Stories under the Almanack's Editorial Staff byline come from press releases and other notices.
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The Ndakinna cultural center presents the first Alamikos Native Storytelling Evening. Alamikos, means the Greetings Maker Moon. It is a time for giving thanks to one another, asking for forgiveness and sharing stories to brighten the cold winter nights. This evening of Native tales will be hosted by the well-known storytelling trio of Joseph, James, and Jesse Bruchac. Due to Covid-19, this year we will be broadcasting the performance via Zoom.
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Essex County was awarded a $385,000 grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of the Local Food Promotion Program. Funds will be used to expand CCE Essex’s existing Farm to School program into a Farm to Institution program, working with schools, hospitals, senior centers, retirement homes, correctional facilities, colleges and universities, and early child care centers.
One avenue for reaching project goals will be to build upon Adirondack Harvest’s wholesale and local food outreach capabilities, through marketing and promotion, web development, and networking. CCE Essex staff will also collaborate with Adirondack Medical Center, Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), the Essex County Soil and Water Conservation District, Harvest New York, and the Hub on the Hill to accomplish project goals.
The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) recently partnered with Warren County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to commission a survey to determine the desire for potential new year-round residents to the Adirondacks. Camoin 310 of Saratoga Springs designed the survey and will compile the results. Click here for the survey link.
NYS DEC has announced that there is still time to comment on the potential fishing regulations for inland trout streams in New York State. Those interested in posting comment can find the text of regulations proposed, as well as instructions for submitting comments on the DEC’s website. Public comments on proposed rule changes will be accepted until January 25.
If you need a quick reminder, the DEC is proposing an amendment to Trout Stream Sportfishing Regulations by creating new statewide regulations, 4 regulation categories, and a catch and release season from October 15th through March 31st.
At the end of an eight-week long course on manufacturing and career building at Clinton Community College a few years ago, there was a sense of nervous anticipation as the seven participants considered their next steps and prepared to meet with prospective employers at an informal job fair the following day. One of the students had driven from Westport every day for two months to attend the four-hour class. Another participant had commuted from Malone and was now considering moving to Plattsburgh if he was able to find employment. Another student, who spoke openly about the barriers to employment because of a past criminal record, said he hoped the class and OSHA certification would lead to a good job and a better future.
The Assembling Industry: Manufacturing & Education class or AIME, launched in 2010, is a partnership between ETS Staffing and Recruiting, Clinton Community College’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, and CV-TEC. The initiative is in part an attempt to bridge the gap between a flourishing manufacturing sector in the area and a shortage of employees heightened by historically low unemployment rates. According to Deb Cleary, President and CEO of ETS, on any given day there are some 130 to 150 unfilled manufacturing jobs in the Plattsburgh region.
By a 55-31 percent margin, New Yorkers say the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is still to come. Seven percent of New Yorkers say they have already been vaccinated and among those who have not, 69 percent say they plan to get vaccinated and 27 percent say they do not, according to a new Siena College Poll of New York State voters released today.
Fifty-four percent of voters say the incoming Biden Administration will have a positive impact on New York, compared to 23 percent who say it will have a negative impact and 16 percent who say it will have no real impact.
In a little over 12 months, the New York State Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law will take effect, requiring businesses that generate an annual average of two tons or more of wasted food per week to donate excess edible food; and recycle all remaining food scraps if they are within 25 miles of an organics recycler.
AdkAction and their newest project, Compost for Good, are hosting a Zoom event on January 20th from 10-11:30am. The event is designed to help municipal officials and community advocates understand the new law, and to introduce various options for composting. Representatives from NYS DEC will join us to discuss the new law as well as the Climate Smart Communities program. There will be a question and answer session after the presentation.
To register for this event, visit adkaction.org/event/municipal-
Cornell University has created a model that converts campus-generated organic waste into rich compost. It won a 2009 Environmental Quality Award from the U.S. EPA. – Cornell CALS photo/Almanack archive
The Lake Placid Center for the Arts has announced the winners of their Zoom Play Festival. The contest was held in late August for theatre artists to create and share a play over Zoom. LPCA plans to present a showcase of the winning pieces, as well as the honorable mentions on February 19.
Collaboration with Directors and Theatres has begun in order to produce the works, with LPCA having plans to produce several of the plays they received in-house. They received over 135 short plays that were submitted from all over the world, from New Zealand to Canada. The great number of submissions required help from several playwrights and artists around the country to help evaluate the plays, which were scored in areas like plot development, character voice, and adherence to the submission criteria.
In order to help support small business during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to $3,000,000 in reimbursement grants at $5,000 per business is being offered to eligible applicants. This program, lead by “Raising the NYS Bar Restaurant Recovery Fund” was created in support of full-service restaurants, arguably the industry hit the hardest by the pandemic, during the winter months where temperature and weather prevents outdoor dining.
To qualify for the program, an establishment must:
Do you live within the Saint Lawrence/Eastern Lake Ontario Region? Or do you like to get outdoors there? If so, NYS DEC friends SLELO PRISM are hosting their Virtual Hiking Challenge this winter, encouraging and challenging hikers to hike for the protection of the region’s hemlocks (and for cool prizes.)
The challenge will last through March, and you may participate anytime you choose to get outside. In order to participate, all you need to do is go for a hike, and check the hemlock trees for signs of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, and share a photo.
To find out more information about the challenge, including featured trails, check out the SLELO PRISM website!
After a cancelation in 2020, this year’s Speculator Craft Fair will be Thursday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the ball field at 2834 State Route 30, across from the village beach here.
Sponsored by the Hamilton County Twigs, this juried craft fair features 150 booths of quality handmade goods. Fees are $50 for an outside spot and $60 for a spot in the pavilion. For a vendor application call Barbara Oakes at 518-548-5790 or email her at [email protected].
The craft fair is a fundraiser to support emergency medical and health care in the area. Last year $30,000 donated by the Twigs helped four non-profit organizations meet their needs: Speculator, Wells, and Piseco volunteer ambulance squads and the emergency “fly-car.”
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