Sterilite's Ultra-Seal possible letterbox container

This is a food storage container that is the right size for letterboxing and seals like a lock and lock, but has a steam vent. Our local big box only carries this brand now and I cannot find lock and lock or snapware anywhere so I decided to give Sterilite's Ultra-Seal a try. I sealed the steam vent with glue and sealer and I know have two in the field right now.

I just checked on a snapware container that is semi-out in the open on a mountain top and after a tough northeast winter all the contents inside where bone dry and the box seemed in good shape. So right now it receives a 4-Stars rating as I indicate in my side bar. I will let you know how this item fairs. I personally like lock and lock the best.

The Prospect Mountain Environmental Series

The boxes are ready

After about 5 months of thinking of this plant I have finally found the time to plant it.

My goal at the concept was to make it environmentally themed. I made 4 of the five containers from recycled food containers. I also am not going to include a logbook in all of the boxes as I am using the boxes in the series as a way to bring up some environmental point of issue and to help lead the boxer up the trail...like a trail of bread crumbs.

The issue of logbooks in all the boxes of the series was inspired by my doing a 13 box series and realized that when the boxes are just leading you along that a logbook in every box was a little redundant to me. That is why I only put the book in the first box and the fourth box. I place a log book in the fourth box and not the fifth because the fourth box had already been there and I was incorporating it into this series.

The tunnels at the trailhead

Another issue that came up in a forum was that some boxers would feel a little more comfortable going on a woods trail if there where landmarks and the boxes act as landmarks and a sort of trail marker for the boxer.

This area really changed from last year. When you get south of the second reservoir I immediately saw the damage from last winter's storms. A lot of beech trees were blown over. This will create some young habitat that will attract a lot of different animals.
Nature is the Boss

As I used older food containers, that were a little big, I really had to search to find good hiding spots, in fact I was not able to plant one of the in exactly where I wanted to as I really was searching for secure hiding spots that protected the containers from the elements. I am not as confident with the old food containers as I would be with a lock and lock. I really am a fan of the 6x6 lock-n-lock as they are easier to hide and secure from the elements. This experience helped teach me to find better hiding places for my future plants. I think that I will relocated two of my older plants some time this year.

An empty second reservoir

Well anyway I hope that you enjoy this series.

Gull Bay on Lake George

Today I had a trail work day at the Gull Bay Preserve, owned by the Lake George Land Conservancy. This is one that I had never been to before and I had a great day working hard.

I had an opportunity to work with one of the LGLC’s professionals and was given a little training in waterbar maintenance. We also worked a little on a new yellow trail that took us along a ridge with some excellent views of a Blue Heron rookery. There also was some fresh beaver activity. In fact this area just teams with wildlife.

I was working today, but I am looking forward to taking the kids back to this wonderful preserve.

Prospect Series Ready to Plant

Finally, I am ready to place the Prospect Mountain Environmental Series. I have an assortment of recycled containers and an idea of where and how I am going to place them. All I need is that all important and hard to come by ingredient: time. I am planning on releasing this series within the next three weeks. That will add 4 new boxes to an existing box planted on the back of Prospect Mt in Lake George NY. It also will connect to a separate box that I planted near the summit of Prospect Mt. Making a nice 6 box grab for box baggers.

My goal is to bring boxers up an alternative route to the top of Prospect Mountain that I have hiked all my life. It is up an access route that was use to service the long removed fire tower years ago. I also have another objective that I would like to achieve and that is to give people a cross section of what is going on environmentally in the Adirondacks. There will be splendor and beauty and a little ugliness that is both man made and from nature. I want to make the hiker aware of some of the problems that exist in this region, but make it fun while doing it.

I will post when planted.