Hands-On Public Maple Education Classes (in person)

Friday, Saturday and Sunday Bowdoin Parks staff will provide hands-on learning opportunities for all ages about the art and history of making maple syrup. Participants will get to watch the different steps of the maple syrup making process, from the tapping of trees at the park, to sap collection, and boiling it down to make syrup. Native American methods for creating maple sugar will also be explored.

Sessions will be offered at 10am, 12:30pm, and 3pm all three days. Classes are $5 per person and pre-registration is required. Sessions are limited to 20 participants. Registration opens March 2nd at DutchessNY.gov/Parks.

Sap Happy Maple Weekend (in person)

Dutchess County Parks’ popular Sap Happy Maple Weekend returns with tasty, educational, and fun events for all ages in collaboration with the Office for the Aging, Poughkeepsie Public Library, Farmers and Chefs restaurant, and Sean’s Waffles Food Truck from Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27 at Bowdoin Park.

An Afghan Culture & History Primer: Helping the Hudson Valley to Welcome Refugees (virtual)

On Sunday, February 27, join The Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History and Sina Baha and Khadija Ghanizada to learn about Afghan culture and history, and to hear first-hand some of the challenges Afghan newcomers face in the Hudson Valley. Over the past few months, several dozen Afghan refugees have settled in the Hudson Valley. This presentation is geared toward assisting Hudson Valley neighbors in welcoming our newest neighbors. The program will feature presentations as well as time for questions. We will also hear from the Afghan Support Circle of the Hudson Valley, a group currently working in support of a refugee agency to help resettle a family in Ulster County. Register here!

No Way to Grow Up: A conversation with students and teachers about COVID and schools (virtual)

In this virtual conversation, students and educators will talk about learning loss and social isolation, the future of education, and what it’s like coming of age amid the cascading crises facing young people today. Register here!

Speakers include:

  • Dr. Karla Vermeulen, associate professor of psychology and deputy director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health at SUNY New Paltz.
  • Amayah Spence, a senior at SUNY New Paltz studying psychology and journalism, and the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, the Oracle.
  • Sophie Frank, a senior at Onteora High School who has written for The River about virtual learning and teen mental health during the pandemic.
  • Shanna Andrawis, a teacher at Poughkeepsie High School
  • And more to be announced.

Moderated by Phillip Pantuso, managing editor of The River, and Rayan El Amine, editorial intern for The River.

How Do I Price My Artwork? (virtual)

Join the Arts Society of Kingston (ASK) to hear from a panel of artists and arts professionals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to explore this question with you! Register here!

Panelists:

Julio Nazario, Denise Fryburg, Deborah Mangrum-Price, Debbie Auer-Breithaupt, and Terry Murray – all artists and ASK Education Committee members – will share their unique perspectives in response to this question and respond to your questions.

Author Talk: Andrea C. Mosterman, Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York (virtual)

Andrea Mosterman is associate professor in Atlantic History and Joseph Tregle Professor in Early American History at the University of New Orleans. In her work, she explores the multi-faceted dimensions of slavery, slave trade, and cross-cultural contact in the Dutch Atlantic and Early America with special emphasis on Early New York. Register here!

Andrea Mosterman has published her work in the Journal of African History and Early American Studies, and she curated the digital exhibit “Slavery in New Netherland” for the New Netherland Institute. Her book Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York (Cornell University Press, 2021) won the 2020 Hendricks Award for best book-length manuscript relating to New Netherland and the Dutch colonial experience.

on Advancing Supportive Housing Solutions to Reduce Homelessness for People Impacted by the Criminal Legal System (virtual)

Join Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Exodus Transitional Community (Exodus) and other panelists to discuss the immediate actions NYC leadership can take in 2022 to expand access to supportive housing for those leaving Rikers Island who are homeless and have behavioral health needs. These fiscally responsible policy changes are an important component of de-incarceration and making our communities safer. Register here!

Panelists:
Louis Molina, NYC DOC Commissioner
Kandra Clark, VP of Policy & Strategy, Exodus Transitional Services
Cynthia Stuart, COO, Supportive Housing Network of New York
Mark Hurwitz, COO, Urban Pathways

Moderator:  Dr. Victoria A. Philips (Ms. V.), Founder of Visionary V, The Community, Health and Justice Organizer with the Mental Health Project, Urban Justice Center

Meeting New York’s Ambitious Climate Goals: Conflict, Compromise, and NIMBY in Renewable Energy Siting (virtual)

10th Annual Woodstock Land Conservancy Film & Discussion Series

Hosted by Scenic Hudson. Register here!

In 2019, NYS passed the most ambitious, hopeful, and solution-oriented legislation in the country to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. By 2030, 70% of our electricity must come from renewables. In our part of the Hudson Valley, this means solar farms. Where will they go, who will make the decisions, and what will be the competing demands of agriculture, housing, tourism, and aesthetics?

We all want action on climate change. How do we balance people’s reservations against the pressing need to act now? Engage with short videos and live interviews plus Q&A with some of the climate leaders in the Hudson Valley, including Jen Metzger, former State Senator and current advisor to New Yorkers for Clean Power, and Audrey Friedrichsen, Land Use and Environmental Advocacy Attorney for Scenic Hudson.