Annual Dinner Brings Conservation into Focus
By BILL BELLEN
HARTWICK
Creek Side Station in Hartwick was abuzz the evening of Sunday, August 30, as the Otsego County Conservation Association, its partners, and community members from around the county joined together for the organization’s annual dinner.
Advertised as a way for county residents to get involved without the commitment of fieldwork, the 5-8 p.m. fundraising event brought in a total of 91 attendees by the end of the night. Ticket revenue went directly toward supporting the extensive conservation work done by the OCCA across Otsego County, including trail maintenance, stream monitoring and rapid response operations.
Among the highlights of the evening were the event’s two keynote speakers: Town of Oneonta Supervisor William Rivera Jr. and Town of Oneonta Deputy Supervisor Patricia Kent. The pair focused their talk on the ongoing local and statewide discussions surrounding data centers, including what the local and state-level moratoriums mean for residents and how to prepare for the pressures of potential future development.
Frank Harte, president of the OCCA Board of Directors, spoke fondly of the dinner and the contributions made by Rivera and Kent.
“What stood out to me about our annual dinner was the celebration of multiple countywide collaborative efforts to preserve our beautiful natural resources and communities,” Harte said.
Harte further noted that River and Kent helped to illustrate and reinforce “the importance of setting aside land for public recreation and learning, while sharing their efforts to promote the regulation of data center technology.”
The other central focus of the night fell upon the Butternut Valley Alliance, a group that was presented with OCCA’s 2026 Conservationist of the Year Award. First announced on August 14 via the group’s Facebook page, the association credited their recognition of the BVA to the extensive work conducted by the group to ensure the protection of natural ecosystems throughout the Butternut Valley. The BVA’s work spans a plethora of avenues, including the creation of educational walking trails, the removal of four tons of plastic from Calhoun Creek and the reintroduction of the American eel to Butternut Creek.
OCCA Program Director Jeff O’Handley shared his thoughts on the award nomination process and why it was decided that BVA was the best choice.
“While all the nominees were worthy, the committee felt that BVA’s accomplishments in environmental stewardship, community engagement and economic development made them stand out,” O’Handley said. “From the outset, BVA has had a strong vision and clearly-defined goals that enabled the organization to move forward and become a powerhouse.”
O’Handley and Harte shared the sentiment that the dinner was a major success, both in terms of fundraising and bringing the community together for an evening to focus on the care of the local environment.
Additional donations at the event and bids from the silent auction—which included prizes such as tickets to Glimmerglass Film Days and a year-long Catskill Forest Association membership—grossed a combined $2,200.00.
As OCCA puts a wrap on one year’s worth of conservation efforts and begins to embark on the next, Harte reflected on the annual dinner and why it matters in the wider scope of OCCA’s mission.
“It was a very successful event,” Harte recalled. “It provides a spirit of renewal and energy as we all continue the challenge to make our communities sustainable, diverse, and maintained.”
More information about OCCA and future events can be found on their website at https://www.occainfo.org/ or on the organization’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OCCAINFO/.
