Successful Adirondack Regional Conference

The 1^st annual Adirondack Regional Conference was held on Saturday, Oct 30 at Tupper Lake High School. From all accounts and based on a post conference survey it was very interesting, informative and an enjoyable venue. Thirty forest owners (mostly NYFOA members) attended.

This was the second of four regional conferences scheduled throughout the state this fall. The Northern (NAC) and Southern Chapters (SAC) of NYFOA were co-hosts. The state-wide program committee decided to offer this series in place of the usual annual, state-wide conference typically held at the College of Environmental Science & Forestry at Syracuse. Regional venues have the primary advantage of reduced driving time for attendees. Plus, regional conferences can tailor the agenda to local interests. We will likely continue the regional series at the Tupper Lake HS again next year. Their administration and staff were extremely cordial and competent.

Each of the regional conferences depended heavily on the support and work of numerous volunteers at the Chapter level. Craig Vollmer, Executive Director, put out a call for volunteers as of mid-summer. Numerous volunteers took on roles such as conducting promotion, finding catering, working with the venue staff, acquiring raffle items, and running the raffle, publication handouts, etc. Thank you, NAC & SAC members, for admirably completing those tasks!

This conference was the second major event for Claire Kenney, NYFOA’s new Office Administrator. She was instrumental in acquiring and setting up lunch and the registration. Claire’s contact information is: PO Box 644, Naples, NY 14512ph: 607-356-2214email: info@nyfoa.org

The complete schedule with speakers and topics can be viewed on the NYFOA.org website under statewide EVENTS/ADK regional conference schedule. All presentations were very interesting and well delivered. For those of you who did not attend, here are a few good links to various topics or contact the speakers directly:

Moose of NY https://www.adirondack.net/wildlife/moose-sighting...

Planting for Pollinators https://www.pollinator.org/

NY Forestry Issues & Opportunitieshttps://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4972.html

Estate & Legacy Planning Toolbox https://extension.psu.edu/forests-and-wildlife/for...

Preserving your Forest Legacy, Planning Tool Options and Conservation Easementshttps://adirondacklandtrust.org/

Thank you all (organizers, volunteers, speakers, school staff, attendees) for making the conference such a success and pleasure to attend. I hope you all will be involved again next year!