The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Sports Outdoors

Darrow Student To Compete In Fencing Junior Olympics

By

Catherine “Catt” Gagnon, of Rensselaer, a sophomore at Darrow School in New Lebanon, is now making final preparations to compete in the USA Fencing (USAF) 2015 Junior Olympic Championships to be held in Richmond, VA, February 13 to 16.

Gagnon, who has been fencing since she was 9 years old and is a member of the Beaches Saber Club of Troy, qualified for the Junior Olympics after placing 34th out of 117 competitors in the junior division at the 2014 USAF National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, last summer. She had qualified for the nationals by competing earlier in the year at a tournament held at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.

“I am very excited. This is a big opportunity for me,” said Gagnon, who has fenced at the college level with students in the RPI Fencing Club in Troy. She has also been invited to compete with the Fencing Club at SUNY Albany. The experience, she said, gave her the confidence to compete in the Olympic qualifier against opponents from across the country at varying skill levels. “I surprised myself,” she said. “I was fencing against opponents with more experience and skill, but I did pretty well.”

Gagnon has also used her fencing experience to complete an independent study program in fencing at Darrow. In addition to the Junior Olympics, she also hopes to compete in the USAF Summer Nationals to be held in San Jose, CA, June 27 to July 6.

Rensselaer Land Trust Snowshoe/Ski Outing At Mattison Hollow

By

On Saturday, February 7, at 1 pm, the Rensselaer Land Trust will lead a snowshoe/cross-country ski trip at Mattison Hollow in Cherry Plain. We’ll use private trails to see a waterfall in its winter splendor. If snow conditions are poor, we’ll hike. Contact Francille Egbert at 674-3214 or fran.egbert@gmail.com to reserve a spot and get parking directions.

Early February Events At GLSP

By

• Monday, February 2 – Almost Full Moon Outing at 6 pm. Savor winter under the glow of the moon. Meet at the Shaver Pond Center. Space is limited so please pre-register at 279-1155; let us know if you need snowshoes for the outing. This event is sponsored by Friends of GLSP

• Thursday, February 5 – Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park Meeting at 7 pm.  Join this wonderful group of outdoor enthusiasts as they make plans for trail improvements, Park events and new amenities for the public.  Meet at the Park Office.

• Monday, February 16 – Snowshoe Explore at 1 pm.  Learn to use snowshoes and head out into GLSP on an adventure.

Panther Boys Basketball Rolling Along, Win 4

By

by Steve Bradley

The Hoosick Falls Central School Panthers boys basketball team continued its undefeated season over the past week with four wins. Two of the wins came against league foes Granville and Tamarac. The other two were good wins with one, Cohoes, putting the team to the test of coming from behind.

[Read more…] about Panther Boys Basketball Rolling Along, Win 4

HFCS Bowlers Win Southern Division

By

submitted by Coach Bob Lang 

The Hoosick Falls bowling team defeated Granville at the Barbecue Lanes in the last home match of the season by the score of 4-0.  Hoosick Falls had total match pins of 3,393 to Granville’s total match pins of 2,287.  Hoosick Falls now has a league record of 11-0 and an overall record of 12-0 with a league point total of 43-1.  Granville has a league point record of 11-29.  Top bowler for Granville was Cole McCullen with a 190-539.

[Read more…] about HFCS Bowlers Win Southern Division

Petersburgh Rod & Gun Club Hosting Fourth Annual Ice Fishing Derby

By

Come out with family and friends and enjoy the great outdoors with competition. The Petersburgh Rod & Gun Club will host its Fourth Annual Ice Fishing Derby on February 7 from 6 am to 3 pm. There will be cash prizes for perch, walleye and pickerel and many other prizes.

The entry fee is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and under. Participants can pre-register at one of the following local sponsors – Papa’s Pizza, Rt. 2 Petersburgh (658-2700), Hewitts’s Market, Elm Street, Berlin (658-2801) or Vonadeau Wine and Spirits, Main Street, Berlin (658-2450) or register at the dam at 5 am on the morning of the event. Parking is available at the Dyken Pond Environmental Center.

For more information please contact Jason at 518-658-2446. Participants are required to follow all New York State Fishing Laws.

Updated Schedule: Grafton Lakes State Park 30th Annual Winter Festival

By

Grafton Lakes State Park and the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park will host the 30th Annual Winter Festival and Ice Fishing Contest on Saturday, January 24. Despite last weekend’s thaw, Grafton Lakes State Park has ample snow and ice for their annual celebration of winter. The Winter Fest will feature outdoor events along with indoor exhibits, food vendors and family-friendly and recreational activities. The event is free of charge and main events run from 10 am to 4 pm.

New offerings this year include free snowmobile rides, a kid-friendly ice skating rink along with a designated ice hockey oval and several new exhibitors. Demonstrations of geocaching and loom weaving, local conservation efforts from birders and animal tracking volunteers and a rare chance to view the sun with a solar telescope are among the new exhibits at the Festival. For the kids, Winter Fest offers its popular snow bowling hill, snowshoe races and a snowball toss, fun kids crafts, as well as rides with the charming Northland Newfoundlands. Adults can join in a guided snowshoe or cross country ski outing or borrow snowshoes for a free demo around the park. Fans of four-legged creatures will enjoy the horse drawn carriage rides from Indian Creek Farms, a guided morning walk for dogs, as well as the tail wagging canines from Rensselaer County Search & Rescue and Out of the Pits Pitbull Rescue.

The 8th Annual Polar Plunge benefitting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation charges into Long Pond at 1 pm. This year the Plunge includes a playful prize for the silliest costume offered by the Friends of Grafton Lakes State Park so plan your best beach attire! To pre-register for the Plunge, please call Margaret Philips for more information at 479-3739 or call the Park office.

Visitors who need to warm up can savor some hot food from Brunswick Barbecue and the local Our Lady of the Snow Parish while enjoying indoor exhibits. Live birds of prey, kids’ nature crafts and a variety of regional community and conservation organizations will entertain patrons.

The annual ice fishing contest draws several hundred anglers and will run from 5:30 am to 3 pm on all the ponds in the Park except for White Lily. Participants can register starting at 5:30 am until 11 am the morning of the event at the Park’s pole barn, accessible via the Park’s main entrance. A $10 entry fee for adults 16 and older is required to participate in the fishing tournament. All first place adult winners will receive a $300 cash prize this year, awarded for the longest length catch of trout, walleye/chain pickerel and yellow perch. Children may enter at no charge and winning entries will receive gift certificates and other prizes. Last year the Park gave out over $1,500 in cash and prizes, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. Please remember that all participants 16 and older must have a New York State fishing license to fish in the Park at any time.

Please use the Park’s main entrance on Grafton Lakes State Park Way for this year’s event and pick up event information at the ticket booth as you enter. There is no entrance fee for the Winter Festival. For more information about this event, please call the Park at 518-279-1155. A full schedule of events is available at www.nysparks.com/parks and on www.facebook.com/GraftonLakesStatePark.

Become A Wildlife Tracker And Become A Citizen Scientist

By

The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, the Friends of Dyken Pond, Tamakoce Wilderness Programs and the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance have teamed together to begin wildlife tracking surveys of mammals. There is an interest in documenting distribution and abundance of fisher, bobcat, coyote, grey fox, otter, bear and moose among other mammals. In order to do this, there is a need to train volunteers who have the knowledge and skills to help with monitoring surveys.

The goals of the wildlife survey are to:

• record the presence and abundance of these species: black bear, fisher, gray fox, coyote, bobcat, moose and otter;

• identify patterns of travel;

• identify core feeding, denning/resting, mating and birthing areas, and

• develop a sense of the relative abundance and distribution of wildlife populations and to provide the public with an opportunity to be involved in monitoring our forest mammals.

In 2015, plans are underway to monitor a 40 acre parcel at the Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center. As we gain more volunteers, more area can be monitored. Our ultimate goal is to monitor the entire Rensselaer Plateau.

To participate, you will be expected to attend tracking training provided by Tamakoce Wilderness Programs and agree to complete three surveys in one season following guidelines and submit your findings. There is a fee of $250 for this training. The training will give you skills that will last you a lifetime.

Training Schedule

January 31 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

February 11 – Evening slideshow/data collection, 6 to 9 pm

February 28 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

March 8 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

March 21 – Field Evaluation, 10 am to 3 pm

May 9 – Field Day, 10 am to 3 pm

Become a Tracker and Citizen Scientist! For more information and to pre-register, contact Dan Yacobellis at info@tamakocewildernessprograms.com.