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MOUNTAIN HOME NOVEMBER 2007

BIG mysterycat

doesthe

cougarstill live

here?By JohnFulmer

Morris,Pennsylvania, a blip on the map

in southernTioga County, is well knownregionally for its rattlesnake

roundup. Whatmost people don’t know is

that Morris has its own CSI unit.

As in, Cougar Sighting

Investigation.

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The FoundationMorris resident Kerry Geykis, a forester and

former Tioga County planner, is part of the Eastern Cougar Foundation, a nonprofit based in Harman, West Virginia. Geykis donates a great deal of his time sleuthing into the hun-dreds of reported cougar sightings east of the Mississippi River.

He is especially interested in Pennsylvania sightings, and though his true believers insist the cougar lives in the commonwealth’s mountains and forests, Geykis and the ECF have yet to verify the big cat’s existence here. His interest was piqued after spending years working in the woods and as a hunter and trapper. He’d never seen a mountain lion but kept hearing reports all of the time.

“People were adamant and they weren’t lying to me,” Geykis said. “I mean, most of them weren’t lying—we’ve caught a couple liars—but, in the East, most of them really thought they had seen a cougar. And I thought, ‘Well, they can’t all be wrong.’ In fact, I figured quite a few of them had to be right.

“So, for a period of time in my life, I was re-ally looking for cougars,” Geykis said. “I would sit in a tree somewhere and try to lure them in. And I got deer, weasels, dogs, coyotes. Never a cougar. But all those years, I kept looking until I finally said, ‘Hey, I need some help here. There’s something wrong here. I’m in the woods more than all of these other people put together and I haven’t seen a cougar.’”

Eastward Ho?Like most of those who claim to have seen a

cougar, Geykis fervently wants to believe this “in-dicator species” and “apex predator” has returned to the Twin Tiers. The few cougars found recently in the Eastern woods have either been released or have escaped from private zoos, which are legal in some states if the animals have proper permits. John C. Gallant shot a wild cougar in 1967 while squirrel hunting in Crawford County, Pennsylva-nia, but its characteristics matched those of Costa Rican cougars. South American cats have come to be an important source of “pets” for folks with private menageries.

There is some evidence, however, that wild cougars may be reproducing in the East. On the ECF Web site under the heading “KY Kitten,” it says in June 1997 a pickup truck hit an eight-pound female cougar kitten on Highway 850 in western Floyd County, Kentucky, which is in Appalachia near the borders of Virginia and West Virginia. The driver also noticed a larger and a smaller shape, probably the mother and a

sibling, because the kitten was too young to be alone. The driver took the body to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, where it was frozen and later analyzed.

The kitten lacked most captive-cat signifiers. She had not been declawed nor had she been tattooed, which is often the case for pet cougars. She was not wearing a tag or collar. However, the site says, “DNA analysis indicated that the kitten’s maternal ancestry included genes from South America, pointing to the pet trade . . . but pater-nal ancestry was shown to be North American.

“This kitten is important for several reasons: she was a highway fatality, and biologists claim that if cougars were present in any numbers some would get hit by cars; she indicates that reproduction is going on in the wild; and she exemplifies the mix-ing of cougars from various origins that is prob-ably occurring in the Eastern woods.”

Cougar HistoryAn indicator species helps define an environ-

ment’s characteristics; its presence means a more natural ecosystem is in place. An apex predator,

as the name indicates, is a hunter at the head of the food chain, and the eastern cougar’s extirpa-tion (a fancy word for “wiped out”) was the re-sult of several factors related to its high ranking.

It is the largest cat in North America (fourth-largest in the world) and had the greatest distribution of any mammal in the continent until man usurped its top spot. But when the Colonists arrived in the New World, the cougar was a mystery. According to the ECF Web site, the Colonists “were familiar with wolves but had no knowledge of cougars, because cougars live

Kerry Geykis, above, poses with his dog, Turq. Geykis, of Morris, Pennsylvania, volunteers with the Eastern Cougar Foundation, a network of mountain-lion researchers. Right: “KY Kitten” was killed by a truck in Kentucky near the border of Virginia and West Virginia, and it provides some of the best evidence that cougars may be reproducing in the wild in the eastern United States.

Please See Cougar on page 10

NOVEMBER 2007 MOUNTAIN HOME Page 9

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Please See Home on page 10

Ed ClutE slips an Edison diamond disC on his Edison maChinE.a prECursor to thE modErn phonograph, it is onE of his prizEpossEssions. thE first Edisons wEnt on salE in 1912.

he ten-inch wide records used on the machines are one-quarter-inch thick. The eighty-rpm discs,

a transitional technology from the earlier cylinder-recording method and the thirty-three-rpm vinyl lp, are heavy as serving platters and made of an ungodly chemical mixture of phenol, formaldehyde, wood-flour and solvent. As the needle slips into the record’s groove, a slightly scratchy ragtime stomp bleats out from the “horn,” or speaker, hidden behind a grille.

Except for record collectors and amateur archivists like Clute, the song, which regales the listener to the joys and wonders of Wisconsin, has been long forgot-ten. Clute himself can’t think of its title or the name of the band off the top of his head.

But that’s understandable. Clute, who, along with his Dixie Five Plus One, will headline the first Mountain Home Winter Jazz Fest on March 1, is a professional mu-sician, a classically trained pianist, and a lover of ragtime and early jazz. His studio, in which the Edison machine sits, is a minor museum, stuffed with sound stuff. There are three pianos in the center of the room: two Mason-Hamlin grands, one of which is also a player piano, and a Foster upright foot-pump player.

It would take an assistant or two to catalog the records, tapes, CDs, and piano rolls stacked in the shelves that cover the studio’s walls. And since Clute is blind, they all had to be coded with a braille writer and elaborately organized.

But instead of worrying too much about whether he can identify a band or its nearly 100-year-old ditty, Clute sways in front of his prize machine with a childlike look of delight on his face, blissed out by a song to which Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald might have danced The Charleston. Obedience to minutia, the curse of too many collectors, doesn’t seem to be his problem.

Clute also keeps an archive in his head. Ask him to play a ragtime-era song or one of the standards from the Great American Songbook, and he doesn’t hesitate. Nor does he say much, except perhaps, “Oh, that’s a great song.” He just plays it. And flawlessly. But this talent took years of practice.

lute, who is sixty-four, was born and, for the first six years of his life, lived in the house next

to the studio. High on a hill in Watkins Glen, New York, it offers a stunning view of Seneca Lake. Clute said his mother encouraged his interest in music.

“My mother says I was playing the piano at the age of three” Clute said. “I went to the Batavia School for the Blind when I was seven and studied all the subjects—math, English, history—but with a big emphasis on music.”

After graduating from Batavia in 1964, he headed to the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he spent four “wonderful years.” During the summer, he attended the Amherst Summer Music Center in Maine, which is no longer in existence, but Clute described it as “a very good music school.”

After graduating from the conservatory, he met up with Jean Casadesus, a French classic pianist and the son of Robert and Gaby Casadesus. Jean Casa-

By John Fulmer

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AEd ClutE plays a tunE on his mason-hamlin grand piano at his watkins glEns homE. ClutE will hEadlinE thE mountain homE wintErJazz fEst on marCh 1 at thE pEnn wElls hotEl.

STANDINGbefore his Edison machine, a chest-high cabinet of burnished oak, Ed Clute wound its

hand crank and gingerly set the stylus down on a record spinning on the turntable.

the record, like the machine, is vintage, from the 1920s, when Edison’s diamond disc

Phonographs were all the rage, a must-have for flapper-era audiophiles, equivalent

perhaps to today’s top-of-line ipod or, better yet, a home-theater sound system.

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Twenty minutes after arriving in Wellsboro for the first time, David Davies phoned his wife back home in Connecticut.

“Do you remember Bedford Falls in It’s A Wonderful Life?,” he asked. “Well, I’m standing in the middle of it.”

An avid admirer of all things Americana, Davies could attribute his discovery of Wellsboro’s enchanting small-town charm to “divine diner destiny.”

A few days before his initial trek to Wellsboro, Davies had watched a PBS special on diners that

featured The Wellsboro Diner. He was intrigued. Coincidentally, a day later, his copy of Roadside (“a journal dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of a truly unique American institution—the diner”) arrived in the mail. The issue featured “A Walk Through Wellsboro” on its cover. Davies was enthralled.

“I took off for Wellsboro that next weekend,” he recalls. “I came here and fell in love with the place.”

In addition to The Wellsboro Diner, the town’s gas-lit boulevard, the Penn Wells Hotel, Arcadia Theatre, Victorian homes, and townsfolk captivated Davies.

“All the people I met were friendly and open. People would actually stop and say ‘Hello!,’” Davies relates. “I went into a barber shop and sat and talked for two hours.”

He soon returned with wife Barbara, who became equally enchanted with Wellsboro, and the couple began a twelve-year love affair with the community, culminating in a move to town one year ago, after retiring from their jobs in Connecticut.

During their many trips to town, the couple toured several homes for sale and eventually purchased an inconspicuous, all-white home on Waln Street. But,

EstatEUNREaLDavid Davies

Built His Dream

House inMiniature

Originally frOm cOnnecticut, DaviDDavies anD his wife, BarBara, BecameenamOreD with wellsBOrO thirteen years agO. that lOve affair leD them tO Buy a hOme here, after retiring a year agO. they planneD tO remODel their hOme On waln street anD DiDsO after DaviD Built a mODel Of the prOject (see OppOsite page). thefinisheD prOject is at left.

. . . Then Made This Dream Come True

Story and Photographs By Cindy davis Meixel

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Dancing can be magical and transforming. It can breathe new life into a tired soul; make a spirit soar; unleash locked-away creativity; unite generations and cultures; inspire new romances or rekindle old ones; trigger long-forgotten memories; and turn sadness into joy, if only during the dance.

On a more physical level, dancing can give you a great mind-body work out. Researchers are learning that regular physical activity in general can help keep your body, including your

brain, healthy as you age. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals that encourage nerve cells to grow.

And dancing that requires you to remember dance steps and sequences boosts brain power by improving memory skills.

There has been some promising research in this area.

According to Rita Beckford, M.D., a family doctor and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. For instance, a 2003 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine

found that ballroom dancing at least twice a week made people less likely to develop dementia.

Research also has shown that some people with Alzheimer’s disease are able to recall forgotten memories when they dance to music they used to know.

Like other moderate, low-impact, weight bearing activities, such as brisk walking, cycling or aerobics, dancing can help:

• strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints

• tone your entire body

• improve your posture and balance, which can prevent falls

• increase your stamina and flexibility

• reduce stress and tension • build confidence • provide opportunities to meet people• ward off illnesses like diabetes,

high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression

So if you’re tired of the treadmill and looking for a fun way to stay fit and healthy, it might be time to kick up your heels!”

Why You Should Be DancingFrom the AARP article Let’s Dance to Health

The beat was slow, slow, quick, quick. Or

probably better described as slush, slush, slop, slop. The time was four beats to the measure. The song was ‘The Lady is a Tramp,’ a fox-trot standard.

Dance

LIFEof

It was also the first morning of antlered deer season in a very low-grade, basically dark environment: a swamp, in a misty rain. I was sneaking to a spot on a hillside with a view and it was a long hike. My oldest son Keto was in front and completely unaware of my antics. That was probably a good thing. Times like this are kind of dangerous for me as I tend to think about a lot of things and I also know I’ve got to remain focused on one thing. So I try to do both, a Gyekis tradition. Whether hunting or working as a forester on someone’s land, I’ve always hummed songs—and written stories—as I go. Now, after this past year of ballroom dancing, I had found myself figuring the beat and sneak/walking to that darn beat. In fact, I couldn’t forget it. Aarg! Okay. That part was fine, but I had to find a way not to click my heels at the end of the quick, quick part. Not good in deer country.

I switched to the song “Caminito,” a tango. The change was immediate. First a left step and then a right, each taking two beats, then the left again and a hold on that and point the left foot a bit as I stepped to the right with my right, another two beats. Finally I slid the left foot over to the right on seven and held on eight. I repeated it again and again and then the crossover with the right foot and a promenade to the left at a log and finally a corte to prevent a limb from severing my head from my body. I was now more alert. Interesting.

Quite frankly, the whole ballroom thing has been a new world for me. It is something I never thought I would be doing even though I grew up near Pittsburgh and had a father who played drums

professionally in a big band. I carried his drums into hotels as a kid but never danced. It was just about the farthest thing from my mind.

Look, I’m a guy who has spent most of his juvenile and adult life in forests, first as a kid trapping and hunting, then as a Peace Corps forester in the Asian jungles, and finally as a private, consultant forester. I even live in one. If that is not enough, add about thirty years of karate and working with delinquent kids. Ballroom dance? Hah! Not me. At least, that is what I thought.

Ballroom Beginners

On the other hand, my wife Janet and I ended up at a Hamilton-Gibson dinner dance in Wellsboro several years ago and enjoyed the dancing very much. Many times that evening we watched a couple that flowed across the floor. It made an impression. We both agreed that we would love to do that. What? Was I crazy? What was I getting myself into? Well, guess what? Things had changed. I was losing my inhibitions, it seems. That was a biggie. My other half loves to dance. Even after a hard day, she comes alive on the dance floor. That is good. So I would do it for that reason alone. Also, there would be no more fighting in karate. All those years of violent punching and kicking had taken their toll. What was I going to do to maintain mental and physical focus? Karate had supplied that for many years. Lose focus and get a broken nose very quickly . . . a good reason to stay focused. What now?

In the late summer of 2006 we saw an article in the Wellsboro Gazette about a ballroom class beginning in a few weeks. We showed up. So did about sixty others. Most were couples but

several singles were there also.A middle-aged, handsome gent from

Williamsport, self-named “Good ol’ Tony” swaggered out onto the floor and introduced himself as the lead instructor. He then asked for a show of hands from the men concerning how many had been threatened with death if they did not come that evening. At first there was dead silence. Then the hands began to go up as the laughter began. It did not stop until the end of the class fifteen weeks later. I’m still chuckling.

During that first evening of instruction I did a lot of looking around. At first I was struck by the age diversity of the group. There were kids in their late teens and early twenties whom I knew from a forestry 4-H class I had taught for years. I learned that some of these young people were getting married in the near future and wanted to dance well at their own

weddings. A few even took private classes during that time period and came back later to demonstrate to all of us what they had learned. I saw more than a few tears shed among other dancers during those demos.

There were single men and women, young married couples, and then there was the large group of forty-to-sixty-something couples. That I expected.

Probably the most amazing group

were those couples in their 70s and even 80s. As I came to know some of these people, I found they had just come out of hospitals with organ transplants, bypass operations, ongoing chemo, and just about everything else imaginable. One was a World War II Vet! There they were dancing and I thought we would need respirators. We

Please See Dance on page 10

Terry and Maureen Babb cut a rug during a local ballroom dancing session. The Babbs are part of The Endless Mountain Dance Club, which meets to dance and improve its members health, both physical and mental. At top: an illustration of dance steps from How to Improve Your Social Dancing, which was published in 1956. Other illustrations from the book are in the article.

By Kerry GyeKis and Terry V. BaBB

Members of The Endless Mountain Dance Club practice in Wellsboro.

Fox-trot

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Ican’t jog without turning an alarming shade of red while gasping for air. My inability to follow

direction when it comes to my body, and general lack of coordination, inhibits me from feeling anything but hatred for choreographed aerobics classes. But, man, can I dance.

On the dance floor, I shed my inhibitions like high heels at the prom and go at it like nobody’s business. Breathless jitterbugs, disco moves, unabashed shimmying . . . I love it all. So why do I torture myself with empty promises of getting in shape at the gym?

I found myself asking that question a few weeks ago as I pondered over the fact that despite my dedication to getting my five-foot-nine frame down to a healthy weight, I hadn’t been to the gym in quite a while. So I decided to take charge. Stop pussyfooting around and waiting for something fun to grab my attention and dispel my extra 100 pounds.

I want to dance it away. Not the type of dance that requires me to follow the instructions of a pert and perky five-and-a-half-pound human dance machine, but the all-out flailing around, singing out loud, making-a-ruckus-type that I love. Enter 171 Cedar Arts Center.

As a well-respected center for the arts in Corning, New York, 171 is a “community-based not-for-profit multi-arts center” that upholds its mission to “provide the community with a warm, friendly home in which to explore the arts” by offering a variety of art and dance classes. One minute spent within the walls of the campus lets you know that they have succeeded. With open gallery spaces for artists to display their works, well-kept art and dance studios for classes and rentals, and an impressive list of offerings, the center presents a welcoming face to anyone interested in the arts.

The lovely programmers there listened thoughtfully as I excitedly explained my plan to host weekly open dances for the public, and offered to let me rent their ballroom for an extremely reasonable rate for the experience.

So, every Wednesday evening starting January 9, I will be dancing my heart out in their beautiful ballroom and I invite you to join me. Whether you’re looking for a fun way to lose weight like me, or you just want to get out of the house and move for a little while, you’re more than welcome to drop by and see what’s what. No obligations, no instructors, and no structure…just us and a boom box full of danceable mix tapes.

We’ll play all sorts of pop music, from 1950s swing, to disco, to rock-and-roll. If you have some great (appropriate) dance music you want to share, bring it along. We’ll dance to all of it. Want to dress up and twirl? Don some ratty jeans and break dance? Jump around in your sweats? Great, we’ll be doing all of the above.

Don’t think you can dance? Well, I’ll tell you a secret….no one can. We all look completely ridiculous when it comes right down to it. The trick is not caring, and letting go enough to get swept up in the fun of it. I look like a convulsing jackrabbit half the time when I dance, but I couldn’t care less because I am loving every minute of it, and that joy translates into confidence and inspires others to let loose as well.

I recently attended a wedding and got a slew of complements on my dancing…not because of my undiluted grace (hey, I only fell once), or killer moves (thankfully I didn’t hit my uncle in the head too hard), but because I got into the spirit of it and dragged others along with me until they enjoyed themselves as well. That’s my goal with this open dance endeavor…to get people involved, and active, and having fun. And if we happen to fulfill our New Year’s resolutions to get in shape in the process all the better.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and fun-filled New Year!

Corning InvitationalWhat: Open danceWhen: Wednesdays, 7 to 9 p.m., starting January 9Where: 171 Cedar Arts Center, 171 Cedar Street, Corning, New YorkCost: $3 per person ContaCt: Dara Riegel at [email protected] or (607) 936.3159

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For those skeptics who don’t believe in the power of the mind in health and medicine, I’ve listed the physical proof first. Millions of people every year are enjoying the many benefits that these forms of dance provide. From physical, mental and social standpoints, our favorite recreation is one of the best overall forms of low impact/high aerobic workouts available. It’s fun, it can be free, and best of all it’s always done with someone else. Here are just a few of the many benefits Ballroom offers:

The Physical BenefiTs

Cardiovascular: Ballroom and Latin dancing (henceforth called B&L) can raise the heart rate anywhere from eighty to 120 beats per minute, the equivalent of any strength training or aerobic program I have heard of. Sustained in two-minute bursts over a forty-five-minute period will build not only your heart’s strength, but it’s endurance, too.

Muscle Tone: B&L dancing, when danced at an intermediate to advanced level of technique, uses the perfect blend of isometric and isotonic resistance (the two key ingredients to muscle building and toning). The blend and use of the muscles is perfect for building beautiful tone in the muscles without building a lot of muscle mass.

Joints: According to the American Journal of Medicine, the best way to avoid arthritis, early arthritis and to remedy current joint discomfort is to continue to use the joints in a controlled manner. The beautiful rise and fall of waltz demonstrates this beautifully.

The Spinal Column: Before B&L, I had a chronic back problem and looked like I had curvature of the spine. When I stand as I used to, compared to what my natural posture now looks like thanks to ballroom, I look at least 3 inches taller. The frame or posture maintained places the spine in a natural and correct position, even more correct than when standing or sitting naturally! Plus that puts all your organs in alignment, which is now thought by many doctors and chiropractors to fight sickness, disease, fatigue and more.

Respiratory: Many track greats know that a strong set of lungs gets plenty of oxygen, which makes the heart work easier, which in turns allows us to dance and have fun longer! That’s why sprinters run a lot of ‘wind’ bursts. Brief bursts to up the heart-rate quickly, then bringing it down and doing this repeatedly. This is similar to dancing at a party, club or ballroom.

MenTal and eMoTional BenefiTs

Hug Theory: The dance position used in Ballroom and Latin Dancing is very similar to a hug. It is believed that this is part of the attraction of B&L dancing; you get the security of a hug without the need for intimacy. Hugs are truly therapeutic and the ballroom circle does a lot of hugging as well as their dance positions, that’s a whole lotta hugging going on.

Self-Esteem: The first time I took my wife in an underarm turn, she almost broke my hand she squeezed so tight, and ‘Someone might notice me’ was her explanation.

She went on to a national championship, and then became a teacher then a performer. My wife and I, and almost everyone I know who does B&L, have found a deeper self-worth and hold a greater value in themselves.

Confidence: Many ballroom dancers have experienced the thrill (rush) of dancing in front of people. This is one of American’s Top Ten fears. Overcoming this fear increases confidence in dance, in one’s self and in life. Since I started more than eleven years ago, I approach every challenge in my life with a solid (but realistic) confidence. Most of the ballroom dancers I know are the same.

Social Ease: There is documentation supporting the theory that ‘comfort and ease in social situations’ is one of the four primary needs in all individuals (almost every philosophy, psychology and self-help book has the list). From weekly exposure (and a bit of trial and error), people become much more at ease in a social situation.

They learn to engage in conversation, proper social etiquette (one of the biggest social ‘phobias.’) to ask someone to dance (a big first step for many people). It even helps people deal with crowds. All in all the ultimate source for social edification and eventually comfort.

Posture, Appearance and Balance: B&L gives better posture, which in turn gives one a much more attractive appearance. If your ego from looking so good doesn’t throw you off, the improved posture improves balance as well. This in turn will help one to move more gracefully, which is explained in the next benefit.

Grace and Poise: Through improved balance and self esteem, one tends to stand and move in a much more polished and pleasant manner. Clumsiness is overcome, which also increases confidence and social ease.

Psychological Escape: No matter what you do in life, you’ve got to take a break sometime! Ballroom provides a temporary escape from the cares of the world and its pressures and for a few hours a week gives people freedom and enjoyment, invigorating them for the normal responsibilities.

Emotional Lifeline: For many people, there is emptiness, loneliness, something missing in their life. Ballroom offers something wonderful to fill that void.”

The Power of Dance

did not. What was driving this?Something else struck me.

There were people in the group I knew who were lawyers, janitors, doctors, secretaries, teachers, artists, construction workers, and retired whatevers. This group crossed just about every social and economic boundary in our local society. So this ballroom phenomenon was not a class thing. Hmmm.

Dancing for Health

I also came to realize as time went on that it was not about “Dancing with the Stars.” It was about social dancing with an emphasis on community health—both mental and physical—focus, and fun! And it was happening all over our region of north central Pennsylvania and New York’s Finger Lake country.

People from all walks of life are doing this for a bunch of reasons. To give you an idea of the breadth of those reasons, I’ll introduce you to some folks in the Twin Tiers. The first is a couple that has been involved

“There’s no doubt

about it, ballroom and Latin dancing is changing the way people feel about exercise, and themselves!

While not a proven scientific fact, ballroom dancing has been shown to induce a phenomenon known as ‘spontaneous smiling.’

Dance continued from page 9

since Day One. The gal went through a double organ transplant some years ago and, just recently, was found to have breast cancer. She is in chemo now. Her recently retired partner enjoys bringing her to classes, dances, and practices. Their stated reason for dancing? It gives them a way of constantly exercising. As well, the lessons always provide something new, and they love the mental and physical feeling after a night of dance. They are still dancing and enjoying it. Right through the chemo!

Another couple, far and away the best dancers I’ve seen in this group, is just as amazing. The husband is a heart-attack and cancer survivor, and they are the smoothest thing going on the dance floor. They flow. I asked them once why they bother with the lessons. Both chimed in with something like: “We can always learn something new and it gives us a chance to dance and meet people.” Wow! Talk about humble.

Yes, most of us are not as amazing as these two couples, but we are there for

a multitude of reasons including stress relief, physical fitness, confidence-building, focus, ego-killing, and attitude adjustment to name a few. Many state that it is a great date night and evening out. We would second that.

Several other couples we know offer similar comments and claim common benefits. One states that: “My upper body is getting a work out as a result of the frame position, and deliberate footwork, especially in the waltz that tones the lower body as well. I know that, in the beginning, my neck and shoulders really hurt from keeping my arms up during the whole practice.

“I’m not sure that there is anything aerobic going on” he says, and added slyly, “That happens when you get home.”

Another gal basically says that she sleeps better, and finally, to top them all, one guy states that since he’s been dancing it “makes him more regular.” Now that is honesty.

Another lady sums it up well: “Finally, an activity has come to

our area that promotes fellowship, fitness, and fun. Ballroom dancing has enhanced our relationship as a couple, provided us with a fun way to exercise, and empowered us to expand our circle of friends.”

It’s For All Ages

One final note on this. As I mentioned earlier, people who are doing this are all ages. It really hit home one evening as Janet and I visited the Laurels in Wellsboro where my mom lives. We had just begun lessons a short time before that. The Laurels is an assisted care place with folks from their late sixties to 100-plus years old. I forget what the party was about, but there was a lady who lived there playing the piano and many of the residents were just sitting around listening. Janet and I both approached ladies and asked them to dance. I danced with a 100-

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Waltz

Author Dara Riegel (left) shakes a tail feather.

From the Ballroom Dance Passion Web site:http://ballroom-dance-resource.com/betterhealth.htm

Jitterbug


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It’s fall and the sounds of love will once again fill the air in Elk Alley.By that we mean screaming and bugling. Grunting

and bellowing. Huffing and puffing from aggressively flared nostrils. The loud clack of antler-on-antler contact. Yes, it’s mating season for Pennsylvania’s wild elk herd, when the big fellows with an overabundance of chest hair look for the girl of their dreams. But it’s never easy. Faint heart never won fair cow.

“This is the time of year it gears up,” said Lisa Bainey, park manager at Cameron County’s Sinnemahonig State Park, which has a program of guided elk watches that lasts until October 20. “The bulls are vying for domi-nance over the herd. It goes on until the second week of October, but usually by the first week in October, the big bulls, the dominant bulls are pretty worn out. There’s a lot of fighting going on. It’s interesting to watch be-cause if there’s a cow in heat, they are just ravenous.”

During the “rut,” as it’s called, big, older bulls have

to “bugle” like crazy all the time, hardly have a minute to eat, and must fight off lesser bulls to control their harems, which normally contain fifteen to twenty cows, though Bainey said some harems can reach twenty-five females. The rut is crucial to the bull’s legacy, but its rigorous demands—it can cause a twenty-percent body-weight loss—might spell his doom during the long, cold Pennsylvania winter.

The rut is the best time of year for elk viewing in the Alley, officially designated by the state as Elk Scenic Drive, a 127-mile loop made up of Interstate 80 between Exit 120 and Exit 111 and five state highways. Route 555 from Weedville, in Elk County, to Drift-wood, in Cameron County and part of State Route 872 to Sinnemahonig State Park is where most of the ac-tion takes place. The elk range covers about 850 square miles and also includes parts of Clearfield, Clinton, and Potter counties. However, the town of Benezette, in Elk County, is Elk Central, and there are several public viewing areas nearby. Also, a string of hotels, restaurants, and gift shops along Route 555 cater to the

tourists who flock here in the autumn.In the fall, a bull’s antlers will have reached their im-

pressive peak, which can mean forty pounds of bone that’s four feet high. They’re a pretty effective weapon, and part of mating season’s fascination and fun—or horror, for the squeamish—is watching these massive creatures lock horns—or “antler wrestle”—as they battle over cows. This can be extremely violent and sometimes fatal, though Bainey said rutting deaths are a rare occurrence. There’s also comic relief, provided by adolescent bulls still perplexed by the proceedings.

“The yearlings are fun to watch,” said Bainey, who studied wildlife management at Penn State. “They’re totally confused because the hormones are kicking in and yet they want to be by mamma’s side.”

A full-grown bull elk can weigh up to 1,000 pounds—cows are more petite and usually maintain a svelte 500- to 600- pound figure—and a normal set of antlers has six tines per side. The twelve points give him the designation of “royal” bull while an “impe-rial” bull has fourteen points. The rut’s time can vary,

By John Fulmer

This bull elk wears a garland of vegetation. During mating season or ‘rut,’ excited bulls thrash around in the underbrush with their antlers, and these headdresses are common. The fall rut is one of the best time to view elk in the several Pennsylvania counties that are home to the herd.

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but late September and early October mark the height of mating season. One thing that doesn’t change is the bull elk’s “bugling,” which is a signal that the rut is in full swing. The elk’s distinctive mating call has been described as a low bellow that continues as a squealing or whistle followed by several grunts.

Several elk-viewing areas, equipped with blinds and staffed by volunteers from “The Bugle Corps,” have been set up along the drive. An estimated 75,000 people visit Elk Alley in the fall, and the herd is now 800 strong, the largest one east of the Mississippi. Hunted to extinction in the Appalachians around the time of the Civil War, the elk’s reintroduction and survival here is a tale befit-ting a proud creature.

Today’s herd is descended from 177 elk sent in by train from Wyoming and South Dakota and set loose in ten Pennsylvania counties from 1913 to 1926; but only those twenty-four released in Cameron County and the ten reintroduced in Elk County thrived and developed a breeding base. Habitat loss and elk hunting, legal from 1923 to 1931, helped spell their decline in the other eight counties. The commonwealth put them under protection in 1932 and elk hunting was not made legal again until 2001. It is, however, a lottery-type hunt and only forty elk tags will be issued in 2007, with the $10 license fee going to farmers’ crop damage.

In last twenty-five years, Bainey has worked with the herd as part of several commonwealth commissions, and she said it was endangered recently until state agencies and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation stepped in. “I can even remember when we almost didn’t have herd,” she said. “This was back in the 1970s and early ‘80s. The numbers were very low, probably 100 elk.”

Several factors were in play. The brain-worm parasite, which attacks an ungulate’s spinal cord and brain, thinned the herd, and without an effective fencing program to keep them from feeding on crops, elk were the target of angry farmers. Poaching was another concern.

“Plus there were not a lot of habitat-enhancement programs at that time,” Bainey said. “The foundation entered and helped with land acquisitions. Elk are grazing animals, like cows, and the Benezette area has a lot of reclaimed strip mines. It’s grassland and it’s a magnet to the elk. Plus it was remote.

“Tourism really became a factor in the ‘90s,” Bainey said. “Before that, you could come to elk country and you had to look hard to find one.”

More tourists may have guaranteed the elk’s survival, but the influx of visitors required a delicate balancing act. With the increased number of tourists, locals need-ed relief from the pressure the herd and herd watchers made on their lives. The infrastructure couldn’t handle it, Bainey said, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Game Commission, Bureau of State Parks, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Founda-tion formed a partnership to address the concerns of

Elk Alley locals. “There needed to be some way to disperse the num-

ber of tourists,” Bainey said. So the partnership helped design the Elk Scenic Highway. “It guides the visitor along in an organized way, instead of the helter-skelter viewing that was occurring.”

A system of “elk etiquette” was instituted with the help of Bugle Corps volunteers trained through the DCNR. Responsible elk watching, Bainey said, is a com-bination of respect for the animal and local property owners, and recognizing that you, the observer, are very close to a wild, huge, unpredictable beast.

“What happens is you see an elk for the first time, and they’re so big and magnificent and incredible, people just immediately drawn like a magnet to the animal and start taking pictures,” Bainey said. The viewing areas, with their hedgerows and blinds, provide protection and a good look at an animal in the throes of sexual ecstasy. Not an easy feat.

“It’s for their own safety because a 1,000-pound bull elk in full rut has only one thing racing through his

mind,” she said. “And he’s not thinking about the park visitor who’s trying to get close to take photographs.”

Though she’s been close to the herd for a quarter century, like the arrival of fall foliage, the elk-mating season always seems like a surprise to Bainey.

“I’m always amazed. It’s a cyclical thing, and you look forward to it just like the leaves changing color every year,” said Bainey.

Watching the elk mate can have an immediate, elemental effect, she said.

“There’s nothing that compares to sitting out in a blind on a moonlit night and you hear that squeal of a bull elk and the responding bugle from another dominant bull,” Bainey said. “You can smell them. You can smell the musk. They come clashing together and you can hear the grunting and groaning and the sound of the antlers clashing.

“I think, if anything, it reconnects you with the natural world when you listen to those wild sounds. To me, it’s right up there with the howl of the wolf and that of the coyote.”

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Guided elk Watches

where: Sinnemahoning State Park. Route 872, eight miles north of Route 120 junction, Cameron County when: Through October 20. Starts at 4:30 p.m.

cost: $30 for families; $15 for individuals. Week’s notice required

information: [email protected] or Jackie Flynn or Janet Colwell at (814) 647-8401

description: After a short discussion on elk-watching tips, you’ll be driven into the range to observe the rut. A limited number of spaces is available and registra-tion is required. Park Manager Lisa Bainey said it’s a long program, so set aside some time. “One of the woman lives right in the heart of elk country and has a good pulse as to where they are,” Bainey said.

map by john fulmer

MOUNTaiN HOME april 2008

he sat at the café table, a collage of color: bright-purple hoodie, boldly pat-terned blue scarf, and the pink cheeks that the Twin Tiers’ chilly spring air

requires everyone to wear in late March. The warm expression in her kind brown eyes belied the cold and welcomed me to her table. Singer/songwriter Jana Losey proved to be as engaging face-to-face as she is in her soulful music, as she shed light on her upcoming projects, including a new album, her own reality/variety show, and a new performance series held by her record company, Posey Tunes.

Having grown up in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, Losey understands what it is to be a small-town person with big dreams. She started exploring her musical talents when she was eight years old and continued to study seriously at Ithaca College. Leaving college early to join Squok Opera, an avant-garde troupe, Losey spent five years touring and ultimately went to Broadway.

Burned out and needing time for herself, she took a sabbatical from music and moved to California to work in wardrobe at the La Jolla Playhouse and later became a licensed masseuse with her own practice. During this time, Losey recovered some of her drive to create and “music started creep back in.” She joined a cover band and started writing again with band mate, Melanie Pe-ters. Now her business and life partner, Peters played an integral role in helping Losey rediscover her voice.

“That really restarted my joy in music,” says Losey. “Slowly Melanie and I started saving some of the songs we wrote for ourselves with the idea that we might sell them to other artists.” Fate had other plans, however, and soon her first album, Bittersweet, was given life. Peters used some forty hours of studio timed owed to her to record their songs. “Soon we were writing a song a week and then going in to record it,” says Losey with a hint of awe in her voice. “We still think of Bittersweet as a bit of a miracle; a kind of really wonderful mistake.”

From there, Losey decided to become a full-time musician, touring the country and getting airtime for some of her songs, including “London Holiday,” which was a local favorite on radio stations across the Twin Tiers in 2006. They moved to Losey’s childhood home, a Lawrenceville farm, and started touring, first with a band and then as a duo. “Right now, it’s basically me and Melanie touring in a little hybrid car and doing acoustic sets,” explained Losey.

This is one of the many things Losey speaks on when she visits area high school in hopes of raising awareness of her upcoming album, Blocks, her reality/variety show, The Song You Heard, and her desire to get kids involved and confident about their talents. “Being from a small area, I think some of the kids here have a general lack of confidence that they can do whatever they want in life,” said Losey. “City kids might have more exposure to theater and music but it’s so important for kids here to

know that there’s no reason why they can’t do it just because they’re from here. I want to do everything I can to help them understand that.”

One way she hopes to get that through to kids is through The Song You Heard, which first aired in March on Big Fox stations from Wellsboro to Rochester. Each monthly episode features Losey’s travels and the artists she meets along the way in cities big or small. The epi-sodes will then run weekly until a new one airs.

“It’s cool for people to see familiar places and people on TV,” said Losey. “It might make performing seem more accessible to kids if they see their hometown or someone from it on a real TV show.” She also sees this opportunity as a way to bring more attention to some of the lesser-known artists she encounters along the way. Each show will show the highs and lows of touring, but will also showcase interviews of and performances by different artists, as well as live music by Losey.

Part of one of the upcoming episodes will be shot at Losey’s April 4 concerts/album-release parties at Elmira’s Clemens Center. At the schools she has visited, Losey made sure to offer all students half-price tickets to the shows, acknowledging the importance of get-ting teens involved with music, as well as her show. “It should be a nice tie-in,” said Losey. “This episode of

show will include part of the concert, backstage shots, and some of the music from our new CD, Blocks.

More structured and thought-out than Bittersweet,Blocks was a “very fulfilling album to make,” with Losey and Peters taking the opportunity to set out to make a whole album, while paying attention to “the moods of each song” as they pertained to the whole. “To me, the whole album is much more important than making a few hit singles,” explained Losey. “I feel like people are getting tired of the whole ‘hits culture’ and are ready, as a society, to go back to more of a grass roots approach and really listen to each song.”

In that same vein, Losey hopes to invigorate the region’s interest in new talents through a concert series she will host at Corning’s Radisson Hotel. From May through October, 2008, Losey and Peter’s record com-pany, Posey Tunes, will bring a new act to the Radisson each month, featuring artists from all over the country, including those from New York, Buffalo and California.

“We want to bring in artists who are on the cusp of great success, and introduce them to the region, in hopes of gaining them attention and bringing new sounds to the region,” said Losey. She is also hoping to bring a few teenage artists from other areas to both per-form and visit the schools with her to further reinforce her point that “you don’t have to be from a big city to be a great artist.”

By Dara Riegel

Have You HeardJANA’sSmall-town PA Girl

Gets Big TV Break

Dara Riegel is a frequent contributor to Mountain Home magazine.

JANA LOSEYBig FOX TV: Check local listings for The Song You HeardClemens Center performances: 7 and 9 p.m.April 4; tickets $20 (half price with student ID; must call ahead)Information: www.janalosey.com or (570 ) 504-5589. Search MTV’s Web site to vote for Losey’s music video

songs?S

fulmer portfolio 2013

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