The Pomeroy Fund for NYS History, a partnership between the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the Museum Association of New York (MANY), have announced a new grant round providing $50,000 to assist 501(c)(3) history-related organizations with capital needs expenses in 2021. [Read more…] about A New Grant Round to Support NYS History Organizations
Hudson Valley - Catskills
With Stripers In Decline, It’s Time For Anglers To Act
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis), an ecologically, recreationally, and economically important species of migratory fish found in from the St. Lawrence to North Carolina, are in decline according to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Last fall the Commission completed a coastwide assessment that overfishing was a contributing factor in the decline.
[Read more…] about With Stripers In Decline, It’s Time For Anglers To Act
Two Early NYC Reservoirs: A Virtual Program
The Roosevelt Island Historical Society will host “A Tale of Two Waterworks,” a virtual presentation with Jeffrey Kroessler exploring the history of the water systems of New York City and the once independent City of Brooklyn. [Read more…] about Two Early NYC Reservoirs: A Virtual Program
Poetry: Amanda! Ngawethu!
Amanda! Ngawethu!
Like a shell of goodness surrounding our raw, fragile earth
It is built upon, added to, and altered in meaning
Every second a brave someone speaks up against the barbarity of prejudice
based on outside appearance
I ask you this
If you were looking at earth from a far distance
Would you see a shallow, insignificant nothing
No different from the trillions of tons of debris drifting in leaden blackness
Or would you find beauty within the protective shell that every life form known in
existence calls home
A shelter of color, culture, diversity, perspective, community, love.
Not a wall to hide under and to block out adventure and experience
But a filter, a reminder that the unknown is something to be welcomed,
celebrated and explored
Not to demolish and flatten
And what is the unknown
It is something different and unfamiliar
But if the world, if our world, is about perspective
Then the word ‘our’ should mean one whole
A rich unity of difference
But that unity will be ripped apart without acceptance, understanding and
equality.
Let this be a statement of power
Not over each other
Not the right to take over or criticize
But the power to fan the flame of contagion that is love
We are one, but we are different
And that difference is what should unite us
12 year-old Sophia DeMasi of Clifton Park wrote this poem after being inspired by Maya Angelou’s poem “His Day Is Done” about the passing of Nelson Mandela.
Historians Podcast Highlights of 2021
This week on The Historians Podcast: excerpts from 2021 podcasts including David Pietrusza – growing up in Amsterdam NY, public radio pioneer Will Lewis, Justice Robert Best – the historic Fulton County Courthouse, Darren Tracy – historic preservation, Jim Kaplan – New York City’s Wasserstein family, Jerry Snyder – Historic Amsterdam League and Oneida County historian Joseph Bottini – Oriskany’s Trinkaus Manor restaurant. [Read more…] about Historians Podcast Highlights of 2021
Online Environmental Series Features Catskills Artists, Scholars
Hanford Mills Museum will present a free online series that brings together local artists and scholars to discuss environmental justice, the use of natural resources, and sustainability. [Read more…] about Online Environmental Series Features Catskills Artists, Scholars
Nocturnal Nature: Skunks On A Night Hike
With plenty of snow on the ground and a full moon on Saturday, this weekend promises to be one of those occasions when enough natural light will exist to venture outside and explore the nocturnal side of nature.
Taking a night time stroll can be quite exciting, especially during the latter part of February, as this is the time of year when the yelps and howls of the coyote, that signals the onset of its mating season, can often be heard. Likewise, both the red and gray fox will soon be entering their breeding periods, and their vocalizations may also break the stillness of the night.
State Parks Grow in the Hudson Valley
Three State Parks in the Hudson Valley added more than 260 acres of open space under $1.14 million in State funding from the Environmental Protection Fund and Hudson Highlands Conservation Act. [Read more…] about State Parks Grow in the Hudson Valley
Tannery Hides and the Beaverkill Bridge
Tanning, or the process of converting animal skins to finished leather, is one of the oldest known crafts. The tanning process required large quantities of both water and hemlock bark, and much of New York State had both.
Sullivan County in the Catskills had thirty-nine tanneries by 1860. [Read more…] about Tannery Hides and the Beaverkill Bridge
Bobcat Dispersal: When The Kittens Leave Home
There comes a time in every mammal mother’s life when her young leave. For some, this comes in a matter of weeks, for others it might be years. As I follow bobcat tracks through snow on a mid-winter day, dispersal is on my mind. My 18-year-old son is preparing to fledge, and I ponder this transition as I track the cat through a tangle of wetland shrubs. Is this lone cat one of the kittens I watched play not far from here last summer? Is it, like my son, on its way to new horizons, to set down its mark, and fill its belly with the meat of the world? [Read more…] about Bobcat Dispersal: When The Kittens Leave Home