Displaying items by tag: Stillwater

Transition to winter hours of operation began at Saratoga National Historical Park on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. Since Dec. 1, the park’s tour road will be closed until Apr. 1.

Winter weather may also cause an earlier closure or delay opening. Please check the park’s website or social media for updates.

Coinciding with the tour road closure, the visitor center will be closed on Tuesdays from Dec. 1 through Apr. 1. The visitor center will be open Wednesdays through Mondays, 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

“Winter is a great time to explore the park by snowshoe or cross country skis,” notes park Superintendent Amy Bracewell. “We welcome everyone to come and experience the quiet sacredness of the battlefield landscape.”

For more information about park operations and activities, please see the park's website at www.nps.gov/sara.

STILLWATER — Last weekend Brown’s Beach closed due to high levels of E. Coli detected in the water via the beach’s daily tests on Friday. The following Wednesday, the beach reopened at 10 a.m., as levels had fallen well below anything dangerous.

Ed Kinowski, Town Supervisor for Stillwater, said that they tested the water four times, and every time the levels of E. Coli were below 10 per 100 milliliters of water. The beach closed when levels exceeded 235.

Kinowski said that they could not be certain as to what happened, since they only test the beach and swimming area for Brown’s Beach, not the entire lake. However it is possible that a flock of geese landed in or near the water shortly before the test that closed the beach, and then left almost immediately, causing the levels of E. coli to fall back down into an acceptable range. 

Any animal’s droppings become a home for bacteria and illness like E. coli; however, geese and ducks are especially troublesome for beaches due to them landing in the water, defecating and then the bacteria being able to reproduce and spread through the water much more easily than on land.

Kinowski said that they are taking various measures to ensure public safety at Brown’s Beach. When the beach closed on Saturday, Kinowski and others set up a fence along the shoreline of the non-beach areas to stop the birds from walking from the grass where they eat to the water.

Additionally, Kinowski said that he and his grandchildren made around 350 feet of flagging for the beach. The flagging will be set up at night and run the length of the beach with wire slightly above the sand. The purpose of the flagging it to annoy the birds enough to stop them from swimming onto the beach from the lake.

In addition to the wires on the ground, the beach has already installed 90-pound fishing line running the length of the beach atop poles too high to be an issue for humans. The point of the line is to deter birds from landing on the sand.

In addition to the various wires and fences, there are dogs. Bob Morris, the beach’s manager and marine operator, occasionally drives his tractor at the birds and then walks with his dog near the water to chase them a bit further away. Kinowski said that their neighbors are welcome to do much the same. Anyone can walk their dog and help scare away the geese. 

“If they molt in the area, then they want to stay here,” Kinowski said. “So we have to disrupt their habitat.”

The last deterrent that Brown’s Beach currently has is various birdcall generators that each deter a specific type of bird, like seagulls or pigeons.

Until recently, there has been no such call for geese; however, the company Bird-X told Kinowski that they may have something, and Brown’s Beach is going to gain a distressed goose call to its deterrents on a trial basis soon.

The beach will be gaining one other deterrent on a trial basis: silhouettes of predators. Various silhouettes are available, but Kinowski said he was a bit worried about getting something like an alligator, since someone might then think it is a good idea to try to bring their own alligator to the beach to help. Instead, he is looking into getting a silhouette of a coyote or the like.

 Kinowski concluded by saying that he and the others were there to protect the interests of the people who were going to the beach, that it was important to continue what they were doing and that it was the entire town, both employees and volunteers, that keep Brown’s Beach open and running.

For more information, visit the Brown’s Beach page of the Town of Stillwater website, at www.stillwaterny.org, or call the Town Clerk at 518-664-6148, ext. 2.

Photo provided.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College Saratoga Classic Horse Show is celebrating its 21st annual competition with the grand opening of a new 103acre venue called White Hollow Farm in Stillwater, New York. The property, located eight miles from Saratoga Springs, features eight new riding arenas engineered with state-of-the-art drainage systems and high-performance, allweather footing. The venue provides an expansive area for competition, practice rings, stabling, turnout paddocks, vendors and public viewing. The horse farm was a gift to Skidmore College from the estate of the late Robert R. Rosenheim, of Sharon, Connecticut. The guided tour of the 103acre property will provide a behind-the-scenes view of the new, state-of-the-art competition and schooling (practice) riding rings, horse barns, turnout paddocks, administrative offices and more.

“With this new facility, we’re investing in the future of the Saratoga Classic horse shows by creating a world-class venue that fulfills our vision and meets the needs of today’s equestrian,” said Adele Einhorn, executive director of the Skidmore College Saratoga Classic Horse Show.

“This competition venue is unlike any other in the region. The sheer size of the facility makes it attractive for riders. There’s ample room to ride and graze and turn out horses, and it’s so peaceful for both horse and rider. The new competition rings are state-of-the-art, with fully engineered drainage and all-weather, high-performance footing,” said Einhorn.

The Saratoga Classic show began in 1927 and was brought back to life in 1998. It has since become a highlight of the early summer season in Saratoga. The top-level competition attracts many of the country’s best horses and riders to the Saratoga area. The show had previously been held at the Yaddo show grounds since 1998. Over the past 20 years, the show has attracted more than 13,000 horses and participants from 49 states and seven countries; created employment opportunities for 850 individuals; and raised more than $4.5 million for financial aid/scholarships for students of Skidmore College. Show organizers have added an additional week to this year’s event, which will generate more funding for student scholarships. The show is traditionally held over two weeks in June (June 13–17 and June 20–24) and will now extend to three weeks, with new dates in August (Aug. 15–18). Events begin each day at 8 a.m., with the exception of Saturday, June 17, and Saturday, June 24, when events begin at 7:30 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit the website at www.skidmore. edu/saratogaclassic.