New Resource for Seniors Available on CCE Website

The CCEPC website has a new resource available for seniors in both English and Spanish. The resource is chockful of links to direct seniors to services and educational resources assisting with nutrition, SNAP benefits, senior-friendly exercise videos and more! The website also contains local Putnam County services including transportation offered by Office for Senior Resources, local delivery hot meals programs and mental health services available to both seniors and caregivers.

Centralizing senior resources makes it easier for those in need. The website grew out of the Bountiful Meals program, CCEPC’s pilot program offering free, farm-fresh meals to seniors facing food insecurity. Check it out at bit.ly/PutnamSeniors

2022 Class of Master Gardener Volunteers

Congratulations are in order: please welcome the 2022 Master Gardener Volunteer graduating class. The Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a national program of trained volunteers who work in partnership with their county Cooperative Extension office to expand educational outreach throughout the community by providing research-based information to home gardeners and youth.

To become a Master Gardener Volunteers, trainees undergo a multiple-week, hybrid training course including online readings, in-person lectures, and hands on programs. Training culminates with presentations or projects on horticulture or natural resource topics.

Peer-to-peer education is an important aspect of the Master Gardener Volunteer program. These volunteers work within their communities—reaching neighbors, business owners, local officials—furthering the Cornell Cooperative Extension mission.

The first Master Gardener Volunteer program was started in Washington state in 1972. Forty-six states now have Master Gardener Volunteer programs. Putnam County is home to some of the longest-serving New York State Master Gardener Volunteers. For information on Master Gardener Volunteer programs outside Putnam County, visit the New York State Master Gardener Program

Standing (back row, left to right): Erin McNally (Cold Spring), Barbara Murphy (Mahopac), Mathew Weigman (Putnam Valley). Andrea Bloome (Cortland Manor), Jennifer Lerner (CCE, Senior Resource Educator), James Lynch (Brewster), Jacqueline Merrill (Garrison), Rachel Bower (Bethel) (middle row, left to right) Angela Nicklin (Mahopac), Kate O’Keefe Cotter (Cold Spring), Amy Leonardi (Cold Spring), Diana Romero (Putnam Valley), Cynthia Crossen (Garrison), Ellen Koehler-Stec (Carmel), Helaine Balsam (Putnam Valley), Steve Giglio (Brewster) (First row, left to right) Mary-Jo Gallo (Somers), Mary Ann West (Carmel), Erika West (Brewster), Theresa Bellucco (Somers), Helen Bowers (Mahopac), Hilary Quatinetz (North Salem). Seated (first row, left to right) Carol Ann Lutz (Carmel), Paula Clinchy (Katonah), Peter Salmansohn (Garrison), Michael Viscomi (Pawling), Mary Ellis (Mahopac), (Second Row (left to right) Phyllis Bock (Jefferson Valley), Lena Milcarek (Garrison), John Law (North Salem) Not pictured: Maureen Salerno, Volunteer Coordinator.

(Photo: Robert Salerno)

Let it Snow!

Beyond the nuisance of shoveling and the danger of sliding on ice, snow in winter is an important part of nature’s cycles in the northeast. Some of our readers may remember winters where snow started falling in December and the ground was governed through to early March. Turns out that snow cover provides protection to a multitude of organisms and reflects light back into space. 

Snow plays an important role  in regulating climate. Think of it as a reflective blanket that deflects the sun’s energy back out into space, helping to keep the planet cool. Less snow on the ground means less cooling. The same goes for snow on ice, without the reflective blanket ice melts faster and sea temperatures warm more quickly. Snow is also an important part of our regional and worldwide water cycle. 

But if you are a small insect or furry animal, that blanket of cover can help you survive winter. Insects and other animals have many strategies for surviving winter, and many species in the northeast overwinter by snuggling under a layer of leaves (which we hopefully don’t rake off them). Nestled in the leaves, they spend the winter in a quiet state like hibernation. Winter winds can blow leaf deposits around, but snow and ice help to hold the leaves down. This additional layer of protection buffers temperature swings, improving chances of survival for these animals. 

To learn more about the internal strategies animals employ to avoid freezing to death, check out this article about these  Cool Strategies to Survive Winter weather. And next time you pick up the rake or leaf blower, consider the butterflies, like the mourning cloak pictured here, and other insects bedding down for the long cold winter.(Photo USDA under CC lic.)

Winter Birdwatching

Two great ways to become a citizen scientist Every year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology runs the Great Backyard Bird Count and Project FeederWatch along with partners including Audubon and Birds Canada. If you feed wild birds in your yard, or if you simply like to do a little bird watching, these two programs might be fun for you. And they will help researchers gather important information on songbird, and overwintering bird populations. 

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event (February 17th-20th 2022 ) that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. 

Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. Feeder-Watchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada. For more information, and to sign up: click the links above. (Photo: Michele Dorsey Walfred, via Flickr under CC generic)

Regional Clean Energy Hubs

GOVERNOR HOCHUL ANNOUNCES $52 MILLION IN AWARDS FOR REGIONAL CLEAN ENERGY HUBS TO CONNECT NEW YORK COMMUNITIES WITH CLEAN ENERGY RESOURCES

On December 9, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul 

announced $52 million in awards to establish New York’s 12 Regional Clean Energy Hubs- meant to serve as centers of outreach, awareness, and education in support of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and its goal of ensuring that at least 35% (with a target of 40%) of benefits from clean energy investments are delivered to disadvantaged communities. This step towards an equitable clean energy transition will be delivered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in partnership with community-based organizations. Within the Mid-Hudson Regional Hub, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Dutchess County has been given an award to advance an inclusive green economy. This effort includes assigning at least one full time Energy Advisor to each county within the region, tasked with providing outreach and education services in clean energy and energy efficiency, and engaging with local communities in addressing barriers they have faced in accessing programs. Energy Advisors for each county can be contacted through the Mid-Hudson Energy Choices Site , or found on your local Cornell Cooperative Extension website on the staff contact page.

For more details on this program, please read Governor Kathy Hochul's press release  HERE