The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Rensselaer County

What’s That Bird? Check Your Smartphone

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has released a free iPhone app to help people identify 285 birds in North America. Created with support from the National Science Foundation, the app asks just five questions, then displays photos of birds that match your description – customized to your location and time of year.

“We named the app Merlin because of its uncanny, almost magical, way of guessing which bird you saw,” said the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Jessie Barry, whose team created the app with partner Birds in the Hand. Barry said that, far from magic, Merlin uses data from citizen science participants and bird watchers to understand how people see and describe birds and to narrow the list to the birds found nearby. The app is the first to use data from the eBird citizen science project to dynamically select the birds found within about a 30 mile radius of your location at the time when you saw the bird.

“This type of precision is only possible because bird watchers report their sightings to eBird from locations across North America every day of the year,” Barry said. Merlin draws upon 70 million eBird sightings to calculate which species you’re most likely to encounter.

Additionally, bird watchers “trained” Merlin to understand how people see and describe birds. By participating in online activities to describe birds based on photos, they contributed more than three million data points that Merlin uses to deduce which birds are viewed based on people’s description of color, size and behavior. The app records your response when you confirm the bird you saw, enabling researchers to identify successful interactions and improve Merlin’s performance over time. It also displays photos, ID tips, sounds and range maps for each species.

The Merlin Bird ID app can now be downloaded from the App Store. The Cornell Lab plans to release Merlin for Android and online use in the spring of 2014 and to continue adding more species. Merlin is made possible with support from the National Science Foundation, Pennington™ Wild Bird Food and friends and members of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Cornell Lab is a nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the understanding and protection of birds.

Rensselaer Plateau Alliance Celebrates Major Achievement

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The Rensselaer Plateau Alliance is celebrating the fifth year of its incorporation with a major accomplishment. Namely, the completion and publication of the Rensselaer Plateau Regional Conservation Plan and three related User Guides (for municipal officials, landowners and organizations). The Conservation Plan includes detailed information about the region’s significant ecological communities, economy and community values, as well as historical and demographic research. The Guides are intended to assist municipalities, landowners and organizations with using the Conservation Plan to learn more about the Plateau and support local land use decisions, regional economic development initiatives and conservation efforts.

Please consider joining us for a grand celebration of this and other RPA accomplishments at 6 pm on Saturday, February 15, at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts.  The celebration will include dinner, catered by The Arlington House, music, good conversation and cheer and a brief program featuring comments by U.S. Congressman Chris Gibson, Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino, NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program Coordinator Fran Dunwell and RPA President Jim Bonesteel.  The cost is $40 per person with RSVP required. Please visit our website at http://rensselaerplateau.org for RSVP information and links to the Regional Plan and Guides.

The celebration will also feature a silent auction featuring goods and services from the region with all proceeds supporting the educational and outreach programs of the RPA.  Of particular interest is an original work of fine art donated by noted local artist Stephen Pentak (http://stephenpentak.com).

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

Rensselaer County Legislature Organizes For 2014

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 submitted by Rich Crist, Majority Legislative Liaison

The Rensselaer County Legislature held its organizational meeting for the new 2014-2017 term on Thursday, welcoming three new legislators and electing officers to preside over the lawmaking body.

The Legislature voted to re-elect Martin Reid as Chairman, Stan Brownell, who represents the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, as Vice Chairman, Phil Danaher as Vice Chairman for Finance, Ken Herrington as Majority Leader and Peter Grimm as Minority Leader. Each served in those positions during the 2010-2013 legislative term.

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The County Legislature Adjourns Its Meeting In Memory Of Thomas G. Restino

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by Kieron Kramer

The Rensselaer County Legislature adjourned its year end special meeting on December 17 in memory of the Honorable Thomas G. Restino. Restino was a Trustee for the Village of Hoosick Falls, Justice of the Peace for the Town of Hoosick and then served four terms as a Rensselaer County Legislator for District 5 from 1974 to 1989. After that he served  as Town of Hoosick Supervisor.

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County Memorializes Stephentown’s Robert Reiter

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by Kieron Kramer

At the start of the Rensselaer County Legislature’s regular meeting on Tuesday, the Chairman of the Legislature, Martin Reid of West Sand Lake, asked for a moment of silence in memory of Bob Reiter of Stephentown. Reiter was the Director of the Veterans Service Agency for Rensselaer County. He died on November 18, 2013, after a long illness.

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Olivia Logue Named The Lohnes 4-H Award Recipient

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submitted by Bernie Wiesen

Olivia Logue, Rensselaer County 4-H member and daughter of Christopher Logue and Bernie Wiesen of Johnsonville is the recipient of the 4-H Lohnes Award. The Lohnes Award is a citizenship/sportsmanship award sponsored by Bob Lohnes of Schaghticoke. The award recognizes an outstanding senior Rensselaer County 4-H Horse project member.

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The DOT’s Response To Route 7 And Route 22 Problems

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by Kieron Kramer

In late October County Legislators Stan Brownell and Lester Goodermote, who represent the towns of Stephentown, Berlin, Petersburgh, Grafton, Hoosick and the Village of Hoosick Falls, received letters from the New York State Department of Transportation in response to their concerns forwarded to the DOT in the form of resolutions by the County Legislature. The two concerns the Legislators put forward were the number of truck accidents that have occurred on the portion of NY Route 7 between the Bennington Battlefield Motel and the intersection of Route 7 and Route 22 in the Town of Hoosick and the hazardous condition of the road surface of Route 22 in south Berlin running through Stephentown to the Columbia County border.

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Memoir Writing Workshop

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The Brunswick Community Library is thrilled to present a five session Memoir Writing Workshop led by Susannah Risley, author and teacher of creative non-fiction. The sessions will be held at 1 pm on the following five Saturdays – January 11, 18, 25 and February 1 and 8.

Please contact the Library to sign up; space is limited. Our website is www.brunswicklibrary.org.

This event was funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc., with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Rensselaer County Legislature Approves 2014 Budget

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by Rich Crist Majority Legislative Liaison

The Rensselaer County Legislature voted Monday to approve the 2014 County budget, with the budget maintaining needed County services and the County’s strong fiscal position while staying under the State tax cap.

The 2014 County budget is the third consecutive County budget to stay under the tax cap, with the County complying with the tax cap each year the tax cap has been in place.

The budget, as adopted, includes a minimal property tax increase of three-quarters of one percent. The budget, when proposed in October, originally included a tax increase of just under one percent. The proposed increase was reduced thanks to a cooperative effort between the County Executive and Legislators, with an additional savings of $100,000 achieved during the effort.

“The 2014 County budget maintains needed County services, protects the positive fiscal standing and bond ratings the County has earned and for the third consecutive year, stays under the State tax cap, during the prolonged recession. This is a solid plan that will help guide the County in 2014,” said Chairman of the Legislature Martin Reid.

The budget includes a slight decrease in the legislative budget in 2014, with legislative spending now at a level comparable to the early 1990s.

“The County Executive and majority legislators worked together to generate an additional $100,000 in savings and further reduce the amount of the property tax increase next year. These savings are accompanied by a savings in the legislative operations during 2013 and continues our focus on being as cost effective as possible during challenging economic times,” said Vice Chairman of the Legislature for Finance Phil Danaher.

Proposed changes to the initial spending plan also include a local law to formalize the process as to how municipalities can re-levy demolition charges to the County. This program is expected to save $10,000 in County costs.

Additionally, newly vacant positions in the County Jail will remain unfilled until the additional $90,000 in savings is achieved.

Legislators and the Executive also will put a priority focus on a plan to improve County roads and bridges that is expected to be presented to the Legislature in early 2014, along with replacement of a bridge near the Tomhannock Reservoir.

“This budget also reflects innovative shared services agreements that have helped control costs and assisted job creation projects like the expansion of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in East Greenbush,” said Vice Chairman of the Legislature Stan Brownell.

“The fact the County is moving ahead with plans to improve County roads and bridges is good news, especially given the challenges created by mandates and a tough economy,” said Majority Leader Ken Herrington.

The budget was approved by a vote of 12-7, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting in opposition.