Carson Power land clearing will await end of bat roosting

PINE PLAINS — The winter season is behind us and Carson Power LLC, which is proposing to build a 10MW solar farm at Pulvers Corners, will hold off on any land clearing until November as part of its agreement with the town to protect the northern long-eared bat.

Carson Power is required by its agreement with the town to limit tree-clearing activity to the winter season, when the bats hibernate.

“We did not proceed with any tree clearing during this winter season, which concluded on 3/31,” Andrew Gordon, director of development at Carson, said in an email.
“We are honoring the winter tree clearing periods as we committed to during our application.

“We will mobilize on site for an 11/1 start,” he added.

The northern long-eared bat is listed an a threatened species that is in danger of becoming a endangered species. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the numbers of these bats have declined by up to 99 percent in the Northeast, based on hibernation counts.

Evaluations made last year when Carson was before the town Planning Board concluded that avoiding tree-clearing during the roosting period would not pose a problem.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that “take” of the bat is “not reasonably certain to occur” given the conservation measure to limit tree removal between Nov. 1 and March 31.

A senior wildlife biologist at the Fish and Wildlife Division of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) concurred.

“If tree removal takes place between November 1st and March 31st, the Department can…determine that the proposed activity is not likely to result in the incidental taking of Northern long-eared bats,” wrote the DEC’s Lisa Masi. last year in May.

The town’s approval of the Carson Power project currently is before a New York State Supreme Court judge in Putnam County.

Judge Anthony R. Molé has set oral arguments to be held in the court house in Carmel on May3 at 10:30 a.m. in Courtroom 306. A group of residents is seeking a reversal of the town’s approval of the project.

The group, Preserve Pine Plains, filed an Article 78 action against the town Planning Board and certain property owners and developers of the project.

Latest News

Luigina A. Dzenutis

CANTON — Luigina A. Dzenutis, 91, of Canton, died peacefully on Jan. 16, 2025, in her home. She was the wife of the late Peter A. Dzenutis Sr.

Luigina was born in Bronx, New York, on May 17, 1933, the daughter of the late Jack and Medie (Tonelli) Grecco.

Keep ReadingShow less
Amenia approves pool at Troutbeck estate hotel

Troutbeck's sign at the intersection of Leedsville Road and Route 343 in Amenia.

Archive photo

AMENIA — Public hearings continued from the previous meeting concluded at the regular meeting of the Amenia Planning Board on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Having considered public comment, the board approved applications from Troutbeck for an indoor pool and from DaVinci Windows for a sign installation.

No public comment was heard in connection with the Troutbeck proposal to construct an outdoor pool as briefly described by project engineer Rich Rennia of Rennia Engineering of Dover Plains. The application is part of Phase 8 of Troutbeck’s adaptive reuse application, revised recently to reduce the environmental impact.

Keep ReadingShow less
Final grant of $675,000 awarded for Eddie Collins Memorial Park pool project
Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton will the the site of a new community pool, with construction expected to begin by Spring 2025.
Archive photo

MILLERTON — Calling the ongoing revitalization of Eddie Collins Memorial Park “the largest project the village has taken on,” Mayor Jenn Najdek has disclosed additional funding has come through in support of its upgrade.

This past December, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation awarded the village a matching grant of up to $675,000 in support of the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Swimming Pool Project. With these monies, funding for Phase II of the project, which stems largely from a NY SWIMS capital grant, is now at $7.56 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pine Plains median home prices stay relatively steady at year's end

This 3 bedroom/2 bath renovated raised ranch at 7760 Main St. in Pine Plains sold for $590,000.

Photo by Christine Bates

PINE PLAINS — From August through November there were 14 sales in Pine Plains with only one on Lake Road selling for over a million dollars and two homes for over $500,000 — a midcentury modern in town closing for $590,000 and a historic house on 8.5 acres for $660,000.

Since September 2021 the median price for publicly listed properties in Pine Plains has hovered at around $350,000. Properties listed in mid-January include seven residences ranging in price from $150,000 to $8.95 million, six pieces of land and Harvest Homestead Farm on 343 acres with a fully functioning distillery formerly associated with 1930’s mobster Dutch Schultz.

Keep ReadingShow less