March 11, 2012
I learned about the Master Forest Owner (MFO) Program in early 2010 and it
sounded intriguing. I had owned forest land for a decade, and enjoyed
working in the woods on occasion for over 40 years. I had worked with a NYS
DEC forester and had a written management plan, but the more I learned about
forest stewardship the more I wanted to learn.
The MFO program was a perfect fit. We spent four days at Cornell’s Arnot
Forest learning about all aspects of forest management for both sawtimber
and wildlife. Fellow students were mostly NYFOA members and all shared a
love for forests. We enjoyed the classes and field trips, and were well-fed
every day. The instructors were knowledgable, enthusiastic and interesting.
Our committment to give back after the training was to make five visits to
other forest owners by December of the following year. I was able to make
six visits in 2011, and have made two 2012 visits as of March 6th. I met a
variety of interesting people and walked with them in their forests large
and small. Each forest is different, and each owner’s objectives are
different, but every one has shared the desire to get more out of their
forest ownership experience.
The MFOs are not foresters, just fellow landowners who want to share their
enthusiasm and training about forest ownership / stewardship. If you would
like to get independent inputs about your forest, contact a local MFO. If
you are willing to spend some time visiting fellow forest owners and want to
expand your knowledge of forests, I encourage you to apply for MFO training.
The training significantly broadened my understanding, and the opportunity
to share time with others in their forests has been a real treat. What
better way to sepnd a few hours a year than tramping around new woods?
March 4, 2012
New York has a Master Forest Owner (MFO) program in addition to the Master Gardener program. MFOs are forest owners, not foresters. They are volunteers who can visit other forest owners to share information based on the owner’s objectives and interests. For more information, visit http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/mfo/
I have been a MFO for just over a year, and have enjoyed visiting eight woodlots in Allegany County. There is always something to learn.
December 30, 2011
I recently learned of a society of descendents of Fielding Lewis and Betty Washington. Their Fielding Lewis was a first cousin of my Robert of Belvoir. I am interested in their society as they have annual meetings to learn more about their history. In 2011 they met in Williamsburg, VA. They will meet again June 22 – 24, 2012 in Alexandria, VA. In 2013 they plan a trip to England and Wales to visit sites of importance to the Washington and Lewis families. I was delighted to be able to share information about points of interest in the Lewis family to the party that went to England and Wales in Oct 2011, and they were able to take many photos in the Abergavenny area. If you are interested in this group, you can look them up at www.lewisfamilydescendants.org
December 22, 2011
Finals are done and grades are posted! Nearly all my students at Alfred University’s College of Business did very well, and I sure learned a lot from their questions. Excel pivot tables were one of the most interesting things we worked on in MIS.
We have a four-week time to refresh and then Spring 2012 semester begins.
December 22, 2011
Well made custom knives are a delight to hold, admire and work with. My brother recently bought a bird and trout knife by Claude Montjoy, a deceased knifemaker from North Carolina. The knife fits my hand perfectly, and is well proportioned for using. If you are a fan of Claude Montjoy, I’d love to hear from you and learn more about this custom knife maker.
August 9, 2011
After years of being asked to write a book about my Lewis family history, I finally did it. The book is available for $17.50 including shipping to the lower 48 states, and you can get a copy by writing me through the “Contact Us” link above.
October 1, 2010
Our minutes are online. Click on “Lewis Family” above to get to all the reunion information, including the 2010 photos and minutes.
August 31, 2010
Talk about a bad start to a day! At 7 am on August 17th an intense storm swept through our town, and part of an oak tree came loose and fell on our roof. Over a year ago we had a tree surgeon remove three trees that we felt might be a future hazard. When we asked him about the oak tree, he said we did not need to take it down because oaks were very strong, the tree was very healthy, and it should be fine for another 100 years. Yeah, right!!!!
Fortunately, Aaron McGraw of Select Tree Care of Alfred, NY canceled his scheduled work for the day and came right out. He was a real artist in his approach to removing the tree without causing further damage. He studied the tree from several angles, chained the base of the fallen stem to the trunk so it would not fall, and rigged a pulley and winch to take weight off the end of the stem. It was simply amazing to watch him at work. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
This is the bedroom end of our home with the tree on it.
Stem swung off the roof using chain and pulley with hoist
March 27, 2010
Mat Woodworth (boldlinedesign@gmail.com), a most talented commercial artist, drew our Lewis family crest, and Monica and Ray Sommerville of Sommerville Pottery in Pulteney, NY are making pottery including handmade mugs, trivets, cheese boards and other ceramic items. Click on “Lewis Family” to get to more photos and pricing information.
We are one of many Lewis families from Wales. Our crest was borne by Rhys Goch ca 1070. Rhys was a local tribal chieftain from the area near present-day Abergavenny, Wales. The crest is a Welsh dragon with a bloody severed left hand in it’s mouth. No one knows the exact story of the dragon with the bloody hand. There is a woodcarving of the crest in black oak over the fireplace of the dining room at Gregygnog, a manor that is now a residential educational center of the University of Wales Institute of Rural Health. It is #10 at this web page Blayney Room Lewis Crest
February 15, 2010
In December the State Forester spent a day in our 30 acres of woods by our home, and is developing a Forest Management plan to carry out over the next five years. The management objectives are to improve the forest for watershed, wildlife and recreation. Because of the diversity of the forest, and the management objectives, the forester enrolled our woods as a Certified Tree Farm with the American Tree Farm System. We named our farm “Highland Tree Farm” (we had to name it to get it enrolled). Here is the sign we have posted to show we are a certified tree farm.
Soon the forester will visit out other woods near Alfred, NY, and will certify it. We are naming that farm “Deer Run Tree Farm” in honor of all the deer that live there.
