Tag Archive for "Essex County" - The Adirondack Almanack

Food Shelf representative receives donation check

Jay, NY – Every year, Ward Lumber matches donations made at its stores up to $2,000 in support of local charities. This year, customers at the Jay location donated $1,383.96 from rounded up transactions. After the match, Ward Lumber in Jay was able to donate $2,383.96, split between the town of Jay Food Shelf and the Jay Wilmington Ecumenical Food Shelf. Both organizations provide critical support to community members who need it most.

At Ward Lumber in Malone, a total of $1,262.92 was donated to Homeward Bound, a charity focused on helping veterans in our communities by supporting them and their families. They provide a range of services, including PTSD support, crisis outreach, rides to medical appointments, and housing assistance.

In addition to monetary donations, coats were accepted by Ward Lumber for its Benjamin Moore Coat Drive to support the non-profit organization, Families First of Essex County. The local charity collected the coats throughout the holiday season as it strives to provide support and services to families where a child might be struggling at home or school.

Photo at top: Don Morrison from the Jay Wilmington Ecumenical Food Shelf receives a check for $1,191.98 from Liz Johnson, a Customer Service Associate at Ward Lumber in Jay, NY. Photo provided by CJ Young, Ward Lumber Operations Manager.

Monday, December 19, 2022

Free Supporting Healthy Families Program for Parents/Caregivers of Washington, Warren, and Essex Counties

Every parent at one time or another has questions and concerns about discipline and healthy eating for their growing children. Have you ever worried about what and how much your child is eating? Do you have a “picky eater” in your home? Are you dealing with challenging behaviors, and are at a loss at what to do?

Join educators from Cornell Cooperative Extension for the Supporting Healthy Families Program beginning Thursday, January 26, 2023 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. This five-week program combines tried and true basic parenting tools with healthy lifestyle skills. It is a unique opportunity for parents/caregivers to learn how to foster healthy relationships while learning about discipline and nutrition. Pre-registration is requested by January 19, 2023 to receive the Zoom link. Essex County residents can contact Samantha Davis at (518) 962-4810 or smd242@cornell.edu. For Warren and Washington County residents, please contact Roxanne Westcott at (518) 668-4881 or rmw38@cornell.edu.

This program is made possible with support from the Adirondack Foundation Generous Acts Grant and the Hudson Headwaters Health Foundation’s Upstream Fund.

Photo at top: Flickr photo.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Tahawus Center Invites Local Artists to Submit Designs for “The Mural Project: A Sense of Place”

The Tahawus Center has announced a Winter Call for Outdoor Mural Proposals for a new project, “The Mural Project: A Sense of Place.” The mural project is a year-long public art project that will be done using a Trompe-l’œil [highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface] Adirondack-themed image; real, surreal, and imagined. The Call for Proposals kicked off this month, and is intended to reach local landscape artists, encouraging them to submit their ideas and sample work. Two potential walls are located between Tahawus and the new Ausable Theater.

Monday, November 21, 2022

Town of North Elba awards more than $600,000 to several local organizations

LAKE PLACID, NY – The Town of North Elba is awarding more than $600,000 to several local organizations through its North Elba Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund (LEAF).

Projects that will receive LEAF funding were submitted by the following organizations: Adirondack Film Society, Adirondack Rail Trail Association, Adirondack Sports Council, Essex County Industrial Development Agency, Homestead Development Corp., John Brown Lives!, LPSA, Inc., Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute, Saranac Lake Civic Center, Inc., and the Town of North Elba.

LEAF grants are available to nonprofits, local governments and public sector organizations within the Town of North Elba. This is the fourth round of grants made available to local organizations since the program’s inception in 2020.

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Adirondack Land Trust Hosting Free Info Session on Conservation Easements and Farm Operations, Nov. 15

WHALLONSBURG – The Adirondack Land Trust is hosting a free informational session for farmland owners on Tuesday, November 15 at 6 p.m. at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall, located at 1610 NY-22, Essex, NY. The event, “How do conservation easements impact farm operations?” features the following panelists:

· James Graves, Owner/Operator, Full and By Farm, Essex

· Alice Halloran, Essex County Soil & Water Conservation District

· Jeff Kehoe, Ag Protection Planner, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets

· Ashlee Kleinhammer, Proprietor, North Country Creamery

· Megan Stevenson, Land Protection Manager, Adirondack Land Trust

Friday, October 28, 2022

Planning for Thanksgiving: Buying a turkey from a local farm/retailer

by Mary Godnick

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Have you considered buying a local turkey for your Thanksgiving meal this year? Buying a pasture-raised turkey from a local farm is one way to offer gratitude for the people and land that nourish your family. Locally raised turkeys are also usually raised in more humane conditions, and are much more flavorful and delicious. Most local farms and retailers require customers to pre-order and place a deposit on their turkeys in advance, generally from September-October. Browse the list below to reserve a local turkey for your Thanksgiving table.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism Conducts Local Tourism Impact Survey

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LAKE PLACID, NY – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is seeking feedback from residents and business owners within Essex and Hamilton counties, along with the villages of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake regarding their perception of how tourism affects the region.

The survey will capture business owners’ and residents’ perceptions and opinions about a number of topics as they relate to tourism within the region. It seeks to better understand sentiment regarding tourism-related activities and impacts that contribute positively to the local economy and social environment within the region, along with topics that may be a source of concern.

Saturday, August 20, 2022

North Country CC to offer EMT, Wastewater Management training this fall

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SARANAC LAKE – North Country Community College will provide training this fall for two important and in-demand career opportunities in the region.

The college is once again offering New York State Emergency Medical Technician classes as part of an effort to address a shortage of emergency medical service workers in the North Country. Classes will take place in Malone and Saranac Lake this fall, and in Ticonderoga in the spring.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

ROOST Releases 2021 Leisure Travel Study Results

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LAKE PLACID, NY – The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has released the results of its 2021 Leisure Travel Study, which analyzes non-business travel to Lake Placid, Essex and Hamilton counties, along with the adjacent communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake.

The leisure travel study is conducted each year to identify travel trends, gauge the impact of marketing initiatives and implement data-driven decisions.

“We base our marketing decisions on available data, insights and trends so that we can optimize results,” said James McKenna, CEO, Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. “This survey continues to provide information that allows us to better understand leisure travelers in our region.”

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Adirondack Route 73 Shuttle Season Starts July 9 in High Peaks

by NYS DEC

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On Tuesday, July 5, 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, July 9. 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 weekends and holidays through Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. New this year, additional runs on select weekends in August and October will be piloted from Frontier Town Gateway in North Hudson.

“The Route 73 hiker shuttle provides a valuable resource to visitors of the High Peaks region, allowing safe access to preferred trails while helping to mitigate public safety and environmental concerns related to crowded roadside parking,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “This shuttle system is another excellent example of visitor use management actions that benefit visitors, local communities, and our natural resources. I appreciate our partners in the town of Keene, Essex County, and ROOST who worked with us to develop and implement the service again this year.”

Monday, May 23, 2022

The Hyde Collection Announces 31st Annual High School Juried Art Show & Showcases Winners

Best of Show: Kyla McByrne, Queensbury High School, “Sticky Situation,” acrylic painting.

The Hyde Collection is excited to announce its 31st Annual High School Juried Art Show showcasing the artistic talent of young artists from Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton, and Essex counties. This year’s high school artists employ diverse media, including drawing, painting, digital illustration, photography, jewelry, sculpture, and ceramics. The Hyde Collection is honored to
support promising young artists and students in the capital region.

“The High School Juried Art Show is an amazing opportunity for area high school student artists to learn and experience the finer points of a professional competitive exhibition process. As one of the nation’s longest-running high school juried shows, we are proud to continue providing this opportunity for our region’s amazing young artists,” said The Hyde Collection’s Director of Curatorial Affairs, Jonathan Canning.

In an extensive jurying process, judges selected 100 pieces of artwork for the exhibition from 443 submissions from 182 students in 13 schools. The entries were judged by a panel of jurors featuring three professional artists from our region: Anne Diggory, Doretta Miller, and Victoria van der Lann, each of whom has a work in The Hyde’s permanent collection.

Winners were announced May 7 at the opening reception, attended by 170 people in The Helen Froehlich Auditorium. Awards were given to the artwork in categories of Best of Show, Curator’s Award, Juror’s Awards, and Honorable Mentions. The Visitor’s Choice Award will be awarded at the conclusion of the exhibition. All winners received a $250 scholarship for an art class at SUNY Adirondack and every student artist received a prize pack.

Saturday, May 14, 2022

Banding birds at the Crown Point Banding Station in Essex County

by Gary Lee

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I’m writing this from the Ticonderoga Public Library as I’m at the Crown Point Banding Station for two weeks banding birds. We’ve had nets up for four days and banded several birds but very few warblers, including two species of Warbler Palm and Yellow Warbler. Some Yellow Rumped Warblers have been seen in the area, but we have caught none.

Normally we catch more of these than any other bird, but not in the last couple years. Typically, it is a competition between them and American Goldfinch. We have caught several Goldfinch, but Blue Jays are ahead on the leaderboard by far and it doesn’t look like they will be beaten. Still another week and a half to go. These next few hot, sunny days aren’t very good days for catching birds as they fly right over the banding station heading north without stopping.

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Adirondack Harvest Festival returns Sept. 24, vendors and volunteers needed

Festival enthusiasts are encouraged to save the date for this year’s Adirondack Harvest Festival which will return to its traditional, one-day, in-person format at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, NY on Saturday, September 24, 2022. The crowd-pleasing, family-friendly event is free and will follow the same format as past festivals. This year’s festival will feature a large farmers’ market, local food trucks, a beer tent, live music, demonstrations and talks, plenty of kids’ activities, farm animals, and much more.

Adirondack Harvest Festival organizers are actively seeking event sponsors, vendors, speakers and volunteers to make this community event possible a reality for generations to come. Those who wish to lend a hand at any of the above roles are encouraged to read more below.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

Essex County reaps rewards of shared services projects that save taxpayers money

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Essex County and its partner municipalities have received a total of $146,693 in state matching funds via the County-Wide Shared Services Initiative (CWSSI). During this fiscal year, the CWSSI is providing a 95 percent state match of taxpayer savings achieved through the implementation of new shared services identified in county-wide plans produced as a result of the Initiative. In 2018, Essex County and its municipal partners identified ways to consolidate services and save taxpayer money through government efficiencies in services and centralized programs.

“Here in New York, we are working hard on making government more efficient to better serve the public and achieve taxpayer savings,” said Acting Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “Through the County-Wide Shared Initiatives, Essex County worked with several municipalities to streamline information technology and community planning services that will bring positive results and ongoing savings for its residents for years to come.”

The shared services projects that were implemented are as follows:

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Help out your local farms

by Racey Henderson

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In the Adirondacks we are fortunate to have a growing number of small local farms to supply us with fresh, safe, and healthy food.

It is more important then ever during the COVID-19 crises to support the growing number of small farms that rely on the community to remain viable.

If you wish to join the Adirondack Council’s Essex Farm Institute in continuing to help local farmers, below are some suggestions of how you can give your support: