The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering $600k in Mohawk River Basin Grants to help municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, school districts, colleges and universities, and not-for-profit organizations to implement the goals and objectives of the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda 2021-2026, a five-year plan advancing efforts to conserve, preserve, and restore the Mohawk River and its watershed. [Read more…] about Mohawk River Basin Grants Available
Mohawk Valley
Hair Ice and Frost Flowers
If you are out walking on a winter morning, you might be lucky enough to see some of nature’s most beautiful and ephemeral sights: hair ice and frost flowers, both snow-white and delicate against the dull forest floor. [Read more…] about Hair Ice and Frost Flowers
Civil War in the Mohawk Valley: The Battle of Oriskany
We think of the Revolutionary War as a conflict between rebellious American colonists and the British Empire. But in the Mohawk Valley it was largely a civil war between neighbors, between siblings, and between fathers and sons, depending on who sided with the Revolutionaries and who with the Royalist cause. [Read more…] about Civil War in the Mohawk Valley: The Battle of Oriskany
The Historic Amsterdam League
This week on The Historians Podcast, Jerry Snyder delves into the 12 year history of Historic Amsterdam League, founded by Snyder and city historian Rob von Hasseln. [Read more…] about The Historic Amsterdam League
Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks
In winter, when temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit, especially if they fall precipitously, things go bump in the night. Frozen lakes and ponds emit ominous groans, snaps and booms that reverberate through the ice. Wood siding and old knee joints might creak. And if soil moisture is high and snow cover sparse, the soil can freeze deeply, causing the earth to shift in a harmless, localized cryoseism, or “frost quake” that produces a nerve-rattling bang. [Read more…] about Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks
Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Events Grants
The New York State Canal Corporation, through the Reimagine the Canals initiative, and the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor are offering competitive grant funding to support tourism and recreation along the New York State Canal System including canal waterways and Canalway Trail. [Read more…] about Canal System Tourism Infrastructure and Events Grants
Historic Snowstorms of Central New York
Central New York is renowned as one of the snowiest regions in the world. In the past, major snowstorms have crippled cities, towns, and farming country for weeks at a time.
From the Lake Ontario port in Oswego to the busy streets of Syracuse and Utica, every community in the region has found themselves buried from brutal snowstorms. [Read more…] about Historic Snowstorms of Central New York
Registration Opens for Cycle the Erie Canal 2023
Registration is now open for Parks & Trails New York’s 25th annual Cycle the Erie Canal tour, an opportunity to bike across New York State and take in the history of the canal that transformed America. The eight-day, 400-mile recreational bicycle tour from Buffalo to Albany is scheduled for July 9th through 16th, 2023. There is also an option to ride only the first four days from Buffalo to Syracuse. [Read more…] about Registration Opens for Cycle the Erie Canal 2023
Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)
Since it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)
Frank Kobliski Taking Expanded Role at Adirondack Railway Preservation Society
Frank Kobliski has been named General Manager of the Adirondack Railway Preservation Society, Inc., of Utica, and its operating entities, effective January 1st, 2023. This role is in addition to being President of the Board of Directors. [Read more…] about Frank Kobliski Taking Expanded Role at Adirondack Railway Preservation Society