Several typically restricted Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties will be open to the public from Saturday, August 11, through Sunday, August 26, 2018.
Portions of these WMAs are marked as “Refuge” or “Wetlands Restricted Area” to allow waterfowl and other listed species to breed and raise young without interference from people. » Continue Reading.
Cycle Adirondacks, in partnership with Adirondack Foundation and the Cloudsplitter Foundation, have announced they are seeding and raising funds for community generated projects in Speculator, Inlet and North Creek as part of its CycleADK Gives program.
The three communities will serve as overnight hosts for CycleADK’s 2018 Ultimate Cycling Vacation, which will draw over 230 cyclists from across United States and Canada to the Adirondacks from August 18-24 for a weeklong bicycle tour highlighted by free community entertainment each evening of the event. » Continue Reading.
The word hero is often tossed around loosely, but when it comes to wounded soldiers, no one argues that it’s fitting — so what does it say about someone else when wounded soldiers call them heroes? Consider American women during World War I. Although many wanted to, they didn’t have to serve because of their sex, and could support the troops by important actions at home. But some chose to place themselves near the front lines, and with no weapons to defend themselves. Their only protection came from nebulous agreements by both sides not to bomb hospitals and care centers.
That’s what nurses did, risking their lives to comfort, save the lives of, or ease the deaths of, soldiers. Which explains why so many wounded men referred to nurses as the real heroes. A fine example of that circumstance, with an unusual twist or two, involved Ruth Williams of Ogdensburg. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its monthly meeting at its headquarters in Ray Brook, NY on Thursday, August 9th, 2018.
The meeting will address Town of Caroga’s Approved Local Land Use Program’s zoning ordinance; expansion Lake George Riverview RV Park; State Land reclassifications involving the Gore Mountain Intensive Ski Area, and more. In the afternoon, the Board will tour Mt. Van Hoevenburg Olympic Sports Complex (the public is invited).
What follows is the agenda issued by the APA: » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. » Continue Reading.
Tickets are now available for the Depot Theatre’s Boquet River Theatre Festival (BRTF) 2018 performances.
Created in 1993, the BRTF is an organization that was designed to provide young people with theatrical training and experience. The Depot Theatre in Westport took BRTF on as its signature education and outreach program beginning this year. Each summer, BRTF features both junior (ages 8-12) and senior (ages 12 and up) programs that culminate in theatrical performances held at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall. » Continue Reading.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the State has purchased 180 acres of land to add to the Washington County Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The $326,000 land acquisition, located along Plum Road and County Route 46 in the town of Fort Edward, will increase the amount of grassland habitat protected in the WMA to 466 acres.
The Washington County Grasslands WMA is home to more than 100 bird and animal species, including wintering snowy owls and state endangered short-eared owls. The area also provides critical habitat to 10 of the 11 grassland bird “species of greatest conservation need,” including Northern harriers, upland sandpipers, Eastern meadowlarks, horned larks, and American kestrels. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack History Museum celebrated the grand opening of its “Hiking the Adirondack High Peaks” exhibit on July 20 with over 130 people attending a ribbon cutting and reception.
Museum staff and volunteers spent over 1,000 hours developing the exhibit. The interactive permanent display explores High Peak’s hiking history dating back to the mid-19th century. The exhibit highlights the work of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers, hiking pioneers, old time guides, and other historic and contemporary figures, such as Adirondack 46ers historian and founding member Grace Hudowalski. » Continue Reading.
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that they are now accepting applications for federally funded “Volunteer Fire Assistance” grants. The deadline for applications is August 10.
The Volunteer Fire Assistance grant program is funded by the U.S. Forest Service and administered by DEC Forest Rangers. If awarded, fire departments receive 50/50 matching funds up to $1,500. Last year, the program provided $1,500 grants to 319 fire departments. DEC received a federal appropriation of $514,215 for 2018. » Continue Reading.
Protect the Adirondacks is hosting a Canoe-In for Motorless Waters on Weller Pond on Saturday, August 18, 2018. PROTECT is aiming to get 100 canoes and kayaks in a flotilla of protest calling for state action to make Weller Pond and Little Weller Pond motorless waters.
The protest is starting at 10 am. People who plan to attend should register online. Boat rentals are available in the area.
“Weller Pond and Little Weller Pond should be managed by the State of New York as a quiet waters area, made off-limits to motorized watercraft and only accessible by non-motorized vessels. These ponds should be managed by state agencies as a quiet and beautiful refuge and respite among the heavily motorized and extremely popular Saranac Lakes Chain,” Peter Bauer, executive director of Protect the Adirondacks, said in an announcement sent to the press.
PROTECT issued the following list of reasons why the Weller Ponds should be motorless: » Continue Reading.
In 2018 Tupper Lake Tinman participants contributed $312,650 in direct spending to the region according to a survey sponsored by the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST). One of the longest-running triathlons in the U.S., the race celebrated its 36th year with a field of 504 athletes on June 23.
The survey was distributed to this year’s race participants via email and by a notification in their race packet. » Continue Reading.
Adirondack Lakes Alliance (ALA) will present new initiatives to address road salt use, contamination issues and remediation efforts at their 4th Annual Symposium from 9 to 3:30 on August 8 at Paul Smith’s College, Joan Weill Student Center.
Venetia Lannon, New York State’s Deputy Secretary for the Environment, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s conference. She will speak about strategies the State is implementing to help protect water quality.
In addition to Lannon, Dan Kelting, PhD, of Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) will provide an overview of a newly-completed scientific study conducted by AWI with AdkAction and The FUND for Lake George on wells contaminated by road salt and issues unique to the Adirondack Park. » Continue Reading.
If freshwater insects did senior superlatives before graduating from aquatic life, what would yearbook entries say about dobsonflies? Largest? Most ferocious? Most likely to change names? Most likely to bite a human? Or to be used as fish bait? Or to be confused with a centipede?
All of these superlatives apply to larval hellgrammites – insects that, upon emerging from the water, promptly change names to become dobsonflies. These fascinating predators spend their larval stage eating other invertebrates, including other hellgrammites. They’re equipped with impressive mandibles that can open wider than the width of their own heads and can handily crunch through the tough exoskeletons of most insects. An occasional angler has learned the hard way that the mandibles of larger hellgrammites are quite capable of penetrating human skin. » Continue Reading.
Wet ‘n Wild is set to return to Lake Placid’s Olympic Jumping Complex, Wednesday, Aug. 8, with aerials, ski jumping and two special Nordic events; a 100 meter sprint and an agility course featuring Norway’s Ludvig Søgnen Jensen and American Andy Newell.
Wednesday’s show begins at 1 pm with an aerials display featuring freestyle and aerial athletes launching up to 40-feet into the air where they execute a series of spins, twists and flips before splashing down in the 750,000-gallon pool. » Continue Reading.
The Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is bringing science and nature together for a one day nature fair at their Keene Valley, New York office. Though a lot of the Nature Conservancy’s hard work is behind the scenes, the August 9 celebration is an opportunity for the staff to showcase their specialties and demonstrate how they continue to work to support communities and nature.
According to Associate Director of Philanthropy Erin Walkow, the idea for a nature fair sounded like the perfect way to connect the public with all the different departments within The Nature Conservancy. » Continue Reading.
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