Monthly Archives: August 2015

Acclaimed Nature Photographer Slonina to Speak at CT Valley Camera Club Tonight

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A stunning vista of the Grand Tetons by John Slonina.

A stunning vista of the Grand Tetons by John Slonina.

John Slonina, an award-winning professional nature photographer, tour leader and writer devoted to the conservation of wild places and wild things, will be the guest speaker at the Connecticut Valley Camera Club’s monthly meeting on Monday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. All are welcome at the meeting, which will be held in the lower level of the Deep River Library, 150 Main St., Deep River.

Slonina’s goal is to use his photographs and writings to educate and inform as many people as possible about nature and environmental issues. He hopes to introduce others to places and animals that they may never have the opportunity to see. His photographs are held in private collections and galleries throughout the world.

Bear cub by John Slonina.

Bear cub by John Slonina.

As a leader of photo tours to some of North America’s most beautiful and wild places, Slonina teaches participants how to create award winning images and shoot like a professional. He also hosts workshops and presentations.

For further information, visit his website at www.sphotography.com

The Connecticut Valley Camera Club meets on the last Monday of every month at 7 p.m. (except December and July) in the lower level of the Deep River Library, 150 Main St., Deep River. Meetings are open to the public.

For more information about the Connecticut Valley Camera Club, visit their website.

State Awards Old Lyme $2.05 Million to Rehab Rye Field Manor

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On Wednesday, Aug. 26, the Department of Housing (DOH) announced that approximately $2.05 million will be awarded to the Town of Old Lyme in the form of a grant, and will be used to rehabilitate Rye Field Manor.

Rye Field Manor, which is located on Boston Post Rd., is a 39-unit development consisting of 13 buildings, plus a community building and is home to affordable elderly housing.

The funds come as part of the state’s efforts to expand access to affordable housing for low-income residents. Rehabilitation includes the replacement of the well water system, windows, insulation in crawl space and attic to minimize air infiltration, and the replacement of existing furnaces with energy-efficient units.

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State Representative Devin Carney

These grants focus on the revitalization and expansion of affordable housing across the state said State Representative Devin Carney, who represents Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Westbrook. He noted, “I am pleased to see the state’s dedication to providing more housing options for seniors in the 23rd district.”

Carney continued, “As many seniors struggle to make ends meet, and there are fewer opportunities for new developments, rehabilitation efforts are key to ensuring that our senior population is taken care of. All seniors, regardless of income, deserve the opportunity to age-in-place and Rye Field Manor, with assistance from the state, is providing that opportunity.”

Op-Ed: We Can All Help Protect Long Island Sound 

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State Senator Paul Formica

State Senator Paul Formica

Water quality begins at the point of discharge, not in relocation of bottom materials from one location to another.  It is a very important distinction to make when talking about one of Connecticut’s most precious assets, Long Island Sound.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released a draft Dredged Material Management Plan.  Digging up the material at the bottom of our waterways is critical to ensure public access and commerce.

This scientific plan is currently under public review.  It clearly shows open-water disposal to be the most cost effective and environmentally compatible method for getting rid of bottom material.  According to the Army Corps of Engineers, open-water placement for the majority of dredged material is the best way to protect Long Island Sound.

Why should Connecticut care?

Dredging is an economic necessity in maintaining access to and from the public waterways, harbors, rivers, coves and marinas. Consider the following about navigation-dependent activities:

  • They produce more than 55,000 jobs
  • They create $1.6 billion in federal and state tax revenues
  • They produce $9.4 billion of economic output in the Long Island Sound region
  • They generate $5.5 billion per year for the Long Island Sound Region’s State’s Gross Product

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has stated their support for this plan.  It has taken ten years to complete.

What happens if no action is taken on this plan?

No action will result in skyrocketing dredging costs, the closure of Long Island Sound open-water placement locations within a year’s time, fewer maintained ports and harbors, and significant reduction in access – all of which will substantially impair the regional economy.

I urge everyone to join me in supporting this project and helping to protect this Connecticut jewel.

Public hearings will be held Wednesday, Sept. 16, and Thursday Sept.17, one in New York and one in Connecticut.  Please check my website for updates on where and when they will happen.

Your comments can make a difference.

You can read the plan by visiting www.nae.usace.army.mil/ or write to:

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
New England District
ATTN: LIS DMMP/PEIS Program Manager Meghan Quinn
696 Virginia Road
Concord, MA 01742-2751

Editor’s Note: Senator Paul M. Formica is a member of the Energy and Technology Committee of the General Assembly.

Old Lyme’s Allyson McCarthy Earns Prestigious ‘Silver Wings’ at Univ. of Maryland ROTC

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Cadet Allyson McCarthy (right) trains on the University of Maryland campus.

Cadet Allyson McCarthy (right) trains on the University of Maryland campus.

Cadet Allyson McCarthy, an Old Lyme native and Lyme-Old Lyme High School alumnus (Class of 2013), graduated from the US Army’s prestigious Airborne School on Aug. 23.

Currently a Cadet with the University of Maryland Army ROTC Battalion, Cadet McCarthy completed five parachute jumps under demanding conditions to earn the coveted “Silver Wings” parachutist badge.

She is one of only a handful of Cadets nationwide to be selected for the course this year.

Lyme Garden Club Hosts Dedication Ceremony Today for Town Campus Gardens

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Lyme Garden Club members hard at work landscaping the new Town Campus gardens.

Lyme Garden Club members hard at work landscaping the new Town Campus gardens.

Lyme Garden Club will host a celebration to dedicate the gardens at the new Lyme Town Campus Center this Sunday, Aug. 30, from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Library. All are welcome to attend the dedication ceremony at which members of the Garden Club will provide refreshments.

The event will honor those individuals and groups who donated financially to the project as well as to those businesses who provided materials and labor. Plaques will be presented to the town to be hung in the library and town hall, honoring the donors.

More than two years ago, the Lyme Garden Club began planning for the landscaping of the new Lyme Town Campus Center.  A group of 10 garden club volunteers formed a working committee and hired landscape architect Sarah McCracken to oversee the design project.

The new garden around the Lyme Public Library.

The new garden around Lyme Public Library.

 

Phase one of the project was implemented in fall, 2014 with the planting of 16 native trees on the green and the meadow areas, the planting of several shrubs, and the addition of daffodils at the library and town hall; the town green and meadow areas were also hydroseeded.

In spring, phase two began with planting more extensive gardens at the town hall and the library, adding many shrubs and plants.  In early summer, two herb gardens were planted in front of the library in recognition of Betty Cleghorn, who designed the original herb gardens near the former library.

Although the grass and meadow areas of the campus are still works in progress, the implementation of the landscaping of the buildings is elegant.  Phase three will continue in the fall with planting more daffodils and re-seeding the meadow and grass areas.