No Country For Sane Men: NtM - February 27, 2009

News That Matters
Brought to you by PlanPutnam.Org

Good Friday Morning,

Can you believe February has ended, and not a day too soon. I swear, it's been cold since October and it show no signs of warming even though the spring birds are back, the flowers are trying to break free, the sugar maples have been sugaring for weeks and, when you do go outside, the sun beats warm on your back.

Briefly in the news this morning: Community Action Program director Rosemarie Bahr is leaving Putnam County and moving on to a similar position in Westchester. We wish her well.

Tonight:

Improving the Global Environment: Essential Steps for the Obama Administration

7PM. Burning fossil fuels. Creating sprawling cities. Growing chemical dependent crops. Humans are driving global environmental change. Join Dr. William H. Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute, for a lecture on critical and effective steps that the Obama administration can take to improve the global environment. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Pamela Freeman at freeman@ecostudies.org . Location: Cary Institute's auditorium, at 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Rt. 44) in Millbrook, N.Y.

GreenYorktown's Winter Series

GreenYorktown presents its second free public event of 2009 on February 27th at Yorktown Town Hall at 7:30 pm. Jo Anne Gorski, PhD, a renowned wildlife activist, will speak about how climate change is endangering our local wildlife. "If we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy America's wildlife and wild places, we must act now to ensure that they survive global warming.", states Dr. Gorski. Come join your neighbors for coffee and conversation. Bring your friends and family, everyone is welcome. For more information, email us at greenyorktown@gmail.com

Pine Leaf Boys

8PM. Louisiana's finest Grammy-nominated Pine Leaf Boys have made a name for presenting their own inimitable brand of Cajun music with youthful exuberance. The variety and energy they release evolves through their shows, bringing multi-faceted angles to Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco. For more information about Mardi Gras in Nyack go to www.mardigrasnyack.com.

Come learn to do a Cajun Two-Step and a waltz with dance instructors Jeremy and Laura Rice from Somebody Scream NY! Free dance lesson starts at 7:15pm. Tickets: $20/$15 students, seniors and members

Veronica's Room

February 27-28 and March 6-7 at 8 pm. Reserve online or call (845) 598-1621 - If there is a lesson to be learned from the psychological thriller Veronica’s Room*, it may be “don’t talk to strangers.” The play, by Ira Levin, is Brewster Theater Company’s first production of 2009. Shows are scheduled for Feb 27- 28, and March 6-7 at 8 p.m. at The Cerebral Palsy Headquarters Building, 15 Mount Ebo Road South, Brewster, NY. Tickets are $8 for students/seniors and $10 for adults.

Saturday:

Hoop! Hoop! Horray!

9AM - 1PM. Join Us for a FUN...D RAISER for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County at the Carmel Rotary Basketball Shoot-Out at Carmel High School 30 Fair St., Carmel. How - Shoot as many baskets as possible in 2 minutes to raise money form pledges for CCE and to compete for trophies ("younger" age groups) and prizes (gift certificates for our more "senior" competitors) For more Information call: Margie at CCE - 845-278-6738

Making (Historical) Movies

5 pm - Making (Historical) Movies. Author Gwendolyn Bounds conducts a panel discussion with local filmmakers Stephen Ives, Ivy Meeropol, Daniel Miller, and Steve Sterling. Hosted by Chrissy & Mark Driscoll and Carol & Noel O'Reilly. Sponsored by Olde Stone Kitchens & Country Flooring. At the Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry Museum in Cold Spring. For more information and ticket prices (which are fully deductable) click here.

Caribbean Concert

With The John Arrucci Trio 7:30 PM at *The Patterson Library (Snow date 3/1 at 2 PM) Let the sounds of the steel drums and percussion take you to the Caribbean at this fun & festive musical event. With Alan Bates & Trevor "Bridges" Bridgewater.

Bard On The Lake

A Shakespeare Slam! Performed 'In The Round'. at 8PM. Roger Hendricks Simon Brings the Bard to Arts on the Lake. “Bard at the Lake” is a collage of plays, songs and dance by William Shakespeare and set in a free-form and interactive production that has been successfully presented at venues in New York City.

Mr. Simon is a graduate and founding member of the Yale Repertory Company and coach to such notable actors as James Earl Jones, John Lithgow, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods and John Travolta is partnering with Blue Horse Repertory Company to present “Bard at the Lake: Shakespeare Slam” at the Lake Carmel Cultural Center, 640 Route 52, Kent Lakes, NY Admission is $10 ($9 for Members). Click here for more information and to reserve tickets.

Sunday:

2-4:30 PM Mardi Gras Dance Benefit for the Rosendale Farmers Market at the Ros. Community Ctr, 1055 Rt. 32, Ros. Live music & dance lesson by Cleoma's Ghost. $5/person, kids 12 & under free. Veggie gumbo & more. Come early to shop at the Rosendale Winter Farmers Market (10-2). Proceeds will help pay for the farmers market 501(c)6 non-profit application. Call 845-658-3467 or 339-0819 for more information.

Into the Future:

Tuesday, March 3

Parks and Trails Advocacy Day

For more information click here.
Threats to the Environmental Protection Fund, capital and operations budgets for State Parks, the continuation of the Hudson River Valley Greenway, and completion of the Canalway Trail are looming large in the state budget. Our legislators need to know how important these resources are to the state’s economy and the health and well-being of all New York residents.

On Park and Trail Advocacy Day we will begin at 9:30 a.m. with bagels and coffee and a short “call to arms” at the Parks & Trails New York office across from the Capitol. This is also a great way to connect with others who share your commitment and passion for trails and parks.

At around 10:00 a.m., we will head over to the Legislative Office building to begin visits with key Senators and Assembly members. You will be assigned to a team of fellow supporters and given a schedule of meetings with policymakers throughout the day. (The schedule will also be emailed to you prior to the Advocacy Day).

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Negotiating for Coastal Resources

9:00 am - 5:00 pm and Friday, March 6, 2009: 9:00 am - 12 noon
This one-and-a-half-day interactive course provides participants with practical skills and information on all facets of negotiation. The course curriculum includes the roles and applications of advocacy, negotiation, facilitation, education, and outreach and teaches negotiating skills and strategies using coastal management and land use case studies. The use of collaborative negotiation strategies to strengthen interagency relationships will be discussed. This workshop has never been offered in the Hudson Valley before. All NOAA Coastal Services Center training courses have had excellent reviews from other areas. (Even though these workshops have "coastal" in their titles, they have broad use for all natural resource and public engagement issues.) For more information, see this website: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/cls/negotiating_coastal.html This program is being offered for free by NOAA; you must commit to attend both days. Register online by copying and pasting this URL into your browser:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=k74t496jElq0UTJjCt879g_3d_3d

Saturday, March 7th

Work on the Appalachian Trail

The (RPHCV) have become a member club of NY/NJ Trail Conference.Our first project this year will be building stone steps in Fahnstock State Park on the Appalachian Trail.The project was started last March.Location (West side of Canopus Lake,one mile north on trail) Six steps done,fifteen more to go.Come on out, Build some thing to last more than a life time. Trail work will start on Saturday March 7th at 9am. Email me or call 845-297-9573. for more details See you on the trail. http://timtrek.mikentim.com