LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 53 Remember Mousetrap? The board game with Rube Goldbergian contraptions that spur a metal marble through a maze of chutes and loops? Now, imagine that marble is a wooden orb about the size of a tennis ball. And instead of a board, the raceway tracks, spirals, and other gadgets are placed in the woods along a half-mile-long path. You end up with Raquette River Roll, a new wooden ball run expe- rience installed along the newly constructed Fen Trail on The Wild Center's 115-acre Tupper Lake campus. Charlie Smith, a facilities technician at the Center, has been working on the Raquette River Roll since last summer, first brainstorming concepts for crazy fea- tures and, all winter, turning those ideas into reality. The concept was inspired by the BoBosco Trail, a similar course in Switzerland. In all, there are nine separate stops along the wheelchair-accessible path for visitors to explore, each crafted of natu- ral materials. The longest: a pair of 200 -foot-long tracks where the balls can race downhill. The most elaborate: a structure that lets visitors use a system of pulleys to elevate the ball into the treetops, roll across the canopy over the trail, down an elaborate series of chutes, before rolling down a ramp and around a loop-de-loop constructed from repurposed logs. Displays between each location describe natu- ral features such as tree burls and mushrooms. Smith, a carpenter by training, was holed up in The Wild Center's shop with chainsaws, angle grinders, and other tools for months. He hollowed out logs to use as chutes, devised ways to raise the wood- en balls onto elevated tracks, and cooked up more things they don't generally teach in woodworking school. "I don't think I've had more fun while being paid," Smith says. The history of the land on which the Fen Trail and Raquette River Roll were built also takes twists and turns. If you were standing on the land that made up the Fen Trail 500 years ago, you would probably be in a forest of giant trees stretching over 100 feet into the air. 100 years ago, you'd be standing near a farming operation in a forest that had been logged. Adirondack habitats, like all habitats, are constantly changing in reaction to environmental disturbances. The forest here is still in the process of recovering and evolving, and the plants and trees around you tell that story. In fact, the history of the trail is celebrated with found objects that adorn the Fen Trail and ball run structures. Each piece reveals clues about the site's past bustling farm. These discarded items, excavated during the trail construction, were found after over 100 years since the farm's use. Metal barrens, ovens, wood stoves, car parts, strollers, typewriters and many other objects were found. Visitors can sit on swinging chairs fashioned from old metal wheel bands that were part of wagon wheels commonly used over 100 years ago. Through upcycling, The Wild Center breathes new life into old objects, showcasing the significance of sustainability and resourcefulness. Objects like the swinging chair stand as a testament to the ingenuity of repurposing and how your choices and the power of creative solutions can make an envi- ronmental impact. This new trail also embodies a commitment to in- spire action to ensure a thriving natural world. Unlike some more obvious efforts like the large-scale drum composter, pellet boiler, solar panel arrays, or a living roof, the commitment to sustainable exhibitry on the Fen Trail and Raquette River Roll is less evident to the naked eye. Traditionally, permanent museum exhibit materi- als and signage are fabricated from plastic or metal substrates, occasionally wrapped in vinyl, and then shipped from the manufacturer to Tupper Lake. It adds up to more space that will eventually be taken up in a landfill and a larger carbon footprint. With that in mind, The Wild Center began considering the complete life cycle of products used in new exhibits like Raquette River Roll and the Fen Trail. What would it look like if those products could wind up in a com- poster instead of a landfill at the end of their use- fulness? What would it look like if signage materials could be reused over and over again? The result is a system of informational and inter- Charlie Smith, the visionar y builder of the Ra- quette River Roll. Photo credit: Ken Aaron

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