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Public Health

Avian Influenza Detected in New York’s Wild Birds; Take Down Feeders

April 21, 2022 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Distribution of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5 and H5N1 in North America, 2021 2022The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has confirmed that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus has been found in multiple wild bird species in several areas of New York State.

No known HPAI human infections are documented in the U.S., and according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these recent cases of HPAI do not present an immediate public health concern for most people. However, people in contact with known infected or possibly infected birds should take precautions to protect against infection and avian researchers are concerned that bird baths and bird feeders can help spread the virus and are asking that they be taken down for a few months.   [Read more…] about Avian Influenza Detected in New York’s Wild Birds; Take Down Feeders

Filed Under: Food, Nature Tagged With: birding, birds, DEC, local farms, nature, Public Health, raptors, Science, waterfowl, Wildlife

A Poison Ivy Vaccine May Be Available Soon

March 5, 2022 by Paul Hetzler 6 Comments

Poison IvyNow that the V-word has joined the list of things we mustn’t say in polite company, I hesitate to bring up the topic. No, I mean the other V-word – vaccine. Even if vaccines give you a headache, there’s a new one on the horizon which you may well like.

I realize this claim smacks of a Green Eggs and Ham-style discourse. Not to worry; I won’t stalk you with promises that you’ll like getting jabbed with a mouse, in a house, in a box, with a fox, here or there, in car, or anywhere. Now that I think on it, Green Eggs and Ham was a creepy kid’s book. [Read more…] about A Poison Ivy Vaccine May Be Available Soon

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: gardening, Native Plants, nature, Public Health, Wildlife

Where There’s Wood Smoke, There’s Pollution

December 25, 2021 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

wood smoke from woodstovesA recent upswing in woodstove use might sound yawn-worthy, but recent findings about the dire health effects of wood smoke might mean the long-term future of wood as a heating fuel is in question.

As someone who grew up with wood heat, I assumed it was hands-down one of the most sustainable, eco-positive fuels for home heating. Like many other widely shared conventions, it turns out the veracity of that assumption depends on a lot of things.

How many people burn wood in a given locale is an obvious factor. The number of homes using wood heat rose sharply in the years following the 1998 ice storm which left residents without power for weeks on end. Also no surprise, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of wood heat. [Read more…] about Where There’s Wood Smoke, There’s Pollution

Filed Under: Nature Tagged With: clean air, energy, Environmental History, Forestry, Logging, pollution, Public Health

One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal

January 26, 2021 by John Conway 5 Comments

canal boats unloading their coal at RondoutThe positive impacts of the Delaware & Hudson Canal on Sullivan County were indisputable. With its opening in 1828, the 108-mile-long waterway made it possible for the first time to easily transport goods in and out of the area, and directly led to the growth of the tanning and bluestone industries. Entire communities, such as Barryville, Wurtsboro and Phillipsport, owe their very existence to the D & H, and while the canal was in operation, each was among the largest communities in the county in terms of commerce and population. [Read more…] about One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Western NY Tagged With: D&H Canal, Delaware & Hudson Canal, Delaware & Hudson Railroad, Medical History, Public Health, Sullivan County, Transportation History

George Waring’s Men In White

January 24, 2021 by Judith Berdy 1 Comment

Col George R Waring in 1883George Waring was born in Pound Ridge, New York, the son of George E. Waring Sr., a wealthy stove manufacturer. Trained in agricultural chemistry, he began to lecture on agricultural science. In 1855, he took charge of Horace Greeley‘s farm at Chappaqua, New York. [Read more…] about George Waring’s Men In White

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Central Park, Civil War, Military History, New York City, Public Health, Roosevelt Island Historical Society, Urban History

Take A Lesson from History, Marshal Kids to Defeat COVID-19

October 21, 2020 by Alan J. Singer Leave a Comment

Chicago, IL National War MuseumAs neighborhoods in New York City and towns in New York State face a COVID-19 resurgence, it’s time to learn a lesson from New York’s past and marshal kids to combat the crisis.

Not only can school children play an important role in convincing adults to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing, activism will give young people a sense of efficacy during trying times where they feel isolated from friends, teachers, and extended family members. Enlisting our kids helped New York and the country address past crises and can again. [Read more…] about Take A Lesson from History, Marshal Kids to Defeat COVID-19

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Military History, New York City, Public Health

Sad Side of TB Treatment History Has Echoes Today

August 17, 2020 by Amy Catania 1 Comment

John Patrick Kenney letter to his wife, August 1, 1930. Courtesy of Sue Kenney.During the era of TB in New York State the fresh air cure wasn’t all a bed of roses.

First-hand accounts left behind in letters, photographs, diaries, and memoirs paint a picture of life in Saranac Lake during the TB years. It’s an incomplete record that can lead us to believe curing was an overwhelmingly positive experience. It takes energy, time, and a degree of mental and physical well being to leave behind a personal record. People who were very ill, illiterate, or struggling with poverty did not have the same opportunity to create, or later preserve, accounts of their experiences. [Read more…] about Sad Side of TB Treatment History Has Echoes Today

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Historic Saranac Lake, Public Health, Saranac Lake, tuberculosis

Fresh Air Schools: Teaching Outdoors For Public Health

August 10, 2020 by Amy Catania Leave a Comment

bassistsAs autumn approaches, schools are thinking about ways to keep students safe by maximizing time outdoors. The concept of outside instruction is not new.

Leading up to the Second World War, open air schools were built in the United States and Europe to protect children from tuberculosis.

In Saranac Lake, in the heart of the Adirondacks, where temperatures in the winter tend to stay well below freezing, some children attended unheated, open air classrooms. [Read more…] about Fresh Air Schools: Teaching Outdoors For Public Health

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Arts, History Tagged With: Education, Historic Saranac Lake, Performing Arts, Public Health, Saranac Lake, tuberculosis

A History of TB Treatment at Saranac Lake

July 31, 2020 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Amy Catania of Historic Saranac Lake explains how that upstate New York community became a center for the treatment of tuberculosis. [Read more…] about A History of TB Treatment at Saranac Lake

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: Historic Saranac Lake, Podcasts, Public Health, Saranac Lake, tuberculosis

Social Isolation: Live Long and Prosper Together

July 19, 2020 by Paul Hetzler Leave a Comment

Two ant workers communicating through touch and pheromones courtesy Wikimedia user NoahElhardtI imagine there was a lot more hand-wringing prior to the Covid-19 lockdown in Switzerland as compared to other countries, because since 2008 it has been a federal crime there to isolate social animals. Makes you wonder if Swiss authorities have brought charges against themselves yet, or whether they’re waiting until after the crisis lets up. [Read more…] about Social Isolation: Live Long and Prosper Together

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, Nature, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Medical History, nature, Public Health, Social History, Wildlife

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