By Sarah Katan Congratulations to the Claverack Free Library for collecting one thousand pounds of plastic film packaging and recycling with the NexTrex Recycling Challenge rather than letting it go to landfills. Once again, the residents of Claverack and surrounding towns have proven that reducing their environmental impact is important. Collected at the Library, the plastic is weighed and submitted to a local collection center and then utilized by the NexTrex company to mak

Taghkanic Talks presents Not all Forests are Created Equal: A Closer Look at Our Forest Habitats and Their Biodiversity by Claudia Knab-Vispo, Conrad Vispo, (Co-Authors) and their colleague, Kyle Bradford.   The authors of the recently published Field Guide, From the Hudson to the Taconics: An Ecological and Cultural Field Guide to the Habitats of Columbia County, New York will demonstrate how to use the Field Guide as a tool to:    Recognize various habitats in Columbia Coun

by Tim Kennelty It’s Fall: Time to Plant Native Perennials Hi, I’m Tim Kennelty. I live in the Town of Taghkanic. I’m a Master Gardener and trained as a Master Naturalist and Master Forest Owner through Cornell Cooperative Extension. This is my inaugural column where I hope to regularly share some tidbits on nature and gardening with links to relevant episodes of Nature Calls , a podcast that I co-hosted, as well as more detailed information and articles if you want to take a

By Katy Flammia Dr. Doug Tallamy , acclaimed author and native plant advocate, gave a lecture at the Columbia Greene Community College and led a couple of field walks at Arthur’s Point Farm in Ghent in September. ( Arthur’s Point Farm  was a sponsor of the event and wonderful local resources for plants and trees.  New Leaf Tree Service  was another sponsor and great source for ecologically minded tree care and tree and meadow planting.) On the walks, Tallamy spoke about many