Friday April 26, 2024 
Burden Lake Ski Club
Come join us at Jiminy Peak for the weekend winter ski program on Sunday afternoons starting on 1/6/19, from 2:30-7:30PM. $214 for lift and $280 for lift/lesson. For more info, please contact Kathy Andrews at 518-488-8939 or MAndrews13@ nycap.rr.com.
Free Yoga Fridays
Join us for gentle and relaxing yoga every Friday at the Presbyterian United Church of Schaghticoke from 7-8pm. The Church is located at 16 Main St., Schaghticoke. For more information, visit presbychurchmouse@yahoo. com.
Baseball Umpires Needed
The Capital District Baseball Umpires Association is looking for new members for the 2019 season. Training classes meet weekly in February and March. Introductory meeting is Thursday, January 31, 7:00 p.m. at Shaker Junior High. Go to cdbua.com or, call Bob at 518-986-5987, for more info”
~Bob Umholtz-President, CDBUA
Dyken Pond Family Snowshoe Program
Join us on Friday, December 28th, from 1-3pm. Youth, families and adults can congregate in a beautiful natural setting while learning the fundamentals of snowshoeing. After a brief introduction, we will snowshoe for about 2 hours, looking for signs of animals and enjoying a winter day outdoors. Preregistration is required at (518) 658-2055 or dykenpond@nullgmail.com. Cost is $5 and includes individual snowshoe rental.
Please check the website or call (518) 658-2055 for possible program cancellations.
2018 4-H Lohnes Recipient – Merrill Wrenn
Merrill Wrenn, a senior at Averill Park High School and daughter of Jessica Zweig and Peter Wrenn of Poestenkill is the recipient of the 2018 Lohnes Award. Over the 10 years of Merrill’s membership, her 4-H career has crossed many project areas, trips and activities. It is Merrill’s involvement in the horse program that made her a candidate for the Lohnes Award. Merrill has participated in all the live horse 4-H offerings in the county and often as a helper to others and mentoring younger members.
Outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship are what Merrill always exudes. She has received the Bronze 4-H Horse Shoe Award over the past several years, submitted outstanding project records, been a teen evaluator and held a variety of leadership roles. Recently Merrill and her family completed raising a guiding eye puppy for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, which is further evidence of the generosity and community minded “way of life” Merrill lives. We would like to thank the Lohnes family who continues to sponsor this award in memory of Bob Lohnes who initiated this award in 1983. For more information about this and other 4-H Youth Development Programs, contact your respective Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
Snowshoe at Poestenkill Community Forest
Celebrate the New Year on the land! On Sunday, December 30th, from 10 am to noon, join Fred DeMay as he leads a snowshoe at the Poestenkill Community Forest. We might wander onto some new lands that were just protected by, expanding the Community Forest! For more info or to register, e-mail Francille Egbert at fran.egbert@nullgmail.com. Co-sponsored by The Rensselaer Land Trust and Rensselaer Plateau Alliance. $5 donation collected the day of the event.
Free Tai Chi Classes
The Presbyterian United Church is hosting free Tai Chi classes at 10am on Saturdays. All levels- Chair and standing…try Tai Chi. Please share with anyone you might consider interested.
The Church is located at 165 Main Street in Schaghticoke.
Renss. Co. 4-H Horse Program Year-End Recognition event
Year-End Award highlights were presented in addition to year-end completion certificates to all members and appreciation favors sponsored by our 4-H Teen Council to all our 4-H Leaders.
4-H High Point – Novice Lily Franklin and Reserve Olivia Laurin; Junior High Point Lindsey Oswald and Reserve Lily Czub; Senior High Point Morgan Bechand and Reserve Maeve Corcoran and Taylor Hansen.
Bronze Horse Shoe Awards – Beibhinn Corcoran, Nicole Tilley, Alyssa Jacon, Madeline Bechand, Kendra Roberts, Erin Goodermote, Kira Colarossi, Mikayla Malenfant, Taylor Hansen, Nathan Goodermote, James Czub, Morgan Bechand, Abbi Reeves, Kylin Hemmings, Abigail Trinkle, Lily Czub, Grace Huffam and Amanda Thrasher.
Silver Horse Shoe Awards Junior – Ava Severance; Intermediate – Olivia Harrington and Senior – Maeve Corcoran.
Golden Horse Shoe Awards Junior – Lindsey Oswald; Intermediate – Nessa Corcoran and Senior – Brigham Logue.
Exceptional Horse Records – Shawn Malenfant, Alyssa Jacon, Molly Czub, Abbi Reeves, Brigham Logue, Taylor Hansen, Amanda Thrasher, Teigan Catlin, Kendra Roberts, Abigail Trinkle, Mikayla Malenfant, Annika Silver, Madeline Bechand, Madison Conde, Kira Colarossi, Julia Neet, Alicia Minkler, Clara Corbin, Karissa Scheeren, Carlo Colarossi, Thomas Colarossi, Kiley Howes, Sophie Neet and Beihbinn Corcoran.
Schaghticoke Fair Herdsmanship – First Blue to Jogging Juniors, blues to Equitation Unlimited, Cantering Cowpokes, Boots and Bridles, Trail Blazers, Barn Bums and green Stablemates.
For more information about 4-H in your area, please contact your respective Cornell Cooperative Extension office.
DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights
Forest Ranger Actions for 12/3 – 12/10/18
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents statewide. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations, and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured, or distressed people from the backcountry.
In 2017, DEC Forest Rangers conducted 346 search and rescue missions, extinguished 55 wildfires that burned a total of 191 acres, participated in 29 prescribed fires that burned and rejuvenated 564 acres, and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 3,000 tickets or arrests.
“Across New York, DEC Forest Rangers are on the front lines helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Their knowledge of first aid, land navigation, and technical rescue techniques are critical to the success of their missions, which take them from remote wilderness areas with rugged mountainous peaks, to white-water rivers, and throughout our vast forested areas statewide.”
Recent missions carried out by DEC Forest Rangers include:
Town of North Elba
Essex County
Forest Ranger Praczkajlo re-energizes a lost hiker with some food
Search: At 2:44 p.m. on Dec. 10, DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a transferred call from Essex County 911 reporting a lost 38-year-old male hiker on snowshoes from Ottawa, Canada, near the summit of Algonquin Mountain. Initially, the hiker lost the trail and could not find it due to high winds above treeline. The hiker was unable to follow dispatcher instructions to use his compass and get back on the trail. Due to the possibility of hypothermia and with the hiker experiencing severe leg cramps, four Forest Rangers responded. As daylight was fading, the hiker decided to shelter in place in a bivy and wait for the Rangers. Two Rangers set out on snowmobiles from the Adirondak Loj at 4:40 p.m. but were unable to continue past Macintyre Brook due to open water and poor snow conditions. Continuing on foot, they reached the hiker at 8:47 p.m. at the coordinates provided by 911. Rangers assisted the hiker with warm weather gear, food, and liquids before starting to descend the trail. Additional Rangers were staged along the trail to assist if needed. By 12:16 a.m., Rangers and the hiker reached the Adirondak Loj. Declining further medical care, the hiker drove himself to his hotel nearby.
Be sure to properly prepare and plan before entering the backcountry. Visit DEC’s Hiking Safety and Adirondack Backcountry Information webpage for more information.