Thank you to Samantha Carouso Peck for an absolutely fascinating presentation about the courtship behavior of birds at the October Chapter meeting. You probably knew that male birds use elaborate plumage to attract females for mating. But did you also know that that is only what we can see? It turns out that birds have many other ways of trying to impress a potential mate. For example, a rather “bland” looking black bird makes what to us seems like simple hops on a branch actually makes repeated summersaults that are too fast for us to see; they only last 0.36 seconds. But birds have what one might characterize as inherent slow motion visual resolution and can actually see the summersault. Or what to us looks like white plumage is actually very colorful when seen under UV light. Yes, birds’ eyes can see a much larger wavelength spectrum than humans reaching into UV. Or that they can hear a whole melody in what to us sounds like a feeble tweet; in fact, they can distinguish ten notes to one for us. These are just some of examples of the extraordinary skills and behaviors displayed by birds in search of a mate.
Future chapter meetings will bring presentations on:
| November 10: | Mathias Vuille – Climate Change |
| December 8: | Gear Sale, Elections, ADK facilities, Story Time* |
| January 12: | Katie Rhodes – 24 high peaks in 24 hours |
| February 9: | Tom Phillips – Botany on the Rensselaer Plateau |
| March 9: | Renee Secor – Catamounts / Cougars / Mountain Lions / Pumas |
| April 13: | Kathy Rzant and Debbie Van Ryn – Superior Trail |
| May 11: | Bill Griffith – 700 miles solo canoe trip on the NFCT |
| June 8: | Picnic |
*For the December 8, 2026 meeting, we would love to hear your stories.
We invite you to present your feel-good, funny or can-you-believe-it types of stories.
Some ground rules
No more than 5 pictures/slides and No more than 5 minutes per story
If you would like to present let us know and submit your topic/title and slides/pictures/ Powerpoint before 12/1 to: contact@albany-adk.org
UPCOMING OUTINGS: to register go to https://albany.adk.org/outings-activities and click on the individual activity to see instructions for registering:
| October 18: | 9:30 am, Windham High Peak via Escarpment Trail |
| October 20: | 4:30 pm, Evening Paddle Rensselaer (tidal) Hudson River |
| October 22: | 9:30 am, Hike Stonewall Trail, part of Moreau Lake State Park |
| October 24: | Maintenance trip to Bailey Pond and Hoffman Notch trails |
| October 24: | 10 am, Fall Foliage Outing Overlook Mountain |
| October 27: | 4:30 pm, Evening Paddle Waterford Boat Launch |
Interested in more outings? Consider becoming a leader. Contact the outings chair, Debbie VanRyn, dmvanryn@gmail.com. We can set up a hike or gathering to discuss training, responsibilities, and questions. As a leader, you can hike in places you love, explore new areas, socialize, and help others to gain skills and appreciation for the outdoors. Plus, you get to choose when and where you go. Hiking events can be one-time or weekly recurring events. You can also get creative with hike agendas, e.g. hike and lunch, book discussion and hike, swim and hike, preschoolers and their parents walk, hike and ice cream stand crawl, progressive waterfall hike – imaginative ideas welcomed! And even bicycle rides are an option.
OTHER NEWS
The amended by-laws have been approved by the membership. A copy will be posted to our website in the next few weeks.
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
Member Alan Via will talk about his book “The Lostkills: Bushwhacking and Hiking the Lesser-Known Catskill Peaks”.
The Lostkills introduces readers to a mostly unknown group of Catskill peaks on public land in addition to some lightly used trails.
October 28, 7-8 pm, at the Bethlehem Public Library in person only.
To register go to https://bethlehem.librarycalendar.com/event/sr-hold-30091
Member Ron Greenberg has a Photo Gallery Show at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts in Averill Park. A reception will be held Nov 14 from 11 am until 2 pm, and the show will be open November 14 to December 9.
Check for Gallery hours at https://www.slca-ctp.org/art-gallery
UPDATES FROM THE MAIN CLUB
Over the summer, ADK completely redesigned and updated its webpage at ADK.org. If you haven’t already check it out.
As part of this update, they also changed how members access their account and information; in addition, membership management has also been changed. More information can be found at ADK Membership Updates: What You Need to Know.
The main changes are:
Membership cards will be discontinued: Members can access their membership information through the Member Portal on ADK.org or request a letter with their membership details.
The Member Portal is your go-to for membership information: You can login to the member portal by going to the top menu on our ADK.org homepage and selecting ‘Login’ or by visiting ADK.org/get-involved/membership/login/. ‘Login’ is with email and a one-time code that will be mailed your email address.
Two-month grace period: Memberships will remain active for two months after the expiration date, allowing time for gifts in transit, processing, or other administrative delays.
New members will continue to receive a welcome packet by mail
Members who renew: If you have an email address on file, you’ll receive an email confirmation and can access your membership information through the Member Portal. Members without an email address will receive a renewal acknowledgment letter.
Email Address: Please make sure ADK has your most up-to-date email address on file. You can check or update your information through the Member Portal. If you’re unable to access the Member Portal, we may have an incorrect email address on file. Please email membership@adk.org to request an update.
IN OTHER NEWS, the ADK Fall Outing hosted by the North Woods chapter was a great success. 170+ members hiked and paddled throughout the Adirondack Saranac Lake region. They were led by 35 leaders from across the state. Along with the guided trips, attendees enjoyed lodging at the beautiful Saranac Village Young Life campus, located on Upper Saranac Lake, originally built as a “Great Camp”. Lodging there included all meals, pre-dinner appetizers, music and line dancing, along with available campus-wide recreational equipment.
The 2027 Winter Outing will be hosted by the Black River Chapter, and will take place at the Massawepie Camp in Tupper Lake on February 26–28, 2027. A detailed agenda, planned trips, and information about how to register will be posted soon at ADK.org.