By Kingston Land Trust, on February 23rd, 2012
YMCA and South Pine Street City Farm team up to build community greenhouse Innovative urban farm project receives funding from SARE
KINGSTON, NY – This season the South Pine Street City Farm and the YMCA are partnering on a new greenhouse at the YMCA Community Garden in mid-town Kingston. The 12′ x 20′ greenhouse will be used for seedlings and winter production for South Pine Street City Farm, but will also be open to community gardeners and others wanting to participate in growing their own seedlings.
The idea of a city greenhouse was initiated by Jesica Clark, farmer at South Pine Street City Farm, out of her desire to grow seedlings for the farm and for community use in Kingston. In addition, Mrs. Clark applied for and was awarded funding from Sustainable Agriculture Reseach and Education (SARE) to conduct an innovative projectdesigned to heat the greenhouse without electricity or fossil fuels, using compost made from used coffee grounds and yard waste such as leaves and chipped branches.
“I’m so excited to be able to grow seedlings sustainably in Kingston. What an opportunity for those who want to grow food from seed, but find that their sunny window is just not enough,” says farmer Clark.
Lee Anne Albritton, Child Care Director at the YMCA of Kingston and Ed Blouin, Site Steward for the YMCA Community Garden, picked up on the project and suggested the YMCA Garden, located in the playground on Summer Street, as an ideal place for the greenhouse. The site is accessible to many neighborhoods in Kingston and project will draw attention to the burgeoning garden space created for the community and the youth that participate in YMCA programs. The YMCA Community Garden will again be expanding this year to accommodate more families who want to garden, but do not have the space or resources at their home.
Ms. Albritton comments, “This is such an exciting collaboration, using Farmer Clark’s expertise and experience to help the YMCA mission of social responsibility to expand our community gardens and to bring accessible gardening and food production to our members and their families. Participating in this “groundbreaking” program will be especially stimulating for our after-school youth gardening curriculum, as well as for our new program to provide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients with seeds, tools and garden space to provide real food for their families.”
The greenhouse is scheduled to be in place by the end of this year and will be ready for seedling production in 2013.
For more information about the greenhouse or South Pine Street City Farm – A program sponsored by The Queens Galley in partnership with The Kingston Land Trust and Binnewater Ice Company, please contact Jesica Clark at jesicaclark21@gmail.com. For information about the YMCA and their gardening programs, please contact Lee Anne Albritton at lalbritton@ymcaulster.org
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 21st, 2012
 Scenes from the Mt. Zion African-American Burial Ground Rededication Event It’s a Family Affair.
Pot Luck, Family and the Mt. Zion Cemetery
Tuesday, February 28th at 6:00pm
Everett Hodge Center
15-21 Franklin Street
Kingston, NY
Come with a dish, visit friends and enjoy a free showing of the Mt. Zion African-American Cemetery Rededication Film.
Tuesday, February 28th at 6:00pm
Everett Hodge Center
15-21 Franklin Street
Kingston, NY
Hosted by the Kingston Land Trust African-American History Committee
Please bring a dish and enjoy the stories of those with families buried at the Mt. Zion African-American Burial Ground on South Wall Street in Kingston.
Help us in our effort to protect this and other significant African-American sites in the city of Kingston. This event will be filmed with permission.
For more information, contact Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust at 845/750-7295.
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 21st, 2012
The Kingston Land Trust is thrilled to announce and congratulate Board Director and Chair of the Kingston Land Trust Rail Trail Committee Gregg Swanzey who is now the City of Kingston’s new Director of Economic Development and Strategic Partnerships.
Gregg, who lives in Kingston’s Rondout, spent years at sea aboard sailing research and education ships including a Humpback whale research program aboard a barkentine in Arctic waters off Greenland and as captain for a Soviet-American cultural exchange transAtlantic from Leningrad to New York via Iceland and Newfoundland. He logged tens of thousands of miles at sea and now still regularly finds his way out onto tidal waters in a kayak launched from the docks at the Strand.
Gregg’s background includes grants management and corporate relations for Mohonk Preserve, Executive Director for a gubernatorially appointed commission in Massachusetts, and Executive Director for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. He has served as advisor to The Boston Foundation, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, and the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts and has extensive background in maritime preservation, education, and management of public and private organizations. Today, he serves on the Kingston Conservation Advisory Council, Complete Streets Advisory Council, and the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
Gregg holds an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an MBA from UMASS Dartmouth.
It is a privilege to work with Gregg who has helped the Kingston Land Trust secure grants working towards a Midtown Hub Rail Trail system from the Land Trust Alliance, PTNY (Parks & Trails NY), the Hudson Valley Greenway, National Park Service and CDBG (Community Development Block Grant).
The City of Kingston is fortunate to have this Kingston resident at their service in this way, and we expect to see great things in the future with his expertise.
* In Today’s Daily Freeman: Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo names new head of Economic Development.
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 13th, 2012
Now you can view the powerpoint presentation from last year’s Ulster County Trail Conference where the Kingston Land Trust and the KLT Rail Trail Committee shared the efforts currently taking place on the Rail Trail front in Kingston.
Click on the photo to the right and enjoy.
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 12th, 2012
Since 2005, the City of Kingston’s environmental education staff has helped the City become a leader in environmental awareness and stewardship. Kingston is one of only a few small communities in the country to focus this creative energy to solving environmental issues, while also developing unique programs designed to save taxpayer dollars and leverage public and private investments, while educating the public about the local environment. Kingston’s environmental program strives to make Kingston a sustainable and healthy community for its citizens and visitors and has grown to include programs and activities in the areas of environmental education and environmental services. Each of these areas are detailed in the following report.
VIEW: 2011 Kingston Environmental Report
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 11th, 2012
The Kingston Land Trust along with the City of Kingston Parks and Recreation Department and many volunteers is working to help create “Movies Under the Stars” an eight week movie series that will be held in a different City of Kingston park in 2012. The groups fundraising efforts will continue all throughout the Spring.
 Movies Under the Stars Logo by Karina Pacheco.
Dress up like the “Big Lebowski,” show off your “Kingpin” style, join in the fun! Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars will be hosting a day at the bowling alley to support bringing an 8-week movie series to city parks this summer.
The event will be held at Mid-City Lanes on Cedar Street in Kingston, NY on Saturday, February 25th from 2pm-5pm. Refreshments, all-you-can-bowl, and lots of fun! Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door or in advance. All proceeds go towards the purchase of a portable, professional grade movie projector, screen and sound system with appropriate film copyrights for public screenings.
Please RSVP to Jen Fuentes at 845.332.6600 or via email at jenfuentes77@gmail.com.
Find out more about Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars, a special project of the Friends of Kingston Parks and Recreation by visiting: Kingstonparksmovies.com- We’ll see you at the Movies!
Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars is a Special Project of the Friends of Kingston Parks and Recreation with support from the Kingston Land Trust, Kingston Cares, and a dedicated group of volunteers.
Kingston Parks Movies Under the Stars Schedule 2012
Friday, June 29th, Gallo Park, Sunset 8:36
Saturday, July 7, Academy Green, Sunset 8:30
Friday, July 13, Kingston Point Beach, Sunset 8:27
Friday, July 20, Cornell Park, Sunset 8:22
Friday, July 27, Forsyth Park, Sunset 8:16
Friday, August 3, Loughran Park, Sunset 8:09
Friday, August 10, Hasbrouck Park, Sunset 8:00
Friday, August 17, Former Kings Inn Site, Sunset 7:50* Ending Celebration
Movies will begin approximately 15 minutes after sunset. Events will begin 1 hour prior to sunset. We are still working on events that may accompany each movie night, such as music, entertainment and food vendors.
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 9th, 2012
 Clergy waits to be led to the ceremony. In celebration of Black History Month, The Kingston Land Trust and the KLT African-American History Committee present the Mt. Zion African-American Cemetery Re-dedication film to Elementary school students in the Kingston School District in February. The cemetery, the second African-American Cemetery in Kingston, represents the key component of the history of the African-American Community in Kingston from the mid 19th Century and onwards.
Kingston – In honor of Black History Month, the Kingston Land Trust and the KLT African-American History Committee will present a film capturing the Mt. Zion African-American Cemetery Rededication Ceremony that took place last year on June 5th, 2011. Close to 200 people were in attendance that included family members who drove as far away as Washington DC to take part in this historic event. With the help of filmmaker Liz Joyce, The Kingston Land Trust successfully documented the afternoon.
Dedicated to outreach and education, the committee will present the film in Kingston’s Community Centers (Rondout Neighborhood Center) and to Elementary School students at St. Joseph School, Kingston in collaboration with schools in the Kingston City School district such as the GW Elementary School and Zena Elementary School. Youth will have the opportunity to view the film and participate in a short panel discussion with family members who have generations of family buried at the Mt. Zion Cemetery, the film maker, and Pastor Kenneth Walsh of the Old Dutch Church of Kingston to discuss their statement of reconciliation, an apology to the African-American community for ” our history of dehumanizing racism that allowed for the enslavement and subsequent segregation of our sisters and brothers of African descent.”
Although these events are not open to the public, if your organization or school wish to host the film in 2012, please contact Rebecca Martin, Executive Director of the Kingston Land Trust at kingstonlandtrust@gmail.com or call 845-877-LAND (5263) for more information.
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About the Kingston Land Trust African-American History Committee: The Kingston Land Trust African-American History Committee is charged to uphold the integrity, accomplishments and contributions made by African-Americans who lived or are living in the City of Kingston, NY.
About the Mt. Zion African-American Cemetery in Kingston, NY: The Zion African-American Cemetery, the second African American Cemetery in Kingston, represents the key component of the history of the African American community in Kingston from the mid 19th Century onwards. The earliest documented grave is believed to date to circa 1856 while the latest is believed to be 1967, the approximate period of significance although the cemetery has been said to date back earlier. The property appears to have been deeded to the Village of Kingston in 1858. Mt. Zion Cemetery Association was formed in 1891 with the Kingston Common Council approving preparation of a deed that same year. A list of approx 90 persons known to be buried here was drawn up from research in the 1980′s. The cemetery contains names of many of Kingston’s early African American families and includes Dutch and French Huguenot surnames of Ulster County families for whom their family members had likely once served as slaves and as such forms a vital visible legacy for Kingston’s African American community. In addition, a notable number of veterans are buried in this cemetery including numerous Civil War veterans who served in the US Colored Troops, 20th Regiment. The direct association with the 20th Regiment connects the cemetery to Civil War events in and around New Orleans and Port Hudson, Louisiana which are among the places the regiment was stationed and to the Chalmette National Cemetery just outside New Orleans where some local members of the 20th Regiment who passed away while in service are buried. The cemetery has the potential and probability of illustrating lifestyle and traditions of Kingston’s African American community and encompassing important information relevant to the study of the material culture and social history of this community over an extended period and thereby reflecting historic associations from Kingston’s early period of settlement through the end of the period of significance, as well as containing the graves of members of the USCT 20th Regiment whose activities helped determine the course of events in national history during the Civil War.
By Kingston Land Trust, on February 3rd, 2012
 The Old Dutch Church - Kingston, NY The Kingston Land Trust is pleased to participate and to celebrate the 89th Annual George Washington Dinner on Wednesday, February 29th 2012.
“The Celebration of Service and Community” will highlight several Not-For-Profits in Kingston who provide an important service and who have collaborated with the Old Dutch Church in recent past.
The Kingston Land Trust will provide a short presentation of their work with the Mt. Zion African-American Burial Ground Rededication. Others scheduled to participate is the O+ Festival presenting cutting edge music and the Queens Galley to cater this special event for guests. Special thanks to Elder Rob Sweeney for being as hip as he is heart.
First in War- First in Peace- First in the Hearts of his Countrymen
Please join us on
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
As we celebrate
His Excellency George Washington’s
280th Birthday
Take your place at the table for one of Kingston’s finest traditions
The 89th Annual
George Washington Dinner.
Beginning at 6:30 PM in Bethany Hall of
The Old Dutch Church, Kingston.
The program for the evening will be
A Celebration of Service and Community
______________________________________________________________
I would like to purchase_________ dinner tickets @ $30.00 each.
I would like the following name(s) to be listed in the Patrons List @5.00each:
______________________________________________________________
I regret I will not be able to attend, please accept my donation to the Old Dutch Restoration Fund in the
amount of $_____________.
______________________________________________________________
Please make checks payable to: “Old Dutch Church”
Tickets must be purchased in advance and will be held at the door.
Please send your reservations and payments before February 22nd.
Old Dutch Church, PO Box 3006, Kingston, New York 12402
“Hath not old custom made this life more sweet”
William Shakespeare
By Kingston Land Trust, on January 31st, 2012
Public Notice of Kingston Conservation Advisory Council Meeting:
The Kingston Conservation Advisory Council will host the monthly meeting, this Thursday, February 2, 2012, 6:30-8:30pm, City Hall, Conference Room 2, 3rd floor. Attached please find February’s agenda and January’s DRAFT minutes.
For further Information, please call Julie Noble, Chair, 481-7339.
Kingston Conservation Advisory Council
Monthly Meeting, Conference Room 2
AGENDA
Date: February 2, 2012 6:30-8:30pm
Council Members
Julie Noble (Chair)
Judith Deming
Elizabeth Higgins (Secretary)
Gregg Swanzey
Casey Schwarz
Welcome Guests and Public Comment
Approval of January 2012 minutes
Old Business (6:30-7:45)
1. CAC member recruitment
2. Governmental Meeting Liaisons for 2012
3. Updates:
KingstonCAC.org
Natural Resources Inventory
Green Guide
Climate Action Planning
Conservation Development Guidelines
Non-toxic Landscape Maintenance Initiative
4. EMC Report
5. Planning Board Meeting Report
New Business (7:45)
2. Follow up from Public Safety/General Gov’t/Auditing Meeting
Council Member Concerns
Government Environmental Assessment/Inventory
Flooding, especially in Ward 1
Advising Requested
Solar Installations on City Property
Hydrofracking, specifically Kingston WWTP as Hydrofracking sludge treatment site
*Next CAC monthly meeting, March 1, 2012, City Hall, Conference Room 2, 6:30pm*
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Kingston Conservation Advisory Council
Monthly Meeting, Conference Room 2
Minutes
Date: January 5, 2012 6:30-8:30pm
Roll Call: 6:52 pm
Board Members
Julie Noble (Chair) Present
Judith Deming Absent
Elizabeth Higgins (Secretary) Present
Gregg Swanzey Present
Casey Schwarz Absent
Guests:
Emilie Hauser
Approval of November, December Minutes
Liz moved and Gregg seconded to accept both the November and December 2011 Minutes. Accepted 3-0, with no changes.
Secretary Position
Liz agreed to stay on as the Kingston CAC Secretary for 2012.
Old Business
6. CAC member recruitment, terms- There have been no applications submitted for new CAC members. Recruitment will continue, with direct contact with other civic organizations and with the new Common Council members. Julie will ask each Common Council member if they could recommend a representative from each of their wards to sit on the CAC. Wards 7, 8 and 9 currently have representation. Recruitment will also focus on tangible actions to be accomplished in 2012, to attract community members with specific interests related to the current CAC initiatives.
3. CAC Website –www.kingstoncac.org. Julie reviewed the website layout and created a revised outline to give to CIXdesigns. Website content was brainstormed; specifically the content on the “Links” page and a great discussion was had about the scope of what information and organizations to link to. Julie will set up a meeting with Adam or Micah to relay this info and to finalize the most effective and functional design for the website. Then content will be inserted.
New Business
1. Governmental Meeting Liaisons for 2012- Casey will attend the first three Planning Board meetings of the year and Julie will attend the January Public Safety Meeting, to present the Year End Report and plan for 2012.
2. CAC Year End Report 2011 Review- The draft Year End Report was reviewed and revised. This will be distributed to the mayor, Common Council, planning, and interested local community members. It will also be available on the CAC webpage on the City website.
3. Planning for 2012-
- Natural Resource Inventory: Steve and Julie Noble have started digitizing some of the data and gathering data that doesn’t exist for Kingston yet in GIS. The goal is to have all of the data layers complete by March 31st. A grant was awarded to the Kingston Parks Department through the Hudson River Estuary Program to fund a consultant to, among other things: 1) create a sewer shed map for Kingston, 2) create a Geodatabase of the existing GIS data, which will be clipped to Kingston. This work should be done by March 31st. After March 31st, then individual maps will be created and narrative with recommendations will be composed to accompany the maps. The goal of completion of the NRI for Kingston is December 31, 2012.
- Environmental Planning/Conservation Guidelines: This effort was initiated but then dropped off during 2011. A formal committee should reconvene on this.
- Green Guide: Work will continue on creating this digital and hard copy guide to environmental services and resources in Kingston. Judith Deming is spearheading this effort.
- Climate Action Planning: Climate Analyst Rich Schiafo has presented a draft of the Greenhouse Gas Inventory for Kingston, which the Climate Taskforce is reviewing and revising. The next meeting of the Taskforce is Tuesday, January 10. Rich’s position terminates in March, and so things are moving right along with the Climate Action Plan, with a goal of completion by then.
- Non-toxic Landscape Maintenance Initiative: The effort to minimize/eliminate the use of toxic synthetic chemicals on city owned lands was broached at the end of 2011 and this initiative will continue to build into the new year.
- Ulster County Environmental Management Council Representative: Gregg’s term as Kingston’s Representative on the UCEMC expires in May 2012, but he will be resigning effective January 2012. Liz will be recommended to the Ulster County Executive’s Office as the new Kingston Representative, to fill out Gregg’s term and then stay on as Rep. Julie will send a letter to this effect.
Motion to adjourn: Liz moved, Gregg seconded.
*Upcoming Meeting: CAC monthly meeting, February 2, City Hall, Conference Room 2, 6:30pm*
Adjournment: ___8:02____pm
Submitted by Julie Noble
By Kingston Land Trust, on January 31st, 2012
 The Kingston Land Trust Rail Trail Committee hard at work. The Kingston Land Trust Rail Trail Committee continues to strategize its work in 2012 and beyond. This evening, we were joined by guests from the Woodstock Land Conservancy – John Winter (Executive Director), Kevin Smith (Chairman of the Board) and Patty Goodwin (President). Also in attendance were guests Debra Harris (Holiday Inn and Tourism Advisory Board in Recreation and Signage) and Kingston resident Josh Gordon. May they all join us in this exciting and important process.
Recently, the group earned technical support from the National Park Service which allows us the expertise of Karl Beard and Jeremy Kane to help to guide us this year. A warm welcome to our new KLT RTC members Andi Turco-Levin and Brad Will – who both are also serving (newly!) as KLT Board Directors in addition.
The meeting was rich and part way, we were led by Tim Wiedemann (KLT Board Director and RTC member) in a visioning process to help in finessing our work plan this year. As founder of Rondout Consulting, Tim brings his organizational, advisory and consulting abilities to aid the committee in dealing with program design and evaluation, strategic planning, economic and financial impact analysis and more.
 Communications and Outreach is the name of the game.
We are all looking forward to a continued collaboration with all of our partners, but most importantly – moving out into the communities to gather the citizens input and ideas on Rail Trails in Kingston and all of our surrounding municipalities.
You can learn more about the KLT Rail Trail Committee, its members and accomplishments by viewing this LINK.
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