The Columbia County Environmental Management Council (EMC) recognized the winners of its 2019 Good Earthkeeping Awards at a May 20 ceremony held in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at 401 State Street, Hudson. Established in 1982, the Good Earthkeeping (GEK) Awards recognize individuals and groups that have made real and lasting contributions involving the preservation, improvement and/or facilitation of a better understanding of the environment in Columbia County. The awards were presented by EMC chair Ed Simonson and GEK Awards chair Theresa Mayhew who both acknowledged each winner's respective accomplishments.
This year’s winners are: the Elizabeth Gilmore Family Scotland Farm; Conrad Hanson; Moisha Blechman; Christine Vanderlan of the Columbia Land Conservancy; and the Master Gardener Volunteer Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia & Greene Counties.
The Elizabeth Gilmore Family Scotland Farm in Ancram was nominated in the adult business category by the Ancram Conservation Advisory Council. Thanks to the Gilmore family’s generous donation of 1700 acres to the Columbia Land Conservancy to create the Over Mountain Conservation Area in Ancram, the public will have access to over 10 miles of trails that boast spectacular views of the Taconic Range and the Catskills. This area’s rich biodiversity includes shrub land and hardwood swamps, we and upland meadows, seeps and springs, and ancient forests.
Conrad Hanson of Germantown was nominated in the adult individual category by Germantown resident Janet Crawford for his beautification efforts not only of his personal property but town-owned land at the corner of Palatine Park Road and Main Street near the gazebo. Over the last three years, with the help of a small cadre of volunteers, he has overseen and underwritten the planting of more than 1200 daffodil bulbs.
An accomplished environmental activist since the early 1980s, Ancram resident Moisha Blechman was nominated by the Ancram Conservation Advisory Council in the adult individual category. She is an active member of the Taghkanic Conservation Advisory Council and played a productive role in the zoning process, recommending stronger language to protect forests in the face of the Doodletown Wildlife Management plan.
The Ancram Conservation Advisory Council also nominated Christine Vanderlan with the Columbia Land Conservancy in Chatham in the adult education category for her role in planning and chairing the tri-annual Conservation Advisory Council Roundtables that are held throughout the county as well as her work with groups, towns and municipalities in their efforts to conserve and protect natural resources in the county.
The Master Gardener (MG) Volunteer Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia & Greene Counties was nominated by Jane Miller of Ghent in the adult education category. Master Gardeners provide county residents with a variety of services and programs ranging from educational programs, plant sales, soil testing, outreach exhibits and answering horticultural calls/inquiries in the Hudson office. This year’s Spring Gardening Day attracted 125 attendees. Last year, MG volunteers donated 2,235 hours to the program.
May the work that this year’s award winners have done and continue to do inspire others to become better environmental stewards of our land, air and water. In the words of cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead --“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
The Columbia County Environmental Management Council is a duly appointed body of volunteer citizens charged with advising the County Board of Supervisors on environmental matters affecting Columbia County. EMC meets on the fourth Monday of each month (unless it falls on a major holiday) at 6:30 pm in the first-floor classroom at 401 State Street, Hudson, NY.