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News That Matters - July 3, 2009 - Things To Do Edition


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"Thus feeding his mind with many sweet thoughts and “sugared suppositions,” he journeyed along the sides of a range of hills which look out upon some of the goodliest scenes of the mighty Hudson. The sun gradually wheeled his broad disk down in the west. The wide bosom of the Tappan Zee lay motionless and glassy, excepting that here and there a gentle undulation waved and prolonged the blue shadow of the distant mountain. A few amber clouds floated in the sky, without a breath of air to move them. The horizon was of a fine golden tint, changing gradually into a pure apple green, and from that into the deep blue of the mid-heaven. A slanting ray lingered on the woody crests of the precipices that overhung some parts of the river, giving greater depth to the dark gray and purple of their rocky sides. A sloop was loitering in the distance, dropping slowly down with the tide, her sail hanging uselessly against the mast; and as the reflection of the sky gleamed along the still water, it seemed as if the vessel was suspended in the air."  - Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Good Friday Morning,

That's quite a long quote which opens this morning's edition of News That Matters but it's sweet and so it's there. I did a film shoot at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery this past Monday of a play by Gabrielle Fox called "Graveyard Shift", which was first produced on the stage at the Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. The filming was directed by Kent resident Chris Casaburi and starred Fidel Fonteboa and Fred Rueck, with cinematographer, Alexander Porkos, of Carmel. Watch for it at the Oscars.

The National Weather Service has issued yet another Flash Flood Watch for just north of our area from noon today through this evening. The one issued yesterday failed to materialize, at least around here. Reports are still calling for lots of rain this afternoon - again - but tomorrow and Sunday look like nice summer days.

I had a lot to write about this morning but decided otherwise. I'm sitting here waiting for some sort of email that spells out the weekend's activities but, it boils down to this: private parties and fireworks. Aside from that, (and the quasi-fascist "tea parties" schedule around the region) this weekend is pretty devoid of organizational activities. So let's just say this:
Get outside. Take a hike. And if you play with fireworks (which should be legal as far as I'm concerned) take care, be safe, don't drive drunk and hug someone you love.
Until Monday....

Into the Future

Wednesday, July 8

Ribbon Cutting to Kick Off “Creek Week”

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY - A ribbon cutting event hosted by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce will kick off of Dutchess Watershed Awareness Month and “Creek Week” on Wednesday, July 8 at 1:30 PM at Malcolm X Park on Mansion Street in the City of Poughkeepsie.  (In case of rain, then event will take place instead in the Catharine Street Community Center in Poughkeepsie.)  Youth participants in the Catharine Street summer program will then begin cleaning up Malcolm X Park as part of an “Creek Week” Adopt-A-Spot sponsored initiative. Afterwards, Jennifer Rubbo, Fall Kill Watershed Coordinator at Clearwater, will host a short education program on “Creek Critters” as part of the the Casperkill - Fall Kill “Creek Week.”

Other highlights of “Creek Week” include the unveiling of the “Reviving the Fall Kill – Creating Treasure from Trash” glass sculpture on Saturday, July 11th, 11 AM at the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum in Poughkeppsie, a marking of storm drains along the Main Street Corridor in Poughkeepsie on Thursday, July 9 at 10 AM, and several guided walks—along the Fall Kill in the City of Poughkeepsie on Thursday July 9; at Val-Kill in Hyde Park and at Maple Grove in the Town of Poughkeepsie on Friday, July 10; and a bird walk at Vassar Farms on Saturday, July 11.

For more information about the Casperkill- Fall Kill Creek Week contact Jennifer Rubbo at 845-454-7673 or jen@clearwater.org.

Saturday, July 11

Jeff's Annual Picnic and Garden Party at the Asylum - Everyone is Invited!

3PM - Onwards. Come celebrate the beauty of the highlands in western Kent. Rain or Shine! Bring some food for the pot luck and drink for the coolers, a blanket and/or some chairs, or just wear light, comfortable clothes and hang out on the grass in the field. We'll have plates and forks and knives and spoons and cups so you can leave those at home.

Don't forget your sunscreen. There's afternoon shade near the edge of the forest so you can set up over there if you like. Last year the kids had a massive water fight to stay cool. No adults were harmed in the battle.

When the sun goes down the fire-pit becomes the place for gathering and we'll be sure to have it blazing once it's dark enough for the after-party which ran until 6AM last year.

What you could do:

Bring along some friends, the extended family, the neighbors, your kids, the dogs... pretty much anything and anyone that walks or rolls.

Bring your musical instruments, your talents and yes, even your accordions and kazoos. But be prepared to play them.

If you're traveling from away or taste testing the barleycorn, bring your tent. There's plenty of room to camp.

Handicap parking is available!

More info and direction are here.

Sunday, July 12

Putnam County Humane Society

Treat your dog to a day of pampering! Complete Spa treatment: Shampoo, Nail Trim, Micro Chipping @$35.00 Shampoo Only: $10 Large Dog   $8 Small Dog    Nail Clipping: $7   Micro Chip: $25 Sunday, July 12th (rain date July 26th) from 11:00am to 4:00pm at Putnam Humane Society Shelter, Old Rte. 6, Carmel, NY Proceeds to benefit our canine and feline residents!!

Thursday, July 23

Hudson River Watershed Alliance

10AM - 3PM At this meeting, we will learn about the current activities of each watershed group and what new issues you are facing in your efforts.  In addition, we will collectively chart a course for organizing quarterly or semi annual watershed roundtable meetings. The goal of this meeting is to find new ways in which you can learn from one another and move your local watershed
efforts forward! In preparation, please consider these questions and be prepared to discuss your related activities:

1.  Since our last meeting (July 2008), what aspect of watershed planning protection has your group focused on?

2.  What challenges have you faced and how has your group addressed these issues?

3.   Is their mutual consent to commit to more frequent roundtable meetings?  If so, how should we structure these events?
 
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 16, to katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.



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News That Matters - July 1, 2009


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Good Wednesday Morning,

Happy Canada Day!

Minnesota finally has a US Senator. Sheesh. That took long enough. Norm Colman finally called it quits yesterday after Jesus returned from heaven, sat him down, and told him there was no way in heaven or hell he could pull this one off. Previous to that, Mr. Colman knocked on the door of virtually every and any court that would let him in and they all said the same thing: "Give it up, kid". He finally has.

Keep Putnam Beautiful is again soliciting artists to generate additional custom painted 55 gallon trash cans for use in the county. The two themes optioned are, a 1950's automobile theme and one for Sybil Ludington, that under appreciated heroine of local fame. These will join the 34 already in existence. For more information write to CleanerPutnam@aol.com?Subject=Painted%20Trash%20Cans%20%28From%20PlanPutman%29">Walt Thompson.

Now that Albany is about as interesting as Kent Town Board meetings used to be back in the day, property tax reform is going to have to wait for another session. While property tax reform (PTR) groups were putting all their eggs into the Omnibus basket (a collection of smaller, politically easy and weaker bills) what they found was that there was never any desire in the Albany leadership to move the bills forward. Not the circuit breaker, not the cap - nothing. Their opportunity was lost through what I call the "politics of apology" where you pick something you think is easy in order to take baby-steps towards a solution and then, mismanaged from the get-go, let the system get the better of them by apologizing, "We thought we could get this but because [something non-germane to the conversation happened] it didn't happen."
Rather, what they should have done is used their political capitol and taken the hard road: The Quality in Education Act, (QEA) which would have shifted the burden of school funding from property taxes to a progressive graduated income tax. The end result would be that somewhere around 90% of property owners would see an actual and real decrease in their overall tax burden. But in order to pay for the QEA the state income tax rate would have to be broadened from a low of 2% to a high of 15% which would raise enough money to pay for education at the state level.

Right now, NY has an essentially flat tax rate running from 4% to around 8% (for earnings over $2 million!) where you reach the standard 6.85% at as little as $20,000 a year all the way up to the high six-figures, a system about as fair as property assessments done by a blind man. When we moved from the graduated income tax to the flat tax system we have now, the super-rich paid $8 billion LESS each year while the middle classes (that's most of us) had to make up the difference... and we have.

Over the past year I've worked with fellow Kent resident Vic Tiship to get the Kent Town Board and the Putnam County Legislature to pass non-binding resolutions (for the county it was the second time) in support of the QEA and it's property tax relief system but the problem lies not with the town or the county but with, well, those three men (now four, I guess) in that room in Albany. But the problem also exists with the PTR groups for not taking a definitive position on the only bill (currently locked in committee) that actually solves the problem. And, why is that bill locked in committee? Two words: Sheldon Silver. For reasons I will never understand, PTR groups think they can work with Mr. Silver but time and experience has shown that no matter what they do he, and Albany, will fail them.

Now it's time to play hardball but I fear the PTR  groups just don't have the chutzpah to do it and Vic and I are just about out of [legal] ideas. We'll keep working though and will encourage all of you to write your state reps and let them know that there's a real solution out there, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill's Quality in Education Act, and that you want that bill out of he education committee and on the floor for debate and ultimate passage.

In other words, while Albany fiddles, newspapers fill with foreclosure notices and those four men in that room? They just don't give a damn.
Many communities in the Hudson Valley are canceling their 4th of July celebrations due to economic constraints. It's going to be a bad year for fireworks. The Town of Kent is working on privately raising $10,000 and they're about half-way there. Collection Buckets are out at various establishments in town and whether you live there or not, one of the nicest places to watch fireworks on the 4th is on the shores of Lake Carmel. Do what I did yesterday morning at Bloomburg's - drop a few bucks in the bucket and help to light up the skies this weekend.

While we're talking about the Town of Kent, the story about a proposed law-change to allow the Supervisor to have a four-year rather than a two-year term is still the most read story at the blog. The issue is one I am probably going to have to take a position on at some point but all I can say now is that there are as many valid arguments in favor as there are opposed.
It strikes me that the main argument in opposition is that we might get stuck with a bum Supervisor for four years. The Town of Kent is known for such and people do remember. So what's needed is a way to elect someone who becomes a consensus candidate, not a pularity candidate. In a multiple field race it's entirely possible, under our current system, for someone to win with less than 40% of the vote - and it happens all the time. The winner-take-all system we have isn't working very well as the winning candidates often do not have the support of the majority of voters. What's needed then is a change and Instant Runoff Voting is one option that is catching on across the nation and around the world. Read more about IRV here.

And now, The News:
  1. Putnam lawmakers vote not to pay MTA its payroll tax
  2. Questions raised over candidates' plan
  3. Summer Slots Still Available at DEC Camps
  4. Month of activities to put spotlight on watersheds
  5. Flesh out Dover plan but keep it moving
  6. Create Bike-Only Roads
  7. Isolated Forest Patches Lose Species, Diversity
  8. Betraying the Planet
  9. Venus and Mars in High Contrast
  10. God, Firearms and America Come Together at a Church in Kentucky

Putnam lawmakers vote not to pay MTA its payroll tax

CARMEL – The Putnam County Legislature is thumbing its nose at the MTA, voting Monday night to refuse to pay the new mobility tax to the New York City transportation system.

The State Legislature and the governor approved the payroll tax, which will add a one-third of one percent levy on all payrolls in the Mid-Hudson counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester.

But, Putnam lawmakers said the tax is a job killer and they aren’t going to pay it on the county’s payroll.

Read More

Questions raised over candidates' plan

Re the June 23 Journal News article, "Southeast Town Board candidates propose contract with voters" that names Joseph DePaola and Matthew Neuringer as candidates promising to cut taxes by 10 percent:

I wonder if they have determined what services will be diminished if taxes are reduced by 10 percent. Will town roads be plowed after six inches of snow, or only three? On what days will Wells Park open and close? How many days will the library be closed? How high will town baseball field grass be before it is cut? Will there still be a ragamuffin parade at Halloween?

How many people will be laid off in the town administrative offices? Will the people left be paid overtime or a regular salary for the extra hours needed to fulfill the work of their fired former colleagues? If so, what will be the source of the funds?

Read More

Summer Slots Still Available at DEC Camps

June 26, 2009 by newyorkoutdoors

Summer is just beginning, but it is still not too late for youth to register for a week of fun and excitement at a DEC Environmental Education Camp. The camps focus on conservation education, immersing campers in outdoor activities, lessons and games that teach the wise use of natural resources and protection of the environment.

For people who love being in the outdoors, chances are that they had a great experience as a kid that triggered their interest in nature. DEC’s environmental education youth camps provide this experience to boys or girls aged 12 to 17 each summer.

A week at the sleep-away camp begins on Sunday afternoon and goes through the following Saturday morning. While at camp, the campers will have fun learning about ecology, forests, conservation, water and much more. Highly qualified staff ensure that campers enjoy their week-long outdoor adventure, whether in camp or on an overnight hiking or canoe trip. For those who are interested, hunter safety training is available from certified sportsman education instructors, with prior permission from parents/guardians.

Read More

Month of activities to put spotlight on watersheds

By Jennifer Rubbo
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

It's hip to be green.

Global warming, sustainable energy, carbon footprint -these are all words we hear almost on a daily basis. Yet, as we drive on our highways and neighborhood streets, we still see garbage on the side of the road - candy wrappers, styrofoam cups, potato chip bags.

There seems to be an educational disconnect. On one hand, people are learning how to save the world from global warming, while with the other, they are throwing their cigarette butts out the car window. Not only does this litter affect the beauty of our landscape, but eventually a majority of it will end up in the creeks, ponds and wetlands that are so prevalent here in the Hudson Valley.

The disconnect must be remedied so each of us can understand how our daily actions affect the environment. One way to do this is to begin thinking on a watershed level.

But what are watersheds and why are they important?

Read More

Flesh out Dover plan but keep it moving

A Poughkeepsie Journal Editorial

More than six long years into a grueling process, the Town of Dover and a major developer are still trying to iron out plans for the former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center. They are getting closer -and residents still have time to share their views following two public hearings. They should take advantage of that opportunity, considering this would be one of the biggest development projects in Dutchess County's history.

In many ways, the issues haven't changed much over the years. Town officials, as well as county planners, want to ensure the developer - Dover Knolls, owned by Long Island-based Benjamin Companies - is offering a healthy mix of residential and commercial uses on the 800-acre center. They definitely want the developer to take advantage of the property's close proximity to a Metro-North railroad station and curb the sprawl in the outlying areas of the property. For its part, the company has contended it can't overextend itself with commercial offerings that could sit vacant if viable businesses aren't found to use them.

There have been several significant moments during this arduous process, however.

Read More

Create Bike-Only Roads

by Max Fisher

Citing a need to alleviate motor traffic, reduce air pollution, and increase general health, cities are carving out more bike lanes. But bike lanes simply don't work. Maybe something about America's competitive cowboy culture means drivers just can't bring themselves to share the road, frequently parking in bike lanes, turning across bike lanes without warning, and colliding with bikes.

In 2007, car-on-bike accidents killed 698 cyclists and injured 45,000, including me, courtesy of a Washington, D.C., minivan driver who, unsatisfied with my 22-mph pace at the height of rush hour, decided she had more of a right to the stretch of road I was occupying. With law enforcement often unwilling to enforce bikers' claims to the road, it's hard to see behavior changing. Take the much-publicized case of the driver who crippled a 14-year-old cyclist by dragging him under her SUV for 131 feet and got a $500 ticket. Not much of a disincentive.

Read More

Isolated Forest Patches Lose Species, Diversity

ScienceDaily (June 23, 2009) — Failing to see the forest for the trees may be causing us to overlook the declining health of Wisconsin's forest ecosystems.

Even areas with apparently robust trees and lush canopies are threatened as forests are increasingly fragmented by roads and development, becoming isolated green islands in a sea of agricultural fields, housing tracts, and strip malls, say University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

A new study is revealing that decades of fragmentation of Wisconsin's forests have taken a largely unseen toll on the sustainability of these natural ecosystems.

The long generation times of trees and other plants have masked many of the ecological changes already under way in the patches of forest that remain, says study co-author Don Waller, a professor in the Department of Botany and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. "Things may look healthy, but over time we see an erosion of biodiversity," he says.

Read More

Betraying the Planet

By PAUL KRUGMAN

So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement.

But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases.

And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.

To fully appreciate the irresponsibility and immorality of climate-change denial, you need to know about the grim turn taken by the latest climate research.

Read More

Venus and Mars in High Contrast

By Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, June 29, 2009

As the nation celebrates another birthday, see the spangled Venus and a dim Mars in July before dawn's early light.

Mars, our neighboring red planet, rises about 3 a.m. in the northeastern sky, followed shortly by a brilliant Venus. Both can be seen high in the east before sunrise in the constellation Taurus, but the differences are striking. Venus, at a negative fourth magnitude, is very bright; Mars is much less so at first magnitude and is even harder to see in light-polluted urban areas. By the end of July, Venus is seen lower in the eastern heavens.

Late night with Jupiter: The largest planet in the solar system rises in the east-southeast about 11 p.m. After midnight you should see it snuggled between the constellations Aquarius and Capricornus. It's a negative second magnitude, very bright and easily seen from the city. By 4 a.m., Jupiter is high in the southwest.

Still loitering in the constellation Leo, see ringed Saturn high in the western sky after sundown. The planet remains visible at first magnitude. By month's end, the planet will be noticeably lower in the west after dusk.

Read More

God, Firearms and America Come Together at a Church in Kentucky

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some of those seated in the pews of New Bethel Church here Saturday night, their firearms tucked to their sides, saw themselves as modern-day pioneers.

“This country started by people gathering together in churches and complaining about taxation and about their current government, King George III, taking armaments that they had,” said Chesley Kemp, 61, a family doctor with his Kimber .45 Auto at his side.

Dr. Kemp said he had driven two hours from Bowling Green to attend a gun celebration at the church, which event organizers said appeared to be the first of its kind, at least in modern times.

The pioneer spirit suffused a 90-minute program staged by Ken Pagano, the pastor of the Assembly of God church, for whom God, guns and America are a package deal.

Read More

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News That Matters - June 29, 2009


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Good Monday Morning,

Yesterday afternoon as I was returning from an event in Mahopac I came across an accident on Route 301 where a motorcyclist and a Kent PD car had crashed into each other. Though the highway was blocked off for some time reports say injuries to both drivers were minor.

Michael Jackson died a few days ago at age 50. What I find most remarkable is that the media which vilified him for the majority of his later years and allowed him no personal space or peace, is now falling over themselves to say what a great and wonderful guy he was.

The Iranian government is paying itinerant farmers around $200 each to come to Tehran and join their effort in beating anti-government protesters so hard they "cannot get up". It would have been much easier and cheaper to hire Katherine Harris to certify election results.

For those of you who didn't pack in to the Cultural Center at Lake Carmel this weekend you missed a truly wonderful event. On Friday night the first full retrospective of Kent resident, actor, poet and artist, Leo Burmester, who died two years ago yesterday, opened to friends, family and the community. Leo has more than 100 film and Broadway credits to his name, (Among those, he created the role of the innkeeper Thénardier, in the 1987 Broadway cast of Lés Miserable, the 1989 film, The Abyss and just before his death from leukemia, took the stage in The Fantastiks!) a book of poetry, a music CD with his second wife Lora Lee Ecobelli and art colleges crafted from found objects.
Arts on the Lake's Visual Arts Committee chair Roy Volpe redesigned the space for the show using drapes and cloth in pastel hues which allowed Leo's vibrant and intricately complex collages to stand out in stunning detail. Some of the works displayed were featured in an award winning short documentary, The Literature of Junk, which ran in the theater space during the show.
On Saturday evening Leo's son Daniel acted in a role Leo created in the one-man play, Rattlesnake in A Cooler. Rattlesnake.... was originally written by Frank South and directed by Robert Altman in 1982 for television and earned Leo a Best Actor nomination for his work. The question was, could a young, 29 year old actor pull this off? The answer was, yes he can, and for the most part he did.
With GUTWorks Theater company's director Jonathan Maloney and stage manager Kali Quinn at the helm, the Bluehorse Repertory production of  Rattlesnake.... portrays the journey of a man raised in Kentucky but who finds the experience of the road a more appealing - but ultimately more dangerous place. While on the way to a rodeo in Colorado an accidental murder takes place and now, awaiting his death by hanging, we hear his story.

For an hour and fifteen minutes Daniel Burmester commanded the space as a polished professional of longer years. From the effective costuming to his strong command of the emotional state of the prisoner we were brought into his world and held there... when we weren't laughing - or crying. It was, without question, one of the best performances at the Cultural Center since its inception two years ago.

The art exhibit (with video presentations) will continue tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 29-July 1, from 7-9 p.m. at the Cultural Center so there's no excuse not to drop in.


And now The News:
  1. Foreclosure Fiasco
  2. Board weighs 4-year terms for town officials
  3. Sales-tax revenues put county on solid footing
  4. Newburgh begins legal actions to protect its watershed
  5. Many Floors In U.S. Homes Have 'Measurable' Levels Of Pesticides
  6. Internet posting can lead to privacy claim, court finds
  7. Greens, libertarians team up

Foreclosure Fiasco

By Robert Scheer

It's not working. The Bush-Obama strategy of throwing trillions at the banks to solve the mortgage crisis is a huge bust. The financial moguls, while tickled pink to have $1.25 trillion in toxic assets covered by the feds, along with hundreds of billions in direct handouts, are not using that money to turn around the free fall in housing foreclosures.

As the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, "The Mortgage Bankers Association cut its forecast of home-mortgage lending this year by 27% amid deflating hopes for a boom in refinancing." The same association said that the total refinancing under the administration's much ballyhooed Home Affordable Refinance Program is "very low."

Aside from a tight mortgage market, the problem in preventing foreclosures has to do with homeowners losing their jobs. Here again the administration, continuing the Bush strategy, is working the wrong end of the problem. Although President Obama was wise enough to at least launch a job stimulus program, a far greater amount of federal funding benefits Wall Street as opposed to Main Street.

State and local governments have been forced into draconian budget cuts, firing workers who are among the most reliable in making their mortgage payments--when they have jobs. Yet the Obama administration won't spend even a small fraction of what it has wasted on the banks to cover state shortfalls.

California couldn't get the White House to guarantee $5.5 billion in short-term notes to avert severe cuts in state and local payrolls, from prison guards to schoolteachers. Compare that with the $50 billion already given to Citigroup, plus an astounding $300 billion to guarantee that institution's toxic assets. Citigroup benefits from being a bank "too big to fail," although through its irresponsible actions to get that large it did as much as any company to cause this mess.

How big a mess? According to the Federal Reserve's most recent report, seven straight quarters of declining household wealth have left Americans $14 trillion poorer. Many who thought they were middle class have now joined the ranks of the poor. Food banks are strapped and welfare rolls are dramatically on the rise, as the WSJ reports, with a 27 percent year-to-year increase in Oregon, 23 percent in South Carolina and 10 percent in California. And you have to be very poor to get on welfare, thanks to President Clinton's so-called welfare reform, which he signed into law before he ramped up the radical deregulation of the financial services industry, enabling our economic downturn.

Read More

Board weighs 4-year terms for town officials

Ben Rubin
bfrubin@lohud.com

ORANGEBURG - The Orangetown Town Board will weigh the merits of stability and accountability as it reopens a debate on doubling term lengths for three elected positions.

The board scheduled public hearings on July 20 to discuss extending the terms for the town supervisor, town clerk and highway superintendent from two to four years.

The board plans to vote at that meeting on whether put the idea to a November referendum and let voters decide if they want the change.

"The continuity would be a good thing for all projects, all long-term projects," Town Clerk Charlotte Madigan said about her position. "I think it would enhance the office."

Read More

Sales-tax revenues put county on solid footing

Susan Elan
selan@lohud.com

After several years of tax hikes, Putnam has stabilized its financial position and is poised to keep the property tax levy flat in 2010, according to County Executive Robert Bondi.

"We have heard the cry of the people and we are responding, just as we always have, with responsible management, conservative fiscal policies and the courage to make the tough decisions," Bondi told residents during his 2009 State of the County address.

A hiring freeze and consolidation and reorganization of departments, including Highways and Facilities, have brought savings. Bondi said he also intends to pursue consolidation of assessment services at the county level to save more money.

Read More

Newburgh begins legal actions to protect its watershed

NEWBURGH - The City of Newburgh commenced a citizen suit under the Clean Water Act to protect its water supply which provides potable water to the City of Newburgh and the Town of New Windsor. The complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District alleges that the defendants, the developer of a subdivision in the Town of New Windsor, violated the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants in excess of New York State Water Quality Standards and by failing to follow its stormwater pollution prevention plan.

The suit names Sarna Enterprises, Inc., Mt. Airy Estates and New Windsor Development Company among the defendants.

Read More

Many Floors In U.S. Homes Have 'Measurable' Levels Of Pesticides

(June 23, 2009) — Insecticides used in and around homes — including products voluntarily removed from the market years ago — were measured on the floors of U.S. residences, according to the first study large enough to generate national data on pesticide residues in homes.

Scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) collected samples with surface wipes from U.S. kitchen floors. Additionally, occupants were surveyed regarding pesticide use and housing factors.

The most frequently detected pesticides, after permethrin (89 percent), were chlorpyrifos (78 percent); chlordane (74 percent); piperonyl butoxide (52 percent); cypermethrin (46 percent); and fipronil (40 percent). While in most cases, the pesticide concentrations measured were low, the insecticides may serve as a potential source of exposure to occupants.

Read More

Internet posting can lead to privacy claim, court finds

Posting private information about someone on the Internet is enough to allow an invasion-of-privacy claim no matter how many people actually see it, the Minnesota Court of Appeals held this week.

In the published opinion, the court created a broad rule "that the publicity element of an invasion-of-privacy claim is satisfied when private information is posted on a publicly accessible Internet website."

The case centers on a MySpace profile set up in 2006 mocking the plaintiff. The profile, under the name "Rotten Candy," included a picture of the plaintiff. It said she had a sexually transmitted disease, was cheating on her husband and was addicted to plastic surgery.

Read More

Greens, libertarians team up

By: Lisa Lerer
June 24, 2009 05:07 AM EST
 
An unlikely coalition of environmental and libertarian taxpayer groups are joining forces to fight legislation that would create a national disaster insurance pool to protect home­owners in hurricane-prone areas.

The group — SmarterSafer.org — is getting behind legislation sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) that would provide $100 million annually over four years to states to strengthen homes, apartment buildings and small businesses against heavy-hitting storms.

Thompson’s package of three bills, expected to be introduced Wednesday, would provide grants for mitigation activities such as building new water barriers to prevent flooding, securing roofs and garage doors, and putting storm shutters on windows. It would also authorize an additional $100 million over five years to bolster emergency response during storms by upgrading communications, creating mobile nurse units and improving evacuation of the elderly from their residences.

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News That Matters - June 26, 2009 - Things To Do Edition


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Good Friday Morning,

We had our first day of summer weather yesterday and though it's more like we're living in the Adirondacks than the Hudson Valley, all I can say is that I hope summer last a little longer than usual to make up for the late start.

The NY State Senate failed to take any action on property tax relief this year even though there were dozens of bills in front of them that might have offered *something*. Among them was an Omnibus bill, a collection of other bills that would have included circuit breaker legislation (similar to what Sandy Galef proposed). Even though those bills were only hesitant, politically easy baby-steps to an actual solution, the shifting of education funding from property taxes to a progressive, graduated income tax, would have been nice. The average NY property owner would have seen an actual, real, reduction in their overall property tax bills.
Regular readers will be familiar with my constant calls of support of Kevin Cahill's "Equality in Education Act" and wonder why the solution is not 'on the table' in Albany. It's easy: Sheldon Silver. Oh, and the super-rich who would actually have to start paying a fairer share of their income in taxes and who control state government through their financial largess. Any questions?
Remember the 13 year old girl who was strip-searched at her school on a tip that she was hiding drugs? The Supreme Court ruled the other day that the search was illegal. The Washington Post wrote: "In a case that had drawn attention from educators, parents and civil libertarians across the country, the court ruled 8 to 1 that such an intrusive search without the threat of a clear danger to other students violated the Constitution's protections against unreasonable search or seizure." The suspected drugs? Ibuprofen.

Southeast Supervisor Michael Rights is in the news again. This time it's for allegedly causing an accident in which is his car was not directly involved. The point here is that community outrage has already begun yet, there are few facts on the case and people with preconceived notions aren't even bothering to wait before spouting off about this and that. Are their lives so empty this is what they do for recreation? Chill.
While we're talking about Southeast's town government, just keep in mind that it's a result of what happens when a handful of vocal naysayers, people who only seek the worst in others, for whom politics means digging into people's closets, get control of things. As election season approaches keep an ear out for those type of folk. You'll hear them, alright. They're the ones who become morally outraged at others but for whom life would be empty if they couldn't target someone to make themselves feel better about themselves. It's a shame we've allowed those people to control the discussion and the failure of government to effectively govern is the result.
The Country Store at Boni-Bel Farm, a Green Chimneys vocational education program. Is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit them at 301 Doansburg Road in Brewster, NY for high quality organic foods, handcrafted gift items and more! “The Country Store and Vocational Learning Center is dedicated to building a greater sense of community through its seasonal offerings of organic and fresh produce, cut flowers, and handicrafts — all raised, grown or manufactured by children and staff of Green Chimneys and or local community artisans and farms,” says Kim Pratt Lawrence, director of public programs. “The store will give students an opportunity to learn about working in a retail setting while fostering interaction with the community.  The Country Store will offer a full calendar of events and activities, bringing neighbors together and highlighting the rich diversity of talents that our children and the organizations in the area have to offer.”

Looking for a hike this weekend? Take a walk around the Wiccopee Reservoir on Wiccopee Road in Putnam Valley (about a mile west of the Taconic State Parkway. The Wiccopee Reservoir holds water for the City of Peekskill, releasing it into the Hollow Brook as it flows on its way to that city on the Hudson. This 500 acre property, backed by the scouting reservation and Fhanestock State Park, offers an easy 3 mile loop hike (on a serviceable road) around the lower reservoir and a walk along a beautiful portion of the upper. It takes you across the top of one, and then along the base of the other dam. Using this facility as access you can cross into Fhanestock State Park and hike the easements at the boy scout camp. In other words, it's easy to alter this 3-mile loop into as many miles as you'd like. Boats are forbidden in the reservoir. Maps and photos are at PlanPutnam's Outdoor Recreation pages.

Tonight:

Leo Burmester Retrospective

7PM – 10 p.m. – Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. Opening Reception – “We are such stuff as dreams are made” Retrospective continues with 8 p.m. Kent resident Leo Burmester, who died in June 2007, was an accomplished actor who appeared in 37 films, made 32 television appearances and had roles in 9 Broadway plays.  He was nominated for a Tony as Best Actor in Robert Altman's production of playwright Frank South's "Rattlesnake in a Cooler", which opened at the St. Clement's Theatre in 1981. Burmester won the New York Fanny award for Best Supporting Actor for his Lincoln Center performance in "Ah, Wilderness!"

The retrospective highlights Leo Burmester's work as a collage artist and will include a showing of his unusually large and thought-provoking collages. Burmester began making his collages while working in a shed outside his Kent home in the 1980's. His pieces were often made on plywood bases and contained glass, seeds, trinkets, cloth, sting, beads and an assortment of other knickknacks, and his pieces evoke the adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Burmester and his art were featured in the May 2007 issue of Hudson Valley Magazine.

Burmester's art work is featured in "Leo Burmester and The Literature of Junk" which won best documentary at the Westchester Film Festival and will be shown during the Retrospective.

Saturday:

Wild Edibles Walk

9:30AM -Noon.  Mohonk Preserve. Explore wild plants at the Mohonk Preserve. Learn to identify plants that can be used for food and medicine. Registration through the Mohonk Preserve. 845-255-0919. Led by Aleese Cody, LMT, NCTMB.  www.aleesecody.com  email: coyotefarms@att.net. Cost: Free to members. Non-members must buy a day pass.

Hike to Anthony's Nose

10 AM - U-Bend parking area Route 202 and 6 one mile south of the Bear Mt. Bridge. Anthony's Nose - It should be a beautiful morning to join Geof Connor of the New York-New Jersey Trails Conference for a 2.5 mile return trek up to Anthony's Nose.  At approximately 900 feet, its summit offers sweeping views of the Hudson River, where one of the liberty chains stretched during the Revolutionary War and the Bear Mountain Bridge stands today.  Meet: 10:00am U-bend parking area, Route 202 & 6, one mile south of Bear Mt. Bridge Duration: 2.5 hrs. Level: Moderate/Difficult (500 ft. climb) Sponsored by the Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Rattlesnake in a Cooler

8 p.m. performance by Daniel Burmester (GUTworks Theatre) of Rattlesnake in a Cooler, reproducing Leo Burmester's landmark, Tony nominated performance from 1982. At the Cultural Center on lake Carmel (the old firehouse on Route 52 just south of the 311 causeway)

GUTWorks newest performance follows the story of a man finding the dark side of his dreams. Daniel Burmester, Jonathan Maloney and Kali Quinn will be collaborating once again to bring the gut-wrenching, play Rattlesnake in a Cooler to life. Distinguished playwright Frank South has been known to create folksy, Middle American characters and then squeeze them until they start to spurt blood. Daniel Burmester will portray Souths character of the young doctor in this one-man powerhouse play that will grab hold of the audience and leave all wondering if they have a dark side of there own.

Songs for the River

8PM - Mills-Norrie State Park, Staatsburgh. With Betty And The Baby Boomers. Announcing their latest CD "Where the Heron Waits". Sponsored by the DEC Hudson River Research Reserve, Margaret Lewis State Park (Norrie Point Environmental Center), Staatsburg. Free. Wheelchair accessible (845)300-0010. beebuggy@hotmail.com

Sunday:

Maps and Dreams

5:30 PM - Paramount Theater, Peekskill. "Maps & Dreams" is a unique, one-hour, one-man show that launches off from Samuel de Champlain's dream of amity, and his mapmaking activity, to inspire the audience to do their own 400th anniversary dreaming and mapping. Starting from a consideration of Champlain and Hudson's experiences on their journeys in 1609, the performance ranges over the last 400 years of history in the two valleys, contemplating the changing nature of both, mapping and dreaming, and the unchanging nature of what both activities can help us discover our individual, regional, and national destiny. Presented by Dr. Kevin Dann, an author, musician and professor of history at SUNY Plattsburgh beloved by his students for his dramatic, humor-filled and heart-centered approach to the sacred art of learning, this educational and entertaining presentation will offer stories, music, slide show images, audience participation, and most importantly, the gift of wonderment. Admission is free.

Into the Future:

Monday, June 29

Garden Forum at Millbrook

7PM - 9 PM Farm and Home Center, Millbrook, NY. The Gathering of Gardeners. The first hour will be a tour of the gardens followed by questions for the Master Gardeners. Sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension Dutchess County. Farm & Home Center 2715 Rt. 44, Millbrook. Contact Nancy, 845-677-8223 x115 nh26@cornell.edu Cost: $5.

Saturday, July 11

Jeff's Annual Picnic and Garden Party at the Asylum - Everyone is Invited!

3PM - Onwards. Come celebrate the beauty of the highlands in western Kent. Rain or Shine! Bring some food for the pot luck and drink for the coolers, a blanket and/or some chairs, or just wear light, comfortable clothes and hang out on the grass in the field. We'll have plates and forks and knives and spoons and cups so you can leave those at home.

Don't forget your sunscreen. There's afternoon shade near the edge of the forest so you can set up over there if you like. Last year the kids had a massive water fight to stay cool. No adults were harmed in the battle.

When the sun goes down the fire-pit becomes the place for gathering and we'll be sure to have it blazing once it's dark enough for the after-party which ran until 6AM last year.

The weather report projects 80º and partly sunny so we'll have lots of ice and cool, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages on hand. What you could do:

Bring along some friends, the extended family, the neighbors, your kids, the dogs... pretty much anything and anyone that walks or rolls.

Bring your musical instruments, your talents and yes, even your accordions and kazoos. But be prepared to play them.

If you're traveling from away or taste testing the barleycorn, bring your tent. There's plenty of room to camp.

Handicap parking is available!

More info is here.

Sunday, July 12

Putnam County Humane Society

Treat your dog to a day of pampering! Complete Spa treatment: Shampoo, Nail Trim, Micro Chipping @$35.00 Shampoo Only: $10 Large Dog   $8 Small Dog    Nail Clipping: $7   Micro Chip: $25 Sunday, July 12th (rain date July 26th) from 11:00am to 4:00pm at Putnam Humane Society Shelter, Old Rte. 6, Carmel, NY Proceeds to benefit our canine and feline residents!!

Thursday, July 23

Hudson River Watershed Alliance

10AM - 3PM At this meeting, we will learn about the current activities of each watershed group and what new issues you are facing in your efforts.  In addition, we will collectively chart a course for organizing quarterly or semi annual watershed roundtable meetings. The goal of this meeting is to find new ways in which you can learn from one another and move your local watershed
efforts forward! In preparation, please consider these questions and be prepared to discuss your related activities:

1.  Since our last meeting (July 2008), what aspect of watershed planning protection has your group focused on?

2.  What challenges have you faced and how has your group addressed these issues?

3.   Is their mutual consent to commit to more frequent roundtable meetings?  If so, how should we structure these events?
 
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 16, to katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.


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News That Matters - June 24, 2009


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Good Wednesday Morning,

I'd first like to thank those who wrote and sent donations(!) after my post the other day concerning an April editorial from the Putnam County Courier which describes those who work to ensure our survival as somehow pathetic. Whoever wrote or agrees with that sentiment should thank one of those people the very next time they drink water or breathe the air. I just don't understand if it's some twisted game or if you really 'just don't get it' but please, let's talk.

According to an article in yesterday's NYJN, candidates running for office in Southeast have re-birthed the failed Contract on America with a new Contract on Southeast. I wish them well. The concept failed when members of Congress tried as it was nothing more than trite political pablum. But I do expect others will now glom onto the concept and we'll be seeing more of these.
For reasons I'll never understand, voters like to be lied to. No, scratch that. Voters like to believe promises told them by people running for office even though they know they're largely hooey. "I'll keep spending under control!" Uh huh. Oh, and they love the term, "fiscal conservative". But I'm wondering, isn't the current mess we're in the result of electing fiscal conservatives? It must have been! They said they were such, we voted for them and now they have to take out a contract on us? Huh.
The New York State Senate. Really. It's time for the pitchforks and torches.

The Obama administration is backing off of its promise for a single-payer health care system and are now pushing for an "option" which would allow you to choose between a government sponsored plan and the private plans you already cannot afford. But that line is designed to fail so that we can bury the universal health care discussion once and for all. (and nothing would make the President and Congress happier.)
A universal health care system akin to that had by every other developed nation on the planet is not going to happen in my lifetime, nor probably yours. So, if you're currently out of work or cannot afford preventative health care for yourself or your family, tough noogies. Or, so says the health insurance companies government.
Liberty University, the college run by Jerry Falwell, has agreed to allow a student Democratic group to continue to hold meetings - but not officially. But in fairness and to avoid a costly civil rights battle, the university has also de-certified the campus Republican group that was the only previously sanctioned student political group on campus.

For the film aficionado's out there who enjoyed Tim Burton's past directorial releases
, the hilarious "Mars Attacks" and "Beetlejuice", the freakily weird "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", "Ed Wood" and "Edward Scissorhands" and the remarkable film transference of Stephen Sondheim's, "Sweeney Todd", Mr. Burton is preparing his next film, "Alice in Wonderland", for release in May of 2010. Production stills (here) are worth the look. And yes, Johnny Depp is back (for the seventh time in a Burton film) this time as the Mad Hatter.
Johnny Depp, in between shooting "Pirates of the Caribbean 4" and "Alice..." is working on another interesting role, that of Paul Kemp, Hunter S. Thompson's foiled reporter in "The Rum Diary", also schedule for release next year.

And now, The News:
  1. Persistent rainfalls have farmers groaning
  2. Senate discord hits sour notes in duet
  3. For Lincoln, shock and awe in Cold Spring
  4. How a 20-Minute Walk Can Solve the Obesity Epidemic
  5. Toronto's new green roof law a first for North America
  6. Highways to Nowhere
  7. Under Misspelled Banner, Buchanan And White Nationalist Brimelow Argue For English-Only Initiatives 

Persistent rainfalls have farmers groaning

Some crops late, others may be lost

By Emily Stewart
Poughkeepsie Journal

Rain, rain go away.

June's incessant rains are spoiling crops, ruining hay and making farmers very unhappy.

At the Dutchess County Airport, 7.55 inches have been recorded so far this month. That's a 5-inch departure from normal, said Robert Kilpatrick, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany.

The wet weather has ruined some crops, made harvesting often impossible and left some local farmers waiting for fields to be dry enough to plant.

Despite the wet weather, the total hasn't broken the record for June - 12.44 inches in 1903, according to the Mohonk Preserve Daniel Smiley Research Center.

Read More

Senate discord hits sour notes in duet

Democrats, Republicans each claim the gavel, but progress appears doubtful
 
By CASEY SEILER , RICK KARLIN AND IRENE JAY LIU AND JAMES M. ODATO, Capitol bureau
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Wednesday, June 24, 2009

ALBANY -- After more than two weeks of deadlock, all 62 members of the state Senate showed up in the chamber Tuesday in response to Gov. David Paterson's call for a special session.

At the end of a frenzied day that included dueling sessions in the same chamber, it was unclear if any of the legislation passed by either faction would stand up to legal scrutiny.

"I've been a public servant here for over 20 years," Paterson said in a news conference about an hour after both sides stood at ease, "and what I've seen in the last two weeks in the Senate disgusts me. The Senate's inaction is a dereliction of duty. They've clearly forgotten who they serve."

Read More (If you can stand it)

For Lincoln, shock and awe in Cold Spring

Michael Risinit
mrisinit@lohud.com

COLD SPRING - Green-and-white tree swallows carve paths through the sky above the Hudson River where cast-iron shells once flew before exploding on the opposite bank.

Scrubby black locust trees clog the Cold Spring riverside where President Abraham Lincoln stood one summer's afternoon long ago. His eyes would have seen the belch of smoke from a Parrott gun and the shell's impact on the Hudson's west side. Consider it shock and awe, 1800s-style.

Lincoln's June 24, 1862, visit to the West Point Foundry, south of the village's Main Street and on the edge of a marsh, was an "absolutely eye-opening experience for him," said Harold Holzer, a Lincoln scholar and Rye resident.

Read More

How a 20-Minute Walk Can Solve the Obesity Epidemic

(and Why That Walk's Easier for Some Than for Others)
The equation is simple: Parks + Trails = Fitness.
June 23, 2009 at 3:21PM by Ned Sullivan

One of President Obama's priorities is overhauling America's health care system, whose costs continue rising at nearly seven times the rate of inflation and currently represent about 17% of our gross domestic product. One reason for these skyrocketing figures is that people require more and more care.
greenpeace ewaste logo

Why? Because we're not as healthy as we used to be. And the prime factor for that is we don't exercise enough. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), only a quarter of Americans exert themselves at recommended levels, while nearly a third don't exercise at all. No wonder obesity is a national epidemic, among young and old alike, and a leading cause of increased incidences of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even some types of cancer.

Not surprisingly, this inactivity leads to $76 billion -- 10% -- of our nation's annual medical costs. But there's hope. A study released last year determined that those who keep themselves fit file a third fewer medical claims than couch potatoes. And it doesn't take much to get in shape: The CDC estimates that a vigorous, daily 20-minute walk could stop the obesity epidemic in its tracks.

Read More

Toronto's new green roof law a first for North America

Bylaw requires some new developments to devote almost 60% of roof space to vegetation.
By Michael d'EstriesTue, Jun 23 2009 at 9:34 AM EST

In a first for a North American city, Toronto recently passed a new law mandating "green" rooftops for all new developments. Any new construction with floorspace of more than 2,000 square meters must devote between 20 and 60 percent of its roof to vegetation. The rule applies to residential, commercial, industrial and institutional structures.
 
As expected, developers are less than thrilled with the new mandatory rules -- least of all that they come during an economic downturn. Some estimate that green roofs could add more than $177,000 to the cost of a project; not including the ongoing maintenance, replacement and repair costs. "I don't think anybody is warm and fuzzy about having a green roof bylaw impressed on them as a prescriptive method," said one developer to Reuters.

Read More

Highways to Nowhere

At a White House gathering last week, both Barack Obama and Joe Biden warned America’s governors not to squander stimulus funds on ill-conceived infrastructure projects. “Six months from now,” Biden said, “if the verdict on this effort is that we’ve wasted the money, we built things that were unnecessary, or we’ve done things that are legal but make no sense, then, folks, don’t look for any help from the federal government for a long while.”

Nowhere is this warning more pertinent than in building new roads. The stimulus bill allocates nearly $30 billion in highway funds to the states and requires that they put the money to use quickly. That’s a good thing when it is being spent on smart construction, but it raises the danger that some bad projects will be rushed through, simply because the plans are ready to go (in some cases after being controversially fast-tracked by the Bush administration.) Misguided road building can encourage sprawl, make communities less livable, and devastate the local environment. We looked at shovel-ready new highway projects across the country that are either getting stimulus money or could potentially get some and found seven that, in Biden’s words, “make no sense.”

Read More

Under Misspelled Banner, Buchanan And White Nationalist Brimelow Argue For English-Only Initiatives  


On Saturday, Pat Buchanan hosted a conference to discuss how Republicans can regain a majority in America. During one discussion, panelists suggested supporting English-only initiatives as a prime way of attracting “working class white Democrats.” The discussion ridiculed Judge Sotomayor for the fact that she studied children’s classics to improve her grammar while attending college. The panelists also suggested that, without English as the official language, President Obama would force Americans to speak Spanish.

One salient feature of the event was the banner hanging over the English-only advocates. The word conference was spelled “Conferenece.”

Read More

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News That Matters - June 22, 2009


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Good Monday Morning,

After spending $2,500,000 and years of study and preparation, the Town of Carmel has opened Camarda Park on Seminary Hill Road. The 37 acres used for the park were donated by Ridgefield, CT developer Paul Camarda when he built 71 homes on an adjoining property.
Patterson could use a Camarda park too, and the developer owns about 100 acres in that town. Think of the tax write-off!
Why do fireflies glow? All known firefly larvae have photic organs and produce light. The behavioral function of the larval light has received considerable speculation and several plausible theories have been proposed (Lloyd 1971; Sivinski 1981). However, the most generally accepted hypothesis is firefly larvae use their luminescence as a warning signal (aposematism) that communicates to potential predators that they taste bad because they have defensive chemicals in their bodies. These larvae also increase both the intensity and frequency of their glow when disturbed (Sivinski 1981). An experimental study of whether mice could learn to avoid glowing objects by associating a larval-type glow with a bad tasting object further supports the aposematism hypothesis (Underwood et al., 1997).

In an unsigned editorial in the April 30th edition of the Putnam County Courier, the author writes:
"Environmentalists want to halt the growth of human development, even the growth of the human population. They claim to want to save mother earth, but they would do so at the expense of those who will inherit this world, our children. There are reactionaries who prophesy the end of progress, and preach survivalism to the masses. They claim to oppose the ugliness of Mc-Mansions, and mini-malls. In truth, they hate prosperity and seek to make people good by making them poorer."
Huh. I had no idea.

Last week someone wrote that I might be "too green" (among other things, "loose cannon" was my favorite!) I can't believe people still hold the belief that this planet will provide for them regardless of what they do to it. Are they genuinely willing to destroy our environment for short-term profit or are they just blind to the obvious? How myopic and hubristic can people be? Why is it so difficult to reach these people and why do we so often elect them? How many more question marks do I need to use in the paragraph before someone has an answer that makes sense?
Website Watch:
What’s On My Food? is a searchable database designed to make the public problem of pesticide exposure visible and more understandable. How does this tool work? We link pesticide food residue data with the toxicology for each chemical, making this information easily searchable for the first time. Use the tool, share it with others: we built it to help move the public conversation about pesticides into an arena where you don’t have to be an expert to participate.
“Statistics provided by the candidates, who claim more than 100 percent of those eligible have cast their ballot in 80 to 170 cities are not accurate — the incident has happened in only 50 cities,” Such is the admission of Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, the spokesman for the authoritative Guardian Council of Iran — a 12-member panel of clerics charged with certifying the vote. Somehow his assertion that the problem was only found in 50 cities rather than more is supposed to pacify the opposition?

And now, The News:
  1. Two North Salem residents donate major easement
  2. A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl
  3. A Big Day For Clean Water
  4. House panel approves $15M for L.I. Sound preservation
  5. A huge gamble on Markham Asian mall
  6. How to Reduce Light Pollution
  7. Out of the woods

Two North Salem residents donate major easement

Ashley Tarr
atarr@lohud.com

NORTH SALEM - Thanks to four residents, the wildlife living on 129 acres of forest land at 125 Vail Lane can remain there in perpetuity.

Couples Peter and Jackie Kamenstein and Laurence and Lori Fink will be honored tomorrow for their donation to the Westchester Land Trust. The easement is the largest the trust, which has protected roughly 6,400 acres of land, has ever received from individual donors.

Peter Kamenstein, who is a member of the group's Board of Directors, has donated two previous easements. He said North Salem's rural atmosphere is one of its basic charms, and that keeping it that way is up to residents.

Read More

A (Radical) Way to Fix Suburban Sprawl

By Lisa Selin Davis / Tysons Corner

There's something deeply wrong with Tysons Corner. For starters, Virginia's bustling commercial district — the 12th biggest employment center in the nation — has more parking spaces than jobs or residents. What was a quaint intersection of two country roads 50 years ago is now a two-tiered interchange with 10 lanes of traffic-choked hell; try to cross it on foot, and you're taking your life into your hands. Located about 14 miles west of downtown Washington, the nearly 1,700-acre area is home to fortresses of unfriendly buildings surrounded by oceans of parking lots, as well as single-story car dealerships, strip malls, fast-food joints, highways and a big toll road. Pedestrians are personae non gratae here. What few sidewalks exist often abruptly end.

The overgrown office park — which sprang up around Tysons Corner Center, the ninth largest indoor mall in the U.S. — has become the opposite of a bedroom community. Some 120,000 people work in Tysons, but only 17,000 live here. "Every morning, 110,000 cars arrive, and they all leave at 5," says Clark Tyler, a former federal transportation official and the chairman of a task force whose ambitious goal is to help transform Tysons into a full-fledged city — where people live and work and play 24 hours a day.

Read More

A Big Day For Clean Water

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works moves forward on clean water

Contacts:
Melissa Samet, American Rivers, 415-482-8150
Katherine Baer, American Rivers, 410-292-4619

June 18, 2009

Washington, DC -- Today the United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee took important steps towards protecting the nation’s clean water by passing an amended version of the Clean Water Restoration Act and Sewage Right-to-Know legislation in addition to reauthorizing the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act and the Great Lakes Legacy Act. American Rivers played a lead role advocating for Right-to-Know and the Restoration Act, important bills that protect public health and safety, and our nation’s priceless river heritage.

The Clean Water Restoration Act (S.787) and Sewage Right to Know (S.937) will next head to the floor of the United States Senate.

Read More

House panel approves $15M for L.I. Sound preservation

Greg Clary
gclary@lohud.com

Long Island Sound should get a little healthier in the next year if a record $15 million in federal funding goes through as expected.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, announced the money yesterday, less than a day after it was approved in a late session of the House Appropriations subcommittee on the interior and environment.

"The Long Island Sound is a critical part of our economy, our environment and our quality of life," Lowey said. "It is our responsibility to preserve this precious resource for future generations, and I am pleased we are on track for record funding of critical Sound protection programs."

Read More

A huge gamble on Markham Asian mall

TheStar.com - Business - A huge gamble on Markham Asian mall
 
In the depths of the worst recession in decades, one of Canada's richest men is taking a $1 billion gamble on suburban Chinatown with plans for a massive mall and luxury hotel/condominium complex in the heart of Markham's shopping district.

Plans for the Remington Centre, an 800,000 square-foot Chinese-themed mall adjoining a 20-storey hotel and condo tower, are expected to be announced by Toronto developer Rudy Bratty's Remington Group at a news conference today.

"We are really proud of this – we believe it will be the pre-eminent centre in North America," the 77-year-old Bratty said in an interview.

Read More

How to Reduce Light Pollution

More and more research about the negative effect light pollution has on humans and wildlife is coming to light (pun intended). As the population of the planet increases, so does the amount of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted.

Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets safe. The problem is that researchers are finding that all this light is having a negative impact on humans and wildlife as well.

Less than 10 years ago I drove to a less populated section of my town lay down in the middle of the road and watched a spectacular meteor shower. The area was devoid of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, first off I wouldn’t be able to see the meteor shower as well, due to the increase in street lights, but I would surely be run over by a car. Urban sprawl has taken over those sparsely populated areas.

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Out of the woods

Urban loggers find new uses for old landscaping.

At the Bronx Zoo, a CitiLog employee loads felled trees, which will be made into a reception desk and conference tables for the zoo.
 
Stubby Warmbold is an old hand at logging. When he was a boy growing up in Canada, his family owned sawmills, and for the last 16 years he’s run a logging company. With his long beard and penchant for flannel shirts, he looks the part. But Warmbold isn’t your typical logger. Instead of felling trees in forests, his company, CitiLog, takes wood cleared from parks, roadsides, medians and other urban and suburban areas and makes it into lumber, which then becomes everything from flooring to furniture.

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News That Matters - June 19, 2009 - Things To Do Edition


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Good Friday Morning,

Today is Junteenth, the commemoration of the announcement of the end of slavery in the state of Texas in 1865. The holiday is celebrated in 31 of our 50 states including ours, which lists it as an official holiday.

It can't stay cloudy forever unless the earth has shifted her rotation so that we are now further north in latitude, where the Atlantic beats against the shore of a slowly rising land depressed a mile by the weight of ancient glaciers, kissed by men of pallid skin and great beards and high-prowed sailing ships. If the earth has not shifted her billion year old cycle.

The booming you hear in the distance is the artillery practice at West Point I told you about in the June 10th edition of News That Matters.

County Legislator Anthony (Tony) Fusco is in the news. This time it's about his fight to gather information  after being stopped for running a stop sign in Putnam Valley in 2008. So far, according to an article in the Journal News, his quest has cost the county $3700 in time required to produce documentation about the case.
While at first glance this seems quite extraordinary, Mr. Fusco has a point when he says that the information he's seeking should have been readily available to him. There's nothing he's asked for (police records, video-tapes, etc.,) that is private or even controversial and regardless of what you think about this particular event, Mr. Fusco's actions will make county government better, more transparent and accessible in the end. But if not, maybe they really are hiding stuff from us.
The NY State Senate is a mess. What it all comes down to has nothing to do with good governance but who controls millions upon millions of your dollars and the ability to grace you with them. And, who gets to lord over eight-room suites and who must work out of tiny, one room studios. Yes, we've allowed our government to become that fatuous and it's our fault. We're blinded by the money showered upon us and fool ourselves into believing that more-equals-something when more just means less for food on our tables for, in the end, that "more" comes directly from our pockets.

The Ayatollah Khamenei claimed in a speech earlier today that if there is any violence or bloodshed in that nation's protests over the recently stolen election, it would be the full responsibility of the opposition and that the Iranian government would never steal an election.
How, he asked, can 11 million votes be stolen? How, everyone else asks, can millions of paper ballots be counted in four hours? He blamed then blamed "western influence" for the troubles and told the Iranian people to sit down, shut up and behave.

There's another national demonstration schedule for tomorrow which has been expressly banned by the government. The troops are out and the army has been mobilized. You can most certainly expect a good deal of violence and bloodshed - on the part of the government.

If you're interested in following events from Iran point your web browsers to Facebook, You-tube, Twitter and Flickr. So far these venues are still open. If you can read Persian, here's the "official" news.

Tonight:

5th Annual Juneteenth Celebration

6 - 9PM at Family Partnership Center Lateef Islam Auditorium, 29N Hamilton St., Poughkeepsie.  From Freedom Schools to After School, dedicated to Civil Rights workers of the early 60s, including Jane Van de Bogart. This program will include musical and spoken work performances by Real Skills Network, African Drumming by The Keblulan Drumming Circle, ReadNex Poetry Squad,  and others, with awards ceremony and a tour of the Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library collection and displays. 845 452-1110 x 3343.

Saturday:

Butterflies at Bylane With Charlie Roberto

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Bylane Garden, 35 Todd Road, Katonah. Expert naturalist Charlie Roberto will present a slideshow of local butterflies and then lead a walk through the meadows of Bylane, where more than 60 species of butterflies have been recorded. This is unique chance to learn to recognize local butterflies. Bring binoculars, insect repellent, and plenty of cool drinks. Degree of Difficulty: Easy. Register with Joan E. Becker by e-mail or by telephone at (914) 232-4806.

Eleanor Fitchen Memorial

3:30PM - Old Southeast Church, Route 22. Family members from around the world and the country and friends of Eleanor will be acknowledging her life: a life that had a lasting impact on Putnam County, the Town of Southeast and the Village of Brewster; a life that left its mark in the founding and seminal life of several of its conservation, preservation and historical organizations.

Eleanor Fitchen has been called the single most significant preservationist in Putnam County's history.  Her work in her hometown of Southeast and across the county began after retirement. Paul and Eleanor Fitchen moved permanently to a longtime family property in Southeast when they both retired in the late 1960's-- a time when Putnam County was undergoing dramatic change. When Putnam County was virtually overhauled by the dramatic population growth and land development of the 70's and 80's --Eleanor and Paul Fitchen became leaders in helping their communities combat environmental degradation and loss of history.
Thanks to Denis Castelli for posting this event in another forum.

Montgomery Delaney & Marc Von Em

8PM - Tilly Foster Farm, Southeast. PAC is pleased to host another evening of great live music at the Lodge at Tilly Foster, 100 Rte 312, Brewster, NY on Saturday June 20th, at 8pm. Join us to hear the artistry of musician/songwriters Montgomery Delaney & Marc Von Em who will deliver their wonderful bluesy folk/rock tunes in our intimate 60 seat venue.

Monty Delaney, “a thoughtful and provocative poet” is known for his gift of touching the hearts and minds of his listeners with the wonderful pictures he present through his lyrics. His friend, Marc Von Em is also a well known and respected Hudson Valley songwriter who has frequently appeared at venues ranging The Bottom Line and The Living Room in NYC to spots throughout the region selling 10,000 copies of his debut CD. Since his connecting with Matchbox 20, he has toured the world for the last 4 tears, performed on numerous TV shows, including Jay Leno,David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres and more, while still attending to his solo career.

PAC asks that you make reservations as our space is limited; suggested donation only $20.00 ($15.00 for members & full time students). For more info, or to RSVP, please visit our website: putnamartscouncil.com or call 845.278.0230

Sunday:

Pan Fish Derby

8AM - Noon - Beach 4 at Lake Carmel. Registration starts at 8:00AM. All fish must be weighed in by 11:30AM. Weigh-in Volunteers will be available during the contest. Ages from 2 - adult. Prizes and Trophies awarded! Only Park District Residents and guests are eligible - Proof required. All NYS & Park District fishing rules must be obeyed. Anyone 16 yrs or older must have a valid NYS Fishing License.

Bicycle Tour of Olde Fishkill

Noon - Van Wyck Homestead, Route 9 (at I84), Fishkill. Join the Fishkill Historical Society, and the community of Fishkill for a Historic Bicycle Tour of Olde Fishkill, and spend a moment with some of America's greatest people!  View PDF Map here. Contact Ann. Family Tour: Registration at Van Wyck (Village) Hall, 1095 Main St, Fishkill, NY begins at 12pm. Kickoff at 12:30. There are a total of 8 sites to visit, all within 4 level blocks (0.6miles). Walkers are welcome if you don't have a bike!  Medium Tour: Registration at Van Wyck (Village) Hall, 1095 Main St, Fishkill, NY begins at 12pm. Kickoff at 12:30. There are a total of 15 sites to visit, some level with a hill along route 52 that will challenge you! 4 miles.  Extended Tour: Registration at Van Wyck Homestead, 504 Route 9, Fishkill, NY begins at 12pm. Kickoff at 12:30. There are a total of 26 sites to visit on this tour. 24 miles, with some hills - and a tough one towards the end. Start training! Community Picnic: There will be a community picnic on the grounds of Van Wyck Homestead to close out the event from 4pm to 6:30pm. More info coming soon.

Into the Future:

Tuesday, June 23

Hike along Tamarack Creek

10am - Housatonic Valley Association Office, 19 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic, NY—- MAP Watershed: Ten Mile. Kick off the Watershed month by a hike with the Mid-Hudson ADK along one of the tributaries of the Ten Mile River. We will tour the Housatonic Valley Association office, followed by a visit to old stone furnaces and a hike along the Tamarack creek in a pristine forest with waterfalls. The trip leader will be Lalita Malik. Call Lalita, 845-592-0204, or email lalitamalik@aol.com, to confirm. Meet at the HVA office, 19 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic, NY

Wednesday, June 24

Intro to Mobile GIS

5:30 - 9:30 pm, Marist College - Poughkeepsie. Intro to Mobile GIS (Adobe .PDF) Layers and Free Web-Based Geospatial Map Applications (Geobrowsers) Did you know that Adobe Acrobat files now enable “Layers” that can utilize and integrate spatial information as a virtual “mobile GIS”? Have you heard about the whole wave of new “Geobrowser” tools (Google Maps, Google Earth, NASA World Wind) now available online? Do you want to know more about how to use these remarkable mobile and online spatial resources to understand your neighborhood, our planet and the natural systems of the Hudson River watershed?  The Hudson River Watershed Alliance (www.hudsonwatershed.org) in partnership with Marist College (www.marist.edu) is sponsoring a half-day introductory training to support a fuller understanding of watershed management, water resource protection, sustainability, and conservation planning issues in the Hudson River watershed. Please see attached announcement for more details.  To register contact Katy Dunlap, HRWA Coordinator, at katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.  Registration is limited to 15 seats and is expected to fill. Cost is $30.

Friday, June 26

Leo Burmester Retrospective

7PM – 10 p.m. – Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. Opening Reception – “We are such stuff as dreams are made” Retrospective continues with 8 p.m. Performance June 27 by Daniel Burmester (GUTworks Theatre) of Rattlesnake in a Cooler by Frank South. Additional exhibit days: Sunday, June 28, 1-5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, June 29-July 1, 7-9 p.m. Rattlesnake in a Cooler A one man show by Frank South. GUTWorks, a NYC/Vermont-based theater & film company, will be performing Rattle Snake in a Cooler at Arts on the Lake in Carmel, NY. The performance will be on Saturday night at 8pm. GUTWorks has amazed audiences again and again over the past three years with their dynamic theatrical events. The renowned theatre and film company will be presenting another, Ingeniously creative solo theatre experience. Daniel Burmester will be performing Rattlesnake in a Cooler, the gut-wrenching story of a man trying to find himself in all the wrong places.

Saturday, July 11

Annual Garden Party at the Asylum

3PM - Onwards. Come celebrate the beauty of the highlands in western Kent. Rain or Shine! Bring some food for the pot luck and drink for the coolers, a blanket and/or some chairs, or just wear light, comfortable clothes and hang out on the grass in the field. We'll have plates and forks and knives and spoons and cups so you can leave those at home.

Don't forget your sunscreen. There's afternoon shade near the edge of the forest so you can set up over there if you like. Last year the kids had a massive water fight to stay cool. No adults were harmed in the battle.

When the sun goes down the fire-pit becomes the place for gathering and we'll be sure to have it blazing once it's dark enough for the after-party which ran until 6AM last year.

The weather report projects 80º and partly sunny so we'll have lots of ice and cool, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages on hand. What you could do:

Bring along some friends, the extended family, the neighbors, your kids, the dogs... pretty much anything and anyone that walks or rolls.

Bring your musical instruments, your talents and yes, even your accordions and kazoos. But be prepared to play them.

If you're traveling from away or taste testing the barleycorn, bring your tent. There's plenty of room to camp.

Handicap parking is available!

More info is here.

Thursday, July 23

Hudson River Watershed Alliance

10AM - 3PM At this meeting, we will learn about the current activities of each watershed group and what new issues you are facing in your efforts.  In addition, we will collectively chart a course for organizing quarterly or semi annual watershed roundtable width='100%' meetings.  The goal of this meeting is to find new ways in which you can learn from one another and move your local watershed
efforts forward!
In preparation, please consider these questions and be prepared to discuss your related activities:

1.  Since our last meeting (July 2008), what aspect of watershed planning protection has your group focused on?

2.  What challenges have you faced and how has your group addressed these issues?

3.   Is their mutual consent to commit to more frequent roundtable meetings?  If so, how should we structure these events?
 
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 16, to katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.

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News That Matters - June 17, 2009


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Good Wednesday Morning,

The sun might actually come out today. The NWS says that the UV index will be an 8 today (out of 10) but then they've been predicting this for a week already.

The folks over at Lake Carmel are creating a garden at the Community Center. You are encouraged to donate plants and can call (845) 225-6674 to arrange for a pickup. If you live over there and are reworking your home gardens and have some hardy perennials you are parting with, you now know what to do with them. Tell them I sent you.

Two notes from the Hudson River Watershed Alliance:
NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program releases The State of the Hudson 2009 Report. How is the Hudson doing?  Find out in the The State of the Hudson 2009 report, produced by the Hudson River Estuary Program.  In laypersons language, this 16 page illustrated report concisely describes progress and identifies ongoing problems. It looks at water quality, habitat, and fish and wildlife of the estuary as well as biodiversity, tributary health, and land use patterns in the Hudson's watershed. For the full report, see:  http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/51492.html
The Nature Conservancy releases report from Rising Waters scenario planning effort. Rising Waters is a collaborative effort designed to develop adaptive strategies to protect the Hudson Valley's environment, economy and quality of life from threats associated with climate change.  Using a formal scenario development process, originally created by Royal Dutch Shell, to model plausible futures in a changing climate, participants consider possible impacts of climate change on Hudson Valley communities and the environment, and how various types of human response over a 20-year period might change them.  For the full report and recommendations (on right hand side), see:  http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/newyork/science/art23583.html
Someone on a blog somewhere suggested I was "too green". Huh. I'm guessing they haven't yet understood the direct connection between the quality of the air we breath and the water we drink with the way we treat the land.
This came to mind yesterday while I was taking a break sitting on the edge of a remnant field awash with wildflowers. You could smell the field quite clearly. The oxygen generated out-gassing from this bit of remaining nature reminded me that the engine which produces the oxygen we breath isn't in the Amazon or China, but right here under our very noses. And that when we remove the plants and trees there's a corresponding decrease in oxygen generation and drinking water purification, right here.

I thought that people think nothing of feeding themselves food, abundant and easily measured in our supermarkets. They clean themselves to rid their bodies of harmful bacteria. In fact, we do a lot of things - without even thinking - that are all about keeping us alive. Yet, we breath and don't choke. We open the tap and drink until full. That these last two resources are seemingly limitless and so we don't even think about them. "There's plenty of trees!" we'll say. "There's plenty of clean water!"

But if we had to count, measure and pay for each green, oxygen generating engine or for each plant whose roots filter our drinking water we'd begin to think differently about their abundance and treat them as a commodity instead. We'd think less about profit and more about basic , individual survival. We'd all become "too green".

We have to find a way for those who think I'm "too green" to understand that wantonly paving over the land and mowing down our forests is akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.
A US Senator admitted to having an extra-marital affair yesterday and really, it's none of our business.
Well, it wouldn't be our business if he weren't one of the morality guys who lashed out at Senator Larry Craig as being "an embarrassment" when Craig got caught playing footsie in a public men's room. Had he kept his mouth shut
When it comes right down to it, Americans expect those we elect to be more perfect than Christ. We want them pure and clean and morally absolute and to be a Poster Child for the Disneyesque lifestyles we made believe we had in 1955. And when we find out they're simply human and have all the foibles that each of us has, we lambaste and condemn, criticize and ostracize.

We tend to vote for those who play the game best, hoping that no one finds out they have sexual appetites or like the barleycorn, or pick their noses or scratch themselves in all the places men scratch themselves. And once the facades come tumbling down we go through all kinds of outrage and conniptions, moving from disbelief to anger to revulsion, and all of it ultimately fake. All of it for the sake of covering our own imperfections, hoping no one finds out that we, too, are human.

The way around all that is simple: we can stop lying to ourselves and cast our votes based on issues and policies and not rely on the professed moral purity of our candidates and their campaign promises to walk on water.
Website Watch:
Koogle used to be this noodle concoction your family forced you to eat on Jewish holidays. Sometimes it was sweet and soft and other times, especially when it came from your Aunt Ruth who couldn't boil water, it was inedible though covered in cinnamon and you could break a tooth on the burnt noodles. But that was then and this is now.
Now, koogle isn't just for eating anymore and it's been reconstituted as a kosher search engine for the orthodox Jewish community. Click on the image over there and give it a try. Did you know there's a Boro Park Pizza in Ashdod, Israel?
The foreign press has largely left Iran. With the government canceling extensions on visas and demanding that any reporters staying request explicit permission to report on stories or face imprisonment, a blanket of secrecy has fallen over the country. The Iranian Cultural Minister said, "No journalist has permission to report or film or take pictures in the city [Tehran]." But Twitter and Facebook and Flickr have come to the rescue.
Iranians who still have access to the internet have flooded the world with short bursts of information that, while on the surface have been confusing and often contradictory, once weeded through, a concrete picture of mass arrests at Universities and of political opposition party members and civil rights activists has emerged.

Imams have promised a partial recount of the votes but in order for there to be a recount, doesn't there have to be a count in the first place?
And now, The News:
  1. House Panel Approves Hinchey Request of $150,000 for Sloop Clearwater
  2. Beacon and Clearwater reach agreement on University Settlement Camp
  3. Providing Health Insurance For US Children Would Be Cheaper Than Expected, Study Says
  4. Taking Comfort in Small Joys
  5. In Some Swimming Pools, a Nasty Intestinal Parasite
  6. The Secret Life of Mosquitoes
  7. Pennsylvania town fights big coal on mining rights
  8. Can Countries Cash In by Leaving Oil Untapped?

House Panel Approves Hinchey Request of $150,000 for Sloop Clearwater

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY- Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, America’s flagship environmental organization, has been notified by Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) that late last week he had secured the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior's approval of $150,000 for the renovation of the historic sloop Clearwater. Hinchey, who is a member of that panel, requested the funds for renovations of the ship as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Interior Appropriations bill.

     “The Clearwater, which is a unique vessel that serves as a link to the Hudson River’s rich maritime history, is in need of serious restoration,” Hinchey said. “These federal funds will pay for structural repairs to the vessel that are long overdue.  The Clearwater serves the community as an excellent educational resource and is an important piece of New York history.”

     The federal funds will be used to do necessary maintenance on the sloop Clearwater, which is presently moving into the last year of five year-long renovation program. Upcoming repairs, which include an aggressive replacement of hull planking plus an assessment and likely replacement of the stem, according to Clearwater captain Samantha Heyman, will maintain the structural integrity of the vessel and continue to ensure the safety of all those who board it.

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Beacon and Clearwater reach agreement on University Settlement Camp

BEACON — The Beacon city council approved Monday an agreement to that will allow Poughkeepsie-based environmental organization Clearwater to move its headquarters to the former University Settlement Camp.

The 5-1 vote set in motion the terms of a 10-year agreement in which Clearwater will renovate, maintain and operate the White House on the grounds of the site.

Clearwater has the option of renewing the lease for two five-year periods.

Monthly rent, to the tune of $1,200, will be offset by the fair market value of work done to the premises by the nonprofit organization.

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Providing Health Insurance For US Children Would Be Cheaper Than Expected, Study Says

ScienceDaily (June 16, 2009) — Extending health insurance coverage to all children in the U.S. would be relatively inexpensive and would yield economic benefits that are greater than the costs, according to new research conducted at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy.

"Providing health insurance to all children in America will yield substantial economic benefits," wrote Vivian Ho, chair in health economics at the Baker Institute and associate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. She co-authored the report with Marah Short, senior staff researcher in health economics at the Baker Institute. They based their research on recent studies published in peer-reviewed journals to examine the evidence regarding the economic impact of failing to insure all children in the United States.

The children will receive better health care and enjoy better health, thereby improving their productivity as adults, the researchers said. The cost incurred by providing universal coverage to children "will be offset by the increased value of additional life years and improved health-related quality of life gained from improved health care. From a societal perspective, universal coverage for children appears to be cost-saving."

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Taking Comfort in Small Joys

West Virginia has endured pervasive poverty throughout its history. With a median per capita income at around $35,000, the state ranks second--after Mississippi--as the poorest in the nation. The people of West Virginia feature as stock characters in jokes referencing poor, uneducated "hillbillies." But within the state, the ruggedly self-sufficient culture that endemic poverty has engendered represents strength and independence--a thing of pride for residents.  Most importantly--for the purposes of this project--that natural state of being for West Virginia has acted as a kind of buffer against some of the heartbreak and despair the recession has visited upon wealthier parts of the country.

Since my journey is not simply a poverty tour, but intended specifically to document how people are adjusting to dramatically changed economic circumstances, I pointed my rental Prius in the direction of Pocohantas County. Sliding from 5.6% unemployment in late 2007, to 16.9% today, Pocahantas has arguably taken the hardest hit of any county in West Virginia.

Read More

In Some Swimming Pools, a Nasty Intestinal Parasite

By SARAH ARNQUIST

A swimming pool can offer relief from summer heat, but swimmers should know what they are jumping into. It could be a soup of nasty parasites.

Reports of gastrointestinal illness from use of public pools and water parks have risen sharply in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The leading culprit is a microscopic organism that lives in human feces.

Called cryptosporidium, it is a parasite transmitted in an egglike shell that can survive as long as 10 days even in chlorinated water. In 2007, the last year for which statistics are available, it was responsible for 31 recreational water outbreaks involving 3,726 people, according to the disease centers — up from 7 outbreaks and 567 people in 2004.

Health officials say the reasons are unclear. “We’re not sure whether it’s a true increase in incidence or an increase in reporting,” said Michele C. Hlavsa, an epidemiologist with the healthy swimming program at the C.D.C.

Ms. Hlavsa noted that detection and reporting had probably improved since a treatment for the diarrheal illness — called cryptosporidiosis, or crypto for short — became available in 2002. And the recent large outbreaks, she said, have raised awareness and led to better reporting.

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The Secret Life of Mosquitoes

Submitted by K. Ohman on June 11, 2009 – 9:10 amNo CommentFor better or worse, the warmer Adirondack season brings mosquitoes. But if you can move past the annoyance of being bitten, there’s a lot to be learned about these Adirondack insects. Join Tom and Jackie Kalinowski as they provide you with a close up look at our local mosquitoes in “Nature in the Adirondacks.”  You can expand this video to full screen by clicking on the bottom-right square – highly recommended.

Read More

Pennsylvania town fights big coal on mining rights

By Jon Hurdle

TAYLORSTOWN, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A small Pennsylvania town is trying to ban coal mining in a battle being played out across the state as rural communities try to assert control over mining, gas drilling and other businesses.

Blaine Township, a community of 600 about 40 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, hopes to trigger a legal battle that could determine the rights of municipalities throughout the United States to control corporate activity.

Some legal experts say the township is highly unlikely to win that fight. For now the dispute is in federal district court, where major energy companies have sued the township over three ordinances that would ban coal mining and require companies in any business to disclose their activities to local officials.

Read More

Can Countries Cash In by Leaving Oil Untapped?

Posted by: Ben Jervey on June 15, 2009 at 3:27 pm

As Peru attacks its indigenous groups for the oil in the Amazon, Ecuador tries another tack: charging rich countries to leave forests untouched.

Tensions in Peru are running high. Indigenous groups are refusing to back down and accept President Alan Garcia’s plan to open up huge swaths of their land in the Amazon to foreign investors for oil extraction. Last week, a violent clash between police forces and indigenous protesters erupted, leaving dozens of people dead and hundreds wounded.

By the official state estimate, 32 people—23 police and 9 protesters—were killed in a chaotic couple of days in the Peruvian Amazon. Indigenous leaders have claimed that at least 40 protesters were killed, and that bodies have been buried, burned, or dumped in rivers by the military security forces.

This all serves as a stark reminder that the true cost of oil goes far beyond the price at the gas pump and the carbon dioxide that it contains.

Read More

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News That Matters - June 15, 2009


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"It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."

Good Monday Morning,

First, let me peel the dog off me. He became cellularly intertwined at some point just before the thunderstorm ran through here earlier this morning. I have no idea what time it was but I started having dreams of chasing rabbits and knew something was up. He's become such a chicken in his middle age!

The weekend sure turned out okay. Once the skies cleared as best they could and I got back from a mid-afternoon meeting, I took the dog out for a romp on some old, hidden roads I know about that run for more than a mile over hill and dale, into a deep clove with bus-sized blocks of bedrock calved off the cliffs, up over a ridge with a nice view and back down again skirting a luscious wetland. The more I explore that  area the more old farm roads I find. It's not like you can actually *see* the road but if you look with a trained eye at the lay of the land and the age of the trees and brush they become readily apparent. The best part is, I think I'm the only one who knows where they are since I've never seen any evidence of someone passing before. And all that right here in Kent.

But, where is summer? The normal temperature for today should be in the upper 70s but will have a hard time reaching the lower 70s at all today, tomorrow and Wednesday. In fact, since the late freeze (remember May 20th!) it's been cool, cloudy and rainy, weather more befitting New Foundland and Nova Scotia than the Hudson Valley. I guess we now live in a temperate rain forest. Can banana slugs be far behind?

Swine Flu has hit the Hudson Valley with our first death from the disease.

Bob Bondi is in the news again, this time it's the continuation of the story as to why he refuses to continue the septic replacement program we fought so hard to get in the first place. It's a sad tale. See the story below.

Now that retired Republican Senator Joe Bruno and Nassau county executive Tom Suozzi have both changed their minds and now support full civil rights for New Yorkers, can Senator Leibell be far behind? Call him and tell him to get on board.

Father's Day is just around the corner and if you're still stuck coming up with the perfect gift, look no longer. Hammacher Schlemmer is offering a 6' radio controlled model of the HMS Titanic that can reach 5mph on still water from three rechargeable 550 Watt electric motors.
400 man-hours were required to construct the 300 individual pieces that make up this historic plaything with mahogany and cedar used for details and injection molded plastic used for windows and other parts. Learning from history, so long as you float your boat in warm weather, you'll get more than a single use from it. The craft is $2500, does not come with a pre-recorded tape of 1500 screaming and wailing men, women and children and batteries are also not included.
Freedom Watch:

There were elections, after a sort, in Iran the other day. The winner, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, seems to have won by a much larger tally of the vote than pre-election polls indicated. According to returns he won in all 30 provinces and across the entire demographic spectrum, a highly unlikely situation since younger voters have shown a distinct movement towards freedom in recent years, sending democrats to office in many Iranian provinces.
Immediately, opposition party members and supporters of former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, took to the streets demanding the tally be recounted polling place by polling place. The government refused. But there's no way they can recount the votes. Iran has no independent election commission nor were foreign observers allowed access. Even Hugo Chavez' Venezuela allows independent verification. It's not that unlike the old Nassau County/Town of Hempstead single-party machine whose corruption was so widespread it eventually came tumbling down under its own weight.
Opposition supporters took to the streets in peaceful demonstrations which turned violent after government troops used concussion grenades and tear gas and began beating women and children and marking buildings from which opposition slogans were chanted. After eye-witnesses reported the beatings from police forces, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they were similar to nothing more than issuing a traffic ticket.

Then, in an effort to show how magnanimous the government was, they began expelling foreign press. As of this morning, the only news out of Iran is coming over the 'net from residents who have not yet had their internet connections cut as is happening across the country. Hundreds of opposition leaders have been arrested and beaten. It's a mess.

The true test of Iran's commitment to democracy would be at 4PM Tehran time today when Mousavi's green clad supporters take to the streets in demonstrations that have already been outlawed by the government. It's after 5PM there now and as of this moment (08:45) there are no reports coming from Tehran.

If you're interested in following events from Iran point your web browsers to Facebook, You-tube, Twitter and Flickr. So far these venues are still open. If you can read Persian, here's the "official" news.

And now, The News:

  1. Putnam lawmakers, county exec may end up in court over septic money
  2. Hudson River: Celebration, but commitment is vital
  3. Hudson River makes great strides in cleanup, says EnCon commissioner
  4. Mass. looks to landfills, military for wind power
  5. Let's Create Housing Policies Young People Can Afford
  6. Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous To Reveal To Public, Says DHS
  7. New DEC regulations adopted and effective May 13, 2009
  8. Military Hush-Up: Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified
  9. CIA chief believes Cheney almost wants US attacked

Putnam lawmakers, county exec may end up in court over septic money

Susan Elan
selan@lohud.com

The Putnam Legislature's Health Committee has threatened to sue County Executive Robert Bondi over his refusal to spend an additional $2 million in watershed funds to extend a popular repair program for failing home septic systems.

At the same time, the state office in Albany that oversees East of Hudson Water Quality Investment Funds has thrown out Bondi's objection to the additional spending, saying that under the New York City Watershed Agreement he may not object to actions taken by Putnam's legislative arm.

Last month, the county Legislature unanimously overrode Bondi's veto of its resolution allocating $2 million to continue the septic repair program. Bondi has countered by refusing to spend the money. The watershed fund contains more than $14 million.

Read More

Hudson River: Celebration, but commitment is vital

A NYJN Editorial

Whether you viewed the 400th-anniversary flotilla from Yonkers’ industrial waterfront, the Cold Spring Dock or the stunning heights of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, there was no mistaking that the river Henry Hudson navigated in 1609 is a river worth celebrating. Thousands came out last weekend to enjoy the parade of historic boats. The excitement flowed on into the week, with a Hudson River Summit and an announcement of renewed cooperation among the river’s greatest advocates.

While there is no shortage of good will for the river these days, there is a shortage of money. Nonetheless, there are things that policy-makers can do now, using the economic downturn as a breather, a time-out on the frenzied riverfront development, to work toward a cleaner, more user-friendly river in years to come.

Read More

Hudson River makes great strides in cleanup, says EnCon commissioner

MID-HUDSON – Some 40 years ago, the Hudson River was considered a lost hope, highly polluted and toxic.

That has changed since then thanks to the efforts of a handful of now-powerful environmental organizations, communities and individuals.

The Quadricentennial celebrations are, in many respects, the culmination of those efforts, state Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis told MidHudsonNews.com.

Read More

Mass. looks to landfills, military for wind power

BOSTON — Massachusetts is searching for every blustery nook and cranny it can find to boost wind energy production, from the tops of former dumps to a vast military reservation.

Gov. Deval Patrick has set a state goal of generating 2,000 megawatts of wind power by the year 2020 — an effort that may require up to 3,000 wind turbines.

So far, the state boasts a mere 11 commercial-scale turbines and dozens of smaller ones.

Read More

Let's Create Housing Policies Young People Can Afford

A developer offers proven paths to cheaper rentals.
By Howard Rotberg
Published: June 12, 2009

In less than a year, we in British Columbia have participated in federal, municipal and provincial elections. Why haven't housing policy and housing affordability been major themes in any of those contests?

Housing prices in Greater Vancouver are down a bit, but there still remains a crisis in affordability for both owned and rental housing.  Young people, those aged 35 and under, are the ones most disadvantaged in our present housing system. Yet few understand how the system is stacked against them, and why politicians from all levels of government are mostly silent about an issue that is so important for their quality of life. 

Allow me then to explain the perverted priorities of our housing system at every level of government. And then to offer a few proven policies that could make renting in the Vancouver region far more affordable -- if the political will is there to do it.

Read More

Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous To Reveal To Public, Says DHS

Just how bad has the coal ash situation gotten in the United States? So bad that the Department of Homeland Security has told Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) that her committee can't publicly disclose the location of coal ash dumps across the country.

The pollution is so toxic, so dangerous, that an enemy of the United States -- or a storm or some other disrupting event -- could easily cause them to spill out and lay waste to any area nearby.

There are 44 sites deemed by the Environmental Protection Agency to be high hazard, but Boxer said she isn't allowed to talk about them other than to senators in the states affected. "There is a huge muzzle on me and my staff," she said.

"Homeland Security and the Army Corps [of Engineers] have decided in the interests of national security they can't make these sites known," she said.

Read More

New DEC regulations adopted and effective May 13, 2009

June 12, 2009 by newyorkoutdoors

On May 13, 2009 the DEC finally adopted the proposed amendments to the lands and forest regulations that had first been proposed in May of 2008.

These new rules apply to both the forest preserve (a/k/a the Adirondack Park) and all state lands under DEC control outside of the forest preserve, a/k/a unique areas, state forests, reforestation areas, multiple use areas, environmentally sensitive lands or those rights owned and managed by the State as conservation easements.

Here are the highlights:

Read More

Military Hush-Up: Incoming Space Rocks Now Classified

By Leonard David
SPACE.com's Space Insider Columnist
posted: 10 June 2009
05:35 pm ET

For 15 years, scientists have benefited from data gleaned by U.S. classified satellites of natural fireball events in Earth's atmosphere – but no longer.

A recent U.S. military policy decision now explicitly states that observations by hush-hush government spacecraft of incoming bolides and fireballs are classified secret and are not to be released, SPACE.com has learned.

The satellites' main objectives include detecting nuclear bomb tests, and their characterizations of asteroids and lesser meteoroids as they crash through the atmosphere has been a byproduct data bonanza for scientists.

The upshot: Space rocks that explode in the atmosphere are now classified.

Read More

CIA chief believes Cheney almost wants US attacked

Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:07pm EDT
WASHINGTON, June 14 (Reuters) - CIA director Leon Panetta says it's almost as if former vice president Dick Cheney would like to see another attack on the United States to prove he is right in criticizing President Barack Obama for abandoning the "harsh interrogation" of terrorism suspects.

"I think he smells some blood in the water on the national security issue," Panetta said in an interview published in The New Yorker magazine's June 22 issue.

"It's almost, a little bit, gallows politics. When you read behind it, it's almost as if he's wishing that this country would be attacked again, in order to make his point."

Read More

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News That Matters - June 12, 2009 - Things To Do Edition


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Good Friday Morning,

As if you haven't noticed it's been raining for the past week or so.
But it's the perfect time to look at your streets and roads for signs of stormwater problems which will be evidenced by grit and sand spread out in 'alluvial fans' across the pavement. While seemingly innocuous, that sand (which is carrying other pollutants) will end up in a lake or creek and have a negative effect on the quality of our recreational and drinking water supplies. So if you see a problem, call your town's stormwater committee and let them know where it is. Take some photographs (like Brian's in Wednesday's column and again to the left) to document the problem and then let's get them fixed.

Tony Caravetta and the Kent highway guys have been out in western Kent these past few days sweeping the streets which has made a marked difference in the amount of silt and sand flowing into local streams. Has your highway department been out? If not, call them and ask them why.
I'm in shape. Pear's a shape, right?
A friend of mine pointed me to an article about how the nation is gearing up to be a lot healthier - whether it wants to or not. His main intent, not missed by these aging eyes, was that *I* should get in better shape for the upcoming election season in the belief that voters are more likely to vote for the better-looking candidates rather than the slothful ones. Okay, I got the hint. I'm guessing "pear-shaped" is out even though our planet is so shaped!

As I read the article and researched the President's agenda, I noticed the term, "nanny state on steroids" being repeated over and again from right-wing commentators stating their objections to being told that McDonald's is bad for them. But a red meat, high cholesterol, sugary/salty diet (our national  diet) will soon surpass tobacco as the number one avoidable killer of Americans and while we pay more for health care than any other nation on this pear-shaped planet, we die younger, have a higher rate of obesity and are less healthy than most anyone else mostly because of that diet. Apparently we could use a nanny.
Rock snot:
I'll bet your kids are going to get a laugh out of saying that! But it's not funny. Quite the contrary, fewer things have come along that are as scary as rock snot, more professionally known as Didymosphenia geminata.

"Didymo" is an aggressively growing diatom that has spread from Europe to Canada, through the American west and is now making itself known here on the east coast. From an NPR report:
Serious fly fishermen may remember 2007 as the year that the invasive species known as "rock snot" turned into a national problem. For at a least decade, nasty carpets of this algae have been fouling up pristine fishing streams in the western United States. Then, last summer, it turned up in fishing streams in several eastern states.
and:
What's certain is that by the early 1990s, massive rock snot blooms were fouling cold, clear rocky mountain streams in western states such as Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. Infestations sometimes stretched from bank to bank and covered several miles. Once the blooms appeared, it was impossible to make them go away.
Anyway, it's now here. Samples have been collected from the Esopus creek up near Kingston signaling a warning we should all heed, for if this thing gets into your lake - it's over. Didymo will spread across the bottom smothering everything in its path.

What can you do? Amazingly, it's the simple things that matter: If you're boating on one waterbody and then bringing your boat to another, wait at least 48 hours - in dry conditions - before placing the boat in the water. If you can't, thoroughly power wash the boat with a bleach solution. The same holds true for your fishing gear: If you're fishing Lake Mahopac and then want to fish Lake Carmel the next day, scrub your gear - including your lines, sinkers, bobs, boots, pants, sneakers... anything that might have come in contact with the water. Didymo can live for up to 48 hours out of water and a lot longer in as much as one, single drop.
Website Watch:
Bringing the world to a wide audience in a new way, 360cities.net is a guide that lets you step inside. They bring the full spectrum of high-resolution immersive, virtual reality experience to the web. 360 Cities brings you closer to the reality of a place than has ever been possible before. Whether doing travel research or simply exploring what's new on one of our many city sites, we're sure you'll find something of interest on 360 Cities.



Tonight:

Summer Shorts

8 PM - Depot Theater, Garrison Station - The Aery Theatre Company is proud to present SUMMER SHORTS, a series of original one-act plays about life, death, love, loss, hope, desperation, ecstasy... and every emotion in between. We've chosen these plays from the many that have been crafted at our bi-monthly workshops, held on the first and third Mondays of each month at the Depot Theatre. Production dates are June 12th - 21st at the Depot. Please contact the Depot box office at (845) 424-3900 for more info on the shows and the workshops.

Saturday:

Cold Spring Antiques Show

9AM - 5 PM Mayor's Park at Fair Street, Cold Spring. What better way to spend a June Sunday than strolling alongside the Hudson River in the shadow of the majestic Hudson Highlands? Well, here's an idea. Browse among rows of antiques dealers while you stroll. That's the inviting combination proprietor Dave Cooke provides for the hundreds of antique collectors who make Cold Spring their destination point for his Cold Spring Antiques Show. The show, which will be held on Sun., June 14 from 9-5, will be held in Mayor's Park near the end of Fair Street. Visitors to the show can ride the jolly green trolley throughout the Village and back to Mayor's Park free of charge courtesy of the Cold Spring Antiques Dealers Association who sponsor the show. Admission: $6. Children free. For further info call Cooke at: (845) 265-4414 or visit:www.ColdSpringAntiqueShow.com.

Babes in the Woods

1:00 p.m. Westmorland Sanctuary Bedfird, NY. Director Steve Ricker will lead a leisurely hike to show us the secret places where the young animals, birds, and even plants are hiding. All ages are welcome. Degree of Difficulty: Easy Register by calling (914) 666-8448. Dogs not allowed :-( .

Thomas Paine and the Flame of Revolution

2PM - Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster Farm. A free lecture in cooperation with Southeast Museum.

Hudson Highlands Land Trust Annual Family Festival

4PM - Garrison. This year's Family Festival is shaping up to be our best ever, with music from bluegrass band No Brakes and folk artist Margaret Vetare, as well as a musical set especially for kids with Stacy Labriola & Friends. There will be a terrific BBQ dinner and lots of fun outdoor activities. New this year: a raffle with great prizes including a kayak from Hudson Valley Outfitters, a family photo shoot from Photography by Frank Famularo, and a summer veggie bounty basket from Second Wind CSA. Tickets are on sale now at the Land Trust office. Festival admission (inc. BBQ dinner) is: * $10 in advance / $15 at the door per individual and * $25 in advance / $30 at the door per family. All proceeds from these events benefit the Haldane School Foundation and The Garrison Children's Education Fund in support of environmental programming in our schools. For more information, please contact HHLT at: 845-424-3358 or info@hhlt.org.

Music of The Grapes of Wrath: Readings and Songs

8PM - Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. The story of the Joad family in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is well-known having been a novel, a film and a play. Tonight it is the music of the period and the novel that will come alive in the performances of Sylvia Brooks, Steve Kirkman and Maggie Seligman. Admission: $10 ($9 AotL members). Tickets may be purchased on our home page or reserved by emailing rsvp@artsonthelake.org.

In this production, we use the text and ideas presented in the “general” chapters of the book as the source of most of our readings. And while we do perform some of the songs actually mentioned in the book, we have chosen in large part to incorporate other songs that capture and portray more powerfully the tone and thematic material that inform these “general” chapters and the novel as a whole. We believe that the Joad narrative and the themes contained in The Grapes of Wrath resonate all too clearly in the issues and concerns of the present day, and thus we chose to give emphasis to them in our production.

Sunday: Flag Day

Kitty Baby Shower

11AM - Putnam Humane Society - Old Route 6, Carmel. Meet Mama Cats and Kittens for adoption. Learn about cats at our education table. Enjoy beverages and deliciuos goodies. Unique cat-themed items for sale... and more!

Annual Strawberry Festival

Noon- 5PM in Beacon Sloop Club - Rain or Shine. Come to the annual Beacon Strawberry Festival next Sunday, June 14, noon -5pm rain or shine. Free Admission and a wonderful day down by the riverside.  Info: www.beaconsloopclub.org Amazing Hudson Valley local strawberries with fresh made whipped cream on warm fresh baked biscuits. Hear Pete Seeger, Spook Handy, Dan Einbender and Room 12 Kids along with many others. Free sails on the Woody Guthrie, children's area with many activities  for the young ones, lot's of crafts and food vendors. WDST will be giving away a pair of concert tickets at this festival. A printable flyer is here.

Grand Opening of the Slocum - Mostachetti Preserve

1- 4 pm - Pleasant Ridge Road, Wingdale. Three Guided Walks through this magnificent 106 acre wildlife preserve with red cedar glades and native bluestem meadows, surrounded by the Great Swamp. Features and History of the Preserve- Dr. Jim Utter (FrOGS), Bird Walk - Audubon Society, Butterfly Walk- Billy Wallace Please Contact us for more details 845 855 5993, info@oblongland.org

“Drawing Revealed” – Artists in Conversation

4PM - Putnam Arts Council at Tilly Foster. Free Screening and discussion presented by the Putnam Arts Council and sponsored by SLS Health, Brewster, NY, Sunday, June 14, 2009, 4pm at Tilly Foster Farm, Rt. 312, Brewster, NY. www.putnamartscouncil.com (845) 278-0230. This wonderful independent film follows the filmmaker, Jaanika Perna, as she visits ten diverse and articulate artists in their studios to explore how they use conventional and non-conventional drawing as part of their creative process. The New York Times wrote “…an absorbing video”. The film was originally produced in conjunction with an exhibit in early 2008 at the Garrison Art Center. Bonus short video entitled Barbara Rothenberg: Art Out of Longing and Song” will also be shown.   Ms. Perna, along with co-producer Susan English and some of the artists will be on hand for a post-film discussion.  All welcome.  Reservations Required.

Brewster Elks' Club Flag Day Celebration

5PM - B.P.O.E. Lodge 2101 - Route 22 and Milltown Road, Southeast The Lodge will be serving complimentary hot dogs after the proceedings. Flag Day, 14 June, marks the anniversary of the adoption by Congress in 1777 of the Stars and Stripes as emblem of the nation. Celebrations of the flag began in local communities throughout the country during the nineteenth century, largely for the purpose of educating children in history. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson, and later, in 1927, President Calvin Coolidge, suggested that 14 June be observed as Flag Day. It was not until 3 August 1949 that the National Flag Day Bill became law, giving official recognition to 14 June to celebrate the flag.

Into the Future:

Wednesday, June 17

Town of Kent CAC Meeting

7PM Kent Town Center Highlights will include, the Chairman's report, Moses Farm, Hike Committee report, Bottle Bill and Cole's Mills Road.

Thursday, June 18

Kent Fiscal Watch

7:30 PM at the Lake Carmel Community Center Monthly Meeting. This will be the annual election meeting so we encourage all members to attend. 7:30PM at the Lake Carmel Community Center.


Somewhat Into the Future:

Friday, June 26

Leo Burmester Retrospective

7PM - 10 p.m. - Cultural Center on Lake Carmel. Opening Reception - "We are such stuff as dreams are made" Retrospective continues with 8 p.m. Performance June 27 by Daniel Burmester (GUTworks Theatre) of Rattlesnake in a Cooler by Frank South. Additional exhibit days: Sunday, June 28, 1-5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, June 29-July 1, 7-9 p.m. Rattlesnake in a Cooler A one man show by Frank South. GUTWorks, a NYC/Vermont-based theater & film company, will be performing Rattle Snake in a Cooler at Arts on the Lake in Carmel, NY. The performance will be on Saturday night at 8pm. GUTWorks has amazed audiences again and again over the past three years with their dynamic theatrical events. The renowned theatre and film company will be presenting another, Ingeniously creative solo theatre experience. Daniel Burmester will be performing Rattlesnake in a Cooler, the gut-wrenching story of a man trying to find himself in all the wrong places.

Really Into the Future:

Saturday, July 11

Annual Garden Party at the Asylum

3PM - Onwards. Come celebrate the beauty of the highlands in western Kent. Rain or Shine! Bring some food for the pot luck and drink for the coolers, a blanket and/or some chairs, or just wear light, comfortable clothes and hang out on the grass in the field. We'll have plates and forks and knives and spoons and cups so you can leave those at home.

Don't forget your sunscreen. There's afternoon shade near the edge of the forest so you can set up over there if you like. Last year the kids had a massive water fight to stay cool. No adults were harmed in the battle.

When the sun goes down the fire-pit becomes the place for gathering and we'll be sure to have it blazing once it's dark enough for the after-party which ran until 6AM last year.

The weather report projects 80º and partly sunny so we'll have lots of ice and cool, non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated beverages on hand. What you could do:

Bring along some friends, the extended family, the neighbors, your kids, the dogs... pretty much anything and anyone that walks or rolls.

Bring your musical instruments, your talents and yes, even your accordions and kazoos. But be prepared to play them.

If you're traveling from away or taste testing the barleycorn, bring your tent. There's plenty of room to camp.

Handicap parking is available!

More info is here.

Thursday, July 23

Hudson River Watershed Alliance

10AM - 3PM At this meeting, we will learn about the current activities of each watershed group and what new issues you are facing in your efforts.  In addition, we will collectively chart a course for organizing quarterly or semi annual watershed roundtable width='100%' meetings.  The goal of this meeting is to find new ways in which you can learn from one another and move your local watershed
efforts forward!
In preparation, please consider these questions and be prepared to discuss your related activities:

1.  Since our last meeting (July 2008), what aspect of watershed planning protection has your group focused on?

2.  What challenges have you faced and how has your group addressed these issues?

3.   Is their mutual consent to commit to more frequent roundtable meetings?  If so, how should we structure these events?
 
Please RSVP by Thursday, July 16, to katy@hudsonwatershed.org or 845-486-1556.

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