Hemlock Hero Treatment

Yesterday, Virginia Tech foresters Tom McAvoy and his associate were here at Mountain Lake to treat all of the adopted Eastern hemlocks from our Hemlock Hero MLC Membership program! A total of 14 adpoted hemlocks were treated, plus several additional trees near the Newport Cottage and the Hotel. The treatment consists of a pesticide, imidacloprid, that is injected in to the roots of the hemlock trees. The tree roots absorb this chemical and subsequently any feeding on the tree by the wooly adelgid aphids ceases. This chemical control is one of two tactics that are currently employed as a defense from the wooly adelgid pest at Mountain Lake. You can read more about our hemlock treatment program here: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid at Mt. Lake: 2010 Report.

Thank You to all of our MLC Members, Hemlock Heroes, and dedicated foresters! We put your generous donations to work with your support of the Mountain Lake Conservancy.

Lake Update: September 1st

The water level in the lake is continuing to drop as the dog days of summer come to an end here on the Mountain. We were all wondering if the recent earthquake would affect the lake, but it does not seem to have had any major impact that we can discern as of yet. Never the less, we are excited for the fall season to begin. Stunning foliage and cool, comforting temperatures make for great hiking and exploring on the mountain-top!

The lake on September 1st, 2011

Neat water ledge marks left in the mud



Colorful grasses in the lakebed add to the scenery



Beautiful Mountain Ash berries

Check out the upcoming events happening this fall at Mountain Lake!

September 9-11: A.T. Hiking Weekend     http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/Section_Cat_Content_Detail.asp?SID=28&SCAT=83&ID=80

October 1st: Mountain Top Trot 10Mile & 5K Trail Run
http://mountainlakeconservancy.blogspot.com/2011/08/mountain-top-trot-trail-run.html

October 16-21: Astronomy Road Scholar Program
http://www.mtnlakeconservancy.org/programs-roadscholar.html

Oktoberfests!
http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/Section_Cat_Content_Detail.asp?SID=28&SCAT=41&ID=37

November 4-6: Zumba & Bellydance Weekend
http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/Section_Cat_Content_Detail.asp?SID=28&SCAT=108&ID=108

Mountain Top Trot Trail Run

The Mountain Lake Conservancy 
presents the 1st Annual...  

Mountain Top Trot Trail Run

10-Mile and 5K Race

    

When:    October 1, 2011 
   

Registration                7:30-9:30am

  10-Mile Start Time   10:00am 

  5K Start Time           10:30am 
   

Where: The Mountain Lake Conservancy Trail system in Pembroke, VA. Both the 5K and 10-mile race course will encounter forested trail terrain varying from gravel to rocky and a climb to one of Mountain Lake's scenic vistas. 

Some minor changes have been made to the courses as of Sept. 26, please view updated and final course routes below:
Click here to view the 10-Mile course

Click here to view the 5K course

Kirby from East Coasters in Blacksburg, VA, recently ran the 10-mile course. You can check out the stats from the run here.
 

Why: To savor the magical fall foliage and cool mountain-top temperatures of Salt Pond Mountain. This is also a fundraiser event to benefit the Mountain Lake Conservancy, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to immersing you in nature, where you belong.

Entry Fee:      $25 Pre-registered -  Pre-registration ends Sept. 28!

                          $30 Day-of race

 

The Goods:      

     Race T-shirt 

     (Guaranteed to all racers registered by Sept. 16, limited shirts available day of)

     Post-race Meal & Refreshments

     Adrenaline Delights

     Prizes awarded to fastest overall and category male & female racers

 

Categories: Men's and Women's

                  Age 10 and under, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 60 and wiser
 

Limited to 200 racers! Register on-line or via mail:

     On-line at : 
http://www.active.com/running/pembroke-va/mountain-top-trot-2011?int=29-6

     Mail-in : 

Mail-In Registration Form & Waiver

On-site lodging available at the historic Mountain Lake Hotel, rate includes Oktoberfest!

http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/

For more information please contact Jess Coker at the Mountain Lake Conservancy at 540-626-7121 ext. 444 or email the mlc@mountainlakehotel.com. 

See you on the Mountain!

Lake Update

The current lake level is estimated at 52 feet below full lake, 12% full by volume, and 29% full by total area.

Naturalist Hikes & New Friends of the Conservancy Nature Center

Meet Hazel, age 16, Naturalist Extraordinaire.

This summer season, Hazel volunteered to lead naturalist walks throughout the week for visiting hotel and day guests. She is the daughter of two scientists and her family spends a good part of the summer staying at the Mountain Lake Biological Station here on the mountain. Miss Hazel has acquired a great wealth of knowledge over the years of the mountain ecology and many studies that take place here every year. The guests and staff have truly enjoyed learning from Hazel, and are most appreciative of her volunteer effort and passion for environmental stewardship.
Thank You, Hazel, for your wonderful walks this summer season!

We have a new friend of the Conservancy, Sylvia, the corn snake. Sylvia is a 4'6", female corn snake, age unknown. She was originally taken in by a Reptile Rescue Center in Christiansburg, VA, and then adopted by the Wildlife Society at Virginia Tech. Sylvia was housed in the lobby of Cheatham Hall in the College of Natural Resources. She is a fairly shy creature, however, and was recently taken out of Cheatham Hall and in need of a new owner. Sylvia's new home is now set up in the Conservancy Nature Center. She is adjusting nicely and we will keep you updated with pictures of her indoor habitat and reception from our visitors.

The Corn Snake, Elaphe guttata, is native to the mid- to south-eastern United States. The corn snake's range is from southern New Jersey south through Florida, west into Louisiana and parts of Kentucky. However, this is not a common snake of Salt Pond Mountain. Corn snakes may be found in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, barns, and abandoned buildings. This snake is not poisonous, and as pets they are generally docile and relaxed when handled. More information about the corn snake can be found here:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Cornsnake.cfm

Dirty Dawg Results

Congrats to all of the mountain bikers that rode in the Dirty Dawg Race this past Saturday! The mountain provided nice, breezy temperatures, a couple of downpours, and a superbly muddy ride! Big ups to East Coasters for putting another awesome race on this season at Mountain Lake, and many thanks to all the volunteers who prepped the course, marshaled the road intersections, and served up refreshments and food!

Kirby briefing riders before the race

And they're off! Only 6 hours to go!!

Duos ready for the switch off

Cheering on the racers!

6 hours later... grill and chill time

Sweet jersey!

Brought to you by:

Results:

Duo

1 Brice/Kyle
2 John Mckenna/Eric Carlson
3 Mark Zhu/Spencer Riddle
4 Scotty/Doug
5 Nathan/Donald
6 John/Caleb
7 Wake/Beth 1st Coed
8 Geffrey/Emily
9 Dave/Eric
10 Thomas/Nathan
11 Patrick/Susane
12 Alex/Lindsey
13 Gregory/Michelle
14 Brian/Jonathan
15 Brandy/Melissa 1st Womens
16 Kevin/Daniel

Solo Men

1 Dave Reid
2 Ben Brown
3 Andy Reagan
4 Andrew
5 Steve Howard
6 Dave Williams
7 Damon
8 Bob Wright
9 Steve Bulter
10 Ryan
11 Craig
12 Jeremy
13 Cecil
14 Jay
15 Jarrod
16 James
17 Greg
18 Jerry
19 Walter
20 Chris

Solo Women

1 Laura
2 Emma
3 Kyrstin
4 Amy
5 Gabrielle

Single Speed 

1 Brian Marshall
2 Steve Hertherington
3 Cliff Hatchett
4 Christian Probst
5 Thomas Hash
6 Seth

Survivor Mountain Lake Weekend

This weekend is themed "Survivor: Mountain Lake", and the Recreation Department and Conservancy will be hosting a variety of activities to engage the mind and body. 

In addition to normal Recreation activities, Survivor: Mountain Lake activities include:
 

FRIDAY

8:00 pm: How to build a fire
8:30 pm: Campfire and S’mores. Time to share your wilderness stories!

SATURDAY

10:30 am: Hike on White Dot to Old Golf Course overlook
11:00 am: Introduction to Knot Tying
1:00 pm: Scavenger Hunt
8:30 pm: Night Hike- meet at Conservancy

SUNDAY

9:00 am: Introduction to Orienteering- meet at Conservancy
11:00 am: Introduction to Shelter Construction and the Leave-No-Trace ethic
2:00 pm: Intro to Geocaching
3:30 pm: Hike on Indian Trail and talk on “What to do if you’re lost: Wilderness Priorities”

 We hope to see you up here learning something new or polishing you skills this weekend!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A bunch of pictures from the 2011 season have been added to the Facebook site, check us out!
http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=929cae6bd1c82e43fab6b1976e11cd0f#!/TheMLC


Among those pictures include a local artist from Roanoke, VA - Eric Fitzpatrick. Eric was at Mountain Lake last Thursday creating some beautiful landscape paintings. A lovely scene for a summer afternoon on the mountain indeed!

The lake bed and wetland

Classy!

 

Bald Knob

The folks from East Coasters have been busy up on the mountain getting geared up for the Dirty Dawg mountain bike race tomorrow. Come show your support for these tough riders! The mountain top breeze accompanies this perfect escape from the summer heat down in town.