Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper
by Steve Bradley
The HFCS baseball season came to an end last Friday. The Panthers were defeated by the Voorheesville Blackbirds 4 – 0 in a first round sectional game that was played over two days. [Read more…] about The Panther’s Baseball Season Comes To An End
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a Fish Ecology Program on June 1 from 1 to 3 pm. This program for all ages will teach you about the various fish species that inhabit Dyken Pond and about the habitat in which they live. Pre-registration is encouraged to help with planning, but not required and can be done by contacting the Center at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or 658-2055. A complete list of our summer programs can be found at www.dykenpond.org.
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, located at 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County Park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing and non-motor boating. Canoes and kayaks are for rent each day from 9 am until 3 pm.
• June 7, Saturday – National Trails Day from 9 am to 12 pm at Grafton Lakes State Park. This fun morning of trail work will be followed by a complimentary raffle and barbecue for all our volunteers. Please pre-register by June 3 for the complimentary barbecue at 279-1155.
• June 7, Saturday – Ribbon Cutting for the Baum Trail at the Bennington Battlefield at 2 pm. This is the end of the trail for Baum, whose defeat at the Battle for Bennington helped set the stage for success at Saratoga. Re-enactors will be present in period costume to help tell the tale along with renowned historian and author Michael Gabriel.
• Sample the Waters at Kinderhook Creek Preserve with Fran Martio on Saturday, June 7, from 10 am to 12 pm. This is the first of two stream walks the Rensselaer Land Trust will host to sample the waters of native brook trout spawning streams. Participants will conduct simple visual assessments of habitat to gain a greater appreciation of local stream ecology. We’ll poke around looking for aquatic insects that come in many sizes and shapes as well as a wide range of pollution tolerance levels. This is a hands-on, feet-wet outing so come prepared to wade in the stream, learn about stream ecosystems and have some fun. The field study will be beneficial to citizen volunteers who desire to establish a stream monitoring program. To register contact Francille Egbert at 518-674-3214 or fran.egbert@gmail.com. Information on the meeting place will be given at the time of registration. There is no charge for this event.
• Top Ten Easy Non-Gilled Edible Mushrooms on Thursday, June 12, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm in the Cowee Conference Room, 4th floor, Russell Sage College, Troy. Mycologist Sue Van Hook will teach you how to identify ten species of delicious wild fungi that commonly occur in our area. Learn or get a refresher on chicken and hen of the woods, morels, puffballs, boletes, chanterelles, trumpets and hedgehogs. If you already know these mushrooms, sign-up for the workshop below. The cost is $10. Register with Marcy Steinberg at 518-674-2171 or marcygs@aol.com.
• Ready to Learn the Gilled Fungi on Thursday, June 12, from 7:45 to 8:45 pm in the Cowee Conference Room 4th floor, Russell Sage College, Troy. For those who feel comfortable enjoying the top ten edibles, it is time to tackle the gilled fungi. This talk will focus on learning stature types, gill attachment, stipe types and spore colors. A copy of How to Know the Mushrooms I by David Largent is a must. Bring your copy or Sue will have copies for sale for $20. The cost is $10. To register contact Marcy Steinberg at 518-674-2171 or marcygs@aol.com.
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center is offering a nature photography workshop for all levels of photographers on June 14 from 10 am to 12 pm. This class will be instructed by two well known professional photographers – Denise Hackert-Stoner and Scott Stoner. They will cover the basic concept of nature photography including light, composition and aspects of simple editing. So bring your questions and your camera – be it cell phone, point and shoot or digital SLR. This program will cost $10 per person or $5 per member. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited. If you have any questions please email us at dykenpond@fairpoint.net or call 658-2055. A complete list of programs can also be found on our website at www.dykenpond.org.
Dyken Pond Bird Walk
On June 7 there will be a Bird Walk sponsored by Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club from 8 am to 12 pm. Come bird watch throughout Dyken Pond Center’s trail systems and wetlands. This event is free and for all bird enthusiasts!
The Dyken Pond Environmental Education Center, 475 Dyken Pond Road, Cropseyville, is a Rensselaer County park open daily during daylight hours for hiking, fishing and non-motor boating. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent each day from 9 am until 3 pm.
On June 21 “Let’s Move: A Day of Healthy Outdoor Family Activities” will be held at Dyken Pond from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. All activities are free, family friendly and for the beginner. Activities will be held in two sessions. Come for one or both. Session 1 is from 10:30 am to 12 noon. Session 2 is from 12:30 to 2 pm. Each session will feature kayak lessons (ages 10 and older), fishing, geo-caching, a nature walk, a fox walk and other nature games.
Bring a picnic lunch. Healthy snacks will be available throughout the day.
The record for catching the largest inland striped bass in New York State was recently broken, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Joe Martens announced. Eric Lester of Campbell Hall caught a 60 pound female striped bass measuring 53.4 inches in length and 33 inches in girth from the Hudson River in Newburgh on May 14. The new record surpassed the former record of 55 pounds 6 ounces set in 2007.
[Read more…] about The One That Didn’t Get Away – A State Record Bass
The Hoosick Falls Panthers are one of 20 teams from across New York State invited to play in the annual Kick-Off Classic at the Syracuse Carrier Dome the weekend of September 5-7. The Panthers will open their season against the Owego Indians, a Class B school, in a game at 1 pm on Sunday, September 7.
[Read more…] about Panther Football To Open 2014 Season At The Dome
by Jen Burhans
The Berlin Track team competed in the WASAREN League Championships on May 14 at Schuylerville. The boys team placed 11th, and the girls team finished in 10th. Laura Ryder was 2nd for the second year in a row in the discus. Meygan Delevan had a 3rd place finish in the 100 meter hurdles. Hannah French took 3rd place in the pole vault. Alex Flowers had an outstanding day, scoring in three events. Flowers was 3rd in the pole vault and 6th in the 400 meter sprint. He was part of the boys 1600 meter relay team that had their fastest time of the year and finished in 6th place, James Mayer, Evan Dawes and Ioann Popov rounded out that relay team.
