April Events
It’s April! This month, learn how to attract pollinators to your garden, get that bike fixed, or campaign for clean heat! Browse all the regional events here.
No more road salt!
While we need to use road salt to keep roadways safe in the ice and snow, the accumulation of salt that washes into waterways has unintended consequences on aquatic life. It also largely contributes to Harmful Algal Blooms, which have been a major problem in the Finger Lakes Region for years. Using this much imported salt is also expensive in terms of both money and carbon emissions. Fortunately, practical alternatives are starting to emerge; namely, salt brine and live-blade plows (which you can learn more about in the article below). Over the course of 2 years testing these alternatives, communities around Lake George cut their salt usage in half, “a drop that maintenance officials say can’t be explained by weather variations”.
Free Seedlings Available for Streamside Plantings
Residents living along streams and other waterbodies are encouraged to participate in the DEC’s “Buffer in a Bag” program. The goal of the Buffer in a Bag program is to increase forested riparian buffers across the state by encouraging landowners to undertake small-scale plantings. Streamside plantings help decrease erosion, slow floodwaters, and protect fish and wildlife habitat.
Claire Dehm
Three “Women at the Wheel” bicycle repair workshops at the Ithaca Farmers Market pavilion in summer 2021, open to women and non-binary residents of Tompkins County.
Downtown Ithaca Alliance
Partial costs of purchasing a self-serve bicycle repair station in downtown Ithaca, equipped with tools, an air pump, and a stand.
Adrianna Hirtler
An interactive observation board beside Six Mile Creek in Titus Triangle Park, to be used by park visitors to record observations of the creek and its wildlife, local cultural stories, and other messages that build environmental awareness and community connections.