Orleans cites state mandates, community college hikes for budget strain

Photos by Tom Rivers: Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer, goes over the budget during a public hearing on Monday. The County Legislature approved the budget unanimously on Wednesday.

ALBION – The seven-member Orleans County Legislature on Wednesday unanimously approved a $71,031,480 budget for 2019. The budget increases spending by 1.86 percent with taxes going up by 2.51 percent.

Although the tax levy, what the county collects in taxes, increases by 2.51 percent or by $419,921, from $17,150,323 to $17,570,244, the tax rate will go up 5 cents or 0.5 percent, from $10.05 to $10.10 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The county could have increased taxes by 2.60 percent and still stayed within the tax cap.

“We have put forward a strong budget for you, a fiscally sound budget that will support infrastructure, stay under the tax cap and keep the county running for another year,” Lynne Johnson, County Legislature chairwoman, said at Monday’s public hearing at the courthouse.

The county continues to feel the strain of funding many state mandated programs, from Medicaid to indigent defense legal services, public assistance for adults and families, preschool special education, youth detention and other programs required by the state but needing local taxpayer dollars.

Those mandated programs account for 93 percent of the tax levy. That percentage has been dropping. It was 116 percent in 2013, and has fallen to 111 percent in 2014, followed by 105, 100, and 98 in 2018.

One of those programs has been on the rise. The county pays about a third of tuition for community college for residents of Orleans. The average community college chargeback rate has increased by nearly $1,000 in the past three years, from $2,932 to $3,846 and will cost the county $1.9 million next year.

Chuck Nesbitt, the county’s chief administrative officer, presented the budget during a hearing on Monday. He said county taxpayers pay less in taxes than in nearly all counties in the state.

The $769 per capita in taxes in 2017 in Orleans ranks 55th lowest of the 57 counties, Nesbitt said, while total government expenditures are 51st in the state out of 57 counties, Nesbitt said, citing data from See Through NY.

The budget hearing on Monday in the main courtroom at the County Courthouse didn’t draw any comments from the public. The hearing was mainly attended by county officials.

Other highlights of the 2019 budget include:

• A 23,000-square-foot addition to the County Administration Building is under construction. A new bond payment for the project begins next year at $437,629 for that project. There are two major obligations being retired in 2020 for the courthouse and 2022 for the radio system that should begin to relieve that pressure going forward, Nesbitt said. Those two payments account for $683,693 in the 2019 budget.

• The budget funds 430 positions and includes some additions. The Sheriff’s Office has added a School Resource Officer at the Kendall and Lyndonville school districts, with each district paying $100,000 for the deputy. Buildings and Grounds is adding an employee to assist with Solid Waste and Recycling as well as additional maintenance, and the District Attorney’s Office has budgeted for an additional part-time assistant DA to cover new duties related to Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility.

• The dome for the Orleans County Courthouse needs $140,000 in repairs. County officials have set aside the funds in the 2019 budget.

• The county will maintain funding to several outside agencies in 2019. The Cooperative Extension receives the most funding of an outside organization at $240,000. That is the same as 2018. Other funded organizations include the Orleans Economic Development Agency at $190,000, up from $180,000 in 2018; Soil and Water, $92,500, same as 2018; Four public libraries, $10,000, same as in 2018; Mercy Flight $5,000, same as 2018; Sportsman’s Federation, $4,000, up from $1,000; and GO Art!, $3,000, same as 2018;

• The budget also includes 2 percent raises for the seven county legislators. Their pay will go from $17,778 to $18,133 for the chairwoman, $13,442 to $13,711 for the vice chairman, and $11,850 to $12,087 for the other legislators.

File photos by Tom Rivers: Inside the tower at Mount Albion Cemetery are nine marble tablets with 463 names of soldiers from Orleans County who died in the Civil War.

ALBION – When the Orleans County community built a Civil War monument in 1876 on a hill in the back of Mount Albion Cemetery, it included nine marble tablet inside the tower. The tablets list the names of 463 soldiers from the county who died in the war.

Some of the tablets are deteriorating and the names are hard to read, depending on how much exposure to the elements the tablets face in the base of the tower.

A Buffalo resident, with ties to the county, wants to have the tablets protected with a transparent covering. Donna Augspurger, whose grandfather is buried at Mount Albion, presented the idea to the Albion Village Board on Wednesday.

She is willing to pursue cost estimates for tempered glass and other options. The community may need to do a fundraising effort to pay for the project.

Mayor Elieen Banker said the village doesn’t have money in the budget, but she welcomed Augspurger’s interest in seeing the tablets preserved. Banker encouraged Augspurger to pursue quotes and plan for preserving the tablets.

Augspurger also suggested an interpretive panel be put by the tower to explain its history.

The tower was dedicated on July 4, 1876 as a memorial to the soldiers from Orleans County who died in the Civil War.

The tower is nestled in the southeast section of Mount Albion Cemetery. For 11 years after the Civil War, Orleans County residents pushed to raise money for a memorial to 463 county residents who perished in the war. Augspurger said there are about 35 to 40 other county residents who died in the war but their names aren’t included in the marble tablets. She said they should be recognized, too.

Quarrymen cut the stone and hauled it to the site. The community built a 68-foot-high tower, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument, that has endured for 142 years. An 84-step spiral staircase allows people to climb the tower, to enjoy a view above the trees.

The tower was built in stages. Several times, the community ran out of money for the immense project. But residents met a deadline to have the tower done in time for the country’s centennial celebration. The monument was dedicated on July 4, 1876, the 100th anniversary of the country.

Due to safety concerns, the tower in Albion was off limits in the early 1970s. A group of high school students attended a Village Board meeting when one trustee suggested the tower be torn down. The high schoolers were outraged and spearheaded a “Save a Tower” campaign that raised $30,000 to strengthen masonry joints and repair the staircase. The tower was rededicated on July 4, 1976, the country’s 200th anniversary.

The community raised $30,000 to repair the steps and masonry joints inside the tower in the 1970s.

Augspurger said it is an impressive memorial, but is showing signs of decay, especially with the tablets listing the names of soldiers killed in the war.

“Doesn’t that just seem sad,” she said about the deteriorating tablets. “We can do better by these boys.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Village of Albion will switch to energy-efficient lights for 433 cobra-head-style street lights, including this one on East Park Street.

ALBION – The Village of Albion will work with National Grid to have 433 street lights replaced with energy-efficient LEDs.

The Village Board approved the agreement with National Grid on Wednesday evening. The change will lower the village’s electricity costs for the street lights by $6,000 annually, said Jay Pahura, the superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

The village also will receive a check for $22,160 as a state incentive for using lights that require less energy. National Grid will coordinate having the high-pressure sodium lights replaced with LEDs, Pahura said.

The Village of Holley and Town of Albion have recently switched out their street lights to LEDs, he said.

“They will be brighter and cost a lot less to run,” Pahura told the Village Board.

In other action at the Village Board meeting:

• Approved a grant disbursement agreement with State Sen. Robert Ortt for a $300,000 grant to go towards buying a new vacuum truck to be used when the DPW does water and sewer repairs.

The board believes this is the last step in getting the grant through Ortt’s office. The money comes through the State and Municipal Facilities Capital Funding Program or SAM.

Once the village has the new vacuum truck, it will sell its current one. The sale of the current one may be enough to cover the difference for a new vacuum truck, which is about $375,000.

• Approved spending $2,346 for a GaGa Ball Pit at Bullard Park. The game with an octagonal pit is similar to dodgeball.

Fundraising event on Saturday will support Glen Busch II and his family

Press Release, American Red Cross

File photo by Tom Rivers: Glen Busch II and Valerie Childs, who is now his wife, are shown in January 2016 when both were honored for their service to the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company. Busch received the President’s Award and Childs was presented with the Chief’s Award.

RIDGEWAY – Our First Responders run into situations that most of us run from. Now we need our local community to run into a blood drive and fundraiser to help pay it forward and give back to one of our own local first responders.

On September 14, Glen Busch II, a volunteer firefighter and EMT for Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company suffered a splenic artery aneurysm and was rushed to Strong Memorial Hospital.  With a 1 in 4 survival rate, his chances were slim. Several emergency surgeries and 178 units of blood later (the most blood his nurses have ever seen used on one same person), he was upgraded from critical to hopeful.

In the days following, Glen also suffered a stroke, a pulmonary embolism (requiring him to be on ECMO for a few days) and a collapsed lung. More surgeries and CT scans later, he began to improve. Then a slight setback of cardiac tamponade (fluid in the sack around his heart).  He began improving again.

He was moved out of ICU and into rehab and last week was able to come home. Glen’s wife, Valerie, was out of work for 53 days to care for him.

Please come out to the Ridgeway Fire Department on Friday between noon and 7 p.m. and help give back in honor of one of our own local brave volunteer first responders. Without these lifesaving donations, First Responders, cancer patients and many other people who are in need for blood will not be able to enjoy the upcoming holiday season with family and loved ones.

Glen Busch II, his family, friends, loved ones and fellow first responders are calling for all donors, including new or first-time donors to step up and to help give back and pay it forward for the 178 units of blood that was needed to help save Glen’s life.

Please sign up online at redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment. Walk-ins are always welcome but pre-signs are strongly encouraged.

There will also be a basket raffle and fundraiser for Glen Busch II on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Both events will be at the Ridgeway Fire Department, 11392 Ridge Rd., Medina.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Four people sustained minor injuries when this van flipped over twice and came to a rest in a ditch and on a guard rail on Route 31, east of the Route 98 intersection.

The accident occurred at 5 p.m. Medina Fire Department and COVA Ambulance each transported two people to the hospital.

Harry Papponetti, the Albion fire chief, said the injuries didn’t appear serious.

Albion firefighters and a state trooper were on the scene.

DK Autobody also was called to tow the vehicle.

No additional information is available.

Village and Water District No. 4 in Yates will increase testing

LYNDONVILLE – The Village of Lyndonville recently took 10 water samples and two showed elevated lead levels.

The samples were taken from the sink at a laundry room and outside a house at a hose bib. Those two elevated samples have triggered a public notification response and more testing.

Terry Woodworth, the Lyndonville water and DPW superintendent, said the village and town water lines, as well as the source of water, are safe.

The two tests with elevated levels are a result of lead in the faucets, he said.

“The town and village do not use lead in the service lines,” Woodworth said. “They are either copper or plastic.”

The village took 10 samples in September. It takes samples every three years, testing for lead and copper. The federal Environmental Protection Agency EPA action level for lead is 15 parts per billion (ppb) at the 90th percentile of samples.

“The Lyndonville/Yates 90th percentile was 15.6 ppb,” Woodworth said in a news release. “Most of the samples collected were well below the action level for lead demonstrating that the two positive samples were most likely the result of improper collection points within the certified/approved sample sites. One sample was collected from an outside hose bib and the other was collected from a laundry room sink.”

Lyndonville and Yates are submitting a sampling plan to the Department of Health, which includes a reevaluation of the sample pool to capture all high-risk customers. Sampling frequency will be increased to 20 samples every six months until 12 months without a sample above the action level.

Woodworth has been sampling water since 1993, and there has never been a sample above 15 ppb at the 90th percentile.

“Lyndonville/Yates is confident that the next two rounds of testing will prove the September 2018 action level exceedance was due to the collection of samples from improper taps,” he said in the news release.

Lyndonville also is performing a corrosion control study to identify possible treatment to better protect high-risk customers, Woodworth said. The results will be shared with the Department of Health and an optimal corrosion control treatment will be recommended and implemented if deemed necessary.

Lyndonville and Yates have suggested these steps to reduce exposure to lead in water:

• Run your water to flush out lead. Run water for 15 to 30 seconds or until it becomes cold or reaches a steady temperature before using it for drinking or cooking, if it hasn’t been used for several hours. This flushes lead-containing water from the pipes.

• Use cold water for cooking and preparing baby formula. Do not cook with or drink water from the hot water tap; lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Do not use water from the hot water tap to make baby formula.

• Do not boil water to remove lead. Boiling water will not reduce lead.

• Replace your plumbing fixtures if they are found to contain lead. Plumbing materials including brass faucets, fittings, and valves, including those advertised as “lead-free,” may contribute lead to drinking water.

The law previously allowed end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, with up to 8 percent lead to be labeled as “lead free.” As of January 4, 2014, end-use brass fixtures, such as faucets, fittings and valves, must meet the new “lead-free” definition of having no more than 0.25 percent lead on a weighted average. Visit the National Sanitation Foundation website by clicking here.

Call the Village of Lyndonville at 585-765-9312 or 585-765-9385, or the Town of Yates at 585-765-9735 or 585-765-9716. Or visit the Lyndonville website by clicking here or the Town of Yates by clicking here.

For more information on lead in drinking water, contact the Orleans County Department of Health at 585-589-3278 or the New York State Department of Health directly by calling the toll-free number (within New York State) 1 800-458-1158, extension 27650, or out of state at (518) 402-7650, or by email at bpwsp@health.state.ny.us.

New radio towers will be added in Lyndonville, Kendall

ALBION – The state has approved a grant for nearly $6 million for Orleans County that will add two new radio towers and make other upgrades to the county’s emergency communications system.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the $5,897,141 grant this morning. The grant will pay for new 180-foot-tall towers in Lyndonville and Kendall, as well as technology to connect separate radio systems and new radio channels to strengthen communications between multiple jurisdictions and agencies.

The county will also add radio equipment to the Holley water tower to improve coverage in the Holley area.

The project will fund software and other upgrades for the system, which serves firefighters, law enforcement, highway employees, probation and some other municipal workers in the county.

The system currently has poor coverage in the Holley area, along Lake Ontario and some other isolated locations in the county, especially in buildings with thick walls.

The county in August submitted a grant application through the 2018 Statewide Interoperable Communications Targeted Grant through the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office. The state is allowing a maximum of $6 million per county for the grants.

Tim Warth, a consultant for the county with Radio Technologies, said in August that Orleans is one of 10 counties in the state identified as “in need.”

The proposed project would also improve interoperability with neighboring counties, allowing personnel to cross county boundaries and still have a radio signal.

The two new 180-foot-high towers in Lyndonville and Kendall would enhance coverage by the lake, and allow a lower strength signal so Orleans isn’t interfering with Canada’s system, Warth said.

The county currently has towers in Shelby on Maple Ridge Road by the Medina water tank, on Countyhouse Road in Albion by the Emergency Management Office and on Route 31A by the Clarendon Highway garage.

The county would like to have the tower in Lyndonville on West Avenue and in Kendall at the firemen’s field near the Town Hall.

“It’s a huge effort, a great effort by our consultant and the county communications committee,” said Dale Banker, the county’s emergency management coordinator. “It will enhance our emergency communications, especially at the Kendall and Lyndonville schools. It’s almost doubling our capacity.”

The new Lyndonville tower would allow for a connection with Niagara County, which received a $6 million grant and is looking to add a tower in Barker. The Kendall tower or the Holley site could allow a connection with Monroe County’s system, Banker said.

“A big part of these grants is interoperability,” he said. “The state wants neighboring counties to communicate with each other.”

The towers have a generator and small shelter. Banker said the county may pursue another grant when this project is complete to add a tower in Carlton by the town highway building on Route 98 and an additional tower in Albion by the Public Safety Building.

The state today announced $32 million for seven counties to improve emergency communications.

“In emergency situations, it’s critical that first responders have the resources they need to quickly and efficiently respond to calls for help,” Governor Cuomo said in a statement. “This funding will allow counties to continue to upgrade and improve their emergency communications systems and in the process create a stronger, safer New York for all.”

Photos courtesy of Tammi Bale

ROCHESTER – Tammi Bale, left, of Clarendon is pictured on Monday when she delivered 1,583 pairs of new socks to the Open Door Mission in Rochester.

Bale collected the socks for the third year as part of a “Just Socks, Ma” campaign in honor of her son, Robert Bale. He had a good job as a HVAC technician, often working 50 hours a week. He also had a secret addiction. He used heroin. His family didn’t know it, nor did his roommate or close friends. On March 10, 2016, he had a fatal overdose at age 28.

Robert was a hard-working young man who didn’t want to burden other people, even at Christmas, his mother said. When Tammi Bale asked her son what he wanted for a present, he responded: “Just socks, Ma.”

Bale delivered the socks, which were wrapped up as Christmas presents by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The 1,583 pairs of socks is a big increase from the 300 last year.

Bale is pictured at the Open Door Mission on Monday.

75 trees will be lighted up on Saturday at Veterans Park

Photo courtesy of Teri Woodworth: There are 75 trees at Veterans Park that will be decorated and then lighted for the first time on Saturday at 5 p.m.

LYNDONVILLE – The village’s Christmas celebration returns on Saturday and the number of decorated Christmas trees continues to grow.

Lyndonville started the celebration in 2013 with 26 trees. It has grown to 75 this year.

The trees are decorated by residents, organizations and businesses. The trees will all be lighted up at 5 p.m. on Saturday when Santa arrives and flips the switch to turn on the electricity.

Community organizations and residents pay $30 to decorate a tree. The 75 trees are up from the 68 last year, and the 61 in 2016.

The celebration on Saturday starts at 8 a.m. with a community breakfast at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church. There are many activities throughout the day, including horse-drawn carriage rides, a basket raffle, craft sale, beef on weck, wine tasting, caroling, and other events, including Santa’s arrival at 5 p.m. Santa will then be available to meet children in the Village Hall from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m.

A petting zoo is new this year, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Yates Community Library.

The day is capped at 7 p.m. with a Christmas Choir LaLaPalooza at the Lyndonville Presbyterian Church.

Click here to see the full schedule of events.

The event is sponsored by the Village of Lyndonville, Lyndonville Fire Department/Auxiliary, Lyndonville Lions Club and Lyndonville United Methodist Women.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Torry Dames looks at some of the Christmas trees that were lighted on Dec. 3, 2016 in Lyndonville. There will be 75 trees in the display on Saturday. The trees will be there until early January.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The steps leading to the Orleans County Courthouse from Platt Street are covered in heavy snow this morning at about 7:30.

The snow has been coming down hard this morning. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory today until 6 p.m. for Orleans, Niagara, Genesee and northern Erie counties.

The National Weather Service in Buffalo says 1 to 3 inches of snow are expected with winds gusting as high as 35 miles per hour.

“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the Weather Service said. “Areas of blowing snow will reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute.”

South of Genesee and northern Erie counties, there will be more snow, 4 to 8 inches for Wyoming, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and southern Erie counties.

An Albion school bus heads south on Platt Street this morning.

Photos courtesy of Eli Pask

EAST SHELBY – Eli Pask spent 15 months doing improvement projects at the East Shelby Cemetery on Trench Road.

Pask, 15, is a member of the Boy Scout Troop 175 in West Barre. He completed his Eagle service project last month. He needs to go before the Board of Review before he gets the Eagle.

Eli, a sophomore at Albion, has been in Scouts since early in elementary school. He works in the summer at Camp Sam Wood in Pike and Camp Dittmer in Phelps, teaching outdoor skills.

He attends the East Shelby Community Bible Church, where many members help with the cemetery near the church. Eli’s grandfather, Erik Olsen, is the church pastor. He suggested the cemetery could use some improvements.

Eli Pask, Jeff Andrews and other Scouts help reset gravestones that had toppled over. They needed to dig by the stones to level out the ground so they could be reset.

These gravestones from the 1830s didn’t have a concrete base. One of them was laying face up in the grass. Eli made the concrete bases and set in the gravestones.

“They deserved to be put back,” he said.

Kevin Feder, a middle school teacher, helped Eli with the roof and trim on a utility shed late in the summer 2017. Eli tore off the old shingles and put on new ones. He also added new trim boards. Eli has worked with Feder on the stage crew at the school musicals, helping with set construction.

“I told him what I was doing at the cemetery and he offered to help,” Eli said.

Eli put down a brick patio area and made two benches back to back out of concrete. It was a big project. He made the forms and poured in the concrete and then added the wooden slats. There are two large stone boulders nearby that Eli and his father Kevin Pask moved to the cemetery from a nearby field.

Eli sits on a bench at the cemetery. They were the last of his tasks over 15 months at the cemetery.

Eli said he will remain active in his troop in the coming years, helping younger scouts earn their merit badges.

“I enjoy it,” he said about scouting. “There is lots of support from everyone around me. It still has great values and I’ve enjoyed my journey thus far.”

Photos by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – A one-day toy drive on Saturday during Medina’s Olde Tyme Christmas celebration filled 12 bags with toys and also netted $1,001 to buy toys and food for families.

The toys were collected Saturday at Canalside Tattoo in on Main Street in Medina. The toys will go to the Medina Area Association of Churches for its Christmas Box Program and also to Community Action of Orleans & Genesee. People were welcome to drop off toys. For every toy donated or for every $5, people would get a chance to win one of 20 packages donated by local businesses.

Pictured, from left, include: Sherry Tuohey, coordinator of Christmas Box Program for MAAC; Annette Finch, Community Services director for Community Action; Michelle Figueroa, case manager for Community Action; Ronnie Barite, president of board of directors for Community Action; Andrew Szatkowski, toy drive chairman; and Shawn Ramsey, owner of Canalside Tattoo.

Andrew Szatkowski, the toy drive organizer, said this year’s drive passed the inaugural drive last year. He estimated there were about 10 percent more toys and an additional $200 donated.

The MAAC distributes toys to about 150 children and their families in the Medina area. The toys from the one-day drive will supplement the toys given in the 30 red barrels that are set up at Medina locations.

Community Action is collecting toys and food for 350 children in their families in Albion, Holley, Kendall and Lyndonville.

“It’s a tremendous help,” Annette Finch, Community Services director for Community Action, said at the toy drive in Medina.

Community Action welcomes more help with its Christmas effort for the 350 children and their families. For more information, call Finch or Michelle Figueroa at (585) 589-5605.

File photo by Tom Rivers: This photo from October 2014 shows Dan Monacelli portraying “Forgetful Frank,” a character in a mystery where students tried to determine who robbed the Pig E. Bank. It was an exercise to help Albion Middle School students with Common Core tests, making them observe, have deductive reasoning and make a compelling case in their writing.

HOLLEY – A retired Albion Middle School principal will fill in at Holley Junior-Senior High School until February, Holley school officials announced today.

Dan Monacelli retired from Albion in June 2017. He will serve in an interim basis at Holley while Susan Cory, the principal, is on a leave of absence to address some medical needs and family responsibilities. Said Brian Bartalo, superintendent of schools for Holley.

“As of now, Mrs. Cory is planning to return to work following the February recess,” Bartalo said in a message posted on the district’s website. “In order to support her and the school during this time, we have hired an interim principal.”

Monacelli grew up in Albion. He started his teaching career in Elba, and returned to Albion as a Correction Room specialist. Then he taught health before getting into administration at Pembroke and the Niagara Academy. He was hired as high school principal at Albion in 2007 and then moved over to lead the middle school.

“Please join me in welcoming Mr. Daniel Monacelli to Holley MS/HS,” Bartalo said. “Mr. Monacelli has vast administrative experience, including being a middle and a high school principal, an assistant principal and an athletic director.”

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced $16.8 million in cost-sharing grants for 54 agricultural water quality conservation projects across the state, including three in Orleans County.

The funding will benefit 131 farms state-wide. The projects will help farmers prevent pollution of New York’s waterways, Cuomo said.

“Agriculture is one of New York’s greatest economic drivers, and we will continue to assist farmers across the state as they work to deliver quality products while also conserving our treasured natural resources,” Cuomo said in a news release. “As the fight against climate change continues, New York is committed to leading the nation in agricultural best-practices that support hardworking farmers and protect the environment.”

More than two dozen County Soil and Water Conservation Districts applied on behalf of farmers for the grants awarded through the state’s Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program. The program serves to award projects that assist with environmental planning or implementing best management practice systems, such as nutrient management through manure storage, vegetative buffers along streams, conservation cover crops and other soil conservation measures.

The Orleans County Soil and Water Conservation District was approved for three grants totaling $579,637. Those grants include:

• $114,386 to work with three farms in the Johnson Creek and Sandy Creek Watersheds, sub- watersheds of Lake Ontario. The project will

• Implement best management practices that will reduce pesticide runoff
• Promote safe agrichemical handling practices

• $92,547 for Soil and Water to work with one farm in the Oak Orchard Creek Watershed. The project will:

• Address water quality in the Greater Lake Ontario watershed
• Implement practices that will eliminate runoff of nutrients and sediments
• Facilitate improved nutrient management

• $372,704 for Soil & Water to work with one farm in the Oak Orchard Creek Watershed. The project will:

• Address water quality concerns in a high priority watershed
• Facilitate improved nutrient management and eliminate manure application during adverse weather conditions

Press Release, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Photo courtesy of DEC: Mandy Baily and her lab Boone are out hunting.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the beginning of a statewide photo contest, “WomenHuntFishNY,” to celebrate women hunters in New York State.

“Women are the fastest growing segment of adult hunters and DEC is excited to provide a forum to share their experiences with others interested in hunting and outdoor recreation in New York State,” said Commissioner Seggos. “Hunting is a proud tradition in New York and we hope this new contest will inspire the next generation of hunters and conservationists to take up the sport and grow the hunting economy in the state.”

Women who hunt in New York State are encouraged to share their photos via the DEC social media Dropbox at socialmedia@dec.ny.gov. DEC welcomes photos of all aspects of safe and ethical hunting, including: preparing to go afield, the act of hunting, after the hunt, and with family members.

The deadline for contest entries is Dec. 31. However, the DEC encourages hunters to share and send photos to the agency any time of year.

Winning entries will be featured in next year’s New York State Hunting and Trapping Regulations Guide, and may appear in a future issue of the Conservationist magazine, social media posts, the DEC website, and other outreach.

According to the most recent National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, women make up more than 25 percent of all anglers, a number that has increased over the last several decades. While the proportion of hunters who are women is smaller relative to fishing, the percentage of female hunters has also steadily risen in recent years.

According to DEC records, nearly 50,000 women are licensed to hunt in New York State.