Upcoming EventsJanuary Programs
CANCELLED - UNSAFE TRAIL CONDITIONS Where Did All the Wild Things Go? Saturday, January 24,1:00-2:30 pm Surviving the winter can be a struggle for many animals. Join us at Mud Creek while we learn how all the wild things cope with the winter’s cold. How do animals stay warm and find food? What is the difference between hibernation and torpor? Do frogs really freeze? Come find out! If there is snow, a limited number of snowshoes are available. Registration is recommended in order to reserve snowshoes. The hike is a snow or no snow event. Winter’s Web of Life @ Valatie Library Wednesday, January 28, 6:30-7:30 pm Winter can be difficult for some animals and advantageous for others. Learn how predator and prey relationships are affected by winter’s snow and cold. Look at skulls and pelts, investigate a “critter scene”, and determine which animals reign supreme. This program will be held at the Valatie Library which is located at 3202 Church Street in Valatie. To register please call 518-758-9321 or email valatielibrary@fairpoint.net. February Programs Animal Tracks & Traces Snowshoe Hike Saturday, February 7, 10-11:30 am Join us for an animal tracking hike around Mud Creek! We may see tracks and traces left by rabbits, foxes, deer, and perhaps even a bobcat! We will look for signs of wildlife and learn about the natural history of local animals. A limited number of snowshoes are available. Registration is recommended in order to reserve snowshoes. The hike is a snow or no snow event. Cabin Fever Hike Wednesday, February 18, 10:00-11:30 am Tired of being cooped up? Get outside for a brisk walk around Mud Creek. Enjoy the fresh air while we exercise. We may see tracks left by other animals that have been out for a walk too! If there is snow, a limited number of snowshoes are available. Registration is recommended in order to reserve snowshoes. The hike is a snow or no snow event
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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: 
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: | ||
