A Great Time to be Outdoors! (3/11/10 - 3/17/10)

With the blanket of snow on the ground rapidly disappearing, one last winter event took place on Saturday, March 6th at Winona Forest in Mannsville, NY. Steward Greg Chapman attended The Tug Hill Tourathon, an annual cross country ski race hosted by the Winona Forest Recreation Association. One hundred seventy five participants competed over three distances (12.5km, 25km, and 37.5km) during the one-day event. Full results can be found here, and more information about Winona State Forest and the Winona Forest Recreation Association can be found here.

A pack of cross country skiers race at the Tug Hill Tourathon hosted by the Winona Forest Recreation Association. Several events take place at Winona Forest each winter. Photo: Greg Chapman, Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program

Left to right: Brooke and Ted Orosz of New York City, and Mark Plaat of Albany participated in the Tug Hill Tourathon. Photo: Greg Chapman, Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program

One winter recreation activity that continues despite the melting snow is fishing along the Salmon River. Steward Greg Chapman reports that although water levels have risen recently due to snow melt and releases from the reservoir, many determined anglers are still sticking around to take advantage of the great steelhead fishing.

A train passes over-head as an angler tries his luck at the Schoeller fishing access location. Photo: Greg Chapman, Eastern Lake Ontario Dune and Salmon River Stewardship and Habitat Program

As the weeks progress, there will likely be more traffic on the Salmon River as we head into the prime of steelhead spawning season. Steelhead, unlike Pacific salmon, usually do not die after the spawning process, meaning that they can spawn multiple times during their life-span.