Changes
Broken by brief rain
dull heat disappears
tail between its clouds
I recall late-August
mornings as a child
dressing by the fire
Oatmeal bubbled thick
in big blackened pot
Mountains unmoved
since we went to bed
Clouds now crest them
heavily like a toddler
riding your shoulders
The Lake Placid Land Conservancy and Antioch University New England are cohosting a “Socially Distant BioBlitz” on Sunday, April 5.
The BioBlitz is a way of documenting biodiversity through recording plants, animals, fungi and other organisms within a 24 hour time period at a location of your choice. Any living organism can be included, just snap a photo and upload it using your Inaturalist account, a free app available through major phone platforms. There is no time commitment to this event, so take as many photos as you want and upload them any time, day or night, on the 5th. LPLC is cohosting this event with other conservation partners throughout New York and New England.
Learn more about the event and sign up by clicking here.
(Photo courtesy of the Lake Placid Land Conservancy)
The Adirondack Council and Essex Farm Institute have recently updated its micro-grant program to allow farmers, value-added producers and food pantries to apply for COVID-19 related emergency funding during this grant cycle.
In the midst of new and unforeseen challenges to the local food system, the aim is to help mitigate some of those
challenges. This means there are now two types of grant applications for up to $5,000:
The grant application deadline has been extended until April 7.
See a full list of past micro-grant recipients.
Reach out if you have any questions. Jackie Bowen at microgrants@adirondackcouncil.org
Racey Henderson, Program Director, Essex Farm Institute at essexfarminstitute@adirondackcouncil.org
The Lake George Music Festival Alumni Association presents the “Quarantine Concert Series,” taking place Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays through April. Concerts start at 7 p.m., streaming live at https://www.facebook.com/lakegeorgemusicfestival/
For two weeks each August, the Lake George Music Festival hosts a series of live chamber music and orchestra concerts, open rehearsals, pre-performance workshops, and exciting special events. Set for August 9-21, the festival so far remains unaffected by this unprecedented situation.
Report and update from NYS DEC on the moose that was seen running at large through the City of Plattsburgh last week:
On March 23, a report came into DEC regarding a moose that had been observed in the City of Plattsburgh. On March 25, DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officer (ECO) Buffa was checking fishermen at the mouth of the Saranac River in the City of Plattsburgh when he witnessed the moose running through the area. Clinton County ECOs responded to the scene along with DEC Region 5’s Wildlife Unit staff to formulate a plan of capture.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., the moose ran into a residential yard and fell into an inground pool. The response team acted quickly and was able to safely tranquilize the cow moose. ECOs, wildlife staff, State Police, Plattsburgh City Police, and SUNY Police assisted in removing the moose from the pool and loaded it into a trailer to be transported out of the area.
Paul Schaefer
Thirty-three years ago, that champion of the Adirondack wilderness, Paul Schaefer, then aged 78, first introduced me to his Adirondack library. Among the first volumes he brought to my attention – because he valued it and had read it repeatedly since he was a younger man – was the transcript of the 1894 New York State Constitutional Convention in Albany – the one that, after weeks of debate, by vote of 122-0 approved the “forever wild” provision protective of the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserve.
Missing the lakes and mountains and your favorite towns in between?
Why not kick it like it’s 1999 and take a tour of web cams posted throughout the Park!
Here’s a random sampling of various locations across the Adirondacks. Let us know which ones we left out by posting a comment below.
After 21 years of pioneering work as North Country Public Radio’s first Adirondack bureau chief, Brian Mann has been recruited to a new position at NPR. He’ll work first to help the network cover the COVID-19 crisis and will then serve as the network’s first full-time correspondent focused on addiction-related issues.
“This is obviously a heartbreaking, challenging moment,” Mann said. “I look forward to helping NPR tell stories that really help people.”
Cathy S. Dove, president of Paul Smith’s College, has announced she will retire on Sept. 30, 2020.
“This has been a tremendously challenging decision and one that I’ve made solely for personal reasons,” said Dove, who plans to relocate closer to family in the fall. “I’m truly honored to have had the opportunity to work alongside such wonderful people. Paul Smith’s has a bright future and I look forward to remaining connected and helping however I can through this transition and beyond.”
The Adirondack Center for Writing offers a two-week residency annually in October to poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. Named for the late, iconic Adirondack author, this intimate gathering takes place at a lodge on Twitchell Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. Six writers are selected, with half of the spaces reserved for regional authors. The other spaces are open to writers from all over the world.
$30 application fee. This residency is free to selected applicants. Please read through the info page and application requirements before submitting work: https://adirondackcenterforwriting.org/what-we-do/events-programs/residency/.
Anne LaBastille Memorial Writers Residency key dates
Applications open: April 16-May 27
Residency: October 4-18, 2020
Sienna College Research Institute released its latest poll findings today. Among them:
The poll was conducted March 22-26, 2020 by telephone calls conducted in English to 566 New York State registered voters. Sampling was conducted via a stratified dual frame probability sample of both landline and cell phone telephone numbers.
Here in the northeast we saw a lot of monarch butterflies, both adults and caterpillars, in the summer and fall of 2019, more than have been seen for many years.
That produced surprise and enthusiasm among observers, and the many sightings raised hopes that the 20-year decline in monarch numbers had slowed or even reversed.
But World Wildlife Fund-Mexico recently released the official count for this winter, and it showed a significant decline, not an increase; less than half as many butterflies were seen in Mexico this winter compared to the previous winter. What happened? Why didn’t the numerous monarchs we saw throughout our region increase the abundance of the overall population?
Getting information about what’s happening in your community is essential during any crisis, including the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Because of that, we at the Almanack encourage you to submit press releases, news tips and any other information about important things happening in your community.
Has your Farmer’s Market made changes to make it safer during the pandemic like the one in Saranac Lake, where you can now pick up your groceries in your car? Do you have a program that will help small businesses in your community? Came across a list of restaurants still open for business in your area you’d like to share? If so, let us know by sending us an email to editor@adirondackalmanack.com.
In addition, we encourage you to submit stories about how you’re getting through the crisis individually.
We’re here to help you get the word out. Send us an email at editor@adirondackalmanack.com
I’ve heard it said that there are ten million times more viruses on Earth than there are stars in the universe; maybe more. And that scientists estimate that, at any given moment, there are more than a billion viruses present on earth. » Continue Reading.
A survey conducted recently by ArtsNYS, a leading non-profit organization advocating for the arts, revealed that several arts and cultural organizations throughout New York State have a drastic need for funding, according to a press release. The survey represented 35 out of 62 Counties, a majority of which were upstate. ArtsNYS is seeking an additional $40 million in capital funding for arts organizations in the New York State budget. Many of the groups, “are small to mid-size groups that do not have the capacity necessarily to apply for capital funds through the Regional Economic Development Council,” said Stephen Butler, co-president of ArtsNYS and Executive Director of CNY Arts in the release.
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