Letter from Chip Northrup Kudos to Canadarago Lake Communities Richfield Springs, near Canadarago Lake, is taking the lead locally on mitigating harmful algal blooms by curtailing the nutrients that are discharged from septic tanks—nitrogen and phosphorus—into the lake. We know why “the grass is always greener over the septic tank.” Toxic algae thrives in nutrient-rich water. As permitted, septic tanks discharge nutrients into the groundwater, and those fertilizers find their way into the lake where they help drive toxic algae…
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Letters To The Editor - Page 61
Letter from Gerry Welch Waterproof Beacons Should Replace Flares I own and operate a boat rental business in New York State. I went to check the expiration date on my flares to make sure my equipment was up to date. Even though I’ve been around boats most of my life, I have never needed to light a single flare. As it turned out, my flares were outdated, so I decided to see if they were still good. It actually took…
Letter from Mary Anne Whelan State of Emergency or Xenophobia? The last two issues of “The Freeman’s Journal” have covered David Bliss’ proposed strategies for, in effect, defending ourselves from any proposed influx of immigrants. While it is understandable to raise concerns about a housing shortage as a rationale for this, there is also a flavor of Trump-style xenophobia and a lack of any proposed humane solution to an urgent human problem.…
Keith Gulla and John Walker, shown here with Bowie, are among the business owners who supported the Village Library of Cooperstown and Friends of the Village Library during this year’s National Library Lovers’ campaign. (Photo provided) Letter from Karen Katz Local Businesses Givein Support of Library The Friends of the Village Library would like to extend their thanks to the community and all of the local businesses who supported this year’s National Library Lovers’ campaign in February. The campaign featured…
Letter from Cindy Falk No to Exclusion as an ‘Emergency’ Measure This year, I had students in my historic preservation class at the Cooperstown Graduate Program do research on businesses in New York in the 1930s to the 1960s that were welcoming to Black travelers as documented in the “Negro Motorist Green Book.” One student, Megan Good, uncovered the story of the Trade Winds Motor Court in Yonkers and its involvement in the United States v. City of Yonkers segregation…
Letter from Nathan Seamon Survey Shows ProjectTo Be Very Unpopular The Town of Columbia survey results for the proposed Columbia Solar Project and Battery Storage Facility conducted by mail in March and April are in and have been tabulated. At the request of the Columbia Town Board, the survey was conducted by the Columbia Planning Board to better understand the opinions of the residents and property owners about the proposed solar project that developer EDF Renewables has been pitching in…
Letter from Gary R. Schoonmaker Climate Action Plan Not Widely Discussed Is there some kind of media blackout around the Climate Action Council’s activities? The New York State government (Legislature and governor), passed a law in 2019 called the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). That act set a goal of “net-zero carbon emissions for the entire state economy by 2050.” In order to implement that goal, the legislation commissioned a Climate Action Council to develop a draft…
Letter from Gerry Welch Mother’s Day a Time to Honor Gift of Life When I was a young child (14), I heard my mother sobbing in the dining room. This I’d never seen or heard before. I immediately went to her and asked why the tears. She looked up at me and said all of my children (seven) are asking me to do things for them. She then added, “What is in it for me?” I thought for a moment…
Letter from Mitzi Sackett NYS Cancer Services Program Saves Lives Cancer is the second leading cause of death in New York State. In 2019, there were more than 118,000 new cases of cancer and nearly 34,000 New Yorkers died of the disease. The NYS Department of Health leads efforts to reduce the burden of cancer across the state through initiatives such as the Cancer Services Program. The CSP offers free breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening to New Yorkers who…
Letter from the League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area Your Vote: InvestmentThat Will Pay Off An investment in knowledge, noted Benjamin Franklin, pays the best interest. On May 16, you have the chance to make that investment when residents of the Cooperstown Central School District will elect its school board and vote on the annual district budget election. As the CCSD Board notes on its website, “Local control of education through elected school boards has its roots in…
