Almanack Contributor Community News Reports

Community News

Community news stories come from press releases and other notices from organizations, businesses, state agencies and other groups.

Submit your contributions to Almanack Editor Melissa Hart at [email protected]


Sunday, October 11, 2020

Green Power, Green Park

Join a conversation about clean energy initiatives across the region. 

The Explorer’s Policy Reporter Gwendolyn Craig will serve as moderator with the following panelists: Noah Shaw, partner and co-chair, Renewable Energy Practice, Hodgson Russ LLP; Conrad Karsten, project developer for Sunvestment Energy Group (Saranac Lake Community Solar); Emmett Smith, founder of Northern Power & Light.

The webinar is set for 9 a.m. October 20 on Zoom. Click here to register

Adirondack Almanack file photo of solar panels in Tupper Lake.


Sunday, October 11, 2020

Weekly Adirondack Roundup

Here’s a roundup of interesting features and other Adirondack news from around the Web:
» Continue Reading.


Saturday, October 10, 2020

Local Olympian pedals 92 miles to help those with spinal cord injuries

Kelly Brush, a Vermont native and former athlete who trained at Green Mountain Valley School was skiing at Collegiate Ski Carnival at Jiminy Peak, Mass., in 2006 when she took a debilitating spill.

She caught a ski edge in the snow, propelling her into a backwards spin that caused her to smash into a lift tower, breaking her back and her ribs, and suffering a spinal cord injury that confined her to a wheelchair for life.

The accident was restricting, but it didn’t dampen her energy and her desire to help those who were similarly afflicted in accidents of their own. Kelly Brush started the Kelly Brush Foundation, and dedicated her life to raising awareness for the injured and raising money to address skier safety.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, October 9, 2020

BOCES: Families should prepare for quick move to remote learning

remote learningSchool officials within the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES region are warning families to prepare for sudden changes to fully remote learning due to new state COVID-19 guidelines, even when there’s no confirmed threat that the virus is spreading.

The main issue is a new rule giving 48 hours until a student or staff member is “presumed positive.” Last week, the New York State Department of Health issued updated guidelines about when students and staff can come to school, and when they have to stay home.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, October 9, 2020

Latest News Headlines

News from around the Adirondacks this week:

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Thursday, October 8, 2020

Fall foliage report: Past peak, but still pretty

This fall foliage report for Oct. 7-13, 2020 comes courtesy of I LOVE NY

Essex County

In the Adirondacks, foliage is reaching peak in Essex County in the Crown Point area around Lake Champlain, with more than 95% color transition predicted for this weekend. Look for a very bright mix of yellows, oranges, reds, and purples. In Ticonderoga, reports predict 75% change with bright red, yellow, and green leaves, along with some purple. Foliage spotters in Lake Placid predict past-peak conditions with 100% color change and muted shades of red, yellow, and burnt orange. Reports from Newcomb predict complete transition and past-peak foliage with bright reds, oranges, and yellows. At Whiteface Mountain, foliage will be just past-peak with shades of red, orange, and green, along with remaining touches of purple and yellow. The area around the mountain will also see past-peak conditions, with mostly muted reds.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Partnership works to improve culverts in Jay/Ausable Acres

The Ausable River Association (AsRA) and The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter, in partnership with the Town of Jay and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service), have right-sized two flood vulnerable and ecologically significant culverts in Jay, NY.

Work is complete on the Jay Mountain Road and Ausable Drive culvert projects. The new culverts will reduce flood risk and the town’s road maintenance costs and restore aquatic habitat connectivity. 

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Adirondack story project creates free toolkit

“OurStoryBridge: Connecting the Past and the Present” was released at www.ourstorybridge.org today at the annual meeting of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. 

This free resource and tool kit for producing a crowdsourced, community story project is available for libraries and other organizations. Emphasizing audio history collecting and sharing, the website is designed to help organizations create their own story projects using “Adirondack Community: Capturing, Retaining and Communicating the Stories of Who We Are” (pictured here) as a model.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, October 6, 2020

NFCT completes New York stewardship projects

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) completed several stewardship projects this summer along New York sections of the 740-mile waterway trail connecting Old Forge, NY, to Fort Kent, Maine.

“Each stewardship season presents us with challenges, and this year was certainly no different,” said NFCT Stewardship Director Noah Pollock. “Our work this summer included the construction of access steps at take-outs and put-ins, building ADA-compliant privies, improving campsites and more — all aimed at ensuring that the canoe trail is safe and accessible for public use.”

» Continue Reading.


Monday, October 5, 2020

Young people play important role in Climate Smart Community achievements

The Village of Saranac Lake and the Village of Homer in the Finger Lakes region were awarded a bronze level certification in the New York State Climate Smart Communities (CSC) program. The awards came during NYS Climate Week.

The efforts of young people mobilizing for climate action and resilience, inspired by the Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program and its annual Adirondack Youth Climate Summit, is seen as a key contribution to this designation. The climate program has brought together over 180 students from over 30 NYS schools to increase their climate literacy and leadership abilities since 2008.

Cedar Young, a youth leader in the Village of Saranac Lake says the following about the certification: “By receiving bronze certification, Saranac Lake has shown leadership in raising public awareness of climate change and lowering our community’s carbon footprint.”

» Continue Reading.


Monday, October 5, 2020

Farms test crops of three “superfood” berries

Three high-antioxidant, high-economic value “superfruits:” juneberry, honeyberry, and aronia berry are the focus of research funded by the Northern New York Agricultural Development Program (NNYADP). These fruit crops represent significant income potential from fresh market and value-added sales in New York State.  They are northern climate-tolerant and have proven to be consumer-friendly in other areas of the U.S. and globally. NNYADP-funded on-farm trials of the three fruits are evaluating how well they adapt to and thrive under New York growing conditions.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, October 5, 2020

‘Ask An Expert’ panels to address environmental, cultural, policy issues

This October, Paul Smith’s College and The Adirondack Research Consortium (ARC) are hosting a series of four “Ask An Expert” panel discussions focused on key environmental, cultural and policy issues facing the Adirondack region and its communities.

The four webinars, hosted via Zoom and free/open to the public, will feature both physical and social science experts discussing a wide variety of subjects, from road salt and aquatic invasive species to history through the lenses of indigenous peoples, slaves and women. Questions for any of the panels can be sent in advance to [email protected].

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, October 4, 2020

AdironDuck Race Offers New Mega Duck Dash

The Oswegatchie Educational Center on Long Pond Road in Croghan, NY will be offering its first Mega Duck Dash & Dining Hall Fundraiser, to take place at noon on Sunday, October 25.

The fundraiser is to celebrate the construction of a new dining hall, which was started in September 2019. The construction of the hall finished 2 months early. But due to Covid-19 and the consequential shut down of the Oswegatchie Educational Center’s Summer Camp program, they lost 9 months of operation, and need funds to wrap up the project. This means that for the first time ever, Oswegatchie is adding a fall rubber duck race to its popular annual springtime AdironDuck Race.

Todd Lighthall, the Executive Director of the NYS FFA Foundation says “The AdironDuck Race is about sending kids to camp, but the Mega Duck Dash is about providing them a dining hall that can safely handle the volume of campers we are hosting.”

The Mega Duck Dash will happen online at noon. Each duck will be $50, with a grand prize of $5,000. Ducks may be sponsored up till the day of the race at noon.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Oswegatchie Summer Program Fund, which provides youth scholarships and funds for improvements to the summer program. To adopt a duck, visit https://www.adironduckrace.com and tune into Facebook on October 25 to catch the race. For more information, contact (315) 346-1222.


Sunday, October 4, 2020

Weekly news roundup

» Continue Reading.


Friday, October 2, 2020

Siena Poll finds strong support for Biden, Cuomo in NY

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump 61-29 percent in the Empire State. Biden has a 62-33 favorability rating and Trump has a negative 29-66 percent favorability rating, according to a new Siena College Poll of likely New York State voters released today.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has a 59-33 percent favorability rating, down a little from 65-31 percent in June among registered voters. His job performance rating is 61-38 percent, little changed from June. And by a 73-24 percent margin, voters approve of his job handling the coronavirus pandemic, down slightly from 76-21 percent in June.

» Continue Reading.



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The Adirondack Almanack

The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities

We publish commentary and opinion pieces from voluntary contributors, as well as news updates and event notices from area organizations. Contributors include veteran local writers, historians, naturalists, and outdoor enthusiasts from around the Adirondack region. The information, views and opinions expressed by these various authors are not necessarily those of the Adirondack Almanack or its publisher, the Adirondack Explorer.

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