NYC: Landmarks Conservancy Offers Preservation Grants

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The New York Landmarks Conservancy is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and reusing architecturally and historically important buildings in New York City. Much of the Conservancy’s work takes place in low and moderate income neighborhoods, providing a positive effect of historic preservation on community development and revitalization. Through its Neighborhood Preservation Programs, the Conservancy has provided millions of dollars in grants and low-interest loans, as well as countless hours of project management and technical assistance, to owners of all types of buildings.

There are funds available in our Neighborhood Preservation Programs to help finance exterior (and interior structural) capital work and related costs on older buildings. The properties need not be designated landmark buildings in all cases, as the funding programs have different guidelines. All of the programs are accompanied by project management assistance to foster landmark quality work and facilitate public approval processes. The Neighborhood Preservation Programs are:

1. Historic Properties Fund – a revolving loan fund for any type of property or owner. Low interest, collateralized loans for preservation work on buildings that are officially landmarks, within historic districts, or eligible for listing in the State or National Register of Historic Places. (Conservancy staff can help you to obtain this determination from the State Historic Preservation Office- it involves little further public regulation or compliance cost.) Loans range from $20,000 to approximately $300,000 per project.

2. City Ventures Fund – a grant program for nonprofit owners/developers of properties that serve lower income people. Although there is a priority for projects that provide affordable and special needs housing, properties that provide services to lower income people, such as employment training, socials services, and other educational purposes, are also eligible for funding. Capital grants of up to $30,000 are available for preservation work on older buildings that generally do not have any landmark status but have good architectural quality and integrity- consulting grants of up to $10,000 are available for professional services.

3. Emergency Preservation Grants – capitalized by The New York Community Trust, a grant program for nonprofit owners of historic properties for emergency repair work. Grants of up to $25,000 are available for immediate work that addresses public safety, water penetration, or other issues that threaten the preservation of the property.

In addition to the Neighborhood Preservation Programs, the Conservancy also provides city and statewide matching grants specifically for houses of worship. Visit their website at www.nylandmarks.org for more information about their programs.

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State Library Puts Revolutionary War Materials Online

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The New York State Library has a new web page that highlights and links to materials relating to the American Revolutionary War that have been scanned from print copies in the State Library’s collection.

One of the items recently digitized is &#8220The Balloting Book and Other Documents Relating to Military Bounty Lands in the State of New York,&#8221 which contains copies of several acts relative to Revolutionary War bounty lands and the payment given of officers and soldiers for service in the War. An alphabetical listing of the names of soldiers and officers in each regiment is provided and includes the rank and company of the soldier, the township number, the lot number, the acreage, and date of patent.

Another item recently digitized is &#8220New York in the Revolution as Colony and State,&#8221 a compilation of papers that relate to the services performed by New York in the Revolutionary War, including muster and pay rolls of men serving in the Line, Levies, Militia, and Navy (Privateers).

In addition, several manuscript documents have been digitized. For example (shown above), &#8220A Representation of Major John Andre, Adjutant General to the Kings Forces in North America, Going From the Vulture Sloop of War to the Shore of Havershaw [sic] Bay in Hudsons [sic] River the Night of the 23d. of September 1780, in a Boat Which Was Sent For Him […]&#8221 is a digital copy of an engraving from a drawing sketched by Major Andre on the morning on which he was executed.

NY Awarded $9.5M to Exapand Library Broadband

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The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has been awarded $9.5 million in a matching grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to expand computer access in public libraries across New York State. The funding is being provided through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

The grant will support the State Library’s Broadbandexpress@yourlibrary project to help low-income, unemployed, underemployed, and other vulnerable populations in upstate New York. High unemployment rates, a distressed economy, and a lack of affordable public access to high-speed broadband services, education, training and technical support have been particularly acute in geographically isolated upstate communities. The grant will enable the State Library and its public library partners to purchase equipment to expand the public’s access to computers and teleconferencing.

Broadbandexpress@yourlibrary will provide more than 860 computers in 30 libraries and five mobile training centers across 41 economically distressed upstate New York counties with populations totaling 6,655,824 (2008 census). This grant will allow libraries to extend hours, provide 24/7 access to job search resources, and serve an estimated 50,000 additional users per week system-wide.

New York State Education Commissioner David Steiner said, &#8220Libraries are vital to our communities and our economy. The increased broadband capacity, training and online resources funded through this grant will provide more New Yorkers with access to essential online information for work, healthcare, education, and citizenship as well as E-government resources.&#8221

&#8220What librarians and libraries do everyday is vitally important work,&#8221 said State Librarian and Assistant Commissioner for Libraries Bernard Margolis. &#8220Yet, even though New Yorkers turn to their public libraries more in difficult economic times, libraries themselves have suffered cuts and reductions to their valuable services. This grant will enable our libraries to continue to do critically important work and to expand the opportunities, education, and services that high speed Internet provides to the unserved and underserved in our communities.&#8221

The New York State Library, within NYSED, worked with partner libraries throughout the state and the New York State Office of the Chief Information Officer/Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) to submit the proposal for the grant. In order to participate in this matching grant, partner libraries must make an in-kind contribution to support the project. The total in-kind match is $5.4 million. (A list of partner libraries accompanies this release.)

&#8220CIO/OFT is very proud to continue supporting the innovative Broadbandexpress@yourlibrary project,&#8221 said Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, New York State CIO, Director of the Office For Technology, and Chair of the Broadband Development and Deployment Council. &#8220In these tough economic times, access to free resources is critical for New York’s citizens. Many times, computers located in libraries are the only point of broadband contact for many citizens. Those who do not own a computer or have access to the internet often go to the library, where it is available for free. And for those who have never used a computer help is available. These grants will help ensure our libraries can continue to provide high-speed, reliable internet services and digital literacy training programs for our communities.&#8221

The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, funded by ARRA, provides matching grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure in unserved and underserved areas, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service. Funded at $4.7 billion, BTOP will also advance ARRA’s objectives to spur job creation and stimulate long-term economic growth and opportunity.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided a total of $7.2 billion to fund projects that will expand access to and adoption of broadband services. NTIA plans to announce all grant awards by September 30, 2010.

The New York State Library is the largest state library in the nation. In addition to its research collection of more than 20 million items, the State Library provides leadership and support to libraries and library systems throughout the state, maintains a Talking Book and Braille Library serving more than 39,000 New Yorkers, offers 24-hour access to an online catalog, and provides residents with 24/7 access to NOVELNY, New York’s first virtual library. The State Library is located in the Empire State Plaza in Albany. For information call 518/474-5355 or go to www.nysl.nysed.gov.

Free Access to Women and Social Movements Database

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To celebrate Women’s History Month, the database Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000, Scholar’s Edition, will be freely accessible for the month of March so that anyone with an interest can explore the site’s collection of primary materials and teaching tools. No passwords or fees are required.

WASM Scholar’s edition includes 91 document projects and archives, almost 40,000 pages of full-text sources, a separate database of 90,000 pages of publications of federal, state, and local commissions on the status of women, and the exclusive online edition of the research classic, Notable American Women.

Moose on the Loose at the Adirondack Museum

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On Sunday, March 28, 2010, Ed Reed, a wildlife biologist with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 office in Ray Brook, New York, will offer a program entitled &#8220Moose on the Loose in the Adirondacks&#8221 at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. The presentation is part of the popular Cabin Fever Sunday series.

&#8220Moose on the Loose in the Adirondacks&#8221 will review the history, current status, and future of moose in New York State. Moose were native to New York, but were extirpated before 1900. The expansion of moose from Maine and Canada across New England reached the state in the 1980&#8242-s, and the population is now well established and self-sustaining.

Biologists estimate that there are around 500 moose in the state, with the population expected to increase rapidly in the next decade. The program will cover food habits, breeding biology, habitat needs, mortality factors, and recreational values of moose.

Ed Reed has worked for DEC for twenty-five years in fisheries and wildlife, and has been the big game biologist for Region 5 since 2001. His main areas of expertise include management of whitetail deer, black bear, and more recently moose. Ed received a degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University and has worked in the outdoor field for over 35 years.

The program will be held in the Auditorium, and will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. Cabin Fever Sunday programs are offered at no charge to museum members. The fee for non-members is $5.00. There is no charge for children of elementary school age or younger. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, please call the Education Department at (518) 352-7311, ext. 128 or visit the museum’s web site at
www.adirondackmuseum.org.

Photo: A moose on the loose at the Adirondack Museum. Photograph by Liz Forsell.

Upcoming Events at Olana State Historic Site

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The Olana New York State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark, and one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Hudson Valley and upstate New York has announced a series of upcoming events.

Named for a fortress treasure-house in ancient Persia, Olana was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900), one of America’s most important artists, a student of Thomas Cole, and a major figure in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Olana stands high on a hill near Hudson, New York and offers sweeping vistas of the Catskill Mountains, the Hudson River and the Taconic Hills.

Family Tour at Olana
Saturday, March 13, 11:30AM

Explore the house, its paintings and treasures from a child’s perspective. Tours are geared for families with 6-12 year olds, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required by 4PM the preceding Friday. Call (518) 828-0135 for information. $9/adult- $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12 and members of The Olana Partnership.

First Spring Weekend Hike
Sunday, March 21, 1PM

Celebrate the first weekend of spring (and the Vernal Equinox) by getting outside for a little fresh air. Pre-registration required by 4PM the Wednesday preceding. Dress for the weather and meet in front of the Visitor Center.

Local Flora and Fauna: Nature Photography
Monday, March 22, 10AM-12PM

Larry Federman, Assistant Warden/Educator for Audubon New York’s Rheinstrom Hill, Buttercup Farm, RamsHorn-Livingston Audubon Centers and Sanctuaries offers this exciting lecture on the flora and fauna of our community. In the course of daily routines, Larry always has a camera with him at Audubon sites- now you can too discover the plants and animals that call these sanctuaries home through his incidental photos. After the presentation we’ll head out for a landscape walk- bring your binoculars and cameras! Children sized binoculars and sketch pads will be available for borrow. Come out and capture the first of spring. All ages. Free. Meet at Olana’s Wagon House Education Center. Register: [email protected] or (518) 828-1872 ext. 110.

Green Gardening
Friday, March 26, 2-4PM

Spring is almost here! Watch your own kitchen garden grow: come to Olana’s farm complex to create your own fairy garden to bring home. Plant herb, vegetable and/or flower seeds in recyclable/re-used containers and then decorate your garden pots with art supplies inspired by Olana. Ages 3-5 and their caregivers. Free. Register: [email protected] or call (518) 828-1872 x110.

Family Tour at Olana
Saturday, March 27, 11:30AM

Explore the house, its paintings and treasures from a child’s perspective. Tours are geared for families with 6-12 year olds, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are required by 4PM the preceding Friday. Call (518) 828-0135 for information. $9/adult- $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12 and members of The Olana Partnership.

Landscape Yoga
Sunday, March 28, 3-4PM

Does your New Year’s resolution include time for well-being? Nourish body and soul this winter in our education center that has radiant floor heating! This gentle yoga class will bring the inspiring picturesque landscape views inside, celebrating the spirituality of nature. Yoga instructor Ed Sisk from the Yoga With Ed studio in Hudson, NY will provide mats and modification tools, or you are welcome to bring your own. $10/adult- $5/member. Space is limited. Register: (518).828.1872 x110.

April Fools Olana!
Thursday, April 1 – Sunday, April 4

Tours at 11AM, 1PM and 3PM daily

Olana’s been pranked! Objects that just don’t fit in are scattered throughout the house, some better hidden than others. Bring the family and see who has the sharpest eye. Admission is free for members of The Olana Partnership. $9/adult- $8/students and seniors, free for children under 12. Standard tours available on the hour and half hour except for the times listed above. Call (518) 828-0135 for information.

FIRST FRIDAYS SERIES:

April 2 (Also May 7, June 4)

Easy Tai chi, 10:00AM-12PM
Tap into the spirituality of nature (like a Hudson River School artist but without the paint)! Tai chi is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. The body moves slowly and gently, while breathing deeply and meditating. Many practitioners believe that Tai chi helps the flow throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi, increasing our wellness. Join John Middlebrooks (Omega Institute) as he guides you in this intro class. Classes will meet at the education center- if weather permits we will practice out in the landscape that day. Please attend all three classes as they go in sequence and allow time for practice. Space is limited- register by the preceding Thursday: [email protected] (518)828- 1872&#215-110. Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex. Adults. Free.

Visual Arts Workshop, 1-3PM

Retired? Ready to finally explore your love of art? It is never too late! Adults with little or no formal art training will realize that creating art can be accomplished through a variety of materials and techniques. Create a work of art in a safe setting with new friends, providing a personal sense of accomplishment and ownership. Wagon House Education Center/Farm Complex. Adults (50+). Free. Register: [email protected] or (518) 828-1872 x110.

MyStory in History: Contemporary Art in a Historical World, 4-5PM

Use the life of Frederic Church and his home, Olana, as inspiration, to take a new look at the world. In this mixed media after school drop-off art class lead by local art teacher Claudia Brehse, you will begin to think about the importance of art as a form of communication, about the “message of the medium” and why people collect and create art. Students will work in the studio to create the newest history- the history of you. Great for homeschoolers or teen art club members. Register: [email protected] or (518) 828-1872 x110.

Landscape Yoga, 5:30-6:30PM

This gentle yoga class will bring the inspiring picturesque landscape views inside. Celebrate the spirituality of nature with yoga instructor Ed Sisk from the Yoga With Ed studio in Hudson, NY. Mats and modification tools will be provided- you are welcome to bring your own. Space is limited. Free. Register: [email protected] or (518).828.1872&#215-110.

Educator Tour
Tuesday, April 6, 10am

Join area educators for a tour with Olana’s Director of Education. Discussion will include history as well as practical application, and participants are invited to sit down together after the tour to discuss content and classroom applications. Educator resources will be available. Reservations are required by 4pm Monday, April 5th. Regular tour rates apply, $9/adult, $8 student/senior. Call 518.828.0135 to reserve a space.

ADK Backs Plan to Remove 2 Fire Towers, Preserve Others

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The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) supports the preservation of the vast majority of Adirondack fire towers, but concurs with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s conclusion that the towers on St. Regis and Hurricane mountains are non-conforming uses and should be removed, according to a recently issued press release.

“Fire towers are an important part of the Adirondacks’ history and culture and provide important educational and recreational benefits,” said Neil Woodworth, ADK’s executive director. “For the hiking public, which ADK represents, a fire tower can provide the reward of a panoramic view after a demanding climb. But Hurricane and St. Regis already have spectacular views, so even if these towers were open, they would add nothing to visitors’ experience of these summits.” Here is the rest of the club’s press release:

For nearly two decades, the Adirondack Mountain Club has been a leader in the effort to preserve and restore the Adirondacks’ historic fire towers, which are monuments to the fire observers who protected the region’s forests and communities. In 1993, the club invited interested parties to the Indian Lake Town Hall to discuss ways to restore the Blue Mountain Fire Tower. That successful restoration effort became a model for other fire tower projects. ADK also publishes “Views from on High,” by John P. Freeman, a guide to fire tower trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills. Furthermore, ADK’s volunteer and professional trails crews have done considerable work in recent years to maintain the trails to fire tower summits, including Mount Arab, Azure Mountain, Pillsbury Mountain, St. Regis Mountain and Hurricane Mountain.

ADK has been an equally strong supporter of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, including its language permitting the maintenance and restoration of fire towers in Wild Forest areas. The Master Plan, which is codified in state Executive Law, clearly states that fire towers located in Wilderness, Primitive and Canoe areas are non-conforming structures. In 2005, ADK’s board of directors passed a resolution opposing any changes to the Master Plan that would allow fire towers to remain in Wilderness, Primitive or Canoe areas. The ADK board also opposed spot zoning that would carve out historic-area footprints on fire-tower summits in Wilderness, Primitive or Canoe areas.

ADK welcomes DEC’s “Fire Tower Study for the Adirondack Park,” an in-depth, thoughtful analysis that will provide much-needed guidance in determining the future of the 20 remaining fire towers in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. It takes a broad, parkwide view that takes into account the characteristics, location and existing or potential public benefits of each tower. It goes a long way in resolving, through objective criteria, the debate over which towers should remain and which should be removed.

Aside from the substantial legal issues, a number of practical considerations make these two towers poor candidates for preservation and restoration in their current locations. Neither is used for communications purposes. Both towers have long been long closed to the public, with their lower stairs removed. Despite the removal of the stairs, some people still attempt to climb these towers, which makes them public hazards.

From a historical perspective, neither of these structures is unique. The St. Regis and Hurricane fire towers are 35-foot Aermotor steel towers, Model LS-40, erected in 1918 and 1919, respectively. There are 11 other fire towers of this same size and model extant in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Neither St. Regis nor Hurricane is the oldest, the newest, the shortest or the tallest among Adirondack fire towers.

Nor does the towers’ listing on national and state historic registers provide them with any special status. These and other Adirondack fire towers were added to the historic registers pursuant to a 1994 agreement between DEC and the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation that acknowledged from the outset that some of these towers would be saved and others removed.

While ADK supports removal of these two towers from their current locations, the club does not believe they should be discarded or scrapped. Relocation has long been an important tool in preserving structures of historic significance, including the Adirondack fire towers that have been relocated to the Adirondack Museum and the Adirondack History Center in Elizabethtown. The St. Regis and Hurricane towers should be relocated to other mountain summits or to public locations where the public can view and enjoy them.

The Adirondack Mountain Club, founded in 1922, is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the New York State Forest Preserve and other wild lands and waters through conservation and advocacy, environmental education and responsible recreation.

Historic Huguenot St Hosts Candlelight Tour, Lecture

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Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678, is today, just steps from downtown New Paltz. The site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting.

This Friday and Saturday HHS is offering two unique programs. On Friday, a Candlelight Tour that features the historic Deyo and Jean Hasbrouck houses, and more on Saturday &#8220Before Stone: Early Structures of the New Paltz Region,&#8221 a talk offered as part of the HHS’s Second Saturdays lecture series.

Candlelight Tour

On Friday, March 12th at 7pm, HHS will present a special Candlelight Tour. In the Jean Hasbrouck House, guests will have an opportunity to experience the house as few do – by the nighttime candlelight that would have been part of every late winter evening in the 1700s. Guides will talk about how light, the scarcity of it and the need to capture as much natural light as possible informed both design and function of the houses. Unique lighting implements from the collections at Historic Huguenot Street, including the betty lamp, will be featured and discussed.

Across the street in the Deyo House, guests will experience one of the village’s finest houses just at the time that electric light has come to the village. The Brodheads, then in residence, take advantage of this new innovation, but continue to live by the soft, warm glow they knew from gas and candlelight. The result is a transition from the old to the new.

The tour will begin at 7pm in the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, where guests can enjoy a glass of wine or sparkling water before departing down a candlelit path to the museum houses. The DuBois Fort is located at 81 Huguenot Street in New Paltz.

Saturday, “Before Stone” Talk Focuses on Earliest Homes

&#8220Before Stone: Early Structures of the New Paltz Region, will be a talk offered on Saturday, March 13th as part of the Second Saturdays lecture series at Historic Huguenot Street.

Until recently, not much was known about what came before the iconic stone houses. Family histories told us that the stone houses dated to the late 1600s. Investigation and research conducted in the past several years have revealed that the houses were not built until the early 1700s. This begged the question of what the community’s early Huguenot founders lived in for almost thirty years. Archaeology on the site has also improved our understanding of how Native Americans lived on the site prior to European contact.

Architect Amanda Lewkowicz and Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Community Relations at Historic Huguenot Street, will offer and informative and interesting talk about this evolving understanding of these structures. The talk will be offered on Saturday, March 13th at 7pm at the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, 81 Huguenot Street, in New Paltz. The talk is $7 per person ($5 for Friends of Huguenot Street).

Reservations are not required for either event, but are suggested. For more information, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1889.

HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Canal Splash Event: Erie Canal Tour of Cayuga County

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The Old Brutus Historical Society, Weedsport- Lock 52 Historical Society, Port Byron- and the Montezuma Historical Society, will present an all day canal sites tour as part of the statewide Canal Splash day. &#8220Following The Flow: The Tale of Two Erie Canals- A Narrative Driving and Walking Tour Featuring Historic Canal Sites and Villages Along the Erie Canal in Cayuga County, NY, will be a day long celebration of the Erie Canal following its route through the three canal villages of Weedsport, Port Byron, and Montezuma.

Participants will learn about the original Erie Canal, and its replacement, the Enlarged Erie. We will tour five canal sites and see the remains of canal structures. We will also learn about the canal side businesses, a murder, the largest grain mill in the state (in 1830) and even a little about the Montezuma Swamps (and much more).

The tour is organized so that you can do it at your own pace, or, by joining one of two guided groups. The tours consists of two walking segments- one in Montezuma and the other in Port Byron- and driving between other stops that are located alongside the road. Both walking tours cover about 1.6 miles.

The guided tours are structured so that you can pick and chose what stops you wish to see. There is no cost for attending the tours. The organizers are asking that people pre-register if they wish to attend the guided tour.

Details on times and stops are available on the blog site at http://www.canalsplash.blogspot.com/

This event is part of a yearly Canal Splash Celebration of the extraordinary history and culture of the New York Canal System and the Erie Canalway Trail that is coordinated by the New York State Canal Corporation and the Erie Canalway National Corridor.

Photo: Erie Canal’s Centreport Aqueduct, West of Weedsport in Cayuga County. Courtesy http://www.eriecanal.org/