HARLEM VALLEY — Many residents who have the pleasure of living in the beauty of rural Dutchess County, especially here in the northeastern section, know there is a price to pay. That bill comes due every year when black bears decide that the quickest route to a delicious dinner is through someone’s trash can.
Jomo Miller, public information officer at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said he doubts this year is any different than others on the bear front. Miller said the number of complaints the DEC has received this summer has been fairly average, despite the disagreement of many residents.
Wassaic resident Amanda Forbes has spotted numerous bears this year; one even ripped apart her neighbor’s garbage can after ambling over from her father’s house next door.
“There are so many bears this year in our area,” said Forbes. “I have also had two bears run in front of me while driving in the middle of the day. The other neighbors have reported seeing multiple bears around our yards and at the intersection of Poplar Hill and Sinpatch Road since the beginning of summer. There is definitely more activity than usual this year.”
With new development encroaching on these fuzzy residents of the forest, people have acknowledged “progress” has forced many bears to seek sustenance outside of their natural habitats. Bears are often seen hunting for bird seed and other morsels from feeders and scraps from patio tables and barbecue grills — a bear favorite.
While Miller suggested there may be a greater “perception” of bears due to their many guest appearances on social media, Scott Cale, general manager of Welsh Sanitation, said the problem is pervasive in both New York and Connecticut.
Cale noted bear raids may be abating somewhat as berries and other natural bear goodies are appearing, but until it’s time for the bears to take that long winter snooze, customers may end up needing to repack trash after a bear has, well, trashed it.
If that can’t be done due to early-rising, and hard-working drivers have already made their pass, Cale said customers may call the company and ask for a no-charge return visit — from the garbage truck — not the bear. Cale does warn, though, that the return pick-up might not be immediate.
Both men have non-fool or bear-proof suggestions for stiffling the huge creatures, who have a sense of smell 50 times greater than humans. That’s part of what evidently provides them with a road map for trash collection, more helpful than a schedule tacked to a tree.
With no guarantee that anything will work, try to control the smell of your trash by keeping trash cans clean; double-bag your trash; and even dip a rag into ammonia or vinegar and attach it firmly to the outside of the can, so it hangs inside before closing the lid. Bears apparently don’t like the smell, which interferes with their super sniffing powers.
Lid straps may help, although Cale notes their presence may poke the bear, who might react by kicking the can or otherwise abusing it. Straps, of course, also stymie the automatic machinery that collects trash these days. But a call to one’s garbage hauler to say straps are being used makes all the difference, as ever-helpful drivers will then stop, undo the straps, complete the collection and then continue on their way.
Cale did note that bears can be very determined when their tummies are running on empty. Several years ago, the company experimented with what were alleged to be very expensive bear-proof bins. Apparently, however, the bears — not having read the descriptions — retaliated by pushing them over and jumping up and down on them until they burst. Cale added that one especially beastly bear even pulled a massive steel container some 50 yards into the woods where apparently a Teddy Bear Picnic had been planned.
In short, there are no simple solutions nor any guarantees, but Cale suggests customers with problems report it to the DEC, which tracks bears and might take action. That could involve attempting to train the bear away from the behavior.
Sometimes bears are captured and taken as far as 100 miles away. With most being smarter than the average bear, as Yogi would say, they’ve got good memories and often find their way back to their home base. Sadly, as a last resort, some bears who threaten public safety may be euthanized.
There may be little to do but “grin and bear” the situation and hope for a bumper berry crop.
To register bear complaints, call the DEC office at 518-402-8883. For trash assistance, call Welsh Sanitation at 845-877-9354.
Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut.
SHARON — Northern Dutchess Paramedics will cease operating in northwest Connecticut at the start of the new year, a move that emergency responders and first selectmen say would replace decades of advanced ambulance coverage with a more limited service arrangement.
Emergency officials say the change would shift the region from a staffed, on-call advanced life support service to a plan centered on a single paramedic covering multiple rural towns, raising concerns about delayed response times and gaps in care during simultaneous emergencies.
The decision became known on Dec. 11 when communities were informed that NDP’s service would end as of Jan. 1, according to Andrea Downs, president of the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department and an employee of the organization.
Founded in 1994 and based in Rhinebeck, New York, NDP has provided advanced and basic life support ambulance services to communities in Dutchess and Columbia counties in New York, as well as parts of Litchfield County, for nearly three decades.
How the change came about was outlined by Al Tortorella of Sharon, also an employee of NDP.
Tortorella said every Connecticut municipality is required to have an advanced life support provider. For the past 28 years, Sharon Hospital has fulfilled that requirement by signing an annual hospital-sponsored agreement with NDP. In recent years, the agreement was signed by Dr. Ronald Santos, head of the hospital’s emergency department, under whose medical license NDP operates.
When NDP recently approached Santos to renew the agreement, he said he could not sign it, a decision that took the organization by surprise, Tortorella said.
Area towns operate volunteer ambulance squads that provide basic life support. NDP supplements those crews by delivering advanced medical care, administering medications and conducting inter-facility transports.
Sharon Hospital, which is part of Nuvance Health, merged earlier this year with Northwell Health.
Downs and Tortorella said they understand that the hospital system plans to replace NDP with its own paramedic service.
Under the proposed arrangement, a single paramedic would cover the Sharon Hospital catchment area, starting each shift in New Milford before traveling to Sharon. If needed, the paramedic would be assisted by a paid EMT provided by Nuvance.
Tortorella sharply criticized the model. “It’s a system designed to fail,” he said. “This is a huge issue.”
Downs echoed those concerns, noting that the paramedic’s 12-hour shift would include significant travel time between locations. “I’m very concerned about the health and well-being of residents in the Northwest Corner,” she said. “We don’t want any reduction in services for patients in the region. I can’t understand the rationale of taking services away. Northwell wants to maintain a model of corporate health care, but they can’t put a face to the people and culture we’ve established here. We’re talking life and death.”
Downs emphasized that the decision does not involve layoffs at NDP, which was recently acquired by Empress. She said there is ample demand for paramedic services in New York state and that employees’ jobs are secure. The concern, she said, is for the safety of families, friends and neighbors in Northwest Connecticut.
In an interview, Sharon Hospital President and CEO Christina McCulloch and Andrea Rynn, assistant vice president for community, government and public relations at Northwell Health, addressed the decision to discontinue the hospital-sponsored agreement with NDP.
“Recently, concerns were brought to our attention about compliance and [a lack of] communications,” they said. “This information left us unsettled and unable to be a sponsoring hospital at this time.”
They acknowledged that the timing of the transition was far from ideal. “Despite the tight timing, we are actively developing a coverage plan in concert with local first responders and area leaders. This is a process that is just beginning and we are confident it will strengthen over time.”
McCulloch and Rynn said the hospital and health system remain committed to maintaining service continuity and working with community partners to enhance emergency medical services across the region.
AMENIA — Residents can now take advantage of a local recycling program that offers convenient home pickup for textiles and other household items. The program, approved by Dutchess County, was outlined by Town Board member and Town Supervisor-elect Rosanna Hamm.
The service, operated by Helpsy, accepts unwanted clothing, footwear, textiles, accessories and linens, along with items such as luggage and stuffed animals. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 17% of recyclable textiles are currently reclaimed, with the rest ending up in landfills or municipal incinerators.
By providing free home pickup, the program is expected to reduce disposal tonnage and tipping fees, saving the town money while also conserving resources and saving residents time.
Items should be placed in plastic bags on front steps for pickup on collection day. All items must be clean, dry and odor-free.
Accepted items include all types of footwear — from slippers and sneakers to dress shoes, boots and cleats — as well as clothing such as outerwear, tops, dresses, pajamas, underwear and baby clothes. Accessories include hats, purses, bathrobes and jewelry. Linens include bed linens, curtains, drapes, table linens, quilts, blankets and comforters. Miscellaneous items such as luggage, sports jerseys and stuffed animals are also accepted.
Founded in 2017, Helpsy now operates in 10 states, managing more than 1,200 collection points and providing home pickup for millions of residents. The organization has diverted more than 75,000 tons of textiles from the waste stream, saving municipalities millions of dollars in disposal costs while generating funding for charitable organizations and thrift stores.
For residents who would prefer to deliver items to a drop-off bin, the closest bin is in Wingdale at Drop and Lock, 1371 Route 22. For more information, go to www.helpsy.com/ameniany or phone (800) 244-6350.
The Upstate Celtic Allstars brought holiday cheer at their third annual concert at the Amenia Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 20. The five-member ensemble included, left to right, Ambrose Verdibello, fiddle; Isa Simon, fiddle and vocals; Claudine Langille, vocals and banjo; Joseph Sobol, citern; and Dave Paton, concertina and dulcimer.
