Jane Lucas, who holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology, at right in all black, leads an educational hike through the woods at the Cary Institute in Millbrook Sunday, Sept. 29. The group followed Lucas down the trail to Wappingers Creek, where she explained the nitrogen cycle, the phosphorous cycle and the carbon cycle and the important role soil microbes play in each.
MILLBROOK — A crowd of nearly 30 went undeterred by cool rain for a hike and lecture on soil ecology at the Cary Institute Sunday morning, Sept. 29.
Jane Lucas, who holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology, led the group on a brief hike in the frigid mist and discussed her research focus: microbial communities.
Lucas said scientists have started to look more closely at soil. In the past, soil science was largely focused on agriculture. The main concern of practitioners and academics were improving yield and reliability of crop harvests and grazing. Now, Lucas said, there is more study on soil’s role in the environment as a whole, and as it’s own environment.
That’s Lucas’s research focus at the Cary Institute. She said soil is host to trillions of microbial critters that are responsible for turning dead leaves and branches into dirt, plus about a million other critical things. “In a spoonful of dirt there are more microbes than people on the planet,” Lucas said to the crowd, sheltered in Cary’s carriage house to escape the drizzle.
Soil microbes are microscopic critters like bacteria, viruses, fungi and algae, and they’re essential in making dirt do what it does best: grow things. They break down organic matter, making nutrients and minerals available in the soil for plants to use.
Soil microbes also bear a lot of responsibility for carbon fixing. When a plant absorbs carbon dioxide from the air it breaks it down and releases oxygen, storing the carbon for use in food. Up to 30% of that carbon is then excreted from the plant’s roots into the soil in substances called exudates, Lucas said. The microscopic critters in the dirt feed on the exudates, locking the carbon in the soil and keeping it out of the atmosphere. The rest of the carbon that’s stored in the plant makes it into the soil when the plant dies and decays.
Microbiomes are diverse and soil conditions have a huge impact on their composition and health. Lucas has been studying the effects of climate change on soil ecology. Experiments at the Cary Institute are testing how elevated soil temperatures, varying pH levels and drought affect microbiome performance. Lucas said microbiome health has huge implications for the health of plants and animals in an environment, and the impacts of climate change have the potential to impact soil ecology negatively.
Lucas made a point to emphasize a holistic view of soil ecology. She gave phosphorous as an example. Phosphorous is a key nutrient to plant health, but most of the phosphorous on Earth is locked in hard rocks below the surface. However, Lucas said, the sands of the Sahara desert contain a lot of stored phosphorous. Winds and currents carry this phosphorous rich sand across the pacific ocean to South America, where it supplies the Amazon rainforest with phosphorous for its lush vegetation. Even when it isn’t traveling thousands of miles across an ocean, dirt is an essential part of our environment, and inextricably linked to to agriculture and public health, Lucas said.
Cary Institute hosts regular lectures hosted by its researching scientists and associates. More information and upcoming events can be found at www.caryinstitute.org/events.
Cumberland Farms gas station on Route 343 in downtown Amenia.
AMENIA — Expanding the capacity for wastewater handling at the Cumberland Farms site along Route 343, the Planning Board at its regular meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, discussed the plans and referred the project on to Dutchess County officials for decision.
Representing Cumberland Farms was Caryn Mlodzianowski, project engineer for Bohler Engineering of Albany, specialists in engineering challenging sites.
Mlodzianowski described plans to replace the current inadequate septic system at the site with a larger capacity system installing four tanks that would collect, settle, pump and process, all on-site. A two-foot retaining wall on the western side is included in the plan. She was seeking site plan approval.
“The project is for construction of a new wastewater treatment facility,” explained John Andrews, Planning Board engineer, noting that the project is classed as a “minor improvement,” and therefore not subject to a public hearing.
“The site is subject to flooding and located in a floodway,” Andrews noted. “When you seek to fill in a floodway, the site needs to be examined by county officials.
Although bog turtles were said to be absent from the site, Planning Board member Ken Topolsky asked for documentation of the possible effects of any disturbance within the site’s wetlands.
Agreeing that there is a substantive flood potential on the site, Planning Board member Nina Peek also noted the absence of promised landscaping along the Route 343 frontage between the current parking lot and the road.
An application to allow for a private driveway to one of the lots that are part of the Tower Hill Subdivision was detailed by Rich Rennia of Rennia Engineering.
Terming it a “slight change in the map,” Rennia said that the plans were originally approved in June 2023, revised in January 2024, and re-approved the following month.
“One of the lots is now looking for a private driveway,” Rennia said.
The new proposal only adjusts a lot line, Andrews noted, but a public hearing on the change would be needed.
The Planning Board agreed to schedule a public hearing on the lot line change for their regular meeting on Wednesday, March 12.
MILLERTON — The Town of North East held a board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 13, to create a “memorandum of understanding” contract between the Village of Millerton and the town, explaining how the town will assist the village after its Highway and Water Department building caught fire on Feb. 3.
“The resolution authorizes the town superintendent of highways to assist the Village of Millerton and its highway department with plowing, repair and maintenance of the village highways,” supervisor Chris Kennan said. “Pursuant to provisions of section 142e of the Highway Law, during the period of the Village’s state of emergency.”
Village mayor Jenn Najdek was in attendance to share updates on the status of the investigation and village needs after the fire. “Everyone did a really good job, under extremely stressful circumstances, to figure out a path moving forward,” Najdek said, explaining the support from the town, county, state and surrounding communities has been beneficial and remains appreciated.
“We’re pretty fortunate. It makes you realize what a special place this is to live in,” Najdek said. “When all those resources all of a sudden show up at your door when you need them, that’s pretty cool.”
The town has unanimously accepted a bid for the installation of the Highway garage’s fencing, working with the company Fesco Fence.
For this project, the town received eight different bids from potential contractors with the ranging costs of $166,000 to $328,676. Fesco Fence was the lowest bid submitted, which included the company’s 10% contingency allowance of $15,090.91.
During the meeting Kennan spoke briefly about a new cell tower slated to be built in Ancram. He is receptive to feedback on the topic which has elicited a mixed response from residents. “It’s not in our town, but it’s right on our border and we are familiar with things like the Transfer Station that was placed in the Town of Salisbury,” Kennan said. “I think it’s important that we at least note this so we have an opportunity to talk about it.”
As of Thursday night, the town had collected 37% of taxes, and paid off the Fire District’s budget, according to Tilly Strauss. Along with taxes, the board created a flyer to send out with every receipt to show the community where their money will be going.
Amenia has now been certified as a pro-housing community and has completed the proper paperwork to show its updated zoning and/or building permits, councilwoman Meg Winkler said. “We will be getting into that next year, maybe the end of this year,” Winkler said.
The new Town Hall is now taking its first baby steps, Kennan said, he spent most of Thursday morning at the new building where he was working with a HVAC company to get the system up and running.
“It has been out of service for several years, so there are a couple pieces of equipment in those units that are not working,” Kennan said. “It’s really a first step in our process of getting the work underway, is to get that system working properly.”
Village of Millerton offices on Route 22
MILLERTON — On Monday, Feb. 10, a board meeting was held, largely centered on the impact of the Feb. 3 fire that destroyed the Village Water and Highway building located on Route 22. In addition to the loss of the building, vehicles, equipment and tools were also destroyed.
“If we go back to the cause, it is still undetermined,” said mayor Jenn Najdek, who stated foul play had been ruled out. She also confirmed the garage remained off-limits as the investigation is still ongoing.
Alongside the Mayor, village trustees expressed their concern regarding rumors as to the cause of the fire. According to trustee David Sherman, transparency with the public is key to distinguishing fact from fiction. “I think we should, through whatever releases we can make, make it abundantly clear what that status is so we can squelch these kinds of rumors that are oozing up in the community,” said Sherman.
The Village is working with Nordic Environment Finance Corporation, an independent cause and origin investigation company, to determine the cause of the blaze. According to Najdek, once the investigation is complete, investigators will greenlight the premises for entrance. Najdek also emphasized while investigators are working toward determining a cause, one may or may not be found, contingent on what the investigation yields.
According to Najdek, the Town of East Fishkill sent their engineer the morning of the fire to assist Village’s water operators in setting up a system to ensure drinking water would continue to flow. The village’s supply of drinking water has been continuously evaluated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as well as the Board of health to ensure fitness for human consumption.
With one of the wells being destroyed in the fire, the Village’s water will be conditioned as required and pumped from well no. 1, known as the “doghouse,” to a holding tank as a temporary solution.
“Well no. 2 that was in the building, we can selectively demo around it, secure it, get a semi permanent structure,” Najdek said. “We don’t know what that’s going to be. There’s one hundred different solutions for that, and we will know more after this week.”
The Village trustees showed interest in an acting structure which resembles a “plug and play” system, where all water operating equipment will be housed. “We will be meeting with the engineer, the water operator and Pete [Dellaghelfa, Village’s Superintendent of Public Works], this week on-site and we will start looking for the immediate, short-term solution,” said Najdek.
Previously, the Millerton Water Department housed two 10-inch diameter wells in an unconsolidated aquifer that allowed filtration through 50 feet of sand and gravel. The water then gets pumped into an elevated holding tank, where it is treated and chlorinated before being distributed to residents.
Currently, well no. 1 is being operated by a generator while the power lines to the building are in the midst of being fixed. The intent of these lines, according to Najdek, is to potentially serve electricity to both of the wells and the baseball field lighting.
With the loss of vehicles and equipment, the village is hoping to be indemnified once insurance claims are settled. “We’ve incurred a lot of expenses so far,” Najdek said, explaining her confidence in village insurer New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal. “I feel pretty good about them being able to handle our needs in a timely manner.”
The Village will have a three-month window to borrow vehicles or equipment as needed from the town, county or the state. “God forbid the county’s truck hits the bed, we can ask the state ‘Do you have any trucks that you could loan us?’” Najdek said.
The mayor requested the Highway and Police department compile a wish list of vehicles and equipment for immediate needs. The village hopes to avoid buying used trucks and equipment, hopefully avoiding any problems that come with them, said public works superintendent Dellaghelfa. “It’s not that I’m against used. I just want to see that the village is getting their money’s worth.”
Once Najdek has confirmation from the insurance company, the village will start moving forward with the “wish-lists” from both the Highway and Police Departments. At this time, patience is what’s needed most, explained Najdek. “For those who have never been through a fire, this is a marathon. It’s not a sprint,” she said. “Sometimes answers don’t come into the third mile or fourth mile. It’s not something where information comes quickly from insurance companies everyday, so there will potentially be no updates.”
The village’s state of emergency declaration, which went into effect the morning of the fire, remains in place.
During the meeting, trustee Sherman provided updates on where the village stands for the Community Development Block Grant. The village is planning to use this grant to replace a few sections of sidewalks which need improvement.
“Some things are going to require some engineering input to see how we can rebuild this area,” Sherman said. “The aim is to put some estimates together and have the board’s consideration for our next meeting to approve making a CDBG application for this 2025 year and keeping it with a total cost under the $200,000 level, which is the max.”
According to Sherman, the focus will be on the sidewalks near John Street, also known as Smith Court and North Center Street. The Village needs to submit its request for the grant by Monday, March 3, to be considered.
The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News are seeking young journalists for an educational internship program.
The six week program provides training in the everyday operations of a community weekly. Interns will learn the news-gatheringprocess from pitch to print through regular workshops with industry professionals on topics such as photography, libel and copy-editing.
Interns will also work closely with the papers’ staff. Editors will collaborate with interns to develop stories and provide feedback throughout the program. The papers’ reporters will take interns into the field for shadowing opportunities, teaching interviewing and photography in action.
By the end of the program, interns should be capable of reporting and writing a hard news story or feature fit for print, and should have an article clip and a photograph to start a reporting portfolio. Interns should finish the six-week program with an understanding of current community journalism best practices, interviewing techniques and news-writing skills.
Interested students can find the application online at lakevillejournal.com/education-internship-programs or on our social media accounts.
