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]
The Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced their latest acquisition of over 3,300 acres of land in the Herkimer County towns of Salisbury and Norway. The land consists of hardwood forests, softwood forests, and wetlands which will be protected under the OSI, expanding their regional connectivity of land which they protect.
The Adirondack Foundation, alongside several funding partners has awarded close to $1.2 million over the course of 175 grants to nonprofits, schools, and community-based organizations towards COVID-19 response. This rapid-fire community response is due to a coalition of corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations and partnerships on the front lines. Several of these organizations serve those of us who were greatly affected during times of crises.
With over $1.3 million raised, grants are being gifted all throughout the region, alleviating the social and economic hardships of tens of thousands of Adirondack citizens. These grants consist of both emergency-response grants and long-term relief. The grants awarded fall into the categories listed below. If you would like to view the full list of recipients, you may do so by following this link.
DEC and the Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) recently announced TILT’s acquisition of 527 acres in the Town of Alexandria as part of the Crooked Creek Preserve Water Quality Initiative. This acquisition will protect the surface water quality of the St. Lawrence River. TILT acquired the parcels with New York State Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) funding that provides resources to protect source waters.
The St. Lawrence River serves as a drinking water source for many nearby communities. As shoreline development and agricultural expansion continues along the River, the potential for water contamination of this widely used source water increases. The acquisition includes three parcels in the Goose Bay/Crooked Creek complex:
The NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery, located in the heart of Saranac Lake, will be hosting an upcoming juried art show, and is currently seeking artists to submit content under the theme of “The Healing Wilderness,” inspired by the healing power of the Adirondacks.
The village of Saranac Lake is the birthplace of the fresh air cure for tuberculosis, and since the turn of the 20th century the village has been revered for its healing powers.
Selected works will be placed on display in digital form at the NorthWind Fine Arts Gallery during Saranac Lake’s “Winter Carnival”, attended by thousands of people every year. Selected works will also be featured on their website as well, and shared within NorthWind’s extensive social media audience.
Paul Smith’s College electricity accounts are now 100% sourced from local hydroelectric power stations, effectively transitioning over 40% of the colleges energy needs to renewable sources. That’s according to a recent news release from Northern Power and Lights (NP&L) and the college.
NP&L began supplying power to Paul Smith’s College in March after the college subscribed to electricity from the Azure Mountain Power Facility in St. Regis Falls. An addition of electricity from the Sissonville hydro station on the Raquette River allowed them to move to all-locally generated power.
Spend sometime this winter getting involved in the following learning opportunities provided by the NYS DEC. Do your part to help combat the ongoing threat of invasive species within the Adirondack Park.
Protecting Rare Species from Invasives (Finger Lakes PRISM) – Tuesday, January 12 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. – Join the Finger Lakes PRISM for their Invasive Species: How to Know, Observe and Report Webinar Series. This presentation will feature Steve Young, Chief Biologist from the NY Natural Heritage Program. Please register in advance.
Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society Annual Meeting (NEAPMS) – January 12, 13, and 14 – View agenda and registration information on NEAPMS’s website.
The Power of Native Plants (SLELO PRISM and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saint Lawrence County) – Thursday, January 14 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – Join us for a free online class about the power of native plants, alternatives to exotic and invasive ornamental plants, and invasive species to watch for. Participants will also learn about nature-based community science opportunities they can contribute to from home. Register for this session on Zoom.
The Adirondack Land Trust has purchased 17 acres of land on the Thirteenth Lake’s 4.5-mile shoreline, marking the conservation of the last unprotected shoreline on Thirteenth Lake. The Lake is a headwater of Upper Hudson River and the largest body of water within the Siamese Ponds Wilderness.
New York State Forest Preserve borders the land on one side, while the Garnet Hill Property Owners Association borders the other. The latter is taking advantage of restrictive use covenants to ensure its lake shore property is protected.
The Adirondack Land Trust will be working along side the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to integrate the Thirteenth Lake land into the 114,010-acre Siamese Ponds Wilderness, allowing for it to become public, and thereby protected under the Forever Wild clause of the NYS constitution.
AdkAction’s Compost for Good Project is hosting a series of Compost Café chats this winter. Join John Culpepper and Katie Culpepper, co-founders of Compost for Good, to discuss any questions or ideas that you have about composting. We’ll be focusing on different topics each session, but all composting questions are welcome and anyone can attend.
Five New York State Historic Markers were awarded to the Town of Long Lake. They were funded by a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for the New York State Historic Marker Program.
The five signs were awarded to commemorate four locations in Raquette Lake. Including the Raquette Lake Rail Bed, Raquette Lake Hotel, Raquette Lake Train Station and the Raquette Lake General Store and Supply. The sign in Long Lake will commemorate W.W. Durant’s Buttercup Steamboat which was deliberately sunk in 1885 and recovered in 1959.
This New Year’s Day, the 10th anniversary of First Day Hikes is taking place in New York State parks, historic sites, wildlife areas, trails, and public lands across the North Country (With some minor limitations for COVID-19).
The event includes options for hikes ranging from self-guided to small staff and or volunteer-led hikes on Friday the 1st, or the following Saturday or Sunday of January. The extended hiking schedule is to allow hikers time and space to social distance while enjoying nature.
All hikes are family-friendly, ranging from one to five miles dependant on location and conditions. Hikes are being offered at 61 state parks, historic sites, DEC state lands, wildlife areas, Forest Preserve trails and environmental education centers.
A full listing, including details and pre-registration requirements, can be found at parks.ny.gov and dec.ny.gov.
Point Positive, Inc. held an additional fall pitch session on Wednesday, November 18, with two vetted teams of entrepreneurs, TelosAir and MTRX. Point Positive Coordinator Melinda Little hosted the virtual event via Zoom from Saranac Lake, just three weeks after their annual fall pitch event with KLAW Industries and Just a Moment Music.
The New Yorkers for Clean Water & Jobs coalition is made up of over 175 organizations have joined together to advocate for important environmental programs, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs, fortifying local economies, protecting clean drinking water, creating new parks, advancing environmental justice, and mitigating an intensifying climate crises. State programs included In the funding are:
For almost 50 years, Peter Hornbeck ran Hornbeck Boats, a business he started in his garage in 1971, from a shop on his property in Olmstedville alongside wife, Ann. On any given weekend, you could find him holding court with customers who came from all over the country and world to his pond to try out and buy boats weighing as little as 12 pounds. He was known for his sense of humor and colorful storytelling.
He was an environmentalist and proponent of wilderness and an artist, painting watercolors of Adirondack scenes and people enjoying them.
“The Adirondacks won’t be the same without him,” said longtime friend Kim Bessette. Stay tuned for a remembrance of Hornbeck on the Almanack.
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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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