RAY BROOK, NY – The Adirondack Park Agency is accepting public comment on projects currently under review. The public is encouraged to go to the Agency’s website found at www.apa.ny.gov and click the Public Comment and Hearing Opportunities link in the News & Activities information box.
The link will direct the public to the Request for Public Comment page where more information is located. In addition, the public will find an option to electronically submit a comment for the posted projects.
The governing boards of the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation (ALSC) and the Ausable River Association (AsRA) announced that on January 1, 2023, the proposed merger between the two organizations had been finalized. Former ALSC Program Manager Phil Snyder has joined AsRA full-time, bringing extensive field science and laboratory experience to AsRA’s efforts in the Ausable watershed and to watershed throughout the Adirondack Park. Snyder serves as field research manager for the pilot of SCALE – the collaborative Survey of Climate Change in Adirondack Lake Ecosystems.
Sustainable clothing includes items which are produced in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way from start to finish – from design, to materials/production, to store, to the consumer.
ADIRONDACKS – Forest Pest Hunter volunteer Bill Widrig has reported more than 300 forest pest survey observations, and he isn’t done yet. Widrig was among the first to join the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s Forest Pest Hunters effort when it began in 2021.
“Our property on the lake has old growth hemlock, some over 200 years old, that are very special to us,” Widrig said. “As hemlock woolly adelgid is a threat to these trees and all other hemlocks in the Northeast, I felt that I could not in good conscience just stand by and do nothing to help stop the spread of this pest.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul in her State of the State policies promised $500 million in clean water infrastructure funding.
A book offering more details about the proposal, which will be fleshed out even more when Hochul presents her budget in the coming weeks, said she planned to establish “community assistance teams” to work with small municipalities on advancing projects.
Those teams “will provide proactive outreach to small, rural, and disadvantaged communities, and assist with accessing financial assistance to address their clean water infrastructure needs.” That assistance could be critical to many North Country communities, which often struggle to garner funding through key state water programs.
Plow drivers from Peru, Ausable, Plattsburgh and Hague gathered recently in Peru for a workshop to reduce road salt. Thank you to these communities and individuals for going the extra mile to keep winter roads safe and water clean.
All are welcome to join the DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program’s free virtual Women in Science winter speaker series. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and learn from scientists, community leaders, and environmental educators who work at the intersection of research, education, and environmental and social justice. Guests will also have a chance to engage in discussions about data literacy, sea level rise and sediment accumulation, wetland restoration, oysters, and field-based research.
Interested parties can choose to attend one or more of the following sessions: January 19, January 26, February 2, or February 9. All sessions run from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
To register for the winter speaker series, click here.
Bolton Landing, NY – The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) is pleased to report that for the second time they have exceeded the $300,000 Challenge for the Future of Lake George presented by Manning and Virginia Rowan Smith.
This fantastic feat was reached thanks to 35 individuals who pledged to provide support to the LGLC in their estate planning. As a result, the Smiths have donated $300,000 to the Virginia Rowan Smith Endowment Fund, which provides annual support for important land conservation projects in the watershed.
The Challenge was presented to encourage those who support the protection of Lake George to join LGLC’s Land and Water Society through a pledge of planned giving. The LGLC’s legacy giving program has grown to 154 members.
New York State’s Climate Action Council (Council) Co-Chairs, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) President and CEO Doreen M. Harris, today announced the approval and adoption of the New York State Climate Action Council Scoping Plan (leaves DEC website), which outlines recommended policies and actions to help meet the goals and requirements of the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). After a 19-3 vote by the Council during a meeting on Dec. 19, 2022, the Scoping Plan is available to the public and will be submitted to the Governor and the State Legislature by Jan. 1, 2023. This critical milestone represents the culmination of over three years of collaboration, including contributions from the Council’s Advisory Panels and Working Groups, since the enactment of the Climate Act in 2019.
Lake Placid, NY — ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) has been awarded a $80,709 Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP) grant for septic system replacements at the Adirondak Loj.
Hosting the busiest trailhead in New York State, the Adirondak Loj is an important focal point for over 100,000 annual visitors as they come to experience the Heart Lake Program Center and explore the surrounding High Peaks Wilderness. For over 90 years, ADK has provided overnight accommodations, information, and other services at the Loj that have helped create a welcoming experience for visitors to the Adirondack Park.
The Northern Forest Center has announced the next webinar in their Building the New Forest Future series, Ensuring Climate Resilience, which will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 17 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Expert panelists will examine what communities can do today to ready themselves for environmental changes. Registration is free, but is required in order to participate in the webinar.
About the webinar:
Every community faces different pressures when it comes to our uncertain climate future. From flooding and drought to an influx of climate migrants, we will hear about ways communities can plan and prepare to face these changes. We will hear from communities that have already done this preparation and organizations that are leading the way. Speakers to be announced.
By the Numbers – Homes and Businesses
We use energy in our homes every day; lots of energy. According to the United States Department of Energy, 40% of the energy consumed in the United States goes to powering our homes and commercial buildings.
We use energy to keep rooms at comfortable temperatures, to provide lighting, and to heat water. We also use energy to cook food and to power our phones, computers, games, and appliances.
By the Numbers – Transportation
Even though Americans account for just 4.23% of the global population, with nearly 291-million registered vehicles, the U.S.A. is home to almost a quarter of the world’s cars. American motorists drive more than 3-trillion miles annually, and the Federal Highway Administration expects that number to grow by 22%, by 2049.
A request from the Ausable River Association (AsRA) for $2 million was included in the 2023 Federal Omnibus Bill, signed into law last week by President Biden. AsRA’s request was shepherded through the appropriations process, through subcommittee review and approval, by Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. These funds will help build flood resilience, protect water quality, and restore stream health in the Town of Jay. They will advance critical river restoration projects detailed in the East Branch Ausable River Restoration Plan and expand the Plan, which currently includes the Town of Jay, to include the upstream half of the East Branch in the Town of Keene.
The Town of Keene is creating a Green Graveyard as part of the expansion of its Norton Cemetery. This is believed to be the first significant Green burial ground in the Adirondacks.
The Town Board voted unanimously Tuesday Dec. 13 to embrace the new plan, beginning with burials in 2023. » Continue Reading.
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Follow that Quacking: Observing 75 Mallards and one Black Duck in Inlet
Things at Eight Acre Wood look about the same as they did last week, with only an inch of new snow to make the landscape white. That shows the critters who have been wandering around the yard. [Some of these include] several deer, a coyote, a fisher, a mink, an otter, a snowshoe hare, one turkey, several varieties of mice, a pine marten, a couple red squirrels, a flying squirrel, ravens, crows, and a Bald Eagle stopped by for a snack on the dam. Most of them also got caught on one of my trail cameras, as many of them are night travelers. In all my hikes, I thought I might even see a bear track, but I guess they are smarter than that. There is nothing for them to eat right now, so they better stay napping.
» Continue Reading.