The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Rensselaer County

Hoosick Federal Credit Union Annual Meeting

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submitted by Jim Martinez

The Board of Directors and Jim Martinez, President, of the Hoosick Federal Credit Union at 28 Church Street in Hoosick Falls invite all to join them for the annual meeting and election of Board members to be held at the Hoosick Falls Central School High School Cafeteria on Wednesday evening, March 5, from 6 to 7:30 pm.  Come enjoy a nice dinner catered by the top-notch HFCS dining staff while you hear the “State of the Credit Union,” detailing what happened in 2013 and what we have in store for 2014. The meeting will conclude with an abundance of door prizes.  Positive things are happening.  Don’t miss this opportunity!

We hope to see you all there.  Please RSVP at 518-686-4504 by Monday March 3. Seating is limited to the first 125 who respond.

If you are reading this ad, you are likely able to join the Hoosick FCU. If you live, work, worship, attend school, belong to an organization or volunteer in Hoosick, Eagle Bridge, Buskirk, Petersburgh, Berlin, Grafton, Stephentown or Pittstown, you may become a member of Hoosick Federal Credit Union.  Businesses and not-for-profits are also welcome and encouraged to join.

Brunswick Library Digital Workshop

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Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad or other e-Reader? Come and learn how you can check out digital books, audiobooks and movies from the Library. Join us on Tuesday, March 4, at 6:30 pm at the Brunswick Community Library, 4118 State Highway 2, when Jo-Ann Benedetti of the Upper Hudson Library System explains it all for you.

Informational Meeting On A Recreational Trail For Eastern Rensselaer County

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by Bev McClave

Trails can be great assets to communities. They can provide recreational and exercise opportunities for residents, enhance local businesses by bringing more and new customers and spur local business development. The Friends of the Corkscrew Rail Trail invite the public to join them at an informational meeting to learn about the possibility for creating a superb recreational trail for the communities of eastern Rensselaer County.  If you are interested in the possibility of a multi-use recreational trail which could ultimately run from Chatham, NY, to Bennington, VT, passing through New Lebanon, Stephentown, Berlin and Petersburgh, please join us to hear about this exciting proposed project. There will be an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions and offer comment.

The meeting will be held on February 27 at 6:30 pm at the Stephentown Fire Hall, Grange Hall Road, Stephentown.  For more information, please visit http://corkscrewtrail.org//CorkScrewTrail/default.aspx or email info@corkscrewtrail.org.

Sign Up For Pre-Teen Fun Day Today

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submitted by Kandis Freer, Resource Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County

Cornell Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development prides itself on providing youth with exciting real world opportunities. On February 15 Rensselaer County’s 4-H Teen Council will hold Pre-Teen Fun Day at Brittonkill (Tamarac) Middle School which will focus on LEGO WeDo Robotics. Pre-Teen Fun Day is a day of STEM taught by the 4-H Teen Council.

We invite all youth, ages 8-12, to attend Pre-Teen Fun Day, but call soon since space is limited. This program is free to 4-H members and costs $10 for non 4-H youth. Lunch will be provided.

The day will begin at 9:30 am with age appropriate icebreaker activities led by teens to get to know each other and to set goals for the day. From there, youth will dive into a day of LEGO WeDo Robotics which engages youth in technology, engineering and literacy. We will conclude at 1:45 pm with a round up activity. Pick-up will be at 2 pm.

Sign Up Now

Please call Kandis Freer at 272-4210 ext. 106 to sign up by February 7. No one shall be denied the opportunity to participate or receive information based on his or her ability to pay. If you have special needs that we can accommodate, please let us know at the time of your call.

Sheriff Arrests Hoosick Falls Teenager

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submitted by Yvonne Keefe

On January 16, at approximately 2:34 am, the Rensselaer County Bureau of Emergency Services received a 911 call from the Town of Brunswick. The homeowner reported that subjects were on his property and attempting to gain entry to his residence. Rensselaer County Deputy Sheriffs arrived on the scene within minutes and two suspects were taken into custody hiding in nearby bushes on the property.

An additional two suspects fled the scene on foot. Later in time one of the subjects reported his vehicle stolen but later admitted to officers he was a participant at the scene and was taken into custody.

The homeowner later found a “self defense” pistol in the bushes behind his residence where two of the suspects had been standing. The pistol fires less lethal pellets but has the appearance of a semi-automatic Glock pistol.

Arrested for Attempted Burglary 2nd, a felony, and Criminal Mischief 4th Degree, a misdemeanor was Keith A. Hughes Jr.,  18, of Hoosick Falls, and the two other teenagers.

Investigators are still trying to locate a fourth suspect – Luis Rosa, 17 years old, of Troy. If anyone has any information regarding Rosa’s whereabouts, they are urged to contact investigators at 518-266-1983 or the Tip line at 518-270-0128.

RLT Snowshoe Hike To Perigo Hill

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Explore the wilds of the Rensselaer Plateau on Saturday, February 8, from 1 to 3 pm with a 4 to 5 mile snowshoe hike to the top of Perigo Hill at the Geiser Preserve. Keep on the lookout for animal tracks as signs of bear and moose have been previously seen.

The snowshoe hike will be three miles along flat, logging roads and one mile of a moderate climb to the top of Perigo Hill. Bring water and a snack. The hike is free for Rensselaer Land Trust members, $5 for nonmembers. Contact Nick Conrad to register at 518-278-1963 or nbconrad@msn.com.

The County Commends Stephentown’s Wes Edwards For His Fifty Years On The Bench

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by Kieron Kramer

In an extremely brief meeting, the Rensselaer County Legislature passed only three resolutions that directly related to eastern Rensselaer County. They began the meeting by honoring Wesley Edwards for his 50 years as Town Justice in Stephentown. They also approved a contract with the Agricultural Stewardship Association which manages Rensselaer County’s Farmland Protection Program in which a number of local farms are involved. And it re-appointed David Huskie of Petersburgh to the County Health Board for a term to expire December 31, 2019.

[Read more…] about The County Commends Stephentown’s Wes Edwards For His Fifty Years On The Bench

DEC’s New Computerized System For Sporting Licenses Up And Running

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The New York State Department of  Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) new computerized sporting licensing system is operational, allowing sportsmen and sportswomen to conduct license transactions, Commissioner Joe Martens announced.

The transition of hunter, angler and trapper data required a temporary shutdown for sales of hunting, fishing and trapping licenses, recreational marine fishing registrations and harvest game reporting.  The data transfer has been completed and individuals can resume normal transactions and reporting on the new system.

Individuals who were unable to report harvest data during the temporary shutdown were given a grace period for reporting of this data.  With the system now operational, all harvest data that has not been reported must be submitted by January 20, 2014.

Hunters, anglers and trappers are able to purchase sporting licenses, stamps and permits at one of the nearly 1,500 locations across New York State, via telephone at (1-866-933-2257) or via the internet at https://aca.dec.accela.com/dec/

“I encourage New Yorkers to utilize the new license system to purchase their sporting licenses, report any deer harvested during the system blackout period and enjoy the many outstanding outdoor activities available in New York State,” added Martens.

What’s That Bird? Check Your Smartphone

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has released a free iPhone app to help people identify 285 birds in North America. Created with support from the National Science Foundation, the app asks just five questions, then displays photos of birds that match your description – customized to your location and time of year.

“We named the app Merlin because of its uncanny, almost magical, way of guessing which bird you saw,” said the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Jessie Barry, whose team created the app with partner Birds in the Hand. Barry said that, far from magic, Merlin uses data from citizen science participants and bird watchers to understand how people see and describe birds and to narrow the list to the birds found nearby. The app is the first to use data from the eBird citizen science project to dynamically select the birds found within about a 30 mile radius of your location at the time when you saw the bird.

“This type of precision is only possible because bird watchers report their sightings to eBird from locations across North America every day of the year,” Barry said. Merlin draws upon 70 million eBird sightings to calculate which species you’re most likely to encounter.

Additionally, bird watchers “trained” Merlin to understand how people see and describe birds. By participating in online activities to describe birds based on photos, they contributed more than three million data points that Merlin uses to deduce which birds are viewed based on people’s description of color, size and behavior. The app records your response when you confirm the bird you saw, enabling researchers to identify successful interactions and improve Merlin’s performance over time. It also displays photos, ID tips, sounds and range maps for each species.

The Merlin Bird ID app can now be downloaded from the App Store. The Cornell Lab plans to release Merlin for Android and online use in the spring of 2014 and to continue adding more species. Merlin is made possible with support from the National Science Foundation, Pennington™ Wild Bird Food and friends and members of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Cornell Lab is a nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the understanding and protection of birds.