News and Views from the Empire State
The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) and Lake Champlain Basin Program awarded more than $200,000 in grants to organizations in Vermont, New York and Québec for projects that promote and protect the region’s history in 2020 and 2021.
Smuggling, bootlegging, and moonshining are among the stories of the Champlain Valley’s past that will be highlighted. [Read more…] about New Projects to Preserve, Celebrate Champlain Valley Heritage
Boaters returning from the waters of Lake Champlain at Shelburne Bay have reported large quantities of invasive fishhook waterflea fouling their fishing lines.
First identified in Lake Champlain in 2018, masses of fishhook waterfleas began to appear on the 20th of June this year, as observed by trained Lake Champlain boat launch stewards.
No known control methods exist to eliminate fishhook or spiny waterflea once established in a water body. Efforts now focus on preventing the spread of this species to other bodies of water in the region. [Read more…] about Fishhook Waterflea Infesting Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has launched a new exhibit: Women at the Helm, celebrating women leaders of the Champlain Valley from the 18th century to today. [Read more…] about Women at the Helm: The Maritime Museum’s New Digital Exhibit
French pugilist Georges Carpentier was traveling with the Seils-Floto Circus from Albany to Montreal in May 1920 when the train stopped briefly at Plattsburgh.
(In an interesting side note, Carpentier was traveling in the same private rail car that President Woodrow Wilson used a few months previous on his trans-continental campaign to gain support for the League of Nations.) [Read more…] about French Pugilist Georges Carpentier’s Visit To NY
The Plattsburgh Daily Press in late 1894 fact-checked the boasts of M.W. Howard, age 32, of Alabama, and George M. Southwick, age 31, of Albany, who each claimed to be the youngest member of the incoming U.S. House of Representatives.
Actually, it was local Representative-elect Wallace T. Foote Jr., who would still be 30 when he took office, that would have the distinction. Foote represented New York’s 23rd District, which included Essex, Clinton, Franklin, Warren and Washington counties. [Read more…] about Wally Foote: ‘The Most Handsome Man in Congress’
A New York Minute In History is offering the first episode of a special series on folklore.
In this initial journey of the “Legends and Lore of The Empire State” series, co-hosts Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts explore the legend behind a storied lake monster in Northern New York. [Read more…] about Champy: A Legendary Lake Monster As History
The Lake Champlain Committee in partnership with Lake Champlain Sea Grant have announced their expanded line up of “Zoom a Scientist” programs.
The public can tune in virtually through Zoom every Tuesday and Friday from noon to 1 pm to learn more about Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about Zoom A Lake Champlain Scientist Programs
Over the next few weeks, the Lake Champlain Sea Grant team will be hosting “Zoom a Scientist,” an interactive webinar series focused on watershed and aquatic science.
Every Tuesday and Friday from noon until 1 pm scientists will lead viewers through the Lake Champlain watershed and share their research. [Read more…] about Lake Champlain Sea Grant Hosting ‘Zoom A Scientist’
While driving south from Isle La Motte one early December, my son and I noticed a fine skim of ice floating down the Alburg Passage. As it collided with the Route 2 bridge supports, it broke into rectangular fragments.
I wondered if what I was seeing was typical, or a symptom of changing climate? But a single observation tells you only about the current weather, and says nothing about climate trends. [Read more…] about Ice-Out Days and Climate Change
For a second time in US history, a 15th Infantry formed as the War of 1812 began. In the harsh winter of 1813, well-respected Brigadier General Zebulon Pike commanded this regiment on their perilous 180-mile march over-land from Plattsburgh at Lake Champlain to Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario. [Read more…] about War of 1812: The 15th Infantry’s 180-Mile March