The Goodnow Mountain Trail (Newcomb, NY) will be closed from January 10, 2023 through March 15, 2023 (subject to change) to accommodate an on-going timber harvest taking place in the vicinity. During that time, the public will not be allowed to access the Goodnow Mountain trailhead, trail or fire tower.
The Goodnow Mountain Trail leading to the fire tower is part of the Archer and Anna Huntington Wildlife Forest which is managed by SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and forms the Newcomb Campus. The mission for the Campus is to lead research, education and demonstration, advancing our understanding of forest and wildlife management.
The project is Adaptive Capacity Through Silviculture (ACTS), an experiment to determine how different forest treatment methods and resulting changed light levels affect the regeneration and growth of future forests as impacted by a changing climate. As a key carbon sink, forests are increasingly important to accumulate and sequester atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations and help mitigate climate change. ACTS is new network of experimental cutting designs that tests alternative strategies for managing hardwood forests across the northeastern US from New York to Michigan.
The project is designed to include several different timber harvest scenarios covering approximately 104 acres. Permanent research plots have been established to document forest conditions before and after the harvesting, and to evaluate the long-term effects of the different treatment strategies and climate change mitigation/adaptation. Learn more about the project at www.esf.edu/forestproperties/about/news.htm
Please direct questions to Mike Federice, Assistant Forest Property Manager, 518-582-4551
COVID is still being spread in Essex County, New York, and the Town of Newcomb currently has what we consider to be a significant number of residents infected with the virus. Please follow these simply guidelines to ensure you and your loved ones are protected. Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines. Get tested if you have symptoms. Wear a mask if you have symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19. Wear a mask on public transportation. *You may choose to wear a mask at any time as an additional precaution to protect yourself and others. *If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider wearing a mask indoors in public and taking additional precautions. Please contact the Newcomb Health Center if you have any health related questions.
5/1/2022 – 2022 Tentative Assessment Roll
4/12/22 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Town of Newcomb Hires New PA
3/29/22 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:
Andrea Whitmarsh, Public Information Officer, Essex County Health Department
518-873-3546 │andrea.whitmarsh@essexcountyny.gov
COVID cases climb; hospitalizations remain low; ECHD urges continued caution
Elizabethtown, N.Y. – Parts of New York State are experiencing a jump in COVID-19 cases at the same time the state saw an overall 26% increase last week. After reaching a winter peak of 12,700 cases in January statewide, hospitalizations dropped dramatically and have remained low since. Still, hospitalizations often lag case increases by a few weeks.
Also this week, Essex County moved back into a “medium” COVID-19 Community Level, along with Clinton and Hamilton counties. Franklin county is now at a “high” risk level. COVID-19 Community Levels are a classification system used by the CDC to help individuals and communities make decisions based on local context and their unique circumstances. Counties are coded as low, medium, or high by taking into account COVID-19 hospital admissions, cases, and the percent of available hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients.
“The recent increase in cases in parts of New York underscores the need for everyone to remain cautious, especially if they have individual risk factors that make them more susceptible to serious illness,” said Linda Beers, Director of Public Health for the Essex County Health Department (ECHD). “Residents who are at higher risk should consider layers of precaution, like limiting close social contact, mask wearing, and planning for testing and treatment should the need arise.”
With the winter surge behind us, many residents are still benefitting from some immunity following infection with omicron. Add this to the protection offered by vaccines and the availability of antivirals and state officials do not anticipate the kind of spikes that have been seen in previous waves. Warding off future illness though hinges on people continuing to get vaccinated and boosted when eligible, getting tested following exposure or when symptoms develop, and staying home with sick. “Remember, children younger than 5 are still not eligible for vaccination and our vaccination rates in youth under 12 remain lower than we’d like. It’s important to stick with layered prevention strategies to protect these groups, as well as others who are more vulnerable,” Beers stressed.
“Today, the FDA amended the emergency use authorizations for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to allow for a 2nd booster in those 50 years of age and older, as well individuals with certain immune conditions,” noted Jessica Darney Buehler, Director of Health Planning & Promotion for ECHD. “We offer vaccine clinics weekly at our health department and we will incorporate these newest changes to vaccine eligibility as soon as state approvals occur”.
To make an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination or booster, go to www.co.essex.ny.us/Health/covid-vax-appointments/ or call 518-873-3500.
To learn more about CDC COVID-19 Community Levels, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/science/community-levels.html
To view county and state-level COVID-19 data, go to https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-data-new-york
