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DEC Statewide Forest Ranger Highlights

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wildland Search: On May 14 at 8:46 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from New Jersey two hikers on Buck Mountain without reliable light sources. The pair advised they were still on the trail, but concerned their cell phone lights would not last until they got back to the trailhead. Forest Ranger Poulton arrived on scene at 9:29 p.m., walked up the trail, and located the hikers immediately. The Ranger escorted the pair back to the trailhead and the incident concluded at 9:45 p.m.

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DEC Wilderness Rescue

Town of Fort Ann
Washington County
Wilderness Rescue: On Mar. 20 at 8:11 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a request for Forest Ranger assistance from Warren County 911 for a report of three 19-year-old hikers from Saratoga Springs lost on Buck Mountain in the Lake George Wild Forest. The reporting party stated the hikers had no light source and were cold. Forest Rangers St. Claire and Donegan responded to the trailhead and hiked into the woods, locating the lost group at 9:44 p.m. The hikers were in good condition and able to hike out on their own. All parties involved were cleared of the incident at 10:15 p.m.

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Quarantine for Domestic Travel Will No Longer Be Required Starting April 1st

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. State or U.S. Territory starting April 1st. While no longer required, the NYS Department of Health still recommends quarantine after domestic travel as an added precaution. Mandatory quarantine remains in effect for international travelers. All travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Individuals should continue strict adherence to all safety guidelines to stop the spread – wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding gatherings. Click here for the full release.

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DiNapoli: Statewide Local Sales Tax Collections Declined 10 Percent in 2020

New York state local government sales tax collections declined by 10 percent overall in 2020, or $1.8 billion, compared to the previous year, according to a report issued by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This decline was steeper than the drop during the Great Recession, when local sales tax collections fell 6 percent statewide in 2009 compared to 2008.

However, Washington county saw a slight increase of about 3.3% in sales tax from 2019 to 2020. Online shopping likely was the cause of this. Governor Cuomo last year approved legislation that allowed the state to begin collecting sales tax from online marketplaces.

We should all try to buy locally in Washington county or have items shipped to our local addresses because sales tax is a component of the county and town budgets – which does impact property taxes.

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Washington County Updates About Vaccine Distribution

Following receipt of our first allocations of the COVID-19 Vaccine over the last two weeks, our team conducted coordinated outreach efforts with our First Responder agencies and Office for the Aging & Disabilities Resource Center, Community Senior Groups and Leaders in an effort to reach many of those eligible populations directly as we kicked-off our distribution process. When we launched our initial coordinated communications campaigns within those groups, we also launched a Vaccine Information Help Line to help accommodate what is a significant need for those in our county without internet to have access to local vaccine event information. Our help line, (active when POD events are open for registration), is composed of team members of dedicated personnel from our Washington County, NY Office for Aging & Disabilities Resource Center, Social Services, Public Health and Public Safety Departments. Additionally, our Help Line staff developed a stand-by list from overflow calls (which is required for all POD events) for emergency call-ins and cancellations to ensure every dose makes it into an eligible arm!

#VACCINATEWASHINGTONCOUNTY

To date, our Washington County, NY Public Health Department and Washington County EMS Vaccination team members have been able to vaccinate 1,259 people with their first doses! The ability to continue dispensing the COVID-19 Vaccine to our communities is dependent on receiving vaccine supply from the state and subsequently the federal government. The vaccine supply we receive from the state comes along with direction in which eligible categories and populations it must be used for, the counties are not able to decide on our own or re-allocate use of vaccine to another category. It remains the goal of our Washington County Public Health team to vaccinate everyone in Washington County who is eligible and wants to be vaccinated. We understand there have been some challenges to the initial rollout of the vaccine nationwide, statewide and here locally in Washington County. As with any process, our team is always looking for ways in which we can identify areas to improve our own processes and systems for the many who rely on us all.

CHANGES TO THE COUNTY’S VACCINE DISTRIBUTION PROCESS

We’re instituting a few changes to our open Point of Dispensing (POD) events and how the announcement and registration process will work, moving forward. For public POD events, we will announce the POD event and the eligible category the day prior to the registration opening on our Coronavirus Information site (at washingtoncountyny.gov/coronavirus), our Vaccine Information Hotline, in our daily e-newsletter (which is free and available for sign-up on our site above) and on our Public Health & Public Safety social media outlets – we’ll also continue sending e-notifications to our local officials and media partners too! Announcing the POD event registration notice the day prior will allow those in the eligible groups for the event, more time to prepare to access the registration link, knowing when registration will open a bit ahead of time. Also, when registration for new events open, we will open the county’s Vaccination Information Help Line (during business hours) to assist those without internet access to have the ability to register for open appointments as well (based on availability of accessible appointments).

I WANT TO BE VACCINATED, WHAT CAN I DO?

County Public Health is only one of the many options available for access to vaccination (and many of the others receive larger allocations of vaccine than the counties), we encourage everyone in our communities to ensure you explore every available option if you want to be vaccinated!

Are you eligible? http://bit.ly/COVID19_AmIEligible (state sites)

Check our site for updates: washingtoncountyny.gov/coronavirus

No internet access? Call (518)746-2422 (County events / info)

No internet access? Call (833)NYS-4VAX (state run sites)

Check with your Healthcare Provider

Check with local Pharmacies (65 and older)

LOOKING FORWARD

As we look forward, our plan includes continuing to deliver vaccine to every eligible member of our communities, including those in our senior and disabled housing communities, homebound and other difficult to reach populations. Our team of Public Health professionals have worked hard and dedicated much time and effort to ensure we have the framework in place to dispense vaccine, however, in order to accomplish our plan in its entirety, vaccine supply needs to increase and become regular to allow ample time for planning and coordination – additionally, counties need to be allowed to vaccinate all eligible categories. Please know and understand that the supply remains extremely limited and our ability to hold events and expand our distribution program all depend on that supply and the direction on allocation use we receive from the state. We look forward to continuing to work with our Washington County EMS Vaccination team, community healthcare partners, our neighbors at Warren County, NY Public Health and the NYSDOH – New York State Health Department to #VaccinateNY together!

THANK YOU to all of our community members for working with us through the challenges and vaccine roll out process, we look forward to continuing to vaccinate those eligible in our communities and working together to get #shotsinarms to help end the pandemic!

Timothy R. Hardy, ENP
Deputy Director
WASHINGTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

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Senator Stec: State Budget Hinges on Robust Federal Aid Package

State Senator Dan Stec (R,C,I-Queensbury) today said Governor Andrew Cuomo has proposed an unprecedented state budget for its heavy reliance on federal aid to balance the state’s financial books. Cuomo is seeking $15 billion in state and local aid from the federal government to close a huge budget gap in the upcoming fiscal year.

“The governor says he has a lot of friends in Washington, DC so when it comes to the funding I say ‘go get it’,” said Stec. “According to the governor, New York State is the number one donor state, putting in more and getting back less from the federal government year after year. He said this has persisted going back to the days of Senator Patrick Moynihan who retired from the US Senate 20 years ago.

“The governor has had ten years to address what he calls ‘a chronic injustice’ but he hasn’t. The time is now and he needs to get the job done,” said Stec.

Stec said the governor’s approach of waiting for federal assistance will create an enormous challenge for lawmakers as well as advocates, including schools, hospitals and not-for-profits, trying to figure out what will and won’t be possible to fund.

“On an executive budget presentation day, we might typically say ‘the devil is in the details’ but, based on what we heard today I am thinking this is a budget based on a ‘hope and a prayer’.

“From my perspective, job one is restarting the economy. I have been and will continue to talk with our chambers of commerce and local businesses to see what the State of New York should be doing to help them in the months ahead,” said Stec.

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DEC Update on Lake George Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Treatment


HWA infestations can be most noticeably detected by the small, white, woolly masses produced by the insects that are attached to the underside of the twig, near the base of the needles.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and partners recently issued an update about ongoing efforts to limit the spread of the invasive pest Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) on Forest Preserve lands in Washington County as part of an ongoing, multi-year initiative. DEC confirmed the HWA infestation in August 2020, and began treatment in October on affected hemlock trees in the Glen Island Campground on the shores of Lake George.

Treatment began Oct. 6, 2020 along the shorelines of Lake George and was conducted over a four-week period by DEC staff. DEC prioritized the infestation at Paradise Bay due to the site’s size and levels of infestation. Crews treated 2,374 trees with insecticide on 138 acres of Paradise Bay and injected insecticides directly into the trunks of 80 trees close to sensitive areas. In addition, the New York State Hemlock Initiative released 620 Laricobius beetles, a biological control for HWA, in the treatment area to feed on HWA.

Since the initial finding of HWA at Glen Island, DEC and its partners continued to survey for the insect in surrounding areas. These surveys led to new findings of HWA at Shelving Rock; Buck Mountain Trail Head; Dome Island, private property along the southern shore of Lake George in Queensbury; and Moreau Lake State Park. To address the infestation, DEC is planning consecutive annual treatments to treat many of the trees in the infested areas, as well as additional strategies. Spring treatments at Glen Island Campground will begin after ground thaw when trees begin to transpire and will take up insecticides and end before the campground opens for the season. Treatment dates and strategies are being determined and will help limit the spread of HWA and protect accessible priority hemlock resources that provide habitat and water quality protections, opportunities for recreation, and aesthetic benefits.

Early detection and rapid response to invasive pests is central to protecting New York’s natural resources. DEC and its partners’ efforts to further prevent the spread of HWA are critical to protecting the hemlock forests in the Lake George watershed and greater Adirondack Park.

Signs of HWA on hemlock trees include white wooly masses (ovisacs) about one-quarter the size of a cotton swab on the underside of branches at the base of needles, gray-tinted foliage, and needle loss. DEC is asking the public to report signs of HWA:

Take pictures of the infestation signs as described above (include something for scale such as a coin);

Note the location (intersecting roads, landmarks, or GPS coordinates);

Contact DEC or the local Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM) by visiting DEC’s website.

Report the infestation to iMapInvasives; and

Slow the spread of HWA by cleaning equipment or gear after it has been near an infestation and by leaving infested material where it was found.