Friday, June 25, 2010

ECO-BULLETIN FROM OTSEGO COUNTY CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION

June 25, 2010: Vol. 3, No. 17
Eco-bulletin headlines this issue:

MID-WEEK NATURE WALK SET FOR JULY 7
ARTIST TO PREP WALL FOR CLINTON PLAZA MURAL PROJECT
FRIENDS OF GLIMMERGLASS TO HOST EVENING EVENT
“AGRICULTURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION AT GAS WELL DRILLING SITES” DISCUSSION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
ELECTRIC COOP INVITES EXHIBITORS TO ANNUAL MEETING
GLIMMERGLASS DRAGONS TO RACE IN ITHACA
DENNIS SAVOIE TO LEAD BICYCLING EDUCATION COURSE

MID-WEEK NATURE WALK SET FOR JULY 7: Otsego County Conservation Association Board member Donna Vogler will lead a mid-week excursion, “A Mid-Summer’s Eve Plant Walk – River Plants Along the Susquehanna,” at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7. This walk will take place along the Susquehanna River Park Trail in Oneonta, the first completed section of the Oneonta Susquehanna Greenway. A full circuit of the loop trail offers 2 miles of easy, flat walking. Vogler, an associate biology professor at SUNY-Oneonta, joined the OCCA Board of Directors in 2003. Since 2001, OCCA has organized nature walks on local trails. This year’s schedule is comprised of nine trails throughout Otsego County – including four state parks – several of which are featured in the OCCA publication “Otsego Walks & Paddles.” Dates, venues and hike leaders for 2010 include: July 17, Bear Swamp with Terry Bliss; July 25, the Sleeping Lion Trail at Glimmerglass State Park with Joseph Homburger; August 7, Milford State Forest with Dave Kiehm; August 15, A Walk in the Clouds at Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park with Joe Ritton; September 11, Hiking Tour of Lordsland Preserve with former OCCA Board member Dick deRosa; and October 24, the Robert V. Riddell State Park with Patricia Riddell Kent and Steve Kent. For more information on the July 7 walk, contact OCCA at admin@occainfo.org or 547-4488. For details on the complete 2010 OCCA Nature Walk series, including start times and directions, visit http://occainfo.org/documents/NatureWalksposter2010_000.pdf.

ARTIST TO PREP WALL FOR CLINTON PLAZA MURAL PROJECT: Muralist Cynthia Marsh will be at the Clinton Plaza in Oneonta on Friday, July 3 to prime the wall on which the “First People” mural will be painted. This 1,200-square-foot landmark mural will visually celebrate Oneonta – its natural beauty, and the history of its native people. Sherwin Williams is donating the primer and supplies, and volunteers are welcome. Donations toward the project are still being accepted and T-shirts will be sold on site as Marsh prepares the wall. In addition, supporters of the project can purchase $10 raffle tickets to win a signed and framed print by Marsh, which will be on display throughout the summer at The Green Toad Bookstore on Main Street. The “First People” mural project is under the not-for-profit umbrella of the Otsego County Conservation Association and is funded in part by a Decentralization Grant from the New York State Council of the Arts, which is administered by UCCCA. Tax-deductible donations may be sent directly to the OCCA office at PO Box 931, 101 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, attention “Clinton Plaza Mural.”

FRIENDS OF GLIMMERGLASS TO HOST EVENING EVENT: On Saturday, July 10, Friends of Glimmerglass State Park will host “Stargazing on the Beach with Mohawk Valley Astronomical Society.” The program begins in the park’s Beach Front Room with special guest speaker Jon Spargo, Springfield High School Class of 1960. Spargo’s presentation, titled “Radio Astronomy from Carl Jansky to the Very Large Array (VLA),” starts at 8:30 p.m. and will be followed by a green laser light show of the starts and constellations by the MVAS at dark. This free public program – held in cooperation with the SHSC Class of 1960 – will be held rain or shine. Participants are advised to dress warmly, invited to bring binoculars or a telescope, and are asked to cover flashlights with red cellophane or a paper bag. For more information, call 607-547-8662 or e-mail friendsofglimmerglass@gmail.com.

‘Agricultural Resource Protection at Gas Well Drilling Sites’ DISCUSSION OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: Matthew Brower, an agricultural resource specialist with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, will be the guest speaker at the next Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 30. In his presentation, titled “Agricultural Resource Protection at Gas Well Drilling Sites,” Brower will discuss the locating of access roads, wells and gas pipelines to minimize agricultural resource impacts. He will also talk about correct construction and restoration measures to minimize the potential damage to agricultural resources. The meeting, which begins at 1 p.m., will be hosted by the Otsego County Planning Department at 140 County Hwy. 33, Cooperstown. This event is free and open to the public, particularly farmers, municipal officials and natural resource entities; pre-registration is required by Friday, June 25. Those interested in attending should e-mail hmt5@cornell.edu or call (607) 547-2536, extension 226. This event is made possible thanks to the Otsego County WQCC which, in order to better satisfy the educational component of its mission, has restructured its monthly meetings to include public information sessions. The OCWQCC was established in 1992 as a sub-committee of the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District. It is comprised of a diverse group of people representing state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and lake associations. These members have technical expertise and knowledge and are committed to working to improve and maintain the quality of water in Otsego County through the reduction of nonpoint source pollution within its boundaries. For more information on the WQCC, visit www.otsegosoilandwater.com/waterqualitycc.html. OCCA is a WQCC member organization.

ELECTRIC COOP INVITES EXHIBITORS TO ANNUAL MEETING: On Wednesday, August 18, Otsego Electric Cooperative, Inc. will hold its 66th Annual Member’s Meeting at the Milford Central School. Area businesses, community groups and non-profit organizations are invited to set up in the gymnasium from 5-7 p.m. to share handouts and information with coop members – attendance is estimated at 400-500 people. Set-up starts at 4:30 p.m., and tables are provided. Brook’s chicken barbecue dinners will be available to members by reservation from 5-6:30 p.m., followed by the business meeting at 7 p.m. Those interested in providing a display are asked to contact Diane Domion by August 1 at 607-293-6622 or via e-mail at ddomion@otsegoec.coop. OCCA will be among the exhibitors at this event.

GLIMMERGLASS DRAGONS TO RACE IN ITHACA: The Glimmerglass Dragons is a 20-member dragon boat racing team, made up of a group individuals who have come together to experience the sport of dragon boating and to celebrate an Asian tradition, with hopes of bringing this sport and the cultural experience to Otsego County. Organizer/coach Karen Agostino formed the team this spring, and the Glimmerglass Dragons are registered to race in the Fingerlakes International Dragon Boat Festival on July 10 in Ithaca, to help raise funds for the Cooperstown area’s new cultural center – a grassroots, parent-driven organization started by Agostino and several other area women, with hopes of educating the community at large about both traditional and contemporary cultures to create a positive and culturally relevant learning environment through language classes and workshops. The organization has facilitated the development of Mandarin Chinese language classes at Milford Central School starting this coming fall, as well as an upcoming Spanish language program for the area. The Glimmerglass Dragons are presently accepting pledges for the upcoming Ithaca Dragon Boat Race to help fund this cause. In 2011, The Glimmerglass Dragons would like to bring this exciting sporting event to Cooperstown in conjunction with the Otsego Lakes Festival. For more information on Dragon Boat Racing, visit www.fingerlakesdragonboat.org.

DENNIS SAVOIE TO LEAD BICYCLING EDUCATION COURSE: Otsego Regional Cycling Advocates, a committee of the Otsego County Conservation Association, encourages cycling enthusiasts to sign up for the upcoming Traffic Skills 101 bicycling education course, organized and taught by Dennis Savoie for the League of American Bicyclists. The first two-session course will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17. The same two-session course will be repeated on Friday and Saturday, August 13 and 14. Both will be held in Cooperstown at the Bassett Hall Chapel on Beaver Street. Traffic Skills 101 is an intensive nine-hour course designed to give cyclists the confidence they need to drive their bicycle safely and legally in traffic. Part one of each course, on Friday from 6-9 p.m., is a classroom session. Part two, on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., begins in the classroom, proceeds to the parking lot for safety drills and crash avoidance techniques, and then concludes with a group bike ride in traffic. A take home, open-book test will be administered at the end of the course. The registration cost of $40 includes a student manual. A properly tuned bicycle and a properly fitting helmet are required. Pre-registration is required by calling Dennis Savoie at 607-547-5334 or by e-mailing densav@verizon.net. For more information, visit http://www.bikeleague.org/cogs/resources/findit/?courses=1&state=NY&submit.x=22&submit.y=12. To learn more about ORCA, see www.occainfo.org/ORCA.htm

ECO-FRIENDLY TIP: Teach a child to ride a bicycle and set them up with a healthy, eco-friendly, economical habit for life. Every four-mile trip by bike rather than car prevents around 15 pounds of air pollution and builds a strong heart – frequent cyclists are as fit as people ten years younger who don’t do regular exercise.

From the book “1,001 Ways to Save the Earth,” by Joanna Yarrow.

OCCA needs your help to keep fighting the threats to our natural resources. Got a minute? Visit our website and look at everything else OCCA is doing – and please consider an online donation whenever you can. Click on www.occainfo.org and look for the Network for Good logo at the top right of the home page.

Darla M. Youngs
Administrative Director
Otsego County Conservation Association
PO Box 931, 101 Main Street
Cooperstown, NY 13326
607-547-4488
www.OCCAinfo.org

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Route 20 Road Challenge

June 26 Yellow Brick Run

July 8 Madison County Fair Run

July 17 2nd Annual 5K race fro Child/RUN!

July 18 Millers Mills Sundae Run

August 7 Mad.Co. W 5K run

August 14 Ruth Allen Memorial 4 Mile

September 18 Mary Cleary Memorial Run

September 18 Land Arboretum 5K

September 25 Madison Hall 5K

September 25 West Winfield CROP Run

October 2 CNS 5K

October 9 Maine Event 5K/10K

Eaton 5K Run

October 23 6th Annual DACC 5k Run

The Route 20 Association of New York State, stewards of the Route 20 Scenic Byway, has announced a series of run/walk events that are part of the 2010 Route 20 Road Challenge.
Currently, there are 17 events scheduled as the number of events continues to grow.
"This year," said Route 20 Administrator John D. Sagendorf, "those who complete 8 of the 17 events will win a black, hooded sweatshirt, embroidered with the Route 20 Road Challenge logo. The challenge is a great way to really enjoy New York's Route 20 and its corridor communities."

Race director contacts, dates and more information about these and other Road Challenge events are available at www.nyroute20.com or by emailing info@nyroute20.com, or calling 518-817-3770.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

NY ranks last in volunteerism

The Albany Business Review reported that New Yorkers are not very beneficent when it comes to giving their time. Not at all.

In fact, the Empire State ranks 51st out of 50 states and Washington D.C. when it comes to volunteering, according to the annual Volunteering in America report.

Nationally, however, about 1.6 million more volunteers served in 2009 than in 2008, making this the largest single-year increase in the number of volunteers since 2003, when data was first collected for the study. The report is produced by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a government-sponsored nonprofit. Higher unemployment rates also increase volunteerism.

Nationwide, a total of 63.4 million volunteers contributed 8.1 billion hours of service in 2009, an estimated dollar value $169 billion. Overall, the volunteering rate increased in 2009 to 26.8 percent, up from 26.4 percent in 2008.

Volunteering data used in the annual report is gathered through the Current Population Survey, conducted monthly by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Volunteers are defined as individuals ages 16 and over who perform unpaid activities for or through an organization.

The study showed that 2.9 million, or 19 percent, of New York residents volunteered in 2007-2009, compared with the national average of 26.8 percent. The Capital Region fared better, but still placed in the lower half of the rankings. It ranked 44th out of the 75 mid-sized cities that were studied for the report, with 27.1 percent, or 200,000, of its residents volunteering.

Compared with other mid-sized cities in New York, the Capital Region placed behind Binghamton, ranked 30th, and Poughkeepsie, ranked 41st, and ahead of 71st-ranked Syracuse. Nationally, Provo, Utah, ranked first among mid-sized cities and El Paso, Texas, was last. Utah was the top state for volunteerism.

Volunteers in New York contributed 405.5 million hours, or $8.5 billion worth in service from 2007-2009.

Read more: New York dead-last in volunteerism - The Business Review (Albany)

Franklin Stage Company 2010 Performance Season

Schedule

Jim Mullen
"The Real Housewives of Delaware County"
FSC's resident raconteur delights again with a new show.
Friday July 9 at 8pm & Sunday July 11 at 3:30pm

15th Annual Treadwell Stagecoach Art Run
Artworks on exhibit by Charlie Bremer and Edmond Rinnooy Kan
Saturday July 10 & Sunday July 11, 10am-5pm

Andy Stein
Famed Prairie Home Companion regular!
"For a classically trained violinist, Andy Stein has been so thoroughly
subverted by a succession of other musical styles that he has become, to twist Ellington's phrase, 'beyond category.'" - NY Times
Performing with internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri
Saturday July 17 at 8pm

Mettawee River Theatre Company
"The Woman Who Fell From The Sky"
An Iroquois creation story vividly told with puppetry, masks and live music,
performed by this renowned company on the Franklin Central School playing field
Audiences invited to bring their own picnic from 5pm
Rain location: Chapel Hall
Friday July 23 at 8pm

TS Eliot's "The Cocktail Party"
A rehearsed reading of this extraordinary comedy,
directed by Patricia Buckley, featuring Johana Arnold, Camilla Enders, Peter Gaitens, Charlie Kevin, Carmela Marner, Hugh Timoney and Ed Vassallo
Sunday August 1 at 4pm

Chuck D'Imperio
"Sidney Stories: My Town is a Cathedral"
FSC welcomes back hilarious and poignant story-telling
from WDOS radio's "Big Chuck"
Sunday August 22 at 5pm


Pooh Kaye
An evening of dance and multi-disciplinary arts curated by and featuring the much lauded choreographer, dancer and video artist
Saturday August 28 at 8pm

Mosaic Winds
Come inside Chapel Hall during the Franklin Farmers' Market and hear the rich strains ofthis classical woodwind quintet:
Heather Kriesel on flute, Kathy Karlsen on oboe,
Jeff Barker on french horn, Melinda Lewis on bassoon, and
Franklin Central School's beloved band conductor and music teacher
Carol Smith on clarinet
Sunday August 29 at 12:30pm & 1:30pm

Julian Fleisher
Jazz singer, songwriter, actor Julian Fleisher
returns to Chapel Hall for a sensational musical evening with his band
"A New York nightclub supernova." - LA Times
"Exemplary, sterling and delightful." - Billboard
Saturday September 4 at 8pm

Tom Morgan
"More Tales from the Empire"
a sequel to Morgan's dynamic and touching 2009 debut solo play
Saturday September 18 at 8pm & Sunday September 19 at 2pm


All events are
Admission Free (donations gratefully accepted)
reservations recommended: email reserve@franklinstagecompany.org or call (607) 829-3700


If you come to a performance, you can eat in Franklin!!
The Beehive Restaurant and Home Town Pizza have both reopened.
The Beehive is open seven days a week, and for dinner on Fridays & Saturdays.
Home Town Pizza is open Wednesdays-Saturdays til 8 and Sundays til 6.

Call The Beehive at 607-829-2996 or Hometown Pizza at 607-829-2911

Franklin Stage Company hosts the Franklin Farmers' Market
every Sunday through Columbus Day weekend
on the lawn at Chapel Hall, 10am-2pm

Come explore Franklin on the weekends -
antiques, fresh produce, dining & performance!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

June 30th Program: Online Tools for Volunteer Management and Communication

Continuing the ED Group's focus on volunteer management, the June 30th program meeting will held in a computer lab and focus on various online tools that will help manage and support volunteers, including board members, general volunteers and interns. Come join in this facilitated discussion and demonstration of potential tools for your nonprofit to put in place, and share your own ideas. Proposed topic areas include:

•Communication
•Evaluation and feedback
•Volunteer recruitment (signing them up)
•Orientation and training
Something missing you would like to see? Let us know!

Date: Wed, June 30th, 2010
Time: 9:00am - 10:30am
Cost: Free
Location: To be announced (SUNY Oneonta computer lab)

REGISTER HERE

Presentation by the Attorney General's Office for Nonprofits: June 17 in Delhi and Oneonta

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's Charities Bureau, in partnership with the United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties, will be conducting workshops on Registration and Reporting requirements for not-for-profit organizations as follows:
  • Thursday, June 17, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Delaware County Public Safety Building, 280 Phoebe Lane, Delhi
  • Thursday, June 17, 2010, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Foxcare Center, 1 Foxcare Drive, Route 7, Oneonta

The goal is to provide not-for-profit organizations with information on how to register and stay current with their filing requirements with the Attorney General's Charities Bureau. This is an effort to educate charities throughout the two counties so they can avoid any pitfalls, as well as to show them how they can check their registration status in order to be sure they are up to date. It is being presented free of charge. Please rsvp 607-721-8771 to reserve a seat.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Who Takes Minutes for the Board and Executive Committee Meetings?

Hello Friends!

If you have a minute I could use your advice. Most of you either participate on a volunteer board or lead a volunteer board. Who takes minutes for you at Board and Executive Committee meetings? Does a staff person take them? Do you have a volunteer Secretary position as an officer role of your board? Do any of you have a person named as a recorder that is not part of the board?

We are looking to for someone to record minutes for the Board and Executive Committee and are seeking the best way to do this. If you have a job description that you are willing to share I would appreciate it.

Thanks for your good advice and input.

Terry

Theresa Capuano
Executive Director
United Way of Delaware/Otsego Counties
UwayTF@stny.rr.com
31 Maple St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
607-432-8006

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Soccer Hall of Fame Cited as Example at Strategic Alliances & Partnerships Forum

The blog, Done by People, by Joe Brown, Principal and Founder of Slope Resources, LLC, offered the following recap of the "A Conversation with NYS Comptroller Thomas P. Di Napoli and Panel Discussion on Strategic Alliances & Partnerships."

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend a highly informative and engaging forum which brought together government and nonprofit representatives to discuss the topic of strategic alliances and partnerships among nonprofit organizations. While the discussion focused on New York State’s nonprofit sector, the challenges, considerations, and ideas discussed are applicable to organizations nationwide. In the absence of a video or audio recording of the session, I wanted to share this detailed recap and my impressions of the session.

The event was sponsored by the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region and the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) and held at the headquarters of New York State United Teachers (very nice digs, by the way) in Latham, New York, a few miles northeast of Albany.

Karen Bilowith, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, presided over the session. The approximately 75 attendees included representatives of various nonprofits, including arts, cultural, health, and human services organizations, as well as a number of funders and consultants (including yours truly). Following Ms. Bilowith’s welcoming comments, New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez provided brief opening remarks. Ms. Cortés-Vázquez assured the attendees that “most in government” recognize the importance of the nonprofit sector and rules and regulations pertaining to the sector should not be so onerous as to provide disincentives for staff, board members, and volunteers to participate.

I’m from the government, and…
Ms. Cortés-Vázquez then introduced the session’s keynote speaker, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The Office of the State Comptroller has responsibility for the review, approval, and payment of the state’s contracts with nonprofit organizations. Mr. DiNapoli noted the importance of the nonprofit sector to the state and its economy, citing 2006 statistics that the state’s approximately 24,000 nonprofits reported revenue of $133 billion and employed nearly 1.2 million people, or 17% of the state’s workforce. He quantified the state’s contractual bonds with the sector as consisting of nearly 31,000 active contracts totaling $14.6 billion, as of June 2009. Read more here.

The balance of the session was devoted to presentations and discussion by a panel consisting of:
■Doug Sauer, who has served as Chief Executive Officer of New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) since 1980. NYCON’s membership represents approximately 1,600 charitable nonprofit organizations across New York State.
■Cristine Cioffi, who is a partner in the law firm of Cioffi • Slezak • Wildgrube P.C., but spoke primarily in her role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of Ellis Medicine, an organization which resulted from the recent merger of three nonprofit hospitals in Schenectady County.
■David W. Palmquist, who as Manager of the New York State Museum’s Chartering Program, oversees the chartering of museums, historical societies, and similar cultural organizations with educational purposes across the state.
The panelists responded to questions posed by Ms. Bilowith, as well as several questions from audience members.

Doug Sauer
While all three of the panelists presented interesting perspectives on the potential of various collaborative models for nonprofit organizations, I was particularly impressed by Mr. Sauer’s insight and candor on a number of fronts. Early in his presentation, he discussed the recent proliferation of nonprofits, describing the creation of thousands of new organizations each year, many of which are not active, and the resultant saturated environment. (I was reminded of a recent article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which noted that the number of nonprofit organizations nationwide has increased by 90% to 1.2 million since 1996). Read more here.

David Palmquist
Mr. Palmquist spoke to different forms of nonprofit collaboration and alliances from the perspective of museums and other cultural and historical institutions, for which his office has oversight. I found it interesting to learn that New York is the only state in which such organizations are chartered as educational corporations charged with protecting the public trust, rather than general nonprofit corporations. According to Mr. Palmquist, this fact has placed his office “in the driver seat” with regard to controlling and rationalizing the creation of new organizations. He noted that the state’s unique treatment of educational corporations made organizational changes easier than for other nonprofit corporations.

Other interesting facts offered by Mr. Palmquist were that performing and fine arts organizations may be eligible for and could potentially benefit from state chartering as educational corporations, and that recent regulatory changes meant that a “museum” no longer necessarily referred to a physical facility, but to an institution, opening up the possibility of “museums without walls” (citing the example of the National Soccer Hall of Fame). Read more here.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention June 8th

NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention

The NYS Unemployment Insurance Fraud Prevention seminar will be held Tuesday, June 8, 2010, Workshop: 9:00 to 10:30 AM
at Morrisville State College Norwich Campus' Community Room

Protecting the integrity of the unemployment insurance program is a responsibility that NYS Department of Labor takes seriously. This seminar will focus on the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of those who defraud or attempt to defraud the unemployment insurance program.

Thanks to the seminar's sponsors this is a Free Seminar - To make reservations, call NYS Department of Labor at (607) 432-4800 ext. 103,
or by email: alan.sessions@labor.ny.gov

This seminar is a joint venture of the NYS Department of Labor, Chenango JSEC, Commerce Chenango, CDO Workforce New York, Morrisville State College Norwich Campus

Alan Sessions, Business Services Rep.
Dept. of Labor & CDO Workforce
12 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY 13820
607-432-4800, Ext. 103
alan.sessions@labor.state.ny.us
http://www.cdoworkforce.blogspot.com