Mid-Year Update and Meeting Opportunities

From the Ulster County Fair

Members of Hurley's Climate Smart Task Force - Kristen Schara, Peter McKnight and Lynne Bailey - are manning the tables of Climate Row again this year. Lynne also created many of the graphics for the fair. The fair is open through Sunday, August 4th and it's full of fun exhibits, rides, good food and music. Stop by and visit.

This year Climate Row is focused on expanding Solar Mapping throughout the county, getting more residents onto Climate Smart committees, and the county's Community Climate Action Plan (CCAP) project (we'll write more about that in another post). Learn more about Greenhouse Gas Molecules - kids can build their own models using candies and take home seeds. Learn about energy efficient and cost saving upgrades to your home, and more ways to offset rising temperatures.

Upcoming Meetings Date Changes

CSTF meetings are scheduled for the first Tuesday of the month. This month, however, we'll be meeting on Wednesday August 14th, instead of the 8th. Next month we'll meet on Monday, September 9th, instead of the 3rd. Meetings start at 7 PM and take place viritually using Google Meet. To join a meeting online, go to meet.google.com/eee- uuvh-ehy. To join by phone, call (912) 712-4401 and enter 283 106 119# when prompted for a PIN.

Community Campaign Update

To date town residents have completed steps for CEC Grant Applications including 1) Electric Vehicles purchses (Tier 1 - $5,000), 2) Heat Pump installations (Tier 1 - $5,000), and 3) Clean Energy Community 1 - Star Designation ($10,000). Both EVs and Clean Heating submissions were accepted by NYSERDA and our coordinator, Kirsten Schara awaits another email for the grant money application. We expect to support funding the new EV charger at town hall, and/or contribute to funds for renovating the heating system of the old library.

The Clean Energy Campaign is still open! If you install heat pumps or a heat pump hot water heater, email us and let us know. We may be able to achieve Tier 2 heat pump installations qualifying the town for additional grant money.

Hurley Heritage Day - September 21

We're all looking forward to celebrating the Hurley Heritage Society's 50th Birthday at Hurley Heritage Day on Saturday, September 21st. Hope to see you there enjoying kid's activities, stone houses, guided walking tours, live music, demonstrations and exhibitions, food trucks, and a variety of vendors. The Climate Smart Task Force will be tabling a booth as well, with information on financial incentives for clean energy upgrades and we'll bring some of the UC Fair displays with us. We'll have information about the Climate Action Plan project with opportunities for visitors to participate.

Hottest Day Yet

It does seem likes it's been a pretty hot summer. In fact, the hottest days ever recorded just took place on Sunday July 21, and Monday July 22, 2024. Read more about it here and on NASA's website.

Going Electric in the Yard

Electric Yard Equipment Has Come a Long Way

Which is a good thing. The US Transportation Department data from 2020 showed that Americans used roughly 3 billion gallons of gasoline to run lawn and garden equipment. That’s the equivalent of nearly 6 million passenger cars running for a year (about 27.6 metric tons of CO2). By going electric, we can eliminate those emissions.

If the thought of No Gas Cans, No Fumes, Less Noise and virtually No Maintenance makes you smile, then switching to electric yard equipment can make all that a reality.

As much as we love pollinator gardens, sometimes you just need a lawn. And the good news is, most of us can maintain it without gasoline. Unless you need to mow very large areas over 2 ½ acres on one charge, there’s an electric mower out there for you.(1)

Just like gas-powered models, electric mower models range from the small and simple push style to sophisticated riding machines. They are also much quieter, weigh less, and produce zero carbon emissions(2) and are less expensive to operate and maintain than gas-powered mowers(3) since you don't have to replace parts annually like spark plugs, oil and air filters(4).  

Looking for a riding mower?

Check out the review(5) from Bob Vila ™   Riding mowers are ideal for large lawns up to 2 1/2 acres or MORE (6).

There are many electric yard tools available. If you choose a particular brand, they can share batteries, and many consumers have two on hand for hedge trimmers, weed whackers, leaf blowers and the like. NYSERDA discusses the advantages and specifics on their website at https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Featured-Stories/Electric-Yard-Equipment-Buyers-Guide/

"Transitioning to electric lawn equipment is a true win-win-win. It provides a quieter experience for the public, a better user experience for our staff, and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Your yard, and neighbors, will thank you for making the switch." -Brendan Woodruff, NYS DEC Director of Sustainability

I personally have both electric battery and corded electric yard equipment and at least one of our members has been using a battery-powered lawn mower for several years and loves the resuIts. An electric weed whacker handles my small lawn.

If you’re in the market for a new lawn mower or yard tool, consider enjoying the benefits of going electric.

These resources can help you make a great decision.

1. Popular Mechanics: The 8 Best Electric Lawn Mowers For a Trim Lawn in 2024 https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/g122/we-test-the-best-battery-powered-lawnmowers

2. The Family Handyman: Electric vs Gas Lawn Mowers: How to Decide. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/electric-gas-lawn-mowers/.

3. Wired Shopper: Electric vs Gas Lawn Mower - Which One Is Suitable For you? https://thewiredshopper.com/electric-vs-gas-lawn-mower/.

4. The pros and cons of electric lawn mowers - CNET. https://www.cnet.com/home/yard-and-outdoors/the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-lawn-mowers/.

5. Bob Vila: The Best Battery-Powered Riding Lawn Mowers in 2024, Tested https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-battery-powered-riding-lawn-mower/

6. Does Craftsman’s New Electric Riding Lawn Mower Outperform My Gas Lawn Tractor? https://www.bobvila.com/articles/craftsman-battery-riding-mower-review/ 
   

Pollinator Action Guide Now Available for Hudson Valley Gardens and Yards

How to Support Local Pollinators

Pollinators are the bedrock of the food chain that we all rely on, and they’re crucial to the functioning of farms and forests. Unfortunately, many of our local pollinators, and therefore our natural systems, are at risk. But the good news is, there’s a brand new resource for anyone looking to support bees, butterflies, moths, and other vital pollinators in the Hudson Valley! Check out the new Hudson Valley Pollinator Action Guide, a project of Partners for Climate Action Hudson Valley. 

We recently attended a great webinar to introduce all about this new guide. Avalon Bunge was instrumental in creating it.

Here are the Top 10 things we Learned

1. The Hudson Valley bioregion is especially important for conservation (and pollinator support!) as it contains 80% of the vegetation found in New York and an even larger percentage of the state’s total wildlife species. 

2. Despite your yard perhaps being abuzz with insects this June, newly released research found that up to 60% of New York’s pollinators are at risk due to various factors like pesticides and habitat loss.  

3. Honeybees are not native to the Hudson Valley and are therefore not the pollinators we should be most concerned about. While they’re important for specific types of crops throughout the country like almonds and blueberries, we should be paying more attention to this impressive list of nearly 100 target pollinators that are much more efficient for our local ecosystems which include: Golden northern bumble bees, skipper butterflies, and waved sphinx moths. 

4. You can support these pollinators with over 165 native plants including flowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs that are all listed in the guide complete with range notes, care information, and bloom time. There are also quick start lists that you can use to best fit the conditions in your garden or yard. 

5. Native plants are SO important because they have evolved alongside these pollinators for millions of years, so they’ve both become largely dependent on one another for survival. The guide even notes that “vibrations of bumble bees are perfectly calibrated to release pollen from the specific native plants that they’ve evolved to forage!” 

6. Worried about creating a tick-friendly environment while trying to help pollinators? You can make sure to have some wider mown walkways between your native pollinator planting areas so you aren’t brushing up against high vegetation when walking. And more native pollinators means more natural predators for ticks! 

7. Butterfly bushes, while they sound like pollinator heaven, are actually an invasive species that only provide a very small amount of nutrition to just some adult butterflies. 

8. Cultivars, or plants that have been bred for special traits, often come at the expense of

pollen and nectar as the plant spends more energy on those added special attributes (think extra petals on an Echinacea flower). This means less food for the pollinators! You can identify these cultivars by the proprietary names given to their breeds.

9. Partners for Climate Action has partnered with Hudson Valley Seed Company to create a local ecotype native seed mix that they will release this fall, especially for our at-risk pollinators. 

10. When visiting local nurseries in search of native plants, make sure you ask if the plants they’re selling are also pesticide-free. Many plants labeled “native” or “pollinator-friendly” are still treated with neonicotinoids which will likely devastate the pollinators you’re looking to support (until 2027 when these potent chemicals will be banned - hooray!) 

Here's the recording if you want to watch the entire webinar. Run time is 55 minutes.