Hudson Valley Autism Walk to raise funds, awareness, acceptance
The Hudson Valley Walk for Autism will be held on Saturday, October 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, at James Baird State Park in Pleasant Valley. “This special event is open to the Hudson Valley community to raise funds for local programs, raise autism awareness and acceptance and connect families to the many local services available for people living with autism,” said Allison Fedigan of the Autism Directory Service, Inc. (ADS), chairperson of this year’s walk. “Most importantly, the walk offers families and the community an opportunity to share a fun-filled day with their loved ones in an autism-friendly venue while supporting a vital cause.”
The event features an accessible walk around the grounds of the James Baird State Park. Individual and team walkers are encouraged to register and/or obtain sponsorships. The registration fee is $10 per walker; participants on the ASD spectrum get in free. Although no donation is too small, it is hoped that the average walker will provide pledges of at least $100. Registration begins at 9 a.m., and walk-ins are welcome; the first 500 registrants will receive a free gift.
More than 40 agencies, providers and vendors representing the local autism care community will be available to provide information and answer questions. Food trucks, entertainment and varied activities are offered for children and their families.
To register, and for additional information about the walk, activities and sponsors, contact Allison Fedigan at (914) 966-9019, e-mail hvwalkforautism@gmail.com or visit www.adshelps.org.
Ride for Mental Health gives biggest donation to date
The Ride for Mental Health recently made a donation to McLean Hospital in the amount of $225,000 for education, research and treatment of mental illness. The funds represent the money raised by the participants in this summer’s Ride for Mental Health event and is the largest donation so far in the brief history of the event. The Ride has now donated over $800,000 to McLean since 2017 – the first year of the event. McLean Hospital is the nation’s number-one-rated psychiatric hospital and is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Antique Appraisal Day at UC Historical Society
Eager to know how much Grandma’s quilt is worth? Wondering if that wavy mirror in the hall really has any value, or if Mom’s locket is truly special? Find out at the Ulster County Historical Society’s Antiques Appraisal Day on Sunday, September 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bevier House, located at 2682 Route 209 in Kingston.
Sanford Levy of Jenkinstown Antiques, Charlie Kavanagh of Schneider’s Jewelers, Jean Papin and Bill Merchant, four local specialists, will examine vintage tools, furniture, decorative objects, jewelry and ephemera for you and offer a fair estimate of their current value. The cost per item is $10, or three items for $25, with a limit of three items per person, unless availability permits otherwise.
For additional information, visit https://ulstercountyhs.org or Ulster County Historical Society on Facebook.
NYS-DEC implements new hunting regulations
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will extend hunting hours this hunting season while implementing new dress-code requirements aimed at improving hunter safety afield.
“New York has a long and proud tradition of deer and bear hunting, and with these new rules, DEC is building on that tradition by expanding opportunities for hunters, increasing antlerless harvest where needed and improving hunter safety,” DEC commissioner Basil Seggos said in a prepared statement last Wednesday. “I am confident that the rule changes announced today will provide hunters with a better all-around experience while ensuring their safety. In addition, these actions bring New York in line with the common practices of states and provinces across North America.”
The new regulations establish a nine-day firearms hunting season for antlerless deer in mid-September, from September 11 to 19, in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 3M, 3R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8J, 8N, 9A and 9F, and using bow-hunting equipment in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J and 8C.
Officials said that the objective is to decrease the deer population or maintain a stable population, and increased antlerless harvest is needed to achieve these objectives. DEC said that such objectives are based on public input and assessments of deer impacts to forests. Officials asserted that hunters may only use Deer Management Permits (DMPs) and Deer Management Assistance Permit (DMAP) tags in this season.
The plan also calls for restoring antlerless harvest during the early muzzleloader season in Northern Zone WMUs 6A, 6F and 6J, with a goal of maintaining a stable population. This comes as the deer population in these units has grown, aided by a series of mild winters and prior restrictions on antlerless harvest, DEC officials said.
The plan also extends deer and bear hunting hours to include the full period of ambient light, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The agency said that all other states permit deer hunting starting 30 minutes before sunrise or earlier, or specify daylight hours, while 46 of 50 states allow deer hunting after sunset, usually 30 minutes.
The state will also now require anyone hunting big game with a firearm, or accompanying someone hunting big game with a firearm, to wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat, vest or jacket. “Most two-party hunting-related shooting incidents in New York involve a hunter victim who was not wearing fluorescent orange or pink clothing,” officials said. Similar fluorescent orange requirements exist in most states.
The regulations will also simplify the bear hunting season in the Adirondacks by covering the regular season to cover the entire hunting period and remove outdated language regarding deer-tag use during the early bow-hunting season in September.
The agency first announced the proposed changes in June 2021 after adopting the updated New York State Deer Management Plan and adopted the plan after reviewing a number of public comments on the plan. The full text of the adopted regulations is available at www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/34113.html#Parts_1_11.
Call for artists
The Veteran Arts Showcase at the FDR Library and Museum in Hyde Park, an event that celebrates veterans and the healing power of creativity, will move this year to a digital platform due to COVID-19. This digital Showcase will include an online art gallery, and a variety of speakers and performances will be streamed throughout the day on Saturday, November 20. The Showcase will remain viewable on the website through the winter/spring of 2022.
Veterans, active-duty service members, reservists and their families are invited to submit images of their art for the online gallery. All crafts and visual art – painting, graphics, sculpture, photography et cetera – are welcome. Speakers, writers, musicians and performers of all kinds are invited to participate in the Showcase by sending a prerecorded performance. To apply, visit www.veteranartsshowcase.org and fill out the application and follow instructions. The application deadline is Saturday, October 21.
For more information or to have an application mailed to you, contact Dayl Wise (845) 679-2161, dswbike@aol.com.
Join the family! 
