Monday, June 20, 2022

National Pollinator Week is June 20 – 26

Pollinator Week is June 20-26. It is an annual celebration in support of pollinator health, established and managed by Pollinator Partnership. This week is a prime time to raise awareness for pollinators and also to spread the word about what people can do in order to protect them. Those interested are encouraged to celebrate Pollinator Week get involved by taking part in a variety of activities such as planting for pollinators, hosting garden tours, participating in online bee and butterfly ID workshops, and more.

Fast facts from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation:

  • Pollinators are essential to our environment, and they provide an ecological service for the reproduction of over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species.
  • The U.S. alone grows more than 100 crops that either need or benefit from pollinators.
  • The economic value of native pollinators is estimated at $3 billion per year in the U.S.
  • Pollinators are keystone species in most terrestrial ecosystems. Fruits and seeds derived from insect pollination are a major part of the diet of approximately 25% of all birds and of mammals.

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Sunday, June 19, 2022

Judge blocks Lake George herbicide plan, for now

Garnet Lake in Johnsburg and Thurman last week. Photo by Zachary Matson.

No chemical herbicide will be used in Lake George this summer, but the fate of the Lake George Park Commission’s plan to do so is still up in the air.

A Warren County judge on Monday sided with the Lake George Association and others challenging the park commission’s plan to treat invasive watermilfoil with one of the few EPA-approved aquatic herbicides on the market. The judge granted a preliminary injunction that bars the park commission from using the herbicide until a lawsuit brought by the lake association can be resolved. 

The judge agreed with the association’s lawyer who argued the herbicide plan could be delayed without impacting the current state of the lake, but if the commission was allowed to carry out its plan, any outcome of the lawsuit would be meaningless. Next step in the case: a conference later this month to come up with a briefing schedule.

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Sunday, June 12, 2022

Lake George Association Launches Bay-by-Bay Lake Protection Events

Lake GeorgeLAKE GEORGE – With the water quality threats facing Lake George varying in type and intensity at different points along its 32-mile length, the Lake George Association (LGA) is presenting a series of educational programs to help property owners understand what’s ailing the water quality in their neighborhood and what they can do to help. The LGA’s 2022 Bay-by-Bay Summer Event Series will kick off on Tuesday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 15 at Warner Bay in the town of Queensbury.

A walking tour will be held on June 14 beginning at 4 p.m. This one-hour tour will introduce the priority issues facing the Bay. Attendance is limited to 12 participants and registration is required. The starting location for the tour will be provided upon registration. On Wednesday, June 15, from 4-6 p.m. at the North Queensbury Fire House, the LGA will present a detailed presentation on the greatest threats facing Warner Bay and provide specific guidance on actions residential and commercial property owners can take on their properties as Lake Protectors to safeguard water quality.

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Saturday, June 11, 2022

Late Spring: Fawns, wild azaleas, and nesting loons

With the shooting in the Buffalo Tops Market, killing 10 and three wounded, and the Uvalde, Texas Robb Elementary School shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed, not much was heard of the fires still burning in New Mexico (largest ever) and the first Hurricane Agatha to hit Mexico. It first killed 11 and thirty missing, then traveled across the Gulf of Mexico and hit southern Florida with 12 to 15 inches of rain as Tropical Storm Alex. Many people seem to be living in a bubble, yet ducking COVID, which is still catching lots of people by surprise.

Back to the first two on the list. I was a Hunter Safety Training Trainer for the DEC for over twenty-five years, and it was only near the end of that time, that the AR-15 was just showing up on the public market. I never saw it as a hunting weapon, and still don’t. It’s a killing machine invented for war, which is now being waged on children in schools and public events and places where there are lots of people.

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Friday, June 10, 2022

Wildflower PR Failures

Monarchon Milk Weed (Diane Chase Photo)

Some beneficial wild plants suffer from reputation: To nettle someone means to annoy them, and nettle plants are in fact covered with hollow micro-spikes that inject a skin irritant. But nettles are also an early-spring cooked green par excellence. 

Other plants are victims of poor branding. Critical to the survival of monarch butterflies, milkweed is delicious when cooked. Jewelweed, native to wetlands, contains a sap which counteracts poison ivy, and its orange or yellow orchid-like flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Yet both plants have names which define them as undesirable. 

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Thursday, June 9, 2022

This week’s water news

lake champlain

Lake Champlain straddles an international border, a state border and is the focus of scores of government agencies, scientific researchers and nonprofit organizations.

It’s a big lake with a lot happening, but there’s a government plan for that. 

The Lake Champlain Basin Program – a federal program established to guide and fund research, restoration and protection of the lake – on Friday released the latest 5-year update to its guiding plan.

The plan outlined continued threats like high phosphorus levels, harmful algae blooms (HABs), toxic substances and pathogens, and aquatic invasive species. It championed the more than $20 million in grants to more than 600 groups and individuals the program has made to reduce pollution, educate the public, and research the lake and its health.

The new iteration will increase the focus on climate change impacts in the basin and seek to engage a more diverse group of stakeholders.

There’s plenty more happening on the water beat this time of year.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 9, 2022

Dr. Nicholas Muller lauded for dedicated community service

ESSEX, NY — The Essex Community Fund (ECF) at Adirondack Foundation today announces that Dr. H. Nicholas Muller III will receive the 2022 Francisca Irwin Award for Community Service. The name of the award honors Francisca “Frisky” Paine Irwin, who served as the fund’s first chair and recognizes the precedent she established for extended selfless service to benefit Essex.

Muller, the fourth recipient of the Irwin Community Service Award since it was established in 2019, is recognized for decades of service to his community. As part of the award, he will direct a $1,000 grant from the Essex Community Fund to High Peaks Hospice and Palliative Care. His name will be also added to a plaque that hangs in the Essex Town Office listing previous recipients Donna Sonnett, Sally Johnson and Ron Jackson.

“Dr. Muller, who we all know better as Nick, has been instrumental in the founding and success of ECF over many years,” said Norma Goff, current chair of Essex Community Fund. “He is now retired, and it is a pleasure to see him recognized for all his efforts, and have his name added to the special plaque.”

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Thursday, June 9, 2022

Adirondack Mountain Club receives grant for Phelps Trail project

Keene Valley, NY — ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) was awarded a $14,750 matching grant from the Environmental Protection Fund’s Park and Trail Partnership Grants program for sustainable trail rehabilitation on the Phelps Trail, one of the eastern approaches for Mt. Marcy. ADK will have to raise $1,807.20 in matching funds, for a total of $16,557.20. 

The grant is one of 27 awards totaling $900,000 for organizations dedicated to the stewardship and promotion of New York’s state parks and historic sites, trails, and public lands.

The grants will be matched with private and local funding and will support projects to strengthen Friends groups and enhance public access and recreational opportunities.

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Wednesday, June 8, 2022

DEC Seeks Public Comment on Plan for Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement in Herkimer County

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is seeking public comment on a draft recreation management plan (RMP) for the Three Lakes Tract Conservation Easement in the town of Webb, Herkimer County. The 3,350-acre Three Lakes Tract (TLT) is comprised of commercially managed forestland and is named for three waterbodies located on the property-Hitchcock, Grass, and Moose ponds. The RMP will address public recreational access and facilities consistent with the conservation easement.

The public comment period is open until July 1, 2022.

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Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Adirondack Park Fares Well in NYS Legislative Session

adirondack council new logoALBANY, N.Y. – The closing hours of the NYS Legislative Session saw three Adirondack Park Agency appointees confirmed by the Senate, including the first Black appointee, Benita Law-Diao.   The Legislature also approved important policy advances to curb the impacts of climate change, such as the commitment to protect 30% of New York’s forests by 2030.  None of the several proposed amendments to the NYS Constitution’s “forever wild” clause was approved.   
 “Overall, the Legislative Session provided some great victories for Adirondack wilderness, water, jobs and communities,” said Adirondack Council Executive Director William C. Janeway.  “It was great to see new Governor Kathy Hochul reaffirm her support for the Adirondacks and work with Legislative Leaders to achieve it.”  

Monday, June 6, 2022

Saranac Lake: Community events set for Invasive Species Awareness Week, June 6-12

lake flower boat stewards

New York’s Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) is Monday, June 6 through Sunday, June 12, with several community events planned in Saranac Lake.

ISAW is a statewide effort to promote public understanding of invasive species and increase knowledge on the impacts they have on our waterbodies and woodlands. Local events will take place on June 6 and 8 and are co-sponsored by the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) and The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP).
“Our Adirondack waterways, forests, and farmlands are important for recreation, economic sustainability, and basic ecosystem functions,” said AWI Deputy Director Zoë Smith. “The annual Invasive Species Awareness Week is a chance for people learn about protecting our beloved lakes, rivers and forests from invasive species that threaten our environment and cause irreparable harm.”

Monday, June 6, 2022

New York Invasive Species Awareness Week is June 6 -12

The mission of the New York Invasive Species Awareness Week (NYISAW) is to promote knowledge and understanding of invasive species and the harm they can cause. We want to empower YOU to stop the spread of invasive species!

Organizations across all of New York State are offering a variety of engaging events, such as interpretive hikes, volunteer days, webinars, movie screenings, and fun family activities!

By participating in NYISAW, you can help protect your community’s natural spaces, learn about new invasive species, meet your neighbors, get outdoors, and even win prizes!

Find events near you!

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Monday, June 6, 2022

Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species film screening set for June 8

A viewing of the film, Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species, will be hosted at the Hotel Saranac on Wednesday, June 8th at 6:30 p.m. The Great Hall Bar will be open and experts will be on hand to introduce the film and discuss local actions.

Co-sponsored by Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute and the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, and developed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the documentary is a professionally produced 60-minute film about the threat invasive species pose to food systems, water, public health, and ecosystems in New York State. See the trailer.

The event is part of New York’s Invasive Species Awareness Week, June 6-12. For more information, visit adkwatershed.org and adkinvasives.com.

Photo at top provided by Zoë Smith, Deputy Director for Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute.

 


Sunday, June 5, 2022

Gov. Hochul announces largest number of new solar projects to date

solar panels

22 large-scale projects will power more than 620,000 New York homes

Governor Kathy Hochul announced awards for 22 large-scale solar and energy storage projects that will deliver enough clean, affordable energy to power over 620,000 New York homes for at least 20 years. As the state’s largest land-based renewable energy procurement to date, these projects will spur over $2.7 billion in private investment and create over 3,000 short- and long-term jobs across the state. The awards accelerate progress to exceed New York’s goal to obtain 70 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 on the path to a zero-emission grid by 2040 as required by Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. These awards will strengthen the state’s current pipeline of renewables to power over 66 percent of New York’s electricity from renewable sources.

The 22 large-scale renewable energy projects by region are:

» Continue Reading.


Friday, June 3, 2022

Trees for a Changing Climate

My ex-wife gave me a shirt that reads “Change is Good. You Go First” when our divorce was finalised, a much-appreciated bit of humour in the midst of a challenging time. It’s hard to find the mirth in some changes, especially when we don’t have a say in them. Climate change is a good example.

Global temperatures are rising at an ever-increasing rate. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe with time, and no amount of denial will make it go away. We have to learn to roll with this one. We can’t stop climate change tomorrow, but we can “trick” it by updating the kinds of trees we consider for home and community planting. A warmer world affects trees in a myriad ways: Record wet seasons like in 2013, 2017, and 2019 allow normally weak foliar pathogens to spread and flourish, becoming primary agents of mortality.

» Continue Reading.



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