Syracuse.com - Figura writing about why bald eagles gather now on Onondaga Lake, Olympic stories

[HuntingNY-News]

I'll be writing about how a local man's father (he was a 17-year-old Boy Scout at the time) got to carry the placard at the head of the United States procession during the opening ceremonies procession back in 1932.

Hope everyone who gets this newsletter has a working furnance this week.

Man, it's cold out there. Tried ice fishing out in the open a few days ago on Skaneateles Lake and got a chill that lasted for several hours. The wind chill was brutal.

Meanwhile, here's what I'm working on this week:

So, what is the real reason bald eagles congregate this time of year at the eastern end of Onondaga Lake near the sewage treatment plant discharge pipe? (Hint: it's not to feed on the migrating ducks).

John Rybinski, of Pompey, a local hunter, has donated the conservation rights for 247 aces of his property to the Finger Lakes Trust. What does that mean?

The Olympics is coming soon. I'm working on these stories:

- How Lake Placid is an incubator for Olympic competitors in the sliding sports (skeleton, luge, bobsled) and that there's a strong Central New York connection to the program.

-How a local man's father (he was a 17-year-old Boy Scout at the time) got to carry the placard for the United States in the opening ceremonies procession in Lake Placid back in 1932.

-Insights from an SU grad who's over at Sochi right now as a volunteer for the IOC.

Extreme winter adventures (it's amazing what some people do for fun out in the cold. For example, one dude actually surfs on Lake Ontario through the winter)

- An update on the new state law requiring boater safety courses.

- An update, and implications of the statewide Wild Boar War.

- Update on joint city/county deer task force...

ANYTHING ELSE READERS OF THIS REPORT WOULD LIKE TO SEE ME WRITE ABOUT?

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View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog