Tree Seedling Giveaway - Breathe Green Esopus!

The Town Of Esopus Environmental Board will present its Third Annual Breathe Green, Esopus! tree and shrub seedling giveaway on Saturday, April 18 from 1-4 p.m. at the new Town Hall, 284 Broadway (Route 9W).

Bare-root tree and shrub seedlings will be available free for town residents. Varieties available will include Mountain Ash, Witch Hazel and Toringo Crabapple.

Green leaves from trees produce oxygen for all of us. In the fall, they provide material for composting!

Also Saturday, April 18 in Port Ewen:

10 a.m. Old Town Library: Promoting Pride in Port Ewen hosts its Sidewalk Sweep street cleanup. Please bring a broom, dustpan and bucket.

4 p.m. Town Hall: Klyne Esopus Museum presents: American Indians In The Time Of Henry Hudson, a talk by Laurence Hauptman. (Part of New York's Quadricentennial celebration.)

Garden and lawn cleanup at Mt St Alphonsus

The Saratogian has this note about a garden and lawn cleanup Saturday:

ESOPUS — The Mount St. Alphonsus Pastoral Center, located in the Hudson Valley, plans a Garden and Lawn Clean-up Day from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 4.

The day is organized by Mount staff member Theresa Stewart and Redemptorist priest Fr. Eugene Grohe.

Volunteers, including religious education students who need to complete community service hours, are sought to participate in the cleanup.

Volunteers are asked to register prior to the event by calling Theresa Stewart at 845-384-8015, or e-mailing her at stewart@VisitTheMount.com.

Participants are asked to bring work gloves and lawn and garden tools.

The Mount is located on more than 400 acres of fields, forest and ponds, and also has more than one-half mile of riverfront property on the Hudson River. For more information, call 845-384-8015.

$754K Coming to Ulster County for Energy Efficiency Projects

Ulster County is in line to receive $754,400, and NYSERDA $29.7 million, as part of the energy efficiency portion of Obama Administration's economic stimulus. According to the Department of Energy:

"The funding will support energy audits and energy efficiency retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, the development and implementation of advanced building codes and inspections, and the creation of financial incentive programs for energy efficiency improvements," according to the Department of Energy. "Other activities eligible for use of grant funds include transportation programs that conserve energy, projects to reduce and capture methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, renewable energy installations on government buildings, energy efficient traffic signals and street lights, deployment of Combined Heat and Power and district heating and cooling systems, and others."

At the federal level, there is significantly more money being put into these projects, and that money is filtering down to the local level. We should expect to see increased opportunities for matching grants, low-interest loans and other programs related to energy efficiency.

Scenic Hudson Adds 56 Acres to Shaupeneak Ridge

Through a conservation easement that leaves the land in private ownership, Scenic Hudson has preserved another 56 acres on Shaupeneak Ridge. Stories in the Record and Mid Hudson News. That amounts to about a 10% increase in protected acreage; Scenic Hudson's Web site lists the existing preserve at 570 acres.

Clearwater's Public Sail Schedule

Clearwater’s three-hour long sails on its tall ships, which take place under most weather conditions, are regarded to be one of the most unique and unforgettable experiences imaginable on the Hudson River. Each sail offers an opportunity to view the region’s beautiful vistas and historic landmarks from a new perspective while learning about the river’s ecosystem and environmental concerns as well.

Prices for the public sails are $50 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. The adult price for members of Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is $35. Although there is no refreshment stand on either vessel, guests are allowed to bring their own food and beverages onboard (including beer and wine—but no hard alcohol).

April:
Saturday, 04/25 10am-1pm Beacon

May:
Saturday, 05/02 3-6pm Piermont
Saturday, 05/23 4-7pm 79th Street (Manhattan)
Monday, 05/25 Memorial Day 10-1 & 3-6pm 79th Street
Saturday, 05/30 6-9pm 79th Street

June:
Saturday, 06/20 & Sunday, 06/21: Public Sails, Great Hudson River Revival
Sunday, 06/28 2-5pm Kingston

July:
Sunday, 07/05 2-5pm Piermont
Saturday, 07/11 5-8pm Poughkeepsie
Saturday, 07/25 6-9pm 79th Street
Sunday, 07/26 2-5pm 79th Street

August:
Saturday, 08/01 3-6pm Red Hook
Sunday, 08/16 4-7pm Beacon
Wednesday, 08/19 6-9pm 79th Street
Saturday, 08/22 4-7pm Yonkers
Wednesday, 08/26 6-9pm Verplanck
Friday, 08/28 6-9pm West Point

(Mystic Whaler schedule)

Saturday, 05/23 & Sunday, 05/24: Special 5-hour sails from West Point
(all information and reservations through: 1-800-697-8420)
Saturday, 05/30 10am-1pm Beacon
Sunday, 06/14 Strawberry Festival 6-9pm Beacon
Saturday, 06/20 & Sunday, 06/21: Public Sails, Great Hudson River Revival

Bald eagle sighting in Port Ewen

I just got word that there's a bald eagle perched at Medrex, clearly in view from Route 9W in Port Ewen. I'll try to follow with a photo.

I saw one glide over Ross park a couple weeks ago, headed toward the Hudson.

Eagles have recovered strongly on the Hudson River in the last roughly 10 years, and there are several nesting pairs that live along the river. In winter, many fly down from Canada, too, looking for open water and fish. Who knows is this one is a resident or visitor?

Is Esopus Ready for Energy Efficiency Money From the Federal Economic Stimulus Bill?

Interesting piece in the NYTimes today about how some municipalities are preparing, but most are unprepared, to spend the billions in the economic stimulus bill that are to go toward energy efficiency. Is there something the environmental board can/should do to advise the town?

Birding Blog From Mount St Alphonsus

I came across this blog today - written by an amateur birder, Tom Deely, living at The Mount.

Recycling Grant Opportunity Postponed

I just received this from Coca Cola and the National Recycling Coalition. This is in reference to the grant program that supplies recycling bins for public places, like Main Street or parks.


Dear Recycling Leaders,

This message is being distributed to those requesting notification of the next Coca Cola / National Recycling Coalition Bin Grant cycle. The grant cycle originally scheduled for February, 2009 has been postponed until later in the year. New dates have not been set at this time. We will send further updates by email once a new grant schedule has been determined.

Thank you for your interest in the Bin Grant program and for supporting recycling in your community.

Alec Cooley
National Recycling Coalition

2/28/09: Sojourner Truth concert

Image via Wikipedia

Listening For Truth, a benefit concert to raise funds for a memorial to Sojourner Truth, will be presented on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009 at 3 PM at the Reformed Church on Salem Street in Port Ewen.

The choral concert will feature the Esopus Festival Choir directed by Linda Bresnahan McCarthy, and the Ulster County Community Outreach Chorus, directed by Dennis Washington. Music will include a variety of songs and hymns, some written by Sojourner Truth, and period music she would have known. In addition, a dramatic reading will be presented.

Tickets will be available for a suggested donation of $10 at the door. Seating is limited. Refreshments will be provided.

Money raised at the concert, through donations, and in the future at other fundraisers will be used to erect a statue to Sojourner Truth in a park being constructed on Broadway in Port Ewen. As a slave, Sojourner Truth lived and worked in a tavern which stood on the site in the 19^th century.

In 2005, the Esopus Town Board voted to name the park in her honor and a citizen's committee organized the Memorial Fund to raise funds for the statue. The Sojourner Truth Memorial Fund is affiliated with the Ulster County Community Foundation. All contributions are tax deductible.