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By a margin of 65-32 percent, voters say moving too quickly to loosen stay-at-home orders is a bigger danger than moving too slowly to loosen those orders. The concern is that reopening could spread the virus faster, resulting in more lives being lost, resulting in a worse economic impact and more jobs being lost.
That’s according to a new Siena College Poll of registered New York State voters released today.
Other findings include:
ADK is offering free one-year memberships to frontline, essential workers in recognition of the risks that they have taken to save lives and keep essential services available to the general public. Based on the definition provided by New York State, the following industries qualify as essential work:
* Grocery stores
* Public transportation
* Healthcare
* Emergency services
Membership benefits include a digital subscription to Adirondac magazine and discounts on outdoor skills workshops, wilderness Adirondack lodging and camping, and parking at the Heart Lake Program Center, which hosts numerous trailheads that lead into the High Peaks Wilderness. (Pictured here: Johns Brook Lodge)
If you are a frontline worker, please contact ADK’s membership department at membership@adk.org.
Editor’s note: As the coronavirus pandemic swept New York this spring, Adirondack Explorer staff asked those who know and love the Adirondacks for opinions on the upcoming season. Their timing spanned late-March to mid-April, and a roundup of online and emailed submissions were published in the May/June 2020 issue of the Adirondack Explorer magazine (subscribe here). What follows is some of the responses. With Memorial Day behind us, we feel this conversation continues to be one worth having. We welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
It’s Debatable: Should the Adirondacks discourage visitation during COVID-19?
Essex County Art Council congratulates the 39 Arts and Cultural organizations that have been awarded 2020 Cultural Assistance Program (CAP) grants through NYS Council on the Arts.
“All of us at Essex County Arts Council are happy to be able to support artists and arts organizations during this time of so much uncertainty. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure the vitality of the arts and culture in our Essex County communities. We know how important this sector will be to our collective well-being once we are again able to gather and enjoy the output of the many talented artists in our area.” Tony Kostecki, the president of the Essex County Art Council says in a recent newsletter.
More about CAP can be found here: https://www.essexcountyarts.org/application
The organizations that received grants are as follows:
the North Country Healthy Heart Network is heralding the end of sales of flavored e-cigarettes and tobacco in New York State pharmacies.
The decision was made in a new law passed as part of the state’s 2021 budget, making New York the second state in the nation to end the sale of these products in pharmacies.
“These historic measures will help many New Yorkers live free from nicotine addiction and improve public health, we know that flavored e-cigarettes attract kids and teens, leading to nicotine addiction and related health problems. Additionally, selling tobacco products in pharmacies has long sent a contradictory message to consumers — pharmacies carry medicine and products often meant to heal individuals who are unhealthy due to the use of tobacco products,” said Ann Morgan, the executive director of the North Country Healthy Heart Network in a news release.
It is that time of year again where spring cleaning is on the forefront of everyone’s minds. But before you begin, the DEC wants to remind us how important it is that you properly recycle everything instead of just throwing it away.
It is certainly easier to just toss everything, but don’t forget that most everything requires limited natural resources to produce, and in the efforts of conservation, the DEC wants to share some tips to reduce the amount of waste generated this spring-cleaning season.
Piping plovers are creating nests on Atlantic Coast beaches on the heels of a successful 2019 season. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the population climbed from 1,879 pairs in 2018 to record high of 2,008 pairs breeding last summer from eastern Canada south to North Carolina.
This marks a conservation milestone 35 years in the making from the cooperation of several organizations and many public beachgoers. The record high numbers are due in part to a widespread implementation of “management practices” such as installing symbolic fencing around nests, leashing dogs, posting caution signs, reducing predation, and trusting beachgoers to be conscious of their behavior near the fenced areas around nests.
The 25th annual AARCH Preservation Awards, which recognize exemplary historic preservation work throughout the Adirondacks, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020.
Residents of the Adirondack North Country region may submit their nominations of historic buildings in their communities that have been brought back to life.
The 2020 recipients will be honored during an event held at the Grace Memorial Chapel on Sabbath Day Point near Silver Bay on Lake George. Refreshments will be served post gathering. Projects of any size are eligible, and the deadline is June 1 to send in your nominations. To find applications and additional information, go to https://www.aarch.org/preserve/aarch-awards/nominations/.
Three years ago: A Memorial Day post from Diane Chase about the “Carry the Load” project: https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2017/05/carry-the-load-memorial-day.html
Even though events aren’t officially taking place, there are still opportunities to commemorate loved ones on your own. In the past, the Lake Placid event involved a walk 2.7-mile walk around Mirror Lake “in memory of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Chase writes.
From 2018: Larry Gooley provides an entertaining look at “littering season”: https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2018/05/littering-season-is-upon-us-again.html
Also from 2018: An article about wild leeks: https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2018/05/wild-foods-take-fewer-leeks.html
From 2013: Dave Gibson on Whiteface Memorial Highway: https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2013/11/dave-gibson-whiteface-memorial-highway-forest-preserve.html
Starting this Memorial Day Weekend, Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute’s (PSC AWI) Stewardship Program will begin its work at public boat launches throughout the Adirondacks.
In partnership with NYS’s Department of Environmental Conservation, boat stewards will be assisting to CLEAN. DRAIN. DRY boats in the essential work to help protect the state’s waters from aquatic invasive species like hydrilla, water chestnut, and spiny waterflea.
In 2019, stewards talked with more than 250,000 water recreationists about aquatic invasive species and what can be done to prevent their spread. They also kept a lookout for invasive species at the waterbodies where they worked.
The opening days of hiking season are here, and with a warm Memorial Day weekend ahead, the Adirondack Council wants to remind outdoors enthusiasts to socially distance and continue using personal protective equipment while recreating.
Outdoor tourism is important for the North Country economy as well, and hikers traveling to the Adirondacks should take the time to research the local protocols and conditions beforehand. Residents and tourists alike should seek to avoid crowds and crowded locations so we can continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while still getting the exercise and fresh air we all need.
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. — The Lake George/Warren County region is preparing to welcome visitors this Memorial Day weekend – in a cautious, safe and respectful manner.
Memorial Day weekend is the traditional kickoff of the region’s summer tourism season. Because the world has changed, this year it will be accompanied by a vastly increased emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of guests, employees and the community as the region progressively reopens under the New York Forward Reopening Plan.
Join Fort Ticonderoga this Memorial Day Weekend for a line-up of virtual experiences, from live-stream living history demonstrations capturing Ticonderoga’s epic beauty and dramatic history, to a patriotic concert, and a special Memorial Day message.
The museum and cultural destination’s 2020 opening has been postponed due to COVID-19, with an anticipated early July opening.
Featured Memorial Day Weekend Livestream and Virtual Programs, May 23-25:
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