Senator Schumer seeks funds to combat ash borer

MILLBROOK — The bright green emerald ash borer is moving east. It chewed its way into New York state in 2009.

On Tuesday, Aug. 10, Sen. Charles Schumer held a press conference in the shade of a stately white ash tree on the grounds of the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Farm and Home Center to announce his request for emergency federal resources to combat these destructive alien beetles that destroy ash trees.

Schumer wants $1.25 million allocated to slow the spread of the  insects and fund public education, scientific research, municipal planning and tree replacement.

“Our trees are among the most beautiful and coveted things we have,� Schumer said. “They add recreation and economic value to our state. The emerald ash borer, if we do nothing, could cost $2.4 billion in damages and $10.7 billion in treatment.�

The emerald ash borer is a beetle native to Asia that was first detected in Michigan in 2002 and has wiped out the ash tree  in that state. On Tuesday, July 20, the insect was identified at a private campground in Saugerties, but so far there are no confirmed sightings of the insect east of the Hudson River.

Speaking at the Millbrook event, Stephanie Mallozzi, Cornell Agriculture and Horticulture team leader, suggested that homeowners check their property to inventory the presence of ash trees. Discussing the problem later, Mallozzi estimated that 8 percent of New York’s forests are ash trees, and that it is really just a matter of time until the pests arrive in Dutchess County.

The insect kills trees by burrowing into their bark and destroying the trees’ ability to bring water from the roots to upper branches. Infected trees usually begin to die within two to three years. This deadly pest has already destroyed more than 70 million ash trees in 13 Midwestern states and Pennsylvania.

It is estimated that ashes account for more than 10 percent of total wood manufacturing in New York state, not to mention this native plant’s contribution to New York’s ecosystem.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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