News and Views from the Empire State
As someone whose job it is to help preserve trees, I find it ironic that in nearly every case I am saving them from us.
We injure their root systems, whack them with mowers and weed-eaters, plant them too deeply, and do many other things which jeopardize their health.
It would be terrifying if they could fight back in the manner of Tolkein’s magical Fangorn Forest. For one thing, tree work would be a lot more dangerous than it already is. [Read more…] about Protecting Your Trees
DEC is encouraging New York pool owners to participate in their annual Asian Longhorned Beetle Swimming Pool Survey. This is the time of year when Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) emerge as adults and are most active outside of their host tree. [Read more…] about Pool Owners Sought for Citizen Science Survey
The new children’s book Jacob Riis’s Camera: Bringing Light to Tenement Children (Calkins Creek, 2020) by Alexis O’Neill and illustrated by Gary Kelley, is a revealing biography of a pioneering photojournalist and social reformer Jacob Riis, showcasing how he brought to light one of the worst social justice issues plaguing New York City in the late 1800s – the tenement housing crisis – using newly invented flash photography. [Read more…] about Children’s Book Features Reformer, Photographer Jacob Riis
The Southampton History Museum’s Rogers Mansion, in Southampton, Long Island, NY, is now open for tours. Their current exhibit High Style in the Gilded Age. [Read more…] about Southampton History Museum Reopens By Appointment
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If you enjoy reading the stories about the history, nature, arts and culture of New York State which we publish every day, please make a contribution now online at our Rally.org page: https://rally.org/f/4LBVKo9zYjO [Read more…] about New York Almanack Needs Your Support Today
Brad Kolodny started with some curiosity and an Instagram account but wound up with a coffee table book full of his images documenting synagogues from every corner of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
He tracked the evolution of the architecture, from simple buildings to post-modern masterpieces, as well as the growth of the Jewish community on Long Island itself. The post-Second World War boom led to a boom in synagogues as well.
On this episode of the Long Island History Project podcast, we discuss the history of Long Island synagogues, the role they play in their communities, and what drives a man to document their storied histories. [Read more…] about Synagogues of Long Island (Podcast)
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that the Licensed Guides exam for anyone currently registered is now scheduled for Saturday, August 1st. [Read more…] about Exam Set Dates for NYS Licensed Guides
Hamilton County Soil & Water Conservation District and Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program have announced two upcoming webinars focused on Aquatic Invasive Species. [Read more…] about Invasive Knotweed, Milfoil Webinars Set
The “Man with the Muck Rake” appears in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress as a person who only looks down gathering filth. His vision is fixed on carnal, not on spiritual matters. By seeking out what is disagreeable, he is blind to divine grace.
In a speech on April 15th, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt referred to this passage when he acknowledged that men with ‘muck rakes’ may be indispensable to social well-being, but that applies only if they know “when to stop raking the muck.” There is a rich Anglo-American tradition of muckraking that has been instrumental in exposing injustice and corruption. Today, investigative journalism is under threat. [Read more…] about Slum Tours and Muckrakers in London and New York
Preservation Long Island has announced a series of public roundtable events to be streamed as part of The Jupiter Hammon Project. This multi-year initiative aims to expand interpretive and educational programming at the Joseph Lloyd Manor, an 18th century manor house in Lloyd Harbor, and a site of Black enslavement that is owned and operated by Preservation Long Island. [Read more…] about The Legacy of Enslavement on Long Island