—
Roses to the Otsego Land Trust for its continuing efforts to conserve the distinctive rural character of Otsego County through protecting open space, lands of scenic value, fragile ecosystems, farmland and forestlands and to Dorothy Manley, who recently placed a conservation easement on 92 acres on Scotch Hill Road in the Town of Hartwick.
Manley said she decided to place a conservation easement on almost all of her property because of changes she’s witnessed in recent years, as farms have declined, fields have grown up to brush and homes have been built on large lots.
MacKenzie Waro, the Trust’s land protection specialist, cataloged the land’s features, which include fields, woods, the stream a five-acre wetland. Now with the easement in place, Manley can be assured that her property will remain undeveloped for future generations to enjoy, Waro said. Connie Tedesco, a botanist who works for the Land Trust, said Manley’s property is important because the stream wetland contributes to the health of the Otego Creek.
Tedesco noted that Manley’s land is beautiful, as is much of the Scotch Hill Road area.
“The name for this road is right; it has a highland kind of feel,” she said, standing in Manley’s field Thursday morning. “It’s great to think that because of Dorothy’s foresight, this place will still be beautiful years from now.” Roses to Cooperstown resident Jon Manning, whose tongue-in-cheek look at energy conservation was named one of the winners in a state-wide contest to show how to save a lot of energy by switching light bulbs. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), sponsors of the contest, invited New Yorkers to submit videos and essays describing how they cut their energy use by switching to Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Manning, who lives on Grove Street in a home filled with CFLs, took an off-beat, somewhat sarcastic look at energy conservation.
``I came up with a character who wants to do the right thing, but doesn’t get it,’’ Manning said.
At one point in the 59-second video, Manning is seen standing with frying pan in hand in front of an electric stove with all four burners glowing bright red.
Manning`s entry, ``More Efficienter,’’ can be seen at http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePZT1R9mU1c&feature=player embedded. Roses to the Springfield 4th of July Committee and all the other volunteers who worked to continue the town’s 96-year tradition of celebrating this county’s independence.
The hometown feel is what contributes to the reason why people return to Springfield each summer to help carry on the tradition.
