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Fall Foliage Planning, Contest and Moose!
Planning considerations and moose shots
by "Foliage" Folger Jeff
This moose came walking out of the woods and is taller than the pathfinder (and he's further away than the SUV.
Caught her as she was crossing this dry stream bed.
Remember, when you leave the car to get up close and personal with nature, you have just entered the food chain and you are not necessarily at the top of the food chain!
Fall Foliage planning, contest and moose! Jeff , "Foliage" Folger Planning considerations and moose shots TBD June 2009 Planningconsiderations1
Well it's now the day after the summer solstice and from here on, it's all just a short hop, skip and jump to winter!
I bet I have your attention now! Well before we see the white stuff we have to get through summer, if it ever gets here? (We're cool at 60 degrees and rain for the past 3 days) Also we have a little break after summer that we like to cal "Autumn" and my favorite seasonal pastime, searching for colorful fall foliage.
Ok, now that I've given everyone a heart attack (please don't stress, I just want everyone who reads this to get out and have a well planned trip into New England.
Jeff's Fall Foliage contest.
I'm going to start announcing this contest weekly, as I started it late last year. I have to congratulate Susan Bot of CT who guessed closest to the total number of foliage seeking miles in 2008. In 2008 I traveled 3702.3 miles and around 3400 the year before. So that should make it easier to have some past numbers to work with.
Here are the rules.
This is a Jeff Foliage contest and it doesn't have anything to do with Yankee Magazine. (Unhappy? Yell at me)
You can enter once per family.
You can follow this link Foliage Forum thread to the foliage forum and register with a real email. (I have to be able to notify you) and just so you know, neither Yankee nor I will use or sell your email for any purpose other than to contact you if you win.
More details are on the forum (click the link)
Moose sightings in New England
Last week I posted an interview with Jimmy and he said that he thought the whole "watch for moose" signs are a hoax perpetrated by the New England tourism agencies.
(This is false!)
I thought I would correct that perception by talking with experts from Maine DOT, Vermont and New Hampshire Wildlife divisions. There are moose fatalities in every state and before you start to rethink your travel plans in New England, KNOW THIS!
Out of all the moose fatalities in 2008 there was 1 recorded motorist death due to a moose collision. On the other hand the numbers of Moose fatalities in NH and VT is nearly the same for 2008. According to Cedric Alexander a wildlife scientist, there were 175 killed in Vermont and according to Kristine Rines a NH wildlife moose biologist, 183 were killed in NH. **The big difference comes when you get to Maine. **
There Duane Brunell (Maine DOT) says that due to the large rural area in Maine, they had 475 moose killed in 2008! Think that's a lot? Read on...
You have to keep in mind that you can fit both NH and VT in the landmass of Maine so the numbers about average out. (just a note you can also fit CT and RI into Maine with NH & VT and still have room for Nantucket and Martha?s Vineyard.)
If you want some more moose info, the DOT for Maine has this website up and the following link is a pdf from their site on the tips to prevent a painful run in with a large moose which is guaranteed to ruin your vacation plans.
Reader Comments
Comment from butch lombardi on September 5, 2009
Moose collisions are very real and dangerous. My sister spent 14 years as the director of emergency nursing at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover. All you have to do is talk to the ER staff and you'll get a real sense of how dangerous colliding with a moose can be. If you hit a deer the front of your vehicle takes the brunt of the impact. If you look at the above picture of the moose and the Pathfinder, the moose is taller than the SUV. Bearing in mind that a full grown bull can weigh 1600 lbs and that's like hitting another car. Also, because they're so tall when you hit them your vehicle takes out the legs. The body (close to 1000lbs) clears the hood and takes out the passenger compartment. I've spent time in NH, VT, and ME. Over the course of that time I've found 2 road kill moose, one in the road and the other off to the side. So be aware they are out there and they do get hit, often with death to the animal and injuries to the occupants of the vehicle.
Comment from Jeff Folger on September 8, 2009
And the big thing to remember that these are wild animals! please treat them with the respect they deserve. The fall is their rutting season (mating) and they are unpredictable at best. If you do get a chance to see one then please try to stay in the car. I have a picture of a bunch of photographer who got out of their cars and tried to figure where that bull would come through the woods and they picked a spot in hopes of getting that wow! shot... Well no one got hurt but if you piss off a 1600+lb moose who thinks you're poaching in his territory... It won't come out well ....
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