News from the Noteworthy Algae Bloom Affects Lake Activities The summer of 2022 will be remembered as the year our beloved Lake Otsego first suffered a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB). The conditions which allow a HAB to occur are known. This column reviews Village of Cooperstown public beaches, boat launch sites and most importantly, Village drinking water. The SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station (BFS) has monitored lake conditions for decades. This summer, when Glimmerglass State Park first noted an algae…
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Tree Inspection Complete in Cooperstown The Village of Cooperstown does a yearly assessment of all of the trees in the Village. “The assessment went well this year. We were fortunate to have five members of the Tree Committee able to attend. We did it with 5 sets of eyes which is fantastic,” Cindy Falk, Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Streets Committee. “We have a number of village trees where it’s clear that parts of them have either already dropped…
Editorial Looking an Aqua Pandemic in the Eye Recently, we at The Freeman’s Journal have become aware that some of our readers, and others who may not be our readers, still have questions about the toxic algae blooms that of late have been creeping up on us from the depths and edges of our beloved Otsego Lake. So here goes an effort to get it right. According to NOAA, whose satellites, along with those of the EPA, NASA and the…
News from the Noteworthy Much Ado About Methane Our column, The Life of the Land, is an exploration of local agricultural practices. Several of our pieces will focus on farms which raise grass-fed animals; here we address the environmental implications of locally raised livestock. It is indisputable that industrial livestock management is an ecological disaster. This has led to pronouncements from numerous authoritative agencies to eat “less meat” or even “no meat”. Yet grass-fed production of livestock is an important…
Fernleigh Foundation Provides Grant to SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station Jane Forbes Clark, President of The Fernleigh Foundation, announced today that The Board of Directors has approved a $9,695 grant to SUNY Oneonta’s Biological Field Station (BFS) to do twice a week testing on Otsego Lake to better monitor the effect of the recent Harmful Algae Blooms (HABs). “It is important that science and data drive our decisions about the impact of the HABs,” said Miss Clark. “There is not…
Editorial Our Gathering Storm Until this past week, we were just settling into a summer of weather that seemed almost perfectly “Goldilocks” — not too cold, not too hot. It reminded us of the summers of old, when there would be one or two days in early July that were considered hot — somewhere between 85 and 90 degrees. No one had air conditioning and very few had a swimming pool. But last week the heat was intense and somewhat…
Hawthorn Hill Of Birds And Patterns Two years ago, I lamented the absence of bluebirds up here on the hill. As well, the equally disappointing absence of the several pairs of tree swallows that habitually took up residence in the two nest boxes adjacent to our larger vegetable garden. Both species have chosen to summer elsewhere again. However, my faith in what nature writer Hal Borland has characterized as nature’s enduring patterns has not waned. Frankly, I have more confidence…
THIS WEEK’S NEWSPAPERS The Freeman’s Journal • Hometown Oneonta May 26, 2022 PHOTO OF THE WEEK Do you wanna be a lifeguard? FRONT PAGE Supporters, opponents weigh costs, benefits of New York Climate Action Plan Village honors ‘hometown heroes Inside The Paper Plan in the works for Oneonta Friendly’s building Hall of Fame Classic on tap for the weekend Court finalizes election districts Perspectives Editorial ‘Transformative?’ BOUND VOLUMES Bound Volumes: May 26, 2022 CALENDAR Happenin’ Otsego…
News from the Noteworthy Land Use, Energy and the Economic Future of Upstate New York Climate change and land use are inextricably bound together. The collision between the two creates tension. We are experiencing that tension in multiple ways — not least of which is the drive to create more renewable energy through use of solar and wind-power generation on central New York farmland. There currently are proposals — some approved and some being considered — to develop large solar…
Fossil fuel, not nuclear, is the real enemy among energy sources Mr. Mellor’s recent opinion piece suggested we are well on our way to meeting state energy goals with wind and solar. Mellor looks at cost and feasibility, but the issues are more complex than he suggests. When solar panels are in full sun — and if the electricity they produce is consumed during that time — the cost of solar is relatively cheap. That’s true. However, solar power is…