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Trout Harvest Season Opens

DEC stocks millions of trout statewide as harvest season opens By Jennifer Patterson Trout fishing season opened on April 1, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is stocking nearly 1.9 million catchable brown and rainbow trout in waters across the state – music to anglers’ ears. The first of the month also marked the opening of harvest season after year-round fishing was green-lit on most streams in 2021, with the implementation of an Oct. 16-March 31 “artificial lures only, catch and release” season. “Since DEC updated regulations in 2021 to allow a catch-and-release season in the fall and winter months, anglers have the opportunity to fish for inland trout year-round,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Even so, April 1 has a special meaning for anglers in New York as the date signifies the start of a season full of promising fishing opportunities.” In Schoharie County, hundreds of brown and rainbow trout will be released in Fulton’s Mallet Pond in May, and hundreds more brown trout have been released into Blenheim’s West Kill stream. Thousands of trout will be released through the first week of June into ponds, streams, creeks, lakes, reservoirs and rivers open to the public in Delaware County. The same is true in Greene and Ulster counties. Every year, the DEC releases about 900,000 pounds of fish into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds to enhance recreational fishing and restore native species to waters they formerly occupied. Breeding and rearing fish is a big task that requires precise methods and specialized equipment and facilities. There are 12 such DEC fish hatcheries statewide, each specializing in raising one or more species of fish, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, landlocked salmon, walleye, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. The fish are stocked with help from County Federated Sportsmen. If it has been a while since you’ve been on the water, know that anyone 16 or older needs a New York State fishing license. There are one- or seven-day passes, as well as an annual license for $25 available online at https://www.dec.ny.gov or at many local bait and tackle shops, where important information about what waterways are open and additional regulations are also passed along. As for some trout catching tips, anglers say that when the waters are cold and high in April, the trout tend to look for live bait. For information about the DEC’s new streamlined annual fishing regulations guide, go to https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html.

Apr 22, 2023 • 18 views

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Celestial Wonders

April skies full of celestial wonders By Jennifer Patterson As winter gives way to spring, April is the month to look toward the night sky. With Mercury reaching its highest point in the evening sky for the year, the Moon is also making its monthly rounds and will pair up with several planets later in April. Mercury – the smallest and fastest moving of the planets in our solar system – is only visible for a few weeks every three to four months. The rest of the time, it flies too close to the Sun and is lost in the bright glare. This weekend, the Moon will be near Saturn in the east, most visible in the few hours before sunrise. On April 23, the crescent Moon will hang just five degrees above Venus in the west after sunset, and on April 25, the Moon and Mars pair up high in the west after dark. Viewing conditions may also be ideal for the annual Lyrid meteor shower, one of the oldest known meteor showers in history (the first recorded sighting was in China some 2,700 years ago). The medium-strength shower begins on Sunday, but will peak on the morning of April 23 with as many as 20 shooting stars possible per hour, and comes to an end late in the month. The Lyrids are expected to put on an exceptional show this year, thanks to no interference from the Moon. As with most meteor showers, the best viewing time is before dawn, but the Lyrids will become visible beginning at about 10:30 p.m., according to NASA meteor experts. The radiant – the point from which the meteors appear to originate – will be high in the evening sky in the constellation Lyra to the northeast of Vega, one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky this time of year. Named after a constellation of shooting stars, the Lyrid meteor shower is the result of Earth passing through the tail of comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Last year, a bright moon made the shower difficult to see. Next week, however, viewing opportunities will be ideal due to a dim waxing crescent moon, which will only reach six percent illumination on the night of the shower’s peak. Darker skies will make the fast-moving meteors (which lack a persistent trail) easier to see. The shower can also produce the occasional bright meteor called a fireball, with luminous dust trails that can be observed for several seconds. According to NASA, the shower may surprise stargazers with as many as 100 meteors per hour, in what is called an “outburst.” The Lyrid meteor shower is not as bright as the famous Perseid meteor shower in August, which tends to produce more prominent trails. When stargazing, NASA recommends finding a dark place away from city lights and letting your eyes adjust for at least half an hour. Another tip is to avoid looking at your cell phone, which will interfere with natural night vision. For information about how best to view the Lyrids, go to https://solarsystem.nasa.gov.

Apr 16, 2023 • 18 views

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Schoharie County DMV Teams Up with Donate Life NYS

From left: Mark Schroeder, NY State Commissioner DMV; Indy Jaycox, Schoharie County Clerk; Aisha Tator, Executive Director of Donate Life NYS; Holly Tanner, Columbia County Clerk SCHOHARIE- Schoharie County Clerk Indy Jaycox is proud to announce that the Schoharie County Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is teaming up with Donate Life NYS in observance of National Donate Life Month (NDLM) this April, celebrating the lifesaving impact made by organ, eye, and tissue donors. Donate Life NYS is the statewide nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase organ, eye and tissue donation in New York State through collaborative advocacy, education, research, and promotion. The theme of 2023’s Donate Life Month, “Make a Splash,” was inspired by the natural world of a pond coming to life in the spring. During the month of April, the Schoharie County Clerk urges all residents to learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation and to say yes to donation while completing transactions at the DMV. Brochures, posters and enrollment forms will be on display in the lobby of the County Office Building throughout National Donate Life Month as a reminder of the importance of the gift of life. While nearly 3,400 lifesaving organ transplants were performed in the state last year, more than 8,100 New Yorkers remain on the national organ transplant waitlist. In 2022, more than 400 patients awaiting an organ transplant in New York State died because the organ needed to save their lives was not donated in time. “DMVs throughout the state have already helped nearly six million New Yorkers enroll in the New York State Donate Life Registry. By providing the opportunity for the public to enroll in the NYS Donate Life Registry, they are the key to saving and healing the lives of the thousands of New Yorkers in need of a transplant,” explained Aisha Tator, Executive Director of Donate Life NYS. “As the Schoharie County Clerk, I am thrilled that we can offer visitors the chance to make a life-saving impact by enrolling in the New York State Donate Life Registry while conducting any license, permit, non-driver ID transaction, or when registering a vehicle.” said County Clerk Indy Jaycox. “Throughout the month of April, our office is dedicated to raising awareness of the critical need for organ, eye, and tissue donation in New York State. We urge all residents to consider saying ‘yes’ to being a donor and making a profound difference in the lives of others.” Regardless of your medical history, all New Yorkers aged 16 and above can join the New York State Donor Registry through forms used to apply for or renew a driver’s license or non-driver identification card or registering a vehicle. By choosing to donate, you have the potential to save up to eight lives through organ donation, restore sight with cornea donations, and enhance the lives of 75 others with tissue donation. To register, simply visit donatelifenys.org/register , and take the first step towards giving someone a second chance at life. Your kindness can make a lasting impact and create a legacy of compassion and generosity. Learn more about National Donate Life Month and Donate Life NYS at donatelifenys.org and donatelife.ny.gov . ###

Apr 16, 2023 • 22 views

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Opus 40

THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS Creepy Crawlers at Opus 40 When you are a geologist and are exploring a new location, you can expect to find something remarkable, even exciting things. That was the case with our visit to Opus 40. Take a look at our photo. That is one very eye-catching fossil. We think it is something called a trace fossil. It’s not the skeleton of an ancient animal; it is the evidence of an animal’s activity. We think this is the trail left behind by a critter walking across soft wet sediment on top of the Catskill Delta back in the Devonian time period, perhaps some 385 million years ago. Each dark dimple on the rock surface is the imprint of an animal’s appendage. There are a lot of them, and they are lined up in two rows. Which way was it going? Top to bottom or bottom to top. We can’t tell. Well, maybe we don’t know which way it was going but what can we tell? How do we go about working on such a problem? What is it that we do when we find something like this? Let’ make this a column about scientific thinking. The first thing we do is to shoot lots of photos, trying to catch the sunlight from different angles. The gives us plenty of take-home evidence to work with. That’s important and it’s very helpful. Then we look again. We see those two lines of dimples. We are guessing that these are the left and right impressions of that critter’s feet (we scientists call them appendages) left behind as it walked along. That gives the animal bilateral symmetry, a left and a right. And that also gives it a front and a back, a head, and a tail. This is fine but it doesn’t do much to help narrow down the identification, does it? So, then we rely on our experience. Over the years we have learned that there were some interesting candidate creatures that lived in the Devonian. Among them there were millipedes, big millipedes (you might know them as thousand leggers), on the Catskill Delta. Millipedes have sets of left and right appendages similar to what we see here. So, millipedes come to make up an interesting working hypothesis. We wrote about some of these recently. Did you read our Oct. 7, 2022 column? We liked the millipede hypothesis, so we googled “millipede tracks” and clicked on images. There, by accident were some photos of centipede tracks and those were very interesting. Centipedes (“hundred leggers”) are cousins of millipedes but have differently structured legs. Some of the appendage imprints we saw online were offset. That is that the left and right prints were not exactly parallel; instead, they zigzagged left to right. Sure enough, that’s ’what ours did. Take a look; do you see that? As of today, that’s how far we have gotten with this. If we were doing serious peer review scientific research, we would dive into the issue of millipede and centipede locomotion. That might tell us a lot more and perhaps enough to solve the problem. But this project is only aimed at writing a Mountain Eagle column so that’s going to be it for today. You likely have seen both millipedes and centipedes, living ones. But look at our photo again and see the knife. There were big bugs, don’t you think! Contact the authors at randjtitus@prodigy.net . Join their Facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.com.”

Apr 16, 2023 • 22 views

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The Launch of Boating Season

Boating Season Has Begun Its that time of year again. Boaters with crafts of all types and sizes are getting them ready to launch. There are important reminders for all those who operate everything from a kayak or canoe to larger motorized vessels; NYS law requires anyone aboard vessels less than 21 feet in length to wear a personal flotation device (PFD) between November 1 st and May 1 st . Dressing in layers is also recommended to avoid hypothermia as water temperatures are still quite cold this early in the boating season. Another thing to consider before operating any motorized vessel is the need to have obtained a boating safety certificate depending upon your age. While all operators of motorized vessels regardless of age, will have to possess a boating safety certificate effective January 1 st 2025, here are the current requirements: For calendar year 2023: You must possess a boating safety certificate to operate a motor boat if you were born on or after January 1 st 1983. For calendar year 2024: You must possess a boating safety certificate to operate a motor boat if you were born on or after January 1 st 1978. As stated, effective January 1 st 2025 ALL operators of motorized vessels must obtain and possess a boating safety certificate while operating that vessel. To get a boating safety certificate, you must take The New York Safe Boating Course. According to NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation’s website, ( https://parks.ny.gov/boating/education.aspx ), the class “…teaches basic boating skills and encourages common sense and courtesy to all who share the water.” Boaters can earn their certificate by taking a classroom course with certified New York State instructors or through approved online courses. Certificates issued by the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary , America's Boating Club , US Powerboating (These classes are also offered by Waterfront | SUNY Maritime College ) and any NASBLA certified course from other states are also recognized. With an approved online course, learning is completed online and successful completion of unit exams is required in order to advance through the course. Fees paid to the online provider include the cost of your permanent certificate issued by the provider. Registering for a classroom course is quick and easy - follow the below links to find a course. Registering for a classroom course is quick and easy - follow the below links to find a course. Aceboater America's Boating Club (formerly known as US Power Squadron) Spanish online course available Boat-ED Boat U.S. BOATERexam BOATsmart BoatTests101 Disponible en español iLearnToBoat Courses are available both in person and online so that you can choose the course the best fits your needs. You must be at least 10 years old to take a safe boating course. Classroom courses are offered around the state by our certified and experienced instructors. Classroom courses offer the opportunity for boaters of all ages, especially first time and youth boaters, to earn their certificates. Some instructors may charge an instructional fee. Fees paid to your instructor do not include the fee for a permanent certificate for students age 18 and older. With an approved online course, learning is completed online and successful completion of unit exams is required in order to advance through the course. Fees paid to the online provider include the cost of your permanent certificate issued by the provider. To register for a classroom course - follow the below links to find a class near you. Boating safety certificates are required for recreational boaters using motorized vessels, including personal watercraft. * Operators of non-motorized boats, such as kayaks and canoes, are not required to have a boating safety certificate at this time. Other things to know about Boating Safety Certificates New York recognizes the boating safety certificate issued by your home state. Persons may rent and operate a motorboat from a livery without first obtaining a boating safety certificate. Staff at the livery must provide basic instruction and safety information before you depart the dock. While operators of non-motorized boats do not need a safe boating certificate, they are encouraged to take a safe boating course as well. For more information on boating safety and navigation laws, visit the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation website Happy boating, hunting, and fishing, until next time!

Apr 16, 2023 • 25 views

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Schoharie CSD Alumni Not Happy About New Mascot

A STORM of Controversy Opinions Mixed but Most Schoharie Alumni Not Happy with Choice for New Mascot By David Avitabile SCHOHARIE - Now that the Storm has been chosen as the new mascot for Schoharie Central School, what does the public feel about the name? In a very unscientific Facebook poll conducted by the Mountain Eagle, most people do not like the choice for the new mascot which replaced the much beloved (by most) Indian. The state education forced state school districts to remove Native American names and images under penalty of loss of state aid and removal of officers. Schoharie Central School asked for ideas for a new mascot and received hundreds of suggestions. In a public vote, the Storm finished first ahead of the other semi-finalists Coyotes, Titans, Vales, and Hawks. A sampling of the opinions on the new names: * Robin Rowlison, "We have beautiful Eagles that have moved into the valley...Not sure why Eagles wasn't even a choice. Since it HAS to be replaced, doing so with one Majestic icon for another would be way better than Storm...." Other posters noted that Duanesburg is already the Eagles. * Midge Diamond Howland, "Worse name ever! Now we will forever be reminded of the damage the storm caused and affected so many Schoharie County residents! I am a Schoharie school alumni from 1969 and I will forever be a Schoharie Indian. How that name was even put into the voting is beyond all reasoning.." * Mike Taccone, "Poor choice to name it after something that had a negative impact. Heard this name floating around before the committee was even formed so it is what it is unfortunately." * Jennifer Crewell Alescio agreed, "Yes you are correct !! I believe it was set way back and we just went through the process !!! My opinion !!" * Tammi Puchala Cammer, "I was hoping for something historically accurate. (Revolutionaries, Patriots, etc.)" * Gammie Pals, "It’s ridiculous. My opinion." * Shari Brienza Carr, "I understand how some people feel 'triggered' by the implication of storm. I see it has we survived the storm. It shows strength and resilience.." * Dave Yorks responded, "Oddly enough, Indians showed strength and resilience to most people. In my 69 years never heard anybody say that it was offensive....Some 'woke' people at the state-level forced the change." * Jake Davis answered, "The Native Americans are the ones who find it offensive and they are vocal about it (to anyone who cares to listen). That’s why it’s being changed." * Frank N Tucker responded, "'Woke' means caring, supporting others, having compassion." * Lora Newell, "The larger issue is: Why we are allowing ourselves to be bullied by the state?" * Travis Hofmann was direct and concise with his opinion, "It's s**t." * Rachel Bernhardt, "I agree. They have left it as Schoharie Indians. There was nothing Wrong with this School Mascot. We will always Be The Schoharie Indians No Matter What!!!" * Amy Wilber Wayman, "I am not at all happy with having to change the mascot. I want to know if anyone took the time to research contacting a Native American tribe to see if they would give the ok to keep the Indian since that was an option? As an alumni I will always be a Schoharie Indian." * Katie O'Brien, "My opinion is almost anything is better than the old mascot. Educated change is good!" * Raema Obbie, "I think it's unique and pays homage to this valley's resilience. It sure beats the mascot my high school came up with when we had to do away with the Indians mascot I grew up with... ahem... 19 years ago! People are always going to take issue with a change like this because of the sentimentality of the old mascot - it's understandable. But it's long overdue." *Joe Nastasi, "Okay folks, so to all that want to keep the name, Indians is another slag term pertaining to the Native Americans. Does anyone see a team called the Hispanics or the caucasians. I don't think so." * Bonita Mickle, "It's always been Indians so leave it alone." * George L. Diamond "Personally I don't like Storm, too much of a reminder. Being around Schoharie area there was Foxendorf and Foxenkkill and Fox Creek, just seems like I could come up with something using a fox and smart as a fox, I think Storm is terrible." * Dee Meese, "It doesn't fit..." * Susan Margas Miers, "Don't like it!!!"

Apr 16, 2023 • 20 views

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Trout Season Opening Day

Fishermen Turn Out for Opening Day By Liz Page BLOOMVILLE – The fishermen were few and far between first thing Saturday morning, but those who stuck it out were treated to a beautiful, sunshiny day, after midmorning. Tara Fairbairn, of Stamford, has been going out on opening day since she was a kid and her partner, Kenny Palmatier, is also an avid fisherman. Missing from their annual rite of passage on Saturday was their son, Andrew, who was feeling a bit under the weather and didn't want to get wet. The rain on Saturday morning went from steady to intermittent, producing some soaking rain in between. It was wet and Friday's showers had turned many waterways into a chocolate brown that made it difficult for the fish to see the bait. The water was high and swift, which is nothing unusual for opening day Tara was using a lure at the bridge in Bloomville, a favorite spot to cast a fishing line for many anglers. She said they usually don't go there on opening day, opting for some quieter spots, but because it was muddy, she said they were starting at Bloomville and would work their way to the less muddy water where they could hopefully switch their bait to worms. One of the keys to catching a fish is that the water is clear enough for them to see the bait. Fairbairn and I stood there for a time, marveling at how calming it was to stand at the edge of the streambank, cast a line and watch it feed downstream. "It is calming. That's why I like fishing," said Fairbairn. She said she was only one in the family to catch a fish on opening day last year, which was cold, with a couple of inches of snow. The conditions were not ideal. "I was the only one who caught a fish," she smiled. It is a family affair for them and Fairbairn is an avid angler. She said she invested in a rod last year that allows you to feel the fish strike the line. "It took a little getting used to, but I do like it." It started to rain fairly heavy again and I decided to leave. Fairbairn made her way to the car to wait out the rain again. Her only regret, she said, was not bringing a book to read while she was sitting in the car. Once the rain let up, she would go back to the streambank. Cliff Mueller was out early opening day, but said he didn't last long. "The streams looked like chocolate milk and I didn't see any other fishermen. I lasted about 20 minutes," he said. Many believe the opening day falls on April Fool's day, because the weather most of the time is not ideal. It is a teaser for anglers to get out into nature and enjoy the outdoors. So the annual rite of spring has taken place, marking one more sign of spring and soon the state Department of Environmental Conservation will be stocking local streams and ponds. To see where and when the stocking takes place, visit the DEC website at dec.ny.gov or to get the latest regulations.

Apr 9, 2023 • 20 views

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Sandstone of the Catskills

THE CATSKILL GEOLOGISTS BY PROFESSORS ROBERT AND JOHANNA TITUS Opus 40, A Devonian Home? We always look into a sedimentary rock and see the sediment that lies within. At the Opus 40 quarry most of that sediment was sand. It has been cemented and thus petrified into the Catskill bluestone that we see all over the quarry today. But it was, long ago, soft wet sediment. The thick sandstones at Opus were mostly deposited in river channels, rivers of the ancient Catskill Delta. All these sands are hard cold sandstones today, but we always have to remember that these were once river channels and there were animals who called them home. We have not yet found any fossil shells or bones in the quarry, but we have found some other fossils. Take a look at our photo. That’s an unusually dark sandstone for the Catskills; it’s a black sandstone with a large number of light-gray curvy patterns within it. What earth could those curves be? Well, paleontologists know them as trace fossils. They are, indeed, not shells nor bones. Instead, they record the behaviors of ancient organisms. From time to time, you leave footprints when you walk across wet grounds. Imagine if, somehow, those prints hardened into rock. Then your footprints would have become trace fossils. That’s not likely to actually happen but it does sometimes with invertebrate animals who live in soft sediments. That’s what happened here. Think about what you are looking at. About 380 million years ago, when these sands lay on a river bottom, animals squirmed around within those sediments and that left the marks. We geologists use the word burrowing to describe this. And that burrowing produced burrows. It should have been that they would never have been preserved; instead, floodwaters should have soon washed them all away. But that just did not happen. They remained, undisturbed as the years passed by. They were buried by thicker and thicker heavy sediments and, under all that weight, slowly hardened into the rock we see today. But what were those animals, and what were they doing? That’s an interesting scientific question and it might seem one that is impossible to answer. But what does the evidence say? That evidence is in the color. Where the rock is dark that is because it is rich in biological material, mostly carbon, that’s the black stuff. Where the rock is gray, then there is much less biological material. And that is within the burrows. What happened? Maybe you can guess. Those burrowing animals, as they worked through those sands, removed the biological material. They were consuming it as food. Who does this today? Worms do. The way to bet is that these are the burrows of ancient Devonian worms.Contact the authors at randjtitus@prodigy.net . Join their facebook page “The Catskill Geologist.” Read their blogs at “thecatskillgeologist.”

Apr 9, 2023 • 20 views

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Mud Season Story

Mud season is here, much to hikers’ discontent By Jennifer Patterson With it finally beginning to feel like spring, many people are itching to get outdoors. While hikers are understandably eager to dust off their boots and enjoy some fresh air, officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are urging outdoor enthusiasts to be extra prepared or to stay off the trails entirely during spring’s notorious mud season. It happens every year, when snow starts to melt and spring showers begin. This combination of moisture in the ground, along with fluctuating temperatures, creates the perfect environment for muddy trails. The Catskills are experiencing an early start to mud season because the ground wasn’t able to consistently freeze during the winter. And despite the heavy late snowfall, a relatively mild winter translated to little snow on hiking trails, causing a muddy mess as spring temperatures continue to warm. Mud season usually beings in late March and lasts until May or June, when trails dry up and harden with sustained warmer temperatures. Hiking during this messy season not only presents safety concerns, but it also compounds conservation challenges on trails and in forests, according to the DEC. Hikers who hit the trails early can unknowingly cause expensive damage to trail systems and the natural environment. New York’s changing climate has extended mud season, with higher temperatures in late winter increasing the contrast between conditions at the trailhead and mountain peaks, according to the DEC. These differences create a range of challenging conditions, like steep trails with thick mud, deep slushy snow, slippery areas with compacted ice (the DEC refers to narrow snowy/icy paths as “monorails”) and flooded trails. If hikers aren’t wearing the proper footwear with spikes, their adventure will be no walk in the park. Many trails can also seem to disappear from step to step and become streams. Crossing these areas is inadvisable, especially when there is fast-moving frigid water. Hikers who fall are at risk of hypothermia. In addition, when hikers try to avoid mud and walk around it, they may inadvertently trample and destroy vulnerable vegetation that is just starting to regrow after the winter months. Loss of vegetation impacts wildlife habitat, as high foot traffic causes changes to the soil and grass that animals and insects rely on. Mountain biking on muddy trails is also discouraged by the DEC, because bikes leave behind large holes that need additional repairs when they dry up, affecting the usability of the trail for the rest of the season. The DEC frequently issues “muddy trail advisories” to keep hikers off the trails, allowing snow to melt and the ground to dry thoroughly. For information, go to https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/113437.html.

Apr 9, 2023 • 20 views

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SUNY Cobleskill Foundation Press Release

National Bank of Coxsackie supports SUNY Cobleskill Foundation through Corporate Partners Scholarship Program Coxsackie – The National Bank of Coxsackie has donated $1,000 towards the SUNY Cobleskill Foundations Corporate Partners Scholarship Program. The Corporate Partners Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to SUNY Cobleskill students in the form of business supported annual scholarships. To be eligible, students must be enrolled on a fulltime basis, demonstrate financial need, and have a GPA of 2.5 or above. This scholarship aids in covering the cost of books, technology, academic fees, equipment, room and board, and other crucial non-tuition educational related needs. "We are so pleased and thankful for the generous commitments by area businesses in support of our corporate scholarship program," said John Zacharek, SUNY Cobleskill Vice President for Development and Executive Director for the SUNY Cobleskill Foundation. "For $1,000, a company like National Bank of Coxsackie can name a scholarship for the year, which can make an enormous difference to an aspiring student pursuing a degree through our unique applied learning approach. The success of our students, 98 percent of whom enter their career field or go on to pursue a higher degree within a year of their graduation, is testament that a Cobleskill education truly works." “National Bank of Coxsackie is always looking for ways to support our local communities,” Middleburgh Branch Manager Heather Kelly commented, “especially if it can be directed towards our youth who have a need.” Keven Mathes, NBC Commercial Loan Officer went on to say, "NBC is excited to support students studying at Suny Cobleskill through its participation in the college's Corporate Partnerships Scholarship Program. Through our relationship we are happy to provide an impactful way to help students afford their college education." ********************* Pictured here from left to right is: NBC Middleburgh Assistant Manager Brenda Bellinger, NBC Middleburgh Head Teller Tina Fischer, NBC Middleburgh Branch Manager Heather Kelly, SUNY Cobleskill Director of Development and Corporate Partnerships Nick DeCaprio, MBA, M.Ed., and NBC Commercial Loan Officer Keven Mathes CONTACT: Nicole M. Bliss, 518-731-6161 nbliss@nbcoxsackie.com

Apr 9, 2023 • 18 views

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Jefferson Drowning

Man Drowns In Blazer Pond By Liz Page STAMFORD – The body of a 36-year-old man was recovered from Blazer Pond near Stamford late last Sunday morning by a state police dive team. Two others were successfully rescued from the pond the day before after the boat the three were in capsized. Members of the Stamford Fire Department were dispatched just after 2:30 p.m. to the pond adjacent to Camp Oorah's Boyz Zone in the town of Jefferson. Stamford Fire Chief Don VanEtten, who was first on the scene, said he had two victims hanging onto an overturned canoe and a reported third victim who was not visible. He called mutual aid for additional EMS, ambulances, and water rescue resources to the scene. Members of the Stamford Fire Department were able to deploy their rapid deployment craft (RDC) to get to the two men who were clinging to the canoe and get them safely back to shore. Both men were suffering from exposure to the cold water. They were each transported by the Hobart Fire Department ambulance and AMR to a landing zone at the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) building on Route 10 in Stamford where they were put into separate LifeNet helicopters and transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital. They were listed in stable condition, according to state police, and were treated for hyperthermia. Hobart Fire Department and Jefferson Fire Department responded with additional personnel and equipment to assist Stamford with the search for the missing man, traffic control and to establish the landing zone. Also responding were members of the Schoharie County Technical Rescue Team with their boat and a New York State Police airboat, New York State Forest Rangers responded and helped with a perimeter search of the water. A state police aviation unit was responded to do an overhead search of the pond and the state police Underwater Recovery Team responded to help locate the missing man. VanEtten said the search for the missing man was suspended by the state police at dark, with the state police dive teams to return Sunday morning to resume the search. The third individual was located at about 11 a.m. Sunday, deceased in the water. He has been identified as Juann E. Parco Saez, 36, of Ecuador. Parco Saez had traveled to Jefferson from his home in Ecuador to work at Camp Oorah. The investigation is ongoing, according to a state police press release, and the drowning is believed to be accidental. The incident was reported quickly by a trio of people who were out enjoying Saturday's warm weather. They called 911 as soon as they saw the boat capsize. They also held the point where they last saw Parco Saez attempting to swim to shore when he disappeared. The caller reported none of three men were wearing life vests. VanEtten credited everyone involved with saving two lives on Saturday and indicated that members of the Stamford Fire Dept. realized the value of the RDC. They held a training on cold water rescue with NYS Forest Rangers just one week earlier. During that training, VanEtten said he learned how to triangulate the location of the boat. "It paid off big time today," said VanEtten. The RDC easily paid for itself with the saving of two lives on Saturday. The Stamford Fire Department would like to thank: Hobart and Jefferson Fire Departments; Schoharie County Technical Rescue Team; NYS Forest Rangers; NYS Trooper and their dive team, aviation unit, and airboat; AMR EMS; Lifenet of New York; Delaware County (NY) Department of Emergency Services Coordinators and Dispatchers. Also Stewart’s Shops for providing refreshments for all responders on scene. The Stamford Fire Department would also like to thank the community for supporting its 2021 fundraiser which resulted in the purchase of the RDC Boat that helped members of the Stamford Fire Dept. save two lives.

Apr 8, 2023 • 18 views

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Wayward Lane Award

Press Contact: Andrew Rowles, Co-Owner Wayward Lane Brewing AGRowles@gmail.com (508) 733-1583 PRESS RELEASE Schoharie County Brewery, Wayward Lane Brewing, Wins New York State 2023 Brewery of the Year Schoharie - The New York State Craft Beer Competition has awarded Wayward Lane Brewing the 2023 Brewery of the Year. The farm brewery opened in 2021 on a 65-acre former hop farm in the town of Schoharie, which resides within the Mohawk Valley region of New York. The brewery prides itself on its classic styles of beer, but brews a full range of everything from West Coast style and hazy IPAs to English ales, lagers, wild-fermented ales, and even barrel aged strong ales. The production facility and taproom are situated in a restored 1800s hop house, an homage to the legacy of hop production in Schoharie County. The brewery also resides and is in partnership with Hop House Farm, which is primarily a beekeeping farm that supplies honey and fruit for some of the brews including special bottle conditioned beers that utilize wild yeast and bacteria for unique characteristics and flavors. The Brewery of the Year Award is given to the brewery that earns the highest number of points in the competition. Points are determined by the number of medals won. The points system offers three points for gold, two points for silver and one point for bronze. Wayward Lane took home the gold for both their Hazy Pale Ale, Cultivar: Motueka and their English Style Wheatwine conditioned on amburana, Xylem. They also won silver medals for their Hazy Double IPA, Cloud Generator, and their Cold IPA, Prizm. Wayward Lane Brewing is owned and operated by a group of friends who love beer, farming, and the community it creates. The brewery is committed to crafting high-quality beers that capture the essence of the land using locally sourced ingredients, many of which are produced on the farm. The awards speak to the quality of their beers, but the brewery has also become a place of community. Hosting regular events like their most recent winter Luau party, frequent live music, weekend yoga classes, tap takeovers and collaborations with breweries from all over; Wayward Lane Brewing has gone beyond being just a brewery. They are especially excited to usher in the summer event schedule, which can be found on their website www.waywardlanebrewing.com “We are proud to represent Schoharie, and it has always been our ambition to share the beauty of this area with people from all over. Upstate New York is full of opportunity, has a wealth of resources, and everyone I bring here falls in love with it immediately. This win is a chance to shine a spotlight on our community that prides itself in its rich history and agricultural heritage. People here think creatively and support each other to make those agricultural roots work in the modern world,” commented Co-Owner Andrew Rowles. As an extension of this commitment to agricultural community and tourism, Wayward Lane Brewing will be kicking off its second year hosting Market in the Meadow, a Farmers Market held in the “Bier Meadow” at the brewery. Starting Sunday, May 7 th , it will be held on the first Sunday of the month from May - October, 12 - 4pm. The event features a variety of local vendors featuring a variety of craft and artisan goods, live music, food, and of course, beer. If you are interested in learning more about attending the Market in the Meadow or are interested in becoming a vendor, contact Andrew Rowles at info@waywardlanebrewing.com, or visit their website for more details. More photos are available by clicking here. ### About Wayward Lane Brewing. Wayward Land Brewing is situated on 65 acres of rolling farmland in the scenic Schoharie Valley of upstate NY. They offer a large outdoor event space where they hold concerts on the weekends. The farm specializes in beekeeping, unusual fruit production and more. Currently the farm keeps roughly 80 beehives, and 4 acres of fruit trees/ shrubs including: aronia, elderberry, brambles, currant, pawpaw, persimmon, tart cherry, plum, peach, apricot, nectarine, cornelian cherry, kiwi berry, apple and pear. Some of the ingredients foraged from the farm will be used towards long term, oak conditioned, spontaneously fermented wild ales.

Apr 8, 2023 • 18 views

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