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2024's World Migratory Bird Day
May 08, 2024
James H. Clark
By now, many of us have watched with rapt attention (or, if you’re like me, with sweaty palms) movies or television series where zombies wreak havoc on planet earth in some horrifying apocalyptic scenario. They’re usually graphic, disturbing, and unfathomably disruptive to human existence.
In some instances, as portrayed in the HBO series “The Last Of Us,” there’s an unsettling angle of how something in nature (in this case, a fungus) turns against us and it all just goes bad.
But what if a scary scenario like this wasn’t caused by the mutation of something in nature, but the removal of it? Many of you have probably heard terms like “insect collapse” and “insect apocalypse” in reference to the steep decline in these animals during the past half century.
Renowned entomologist and conservationist, E.O. Wilson, had a lot to say about the importance of insects in our global ecosystems and how those ecosystems would be impacted by their loss. His apocalyptic scenario is just as harrowing as those we’ve seen on screen, noting that most plants and land animals would become extinct because of their reliance on animals like bees, butterflies, moths, ants, and beetles. And not over a long period of time, either. Within a few months.
Whoa. Not just because these animals help pollinate our crops and allow forest plants to reproduce, but because they also form the foundation of our terrestrial ecosystems.
Any animal you can think of likely consumes insects at some stage in its lifecycle, whether it’s a frog, a bear, a bird, or another insect.
Provided
One group of animals particularly reliant on insects is birds. Shorebirds, songbirds, wading birds, and even some birds of prey rely on these tiny animals in both their larval and adult stages. Perhaps you’ve observed your backyard Bluebirds plucking caterpillars off the ground, or watched acrobatic Tree Swallows catch winged insects in mid-air.
The degree to which the birds that we love rely on insects is profound. A single pair of Black-capped Chickadees, for example, was found to have fed 6,000-9,000 caterpillars to just one single brood of chicks during two weeks’ time. And now, during this magical month of May that bird enthusiasts in Eastern North America anticipate, insects are an ever-critical source of energy to these birds as they make their incredible journeys, sometimes across entire continents, to the places where they will raise their young.
So if our insects are declining, what does that mean for our birds? A study published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in 2019 concluded that we have lost 3 billion birds since 1970. May of the causes of this decline are attributed to the ways in which we have altered our natural environments to make them inhospitable toward insects, whether that’s through shrinking the available spaces for insects, polluting them, or simply eliminating them altogether.
Thinking back to E.O. Wilson’s connections between insects, healthy ecosystems, and even our own human existence, shouldn’t we be preserving them?
Fortunately for us, this is the turning point in the zombie apocalypse film where we learn what we can do to save ourselves. And in our real-life scenario, for our birds and other wildlife, too. The choices we make in our own backyards can have real impact, whether that involves eliminating pesticides, reducing our lawn and replacing it with native plants, or turning off unnecessary lights at night.
At Audubon we believe that creating healthy environments for birds creates healthy environments for people, and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to protecting our insects. With our own lives intrinsically connected to the survival of our world’s insects, so it is for the birds we love, too.
Learn exactly how you can get started on ensuring there plenty of insects to feed your local birds and other wildlife by coming to the Sharon Audubon Center’s World Migratory Bird Day event on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. where there will be partnering organizations, activities, games for kids, bird walks, short presentations, and more.
Partnering organizations include Audubon Connecticut, the Sharon Energy and Environmental Commission (SEEC), Litchfield Hills Audubon Society, Lights Out! Connecticut, Homegrown National Park, The Xerces Society, Lindera, and more.
Bethany Sheffer is Volunteer Coordinator and Naturalist at the Sharon Audubon Center.
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John Coston
MILLERTON — Fans of news of all sorts now can thank the NorthEast-Millerton Library for free full access to The New York times through the library website.
Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson said, “for years, the only newspapers anyone ever asked for were The Millerton News and The New York Times.”
The News — including archived editions dating back to 1930 — has been available at the library for sometime both in print or on microfilm. With a newly launched website, articles and photos from the paper edition and more are now available for free at www.millertonnews.com with print and digital replica editions accessible through subscriptions.
However, full access to the The Times presented more of a problem for the library and its patrons.
Leo-Jameson said, “Every few years we would look into subscribing, but the cost was prohibitive, especially since they could not guarantee same day delivery through the mail service.”
Not to be denied, however, because “we always strive to provide the things our community is asking for” early in the budget year, Leo-Jameson began checking into the possibilities again. She learned that The Times was providing an online library subscription service “with the cost not out of reach for a community our size” and immediately began the sign-up process.
As a result, The New York Times online is now up and running though the library site with free full access to everything in the paper from news to podcasts, games, athletics, and cooking literally at patron’s fingertips.
Leo-Jameson says readers can come to the library and “sit and read to their heart’s content” or access the paper from anywhere, including their homes.
They do so by signing up for a free account either through The Times site, which allows for a certain number of articles to be read each month or by creating one at the library. In either instance, if readers then access the paper through the library’s account, they receive unlimited access with the ability to re-open the site every 24 hours.
To register, follow the directions on the library’s website at nemillertonlibrary.org/nytimes or visit the main building at 75 Main St. For questions, call 518-789-3340.
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Region One voters OK budget
May 08, 2024
FALLS VILLAGE — The Region One budget passed a Tuesday, May 7 referendum vote easily, by a total of 274 yes to 63 no votes in the six Region One towns.
The 2024-25 Region One budget calls for a total of $17,690,331, an increase of $658,003 (3.86%).
All six towns voted in favor of the spending plan.
By town:
Canaan/Falls Village’s assessment is up to $1,417,263, an increase of $14,684 (1.05%). Voters approved the budget 32 yes, 6 no votes.
Cornwall’s assessment rose to $1,417,263, an increase of $177,768 (9.62%). Voters approved the budget 39 yes, 10 no.
Kent’s assessment is up to $2,526,911, an increase of $232,735 (10.14%). Kent passed the budget 59 yes, 15 no.
North Canaan’s assessment went down to $5,558,304, a decrease of $144,579 (-2.54%). Voters approved the budget 39 yes, 20 no.
Salisbury’s assessment went up to $4,408,013, an increase of $231,901 (5.55%). Salisbury passed the budget 81 yes, 5 no.
Sharon’s assessment is up to $1,754,954, an increase of $145,492 (9.04%). Voters approved the budget 24 yes, 7 no.
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NORTH CANAAN — Master mason Karl Munson has been hard at work this spring to repair the Doughboy Statue and war memorial in the heart of North Canaan.
At a May 6 meeting of the Board of Selectman, Brian Ohler announced the restoration will be completed in time for Memorial Day.
"The stars aligned with that," said Ohler.
North Canaan's parade on May 27 will culminate with a ceremony at the statue. The unveiling of the statue will include a newly added name to the World War II memorial: Louis A. Cecchinato Sr.
"That was a name that was unfortunately missed when they first created that plaque," said Ohler. "I know the family will be thrilled to see that unveiling on Memorial Day."
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