Sunday, December 30, 2007

Dyken Pond Presents a Class in Tracking Jan 12th

The Art of Tracking

An introduction to the world of tracking

At

Dyken Pond Environmental Center

Saturday, January 12th, 2008

Take the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. Add, how many, what direction and male or female. Throw in a bunch more questions for flavor and top it off with a trek through the woods on this mysterious trail. Now you have the ingredients for a day of animal tracking adventure!

Dan Yacobellis is a local wilderness skills practitioner and educator who will be introducing you to the ancient tradition of animal tracking.

In every culture, at some point in time, tracking skills were a necessary tool for survival. Even today there are some cultures around the world that still hold this ancient art in high esteem.

Come learn how to approach the forest and the signs therein with the same awareness it takes for a Kalahari Bushman to avoid becoming leopard prey!

Dan will cover:

-Sensory awareness skills

-Track and trail patterns

-Animal habits and behavior

-the art of questioning

- How tracking fits into modern life

9:00- registration at the Center

9:20- Opening Circle

9:45- Begin our trek

12:00- break for lunch (on trail)

12:45- Resume tracking

3:00- closing circle at the center

Bring warm clothes, Lunch or snacks, water, note pad and pencil.

Number of participants is limited; pre registration required. To pre-register: contact Lisa Hoyt at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center at (518) 658-2055 or dykenpond@fairpoint.net

Cost- $25.00 Members discount cost- $20.00

Friday, December 21, 2007

Nature Conservancy's 161,000 Acre Purchase

CBS News to air scenes of The Nature Conservancy’s
161,000-acre purchase in the Adirondacks

Keene Valley, New York - CBS News Sunday Morning, an acclaimed television newsmagazine, will air video footage of The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack property highlighting tucked-away places that few people have seen or visited. It is expected to run on December 30, 2007 during the “nature” segment of the popular 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. morning newsmagazine anchored by Charles Osgood.

The footage is from The Nature Conservancy’s epic, 161,000-acre purchase of Adirondack forests in upstate New York—the largest single private conservation land buy in the United States in 2007. A treasure trove of natural bounty, the property had been under the private ownership of paper manufacturer Finch, Pruyn & Co. since the 1800s.

The beautiful places captured on video include:

  • The Boreas Ponds, with spectacular views of the High Peaks Wilderness
  • The Boreas River, a major tributary of the Hudson River, with ice and snow closing in on a ribbon of open water
  • The Branch River, also a Hudson River tributary, cascading through a mature floodplain forest.

“These are some of the most scenic lands in the entire Adirondack Park. We are delighted that CBS will be introducing them to a national audience,” said Michael Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. They are also some of the most biologically diverse lands in the Park, harboring dozens of globally- and state- rare plant species and a wide array of wildlife.

“We jumped at the opportunity to make such a bold purchase. After all, we are in the business of protecting ecologically important forests and waters, and this property is a real stunner,” Carr added.

The ecological significance of the property, lying primarily within the central lake and tourist region of the Adirondack Park, extends beyond the park and New York State. With 50% of the world’s forest cover gone, the property is pivotally important to forest landscapes across the globe. Referring to temperate forests, Kathy Moser, acting state director for The Nature Conservancy of New York, said: “This is our big chance to make a serious move toward preserving a major habitat type that, historically, has suffered the most abuses of any other.”

In its first six months of ownership the Conservancy has worked with scientists from the New York Natural Heritage Program to evaluate the property through a variety of ecological lenses, renewed the 140 annual leases that existed under Finch, Pruyn’s ownership, met with dozens of stakeholders, and provided “green-certified” pulp wood to the Finch Paper mill in Glens Falls. Leading with the science, the Conservancy is working out a disposition strategy that balances ecological protection and traditional Adirondack uses. For the time being, it is business as usual for the property.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, non-profit organization working to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Adirondack Chapter has protected 556,572 acres since 1971 and works with a variety of partners to achieve a broad range of conservation results. For more information about the Conservancy’s 161,000-acre purchase in the Adirondacks, including links to additional video footage, visit nature.org/Adirondacks/finch.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Albany Bike Coalition Critical Mass Bike Ride

RE: Critical Mass Bike Ride, Friday, December 28, 5:30 PM

Please announce the following:

Critical Mass Bike Ride

When: Friday, 12/28, 5:30 PM (meet at 5:15)

Where: Veterans’ Memorial, Washington Park at State Street, Albany

Contact: 489-0866, http://www.albanybicyclecoalition.com/

Notes: Casual winter ride in downtown Albany. All welcome. Free.

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Lorenz M. Worden
(518) 489-0866