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In the NewsChatham High School's Envirothon Team Advances to the New York State Envirothon
The 2014 Hudson Valley Regional Envirothon took place Wednesday, April 30 at Sharpe Reservation in Fishkill, NY. Twenty-two teams of high school students from five counties in the Hudson Valley competed. The winning team from each county advances to the New York State Envirothon at Morrisville College on May 21-22. Winning for Columbia County was Chatham High School. The team is advised by Mark Pearson and Sandra Fisher and its members include Abigail Rubel, Carly Rippel, Ellis Okawa-Scannell, Faith Avens, and Tom Caron. Chatham's team placed third overall at the Regional Envirothon. The top two teams were from the Mount Academy in Ulster County. Columbia County was well represented at the Hudson Valley Regional Envirothon. Hudson's teams placed fourth and sixth, Ichabod Crane's team placed twelfth and Germantown's teams placed fourteenth and eighteenth. Inforamation about the New York State Envirothon can be found at: nysenvirothon.net. Results are available to download: 
Mud Creek Photo Contest Announces Winners
A reception and exhibit were held on the evening of Friday, October 18 at Mud Creek ELC to announce the winners of the 2013 Experience Mud Creek photo contest. Thirty-four adult and nine youth submissions were received. Judging the event were professional photographers Michael Molinski of Photographic Solutions in Hudson, David Lee of the Register Star, and Scott Langley of Scott Langley Photography in Ghent. Winning the Youth division was Carter Engel with his photo "Mud Creek View." Winner of the Adult division was Sarah Sterling with her photo "Fall Morning, Mud Creek 2013." Final results are listed below. Photographs will be exhibited during normal business hours through November 22. Youth 1st Carter Engel Mud Creek View 2nd Hailyn Suarez Refuge 3rd Sabrina Adams Rest and Peace Honorable Mention: Hailey Jennings Reflections in the Stream Adult 1st Sarah Sterling Fall Morning, Mud Creek 2013 2nd Michael Ashline Place of Reflection 3rd J. Pierre Gontier Autumn Vines Honorable Mention: Joan Lezette-Miller Honey Bee on White Aster Marie Meehan Clearwing Hummingbird Moth Manager’s Choice: Jonathon Simons Ellie at the Creek 
Winning Adult Photograph - "Fall Morning, 2013 Mud Creek" by Sarah Sterling
State Releases Funds for Flood Repairs
New York State and the Department of Environmental Conservation recently released grant money to restore and rehabilitate waterways damaged from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Columbia County received a portion of the $9 million state Flood Mitigation and Flood Control Grant. Ten local projects received funding from the state with Columbia County being awarded a grant of $302,500. Columbia County Soil & Water Conservation District is the sponsoring organization and is administering the grant throughout the county. Towns that have received funding include: Copake, Livingston, New Lebanon, Taghkanic, Austerlitz, and Claverack.  Grant money will help fund the removal of debris from the Bash Bish Creek.
CCSWCD Awarded State Grant for Farm Water Quality
Columbia County Soil & Water Conservation District is the recipient of a grant awarded by the New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee. The grant will assist Dutch Hollow Farm (Stuyvesant) with a water quality improvement project. According to Soil & Water Executive Director, Laura Sager, the funding will be used to purchase and install an improved filter system to prevent nutrient pollution from entering the Muitzes Kill Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River. The improvement project is being conducted as part of new conservation standards recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grant Highlights Green Infrastructure at Roe Jan Library
The District, in partnership with the Lower Hudson Coalition of Conservation Districts, was able to secure a grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation. The grant was utilized to make a video highlighting green infrastructure at the Roe Jan Library in Hillsdale. The Roe Jan Library installed a porous parking area that allows rainwater to permeate through the concrete thereby reducing flooding. Additionally, the library installed a rain garden and bioswale that filter rainwater from roof runoff and the parking area. The gardens and porous concrete help to slow down, soak up, and filter rainwater that drains into the adjacent Roe Jan Kill. The porous concrete is the first of its kind in our region. To view the green infrastructure project, please watch the video: |
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