The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Rensselaer County

Cherry Plain State Park To Host Winter Fun Day

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Cherry Plain is a hidden gem for many campers in upstate New York, but few explore its beauty in the Winter. On Saturday, February 21, the Friends of Cherry Plain State Park (FCP) will host Winter Fun Day, a free event to bring the Capital Region out to this picturesque park. The event will be based at the Cherry Plain State Park entrance on Miller Road in Cherry Plain, New York from 10 am to 3 pm.

Volunteers will host snowshoe hikes and cross-country ski treks.  A Winter Adventure at 11am and an Animal Tracking outing at 1:30 pm will be featured. Members of the FCP will be on-hand throughout the day to direct and guide small parties ready to head out into the various areas of the adjacent Capital District Wildlife Management Area.

Free snowshoe demos will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The park has snowy hillsides for kids to enjoy, and the park will offer kids’ craft activities indoors when they need to warm up.

There will be a bonfire, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and marshmallows for roasting. Participants are invited to bring their own potluck dish to share at this community-spirited day. You will meet some wonderful people and have a chance to explore this special park during a quieter time of year.   Participants are also encouraged to dress warmly and bring along their outdoor gear for a day of adventuring.

FCP thanks the Town of Berlin for plowing a loop near the park entrance to provide parking.  However, as parking will be in short supply, everyone is encouraged to car-pool when possible.

Join us for this free outdoor event close to home! For further information or offers to help at the event, please call Fran Egbert at 674-3214. You may also call Grafton Lakes State Park’s Naturalist for more event information at 279-1155.

Woods Forum Scheduled For February 25

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Did you know that the Rensselaer Plateau is the fifth largest forest in New York State, and that it is 90% forested, and that those forests are 90% privately owned?

Whether its two, 20 or 200 acres, do you love your land and value your woods?  Then attend a Woods Forum conducted by the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance (RPA) on Wednesday, February 25 at 7 pm at the Poestenkill Town Hall (38 Davis Drive, Poestenkill, NY).

Join fellow woodland owners and forestry professionals for a discussion on how to maintain the value of your woods for timber harvesting, recreation, wildlife and for future generations.   Discuss how to care for your woods today and plan for its future.  Talk with and hear about the experiences of other landowners. Attendees will receive a copy of the new Guide for Landowners intended to help landowners find information in the recently published Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan that is useful to them. Both of these resources and much more are now on the RPA website at http://rensselaerplateau.org/RensselaerPlateau/ConservationPlan.aspx. Refreshments will be served.  Please call Sarah Parks at 302-584-7748 for additional information.  This program is co-sponsored by New York Forest Owners Association, the Rensselaer Land Trust and the Agricultural Stewardship Association.

Keep informed of the many activities going on with RPA or the more than 30 Alliance organizations by checking out our new data-base driven calendar of events at http://renpa.azurewebsites.net/.

Rensselaer Land Trust Snowshoe/Ski Outing At Mattison Hollow

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On Saturday, February 7, at 1 pm, the Rensselaer Land Trust will lead a snowshoe/cross-country ski trip at Mattison Hollow in Cherry Plain. We’ll use private trails to see a waterfall in its winter splendor. If snow conditions are poor, we’ll hike. Contact Francille Egbert at 674-3214 or fran.egbert@gmail.com to reserve a spot and get parking directions.

County Legislature Commends The Hoosick Falls High School Football Team Upon A Championship Season

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by Kieron Kramer

At the Rensselaer County Legislative meeting on January 13, District 5 Legislator, and Vice Chairman of the Legislature, Stan Brownell presented Hoosick Falls Central School Head Football Coach Ron Jones with copies of the resolution, suitably engrossed, commending the HFCS Football Team on a Championship Season. In his introduction Chairman of the Legislature Martin Reid emphasized, “Another Championship Season.” The resolution was passed at the December 9 meeting of the Legislature. [Read more…] about County Legislature Commends The Hoosick Falls High School Football Team Upon A Championship Season

Become A Wildlife Tracker And Become A Citizen Scientist

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The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, the Friends of Dyken Pond, Tamakoce Wilderness Programs and the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance have teamed together to begin wildlife tracking surveys of mammals. There is an interest in documenting distribution and abundance of fisher, bobcat, coyote, grey fox, otter, bear and moose among other mammals. In order to do this, there is a need to train volunteers who have the knowledge and skills to help with monitoring surveys.

The goals of the wildlife survey are to:

• record the presence and abundance of these species: black bear, fisher, gray fox, coyote, bobcat, moose and otter;

• identify patterns of travel;

• identify core feeding, denning/resting, mating and birthing areas, and

• develop a sense of the relative abundance and distribution of wildlife populations and to provide the public with an opportunity to be involved in monitoring our forest mammals.

In 2015, plans are underway to monitor a 40 acre parcel at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. As we gain more volunteers, more area can be monitored. Our ultimate goal is to monitor the entire Rensselaer Plateau.

To participate, you will be expected to attend tracking training provided by Tamakoce Wilderness Programs and agree to complete three surveys in one season following guidelines and submit your findings. There is a fee of $250 for this training. The training will give you skills that will last you a lifetime.

Training Schedule

January 31 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

February 11 – Evening slideshow/data collection, 6 to 9 pm

February 28 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

March 8 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

March 21 – Field Evaluation, 10 am to 3 pm

May 9 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

Become a Tracker and Citizen Scientist! For more information and to pre-register, contact Dan Yacobellis at info@tamakocewildernessprograms.com.

Pittstown Town Hall Broken Into

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by Bea Peterson

Pittstown Town Supervisor Ed King said the Town Hall was broken into over the New Year’s long weekend. The building was closed Wednesday, December 31, from noon until Monday morning, January 5. The rear exterior door was damaged, $300 was taken from two cash boxes, and a laptop computer was taken as well.

King said the NYS Police are investigating and are checking fingerprints.

Rensselaer County Legislature Adopts 2015 Budget With 1.48% Tax Levy Increase

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Spending Plan Keeps Fourth Consecutive Budget Under Tax Cap

submitted by Rich Crist, Majority Legislative Liaison, and Chris Meyer, Deputy County Executive

The Rensselaer County Legislature voted Monday to approve the 2015 County budget. The budget is based on a spending plan that allows the budget to remain under the state tax cap for the fourth consecutive year while protecting needed services.

[Read more…] about Rensselaer County Legislature Adopts 2015 Budget With 1.48% Tax Levy Increase

Congressmen Gibson, Maloney Urge Governor To Sign Lyme Bill

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Congressmen Chris Gibson (NY-19) and Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) are calling on Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to sign into law the Lyme disease bill that passed both chambers of the New York State Legislature earlier this year.

The bipartisan legislation, the Patients’ Rights/Doctor Protection Bill, provides that physicians who treat Lyme and other tick borne diseases according to medically recognized standards of care shall not be subjected to arbitrary and capricious investigations of their medical licenses by the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

“Because there is more than one medically recognized standard of care for Lyme disease,” said Congressmen Gibson and Maloney in a letter to the Governor, “physicians should be enabled to use whichever evidence based diagnostic and treatment options provide the best benefit to their patients.

“The Patients’ Rights/Doctor Protection Bill makes common  sense improvements to State regulations, putting treatment decisions in the hands of physicians and instituting guidelines to help our State fight this public health scourge,” said Congressman Gibson. “I respectfully call on Governor Cuomo to sign this bill into law.”

“Lyme Disease is an epidemic across the Hudson Valley that’s hurting our kids, loved ones and neighbors. This bipartisan legislation would ensure our friends and families in the Hudson Valley can receive the proper diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease,” said Congressman Maloney.

Congressman Gibson is the author of the Vector-Borne Disease Research Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014, which was co-sponsored by Congressman Maloney and passed the House of Representatives this year. Both Congressmen are enlisting support for that bill among their Senate colleagues.

Local Girls Scouts Earn Silver Awards

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Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York is proud to announce that Girl Scouts in grades 6-8 (Cadettes) have earned their Silver Awards in 2014. Involving more than 50 hours of work per girl, the Take Action project for the Girl Scout Silver Award is aimed at making the local neighborhood or community better. The project allows girls to understand sustainability as they plan and implement their project. It also incorporates a global dimension, which encourages girls to connect with friends outside of their immediate community, learn how others have solved similar problems and determine whether the ideas of others can help with their plan. Throughout the award process, girls put the Girl Scout Promise and Law into action. The following Girl Scouts have received their Silver Awards in 2014:

Anna Brewer, Hoosick Falls – It’s a Noisy Planet

Taylor Angrisano, Averill Park – St. Joseph’s House Project

Emily Rousseau, Averill Park – St. Joseph’s House Project

Morgan Angrisano, Averill Park – Kids Night Out

Victoria Lee, Averill Park – Kids Night Out