Rensselaer County

Three events are scheduled for the near future that should be of interest to many living on or around the Rennselaer Plateau.

Trail Vision Meeting Tuesday June 23:   The 118,000 acre (or roughly 184 square mile) Rennselaer Plateau is the fifth largest contiguous forested region in New York State and is an ideal area for a trail network. On Tuesday June 23 the RPA will host a public meeting at 6 pm at the Sand Lake Town Hall to present and discuss the results of the first phase of planning for a trail network on the plateau. The first phase of planning included multiple public and targeted interest-group sessions to gather input for the project. Come to learn about the results and to suggest ideas for Phase II of the project. Registration is not required.

Land Use Planning Workshop Wed. June 24:  This is a workshop for municipal planning board members or anyone who wants a better understanding of the ecology of the Plateau or the use of the detailed ecological maps developed for the RP Regional Conservation Plan. Learn about the significant natural areas on the plateau for forests, water and wildlife and how they benefit our communities and how ecological maps and conservation principles can inform planning. Planning board members will get self-certification forms for four hours of municipal training credit. The workshop will be from 5 to 9:30 pm at the Sand Lake Town Hall. There is a $12 registration cost which includes dinner. Please register by contacting Lea Stickle at 845-758-7053 or lstickle@bard.edu. This project is presented in partnership with the Hudson River Estuary Program, NYS DEC, Cornell University and Hudsonia Ltd. It is funded by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the Hudson River Estuary Program of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.

Reading the Forested Landscape with Tom Wessels, Sunday June 28:  Based on his popular book, “Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England,” Tom Wessels introduces people to approaches used to interpret a forest’s history while wandering through it. Using evidence such as the shapes of trees, scars on their trunks, the pattern of decay in stumps, the construction of stone walls, and the lay of the land, it is possible to unravel complex stories etched into our forested landscape.  This process could easily be called forest forensics, since it is quite similar to interpreting a crime scene.  The program will take place from 10 am to 2 pm at Pineridge Cross Country Ski Area and costs $45. Registration is required at www.rensselaerplateau.org. Click on Events.

There are many other exciting events scheduled that may be of interest to you. Keep informed of what’s going on with RPA, more than 30 Alliance organizations and a wide range of other groups by checking out our new data-base driven calendar of events at http://www.rensselaerplateau.org/events