The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have confirmed that a white-tailed deer in the town of Dover Plains, Dutchess County, died recently after contracting Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). This detection marks the first EHD confirmation in New York for 2022. DEC is currently investigating reports of several other dead deer from Dutchess County. [Read more…] about Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Confirmed in Dutchess County Deer
Hudson Valley - Catskills
The Silk Train That Killed Financier Spencer Trask
On the morning of December 31, 1909, Saratoga Springs philanthropist and financier Spencer Trask was just waking up after a night in a railroad sleeping car at the rear of the Montreal Express. The night before this southbound train had picked up Trask in Saratoga as it made its way toward New York City.
At 8:03 am, only moments after the express train had stopped unexpectedly on the mainline near Croton, Westchester County, New York, a train transporting bales of raw silk crashed into its rear, killing Trask, the porter in his sleeping car, and injuring several other of the passengers. While the direct cause of this deadly wreck pointed to a failure of signal equipment and railroad personnel, events leading up to the tragedy had been put into motion six thousand miles to the west seventeen days earlier. [Read more…] about The Silk Train That Killed Financier Spencer Trask
Dear Museums: Host A Polling Site
This open letter to the museum community was written by New York State Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell, Chair of the NYS Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development and shared by the Museum Association of New York (MANY).
Across New York, museums serve as anchors as well as reflections of your communities. Your missions to connect individuals to culture, history, and information is deeply needed and commendable. [Read more…] about Dear Museums: Host A Polling Site
A New Hudson Valley Pottery Discovered
George Lukacs of Poughkeepsie, a historian of early ceramics of the Hudson River Valley, is currently researching the history and archaeology of a previously undocumented 18th century pottery.
Hudson Area Library Acquires Urban Renewal Papers
The Hudson Area Library has announced that the Koweek family has donated the Arthur Koweek Urban Renewal Papers to the library’s History Room. Arthur Koweek chaired the Hudson City Planning Commission during the urban renewal project of 1971-1973.
With Hudson again in a debate about housing and business development, much can be learned from the Koweek Papers about the history of urban renewal in the city. The collection is an invaluable resource for Hudson and its residents as they seek to create a city that meets the needs of all the diverse people who live and work in its environs. [Read more…] about Hudson Area Library Acquires Urban Renewal Papers
The Doomed 1979 Hurleyville Music Festival
The weekend of August 24th to 26th in 1979 was supposed to be a significant one in Sullivan County, NY history. Plans had been made for some of the top musical acts in the business to appear at the site of the defunct and burned out Columbia Hotel in Hurleyville for a three-day festival that was envisioned as the precursor to an upscale performance venue that would have reversed the area’s sagging economic fortunes. [Read more…] about The Doomed 1979 Hurleyville Music Festival
Last Three Segments of NYS Birding Trail Complete
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the grand opening of the final three regions of the New York State Birding Trail, highlighting the state’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities.
The Adirondacks-North Country, Catskills, and Southern Tier segments bring the total number of birding trail locations across the state to more than 300, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy. [Read more…] about Last Three Segments of NYS Birding Trail Complete
New History Twins Podcast: This Man’s A Spy!
This week is the debut of The History Twins podcast, storytelling duo Carla Lynne Hall and Jim Keyes discuss the creative process behind the stories and music of their historical programs.
This episode explores “This Man’s A Spy!,” Carla and Keyes’ musical retelling of the treasonous plot between American General Benedict Arnold and British Major John Andre during the American Revolutionary War. The two met in Haverstraw, New York to hand over the plans to West Point, and their lives were forever changed. The Arnold and André affair is important, because had their plan succeeded, the British could have won the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about New History Twins Podcast: This Man’s A Spy!
Forest Rangers Respond to Multiple Rescues, Recover Bodies
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Forest Rangers Respond to Multiple Rescues, Recover Bodies
Refuge: America’s Wildest Places
The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies will host a virtual evening with Ian Shive, an Ansel Adams award-winning photographer, author, and filmmaker dedicated to documenting nature, sharing conservation stories, and highlighting connections that unite even the most remote and unexplored lands, on Friday, September 9th. [Read more…] about Refuge: America’s Wildest Places