Thursday, September 28, 2023

A new weather station; the struggles around water funding

weather station

A constant stream of weather information will soon flow from a suite of sensors with a view of the Great Range to phones and computers around the world.

A statewide network of weather stations managed by scientists at the University at Albany this fall will make its first new addition to its 126 sites by opening a new station at the Uihlein Farm in Lake Placid. The site will measure temperature, precipitation, wind, humidity, snow depth and soil conditions and support the work of climate and weather researchers, farmers and private businesses and recreation enthusiasts visiting the heart of the High Peaks.

Thanks to Tim Rowland for covering this newsletter over the summer while I was off on parental leave. Sorry, you’re now stuck with me and my lack of any angling skills for the foreseeable future.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, September 25, 2023

Essex Farm Note: A school visit and lots of rain

We hosted fifty middle schoolers from the Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Vermont last Thursday. They hiked from the ferry to the farm via the Essex Gateway CATs trail in the humid heat. They had spent a week confronting the thorny ethical issues of food production. Mark and I talked about how to distill what we do and why we do it into something easily consumable, but then decided it was more of a show don’t tell opportunity. We hunted for dung beetles while talking about soil health, visited the dairy cows while talking about agricultural diversity, grazed our way through the vegetables while talking about the importance of basing our diets on whole food that’s locally produced, pulled some carrots for the road, and then hiked back to the ferry. They made it across the lake just before a huge thunderstorm hit, the one that knocked a tree through the library roof across from the ferry dock. Whew! » Continue Reading.


Friday, September 22, 2023

Paul Smith’s VIC to host Circular Jazz Trio concert, Leave No Trace training course

Paul Smith's College VIC.

Paul Smiths, NY- Paul Smith’s College VIC has announced a slew of upcoming events to suit a wide variety of interests, including a free jazz concert featuring The Circular Jazz Trio set for tomorrow, Saturday, September 23, as well as an informative and interactive training course focused on the seven principles of Leave No Trace. This two-day event is slated for Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1.

Please see below for more details on these events and a link to keep tabs on other upcoming VIC events, such as a Mushroom Foray event set for tomorrow, and several opportunities to take a beginner-level canoe paddle on Barnum Pond with VIC staff.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 21, 2023

Inside The Green Lobby with Bernard Melewski and Brad Edmondson set for Oct. 18

 

Whiteface Mt view

The Kelly Adirondack Center will host an upcoming program called “Inside The Green Lobby with Bernard Melewski and Brad Edmondson” on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at Karp 105, Union College Campus. The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be available beginning at 5 p.m. Retired lobbyist Bernard Melewski, author of Inside The Green Lobby, and journalist Brad Edmondson, author of A Wild Idea, will team up to tell a story about how politics made strange bedfellows in the Adirondack Park.

Between 1990 and 1994, a state commission’s spectacular failure forced a new coalition of activists, brokers, and elected officials to come together.  They would protect a million acres of the Park over the next decade.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 21, 2023

Remsen Falls Motorized Access Route for Persons with Disabilities Closed Temporarily

dec logoClosure to Support Upgrade of ADA-Picnic Area and Increase Accessibility

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced a temporary closure of the Remsen Falls Motorized Access Route for Persons with Disabilities (MARPWD) in the hamlet of McKeever, town of Ohio, Herkimer County, as this popular destination in the Black River Wild Forest undergoes construction.  The 0.6-mile route will be resurfaced and hardened with gravel and the accessible features at the picnic area will be upgraded to bring them into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Wolf Lake Landing Road, which provides entrance to the Remsen Falls access route will remain open, however, the public can expect to encounter construction vehicle traffic during weekdays. Construction is anticipated to be complete later this year. DEC will issue an announcement when the access road is reopened.

Questions regarding this project can be directed to Supervising Forester Scott Healy by phone at (315) 866-6330, or by email to scott.healy@dec.ny.gov.

 

Photo at top courtesy of the NYS DEC.


Thursday, September 21, 2023

8th Annual Road Salt Summit Addresses Recently Released Report from NY State

 

State DOT Commissioner Dominguez scheduled to give remarks

Lake George, NY — The 2023 Adirondack Champlain Regional Salt Summit will convene on October 3, with registration at 7:30 a.m. and the program concluding at 3 p.m., at the Fort William Henry Hotel Conference Center as well as online. It is open to everyone interested in maintaining safe winter roads while also protecting the environment and saving money through road salt reduction and best management practices. Past participants include highway crews, elected officials, building and grounds managers, business owners, winter maintenance contractors, and freshwater protection organizations. Registration and attendance are free. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Adirondack Route 73 Shuttle Season Starts Sept. 23

keene shuttleFree Shuttle for Popular Fall Weekends

On September 14, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Essex County, town of Keene, and Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) announced the Route 73 shuttle system launched in 2021 will return on Saturday, Sept. 23. The shuttle system helps manage safe, sustainable visitation along the busy Route 73 corridor in the Adirondack High Peaks region. The free shuttle system will operate on Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 23 through Oct. 8, and will also run Monday, Oct. 9.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, September 18, 2023

APIPP to host Invasive Species in a Changing Climate webinar, Sept. 20

APIPP invasive species webinar graphic.

Keene Valley, NY- The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is hosting a free webinar on how climate change could make the Adirondacks more hospitable to invasive species. “Invasive Species in a Changing Climate” is scheduled for 10-11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The webinar will begin with an overview of what makes a species invasive before diving into how longer summers and shorter, milder winters in the Adirondacks are likely to make the region more favorable to invasive species. The impact of climate change on managing invasive species and an overview of which invasive species tend to benefit the most from climate change will also be discussed.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, September 16, 2023

DEC: Fall Fishing Tips

Canoe on a lake's edge in the Adirondacks.

The weather may cool off in the fall, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the fishing does too. Gamefish often become more active as they feed in preparation for winter. Forage is plentiful for gamefish in the fall as young-of-the-year yellow perch, sunfish, gizzard shad, and alewives reach desirable sizes. Gamefish will often follow these species around, so it can sometimes be challenging to locate fish.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, September 11, 2023

APA accepting public comment on wireless stations permit process until Sept. 29

APA logo.

Ray Brook, NY-  The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) is accepting public comment on a proposed new general permit to expedite the review for co-location, removal, or replacement of transmission equipment (eligible facilities requests) on existing wireless facilities or base stations inside the Adirondack Park that meet certain eligibility criteria.

Eligible facilities requests are defined under Section 6409 of the Spectrum Act of 2012 and implementing regulations 47 CFR 1.6100. They are considered any request for modification of an existing wireless tower or base station that does not substantially change the physical dimensions of such tower or base station.

The APA will accept public comment on proposed general permit 2023-G1 until September 29th, 2023.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, September 11, 2023

Paul Smith’s College VIC Announces New Sound-Focused Attraction

Forest Megaphone provides visitors with a unique way to experience nature.

Paul Smiths, NY – The Paul Smith’s College’s Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) announced the completion of a Forest Megaphone on its accessible Barnum Brook Trail. The Forest Megaphone, an oversized wooden megaphone large enough for adults to sit or laydown in, amplifies surrounding natural noise for those seeking a deeper sensory experience in the outdoors. The VIC hopes the Forest Megaphone will prompt guests to focus on their soundscape (the combined sounds present at a location) and create a new way to interact with and appreciate nature. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 10, 2023

Anarchy is Bad for Picnics

yellowjackets

I’m not one to shed a tear when authoritarian rulers die, but once they’re gone, picnics become a lot more dangerous. As summer wanes, the original queen in every yellowjacket wasp colony dies – having a few thousand babies in the course of one season is enough to tire any Queen Mum to death.

The colony raises new queens as the old one starts to forget the names of her offspring and where she left her reading glasses. But when the feisty new regals emerge, the young queens
run off with the nearest male wasps for a mating orgy, after which they hide in rotten logs or nearby attics for the winter. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 10, 2023

DEC, APA hold public comment periods for Rollins Pond & Golden Beach Campground & Day Use Area UMPs

Rollins Pond campground

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) are holding joint public comment periods to solicit comments for the Rollins Pond and Golden Beach Campground and Day Use Area Unit Management Plans (UMPs). The public is invited to submit input on the draft plans, which will guide future management of the facilities over the next five years and their conformance to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. Comments will be accepted until September 18, 2023.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 10, 2023

First annual Clean Up Lake George Day set for Sept. 17

Clean Up Lake George Day logo

The Lake George Association invites residents, businesses, and visitors to help get rid of trash that harms the Lake’s water quality and aquatic life

Lake George, NY- The Lake George Association (LGA), in partnership with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the Village of Lake George, and the Lake George Waterkeeper, will host the first annual “Clean Up Lake George” event on Sunday, September 17, 2023, in Lake George Village. Residents, businesses, and visitors are encouraged to participate in removing trash from the shoreline and in the water to protect water quality and aquatic plants and animals.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 7, 2023

Forward Together Conference set for Oct. 5, register by Sept. 11

Lake Champlain Lake George Regional Planning Board logo

Lake George, NY – The region’s planning and economic development organization, the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Board (LCLGRPB) is hosting the 2nd annual Forward Together Conference on October 5th, 2023, at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid from 8 a.m. to noon. This half-day event focuses on issues that impact the region and its communities, and includes transportation funding and partnerships, community asset-based planning and revitalization opportunities, and small business assistance programs.

» Continue Reading.



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