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