The Cary Institute's newest faculty member, Amy Zanne, will discuss what happens to a tree after it dies during a lecutre on Friday, Oct. 24, from 7 fto 8 p.m. in the Cary Institute Auditorium on Route 44 outside Millbrook.
MILLBROOK — Nature lovers can explore the eerie yet essential world of decomposition in an upcoming lecture at the Cary Institute of Ecological Studies, just in time for Halloween.
Dr. Amy Zanne will speak in conversation with Cary President Dr. Joshua Ginsberg about the hidden world of dead trees. Topics will include the fungi that drive decomposition — like dead man’s fingers and glowing Jack-O’-Lantern mushrooms — and the termites that quietly shape the forest.
The lecture will take place in person and online Friday, Oct. 24, from 7 to 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
With a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, and having traveled and studied on every continent, Zanne has accumulated an extensive network of colleagues and a vast wealth of knowledge about the interactions among plants, microbes and insects that influence carbon cycling and climate change. And yet, she manages to distill very complex information and make it understandable — and exciting — to the masses. Her enthusiasm for ecology and biology is contagious.
Known for her collaborative approach, Zanne often brings together scientists who study different scales of decomposition, from enzymes to ecosystems.
“Only a small fraction of termites cause problems for people,” she said excitedly, mythbusting common misconceptions, “but most play a vital role in recycling carbon. I love connecting people who study these overlooked organisms to see the bigger picture.”
After studying at field sites in Australia, Brazil, Chile and Antarctica, her current home is the Cary Institute, where she studies how species’ traits affect carbon release and storage.
Today, Zanne focuses on how carbon moves through nature in areas like forests, grasslands and deserts. She examines what happens to carbon in plants and dead wood as they break down, and how factors like heat, moisture, fungi and termites affect that process.
Her love for science began in childhood when Zanne grew up on a farm in New Hampshire and developed a love of the outdoors. The bucolic upbringing allowed her to run through the hills, pick blueberries in the summertime and enjoy the surrounding landscape.
“I had a real comfort in being outside,” she said. “As kids, we had a big garden and were constantly digging in the rocky, granite soils of New Hampshire, always pulling out rocks and examining them.” She also enjoyed learning how the environment cycled on the farm.
Later, inspired in high school and college by a number of teachers and professors, Zanne knew she wanted to make science her profession. It was when she enrolled in biology and genetics classes that a spark was ignited.
Zanne reflected, “What makes that magic click in your brain? I don’t know — but whatever it was, I loved my biology classes in high school. That really set me on the path to studying biology in college.” She attended Dartmouth College where she took a variety of courses, including ecology.
Asked if she had a favorite place among her travels, Zanne joked that the question was like choosing a favorite child. “When you travel, you leave little pieces of your heart all over the world,” she said. “You’re never just one person anymore — you have many homes wherever you go. I’ve been so lucky to meet incredible people and see such beautiful places.”
Zanne’s upcoming talk at the Cary Institute will explore what happens after trees die — the “afterlife” of wood and the creatures that inhabit it. Drawing on her research in places as far as Antarctica, Brazil and Chile, she studies how carbon moves through ecosystems, and how it happens on a smaller scale with individual fallen logs, or in entire landscapes.
Her work connects the smallest processes to the global carbon cycle. “I’m interested in how the tiny things happening inside a log affect what’s happening in the atmosphere,” she explained. “It’s about connecting the micro to the global.”
Fittingly timed for Halloween, her lecture promises a “spooky” dive into death, decay and the hidden world inside and around dead trees.
For more information or to register for the lecture, visit caryinstitute.org/events.
Nathan Miller
Little leaguers run across Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton for lunch, popcorn and ice cream at the pavilion during the Webutuck Little League season opening party on Sunday, April 12. The league has signed up 80 players for the 2026 season comprising six teams, including one tee-ball team, three baseball teams and two softball teams.
MILLERTON — The Webutuck Little League held its season opening party on Sunday, April 12, at Eddie Collins Memorial Park on Route 22.
Players enjoyed free food, popcorn and ice cream and a day of playing in inflatable castles and an obstacle course.
The league has signed up 80 players across six teams — one tee-ball team, three baseball teams and two softball teams.
Leila Hawken
Celebrating the significant history of embroidery and its place within the fabric of the community, an exhibit opening was held on Thursday, April 9, at the Millbrook Library. Millbrook Historical Society secretary Alison Meyer, co-organizer of the event, provided welcoming remarks. The exhibit will continue until Saturday, May 2.
MILLBROOK — A new exhibit at the Millbrook Library tells the story of the Millbrook Needlework Guild, a storied group that has threaded its way through the past century of life in the village.
The exhibit opening was held on Thursday, April 9, attracting residents and visitors to view exquisite historic pieces of needlework art, all linked to today’s Millbrook due to their continuing importance as local works of art.
Assembled by the Millbrook Historical Society in a project that spanned two years, Society Secretary Alison Meyer, co-organizer of the event, welcomed a substantial turnout of residents and visitors. Meyer noted the contributions of her co-coordinator, Society board member Denise Bauer in bringing the event to life.
“It all began with the Millbrook Needlework Guild organized in 1954. The legacy has been preserved in churches, homes and the library,” Meyer said, noting that exhibit pieces have been loaned from throughout the village community.
“It’s gone from a local endeavor to the national scene and now back to local,” Meyer added. Also participating in the exhibit is the area’s Skyllkill Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America that was formed in 1974, continuing the tradition to the present day.
A highlight of the opening was the presentation of a certificate of appreciation on behalf of the Millbrook Historical Society to resident Anne Collins who had first suggested the idea for the exhibit.
When it was formed in 1954, the Millbrook Needlework Guild, whose members were local women devoted to the art, was gifted with a house donated by Margaret Thorne Parshall. The house still stands at the corner of Franklin and Maple Avenues. The imposing home also served as an academy for instruction in embroidery, under the tutelage of then Millbrook resident Erica Wilson who came to be known by many as “the first lady of stitchery.” Wilson’s shops still operate in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
In 1958, Parshall helped establish the American branch of the British Embroidery Guild, having traveled to England to meet with needleworkers. That organization became the Embroiderers’ Guild of America in 1958.
The exhibit will continue at the Millbrook Library until Saturday, May 2.
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — Among the many activities planned for the Millbrook Community-wide Yard Sale on Saturday, April 25, will be a repair café offered at the Millbrook Library between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The rain date will be Sunday, April 26.
Residents can bring up to two small items in need of attention to the library and find local experts willing to provide free repairs. The event is intended to keep such items from being discarded into landfills, when all that may be needed is a small fix.
Eligible for repair are broken lamps and small appliances, jewelry, wooden furniture, mending, and darning among sewing services. Local repair coaches will either fix the item or provide advice on where to take it next. The community is also invited to bring knives in need of sharpening.
Demonstrations of bicycle maintenance will be a feature. Bring plastic bags and batteries to the library for recycling during the event.
The Community-wide Yard Sale provides an opportunity for Millbrook neighbors to get together and share in finding treasures at yard sales throughout the village, enjoy music, get things repaired at the library, or simply socialize.
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Leila Hawken
Sophia Zhou
AMENIA — The Bang Family Concert Series will feature New York-based pianist Sophia Zhou in performance at The Smithfield Church on Saturday, April 18, beginning at 3 p.m.
Zhou’s program “Into the Light” will include a rare treat — Beethoven’s grandest and most technically challenging piano sonata, “Waldstein,” along with works by Mozart, Chopin, and Debussy.
The concert is open to the public. A suggested donation of $20, payable at the door, will contribute toward funding more concerts. A reception with refreshments will follow the concert.
The Bang Family Concert Series has a tradition of hosting eclectic performances by gifted musicians from the Tri-Corner area. Known to area residents, Zhou has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician in New York, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam and Shanghai. She has played with chamber musicians in New York, Hong Kong and with faculty from The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute and Manhattan School of Music.
Currently, Zhou serves as Founder and Artistic Director of the Millbrook Music Salon.
The Smithfield Church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road in Amenia. The church is accessible for people with disabilities.
For more information, go to thesmithfieldchurch.org/concerts.
Leila Hawken
MILLBROOK — The village Board of Trustees is considering allowing bingo and games of chance within Millbrook again, more than four years after officials repealed a local law and effectively banned the activities in 2021.
Two local laws that, if passed, would allow bingo and other games of chance to be included in fundraising events were discussed by the Board of Trustees at its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 8.
The trustees voted unanimously to schedule a public hearing for Local Law No. 2 and No. 3 on Wednesday, April 22, beginning at 6 p.m. at Village Hall.
Bingo and games of chance are seen as significant highlights of the fire department’s annual carnival.
“We need a new local law,” Mayor Peter Doro said, explaining that it would provide the legal framework to allow the games.
Doro said that the village’s legal counsel is drafting resolutions to establish the local laws. Following the public hearing phase, the village would need to hold a special election to approve the new local laws.
The date for the special election was set by the Trustees for Tuesday, June 23, in time for the firemen’s summer carnival.
Doro explained that the special election could be administered locally, probably at the firehouse.
To limit costs, the town could print the ballots, but the Dutchess County Board of Elections has advised that four paid poll watchers would be needed to oversee the process. Because a small turnout of voters would be likely, votes could be hand-counted, rather than machine-counted, Doro added.
Nathan Miller
MILLBROOK — Millbrook’s Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution to adopt the 2026-27 town budget following a public hearing at its regular meeting on Wednesday, April 8.
The budget for the coming year totals $2,538,844, up 0.25% from $2,532,541 in the current year.
Mayor Peter Doro said the increase falls within the 2% property tax cap imposed on local governments by New York State since 2012. Budget lines showing anticipated increases include utilities, paid ambulance service and insurance.
“We’ve all worked hard in the past months,” Doro said, describing the budget review process that involves each of the village’s departments.
Separate unanimous approvals were adopted for the 2026-27 water and sewer budgets. The Water Department budget totals $425,500, up from the current year of $411,950. The Sewer Department budget totals $470,425, up from $435,100.
Although no public comment was offered during the hearing, one trustee suggested that the village should remain vigilant about rising costs.
“There are things we could do to mitigate costs,” said Trustee Shannon Mawson.
To view a copy of the budget as adopted, go to www.villageofmillbrookny.com.
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