk near the stables and testing out XC-skiing for the first time. Jeremy and I crashed a couple times but finally got the hang of it. Conditions are good! Parking lot is ready but not recommended for 2-wheel drive cars yet. Gravel is on its way.