The agricultural assessment program allows eligible farmland owners to receive real property assessments based on the value of their land for agricultural production rather than on its development value.  Any assessed value which exceeds the equalized agricultural assessment on the land may qualify for a reduced tax assessment.

Landowners must apply through the local town assessor for an agricultural assessment. Further Information on Agricultural Districts can be found here, contact information for local assessors can be found here.

Do you qualify? Find out by visiting the Soil Group page, there you can find more information about the program and will be able to download a brochure. You may also call our office at 315-946-7200

New York State “Grown and Certified” Christmas trees and wreaths will be on display in the state’s regional welcome centers and Taste NY stores, promoting New York’s agricultural and tourism industries.

New York’s Christmas tree industry sells nearly 300,000 trees from more than 750 tree farms located across the state.

The NYS Grown & Certified program tells buyers the products they are selecting come from farmers who grow their products in an environmentally-responsible manner.

NYS Grown & Certified participating tree farm producers in Wayne County are:

Brick Church Farms Christmas Trees and Gift Shop
5502 S. Geneva Rd.
Sodus, New York
(315) 483-9876

Franke Farms
3700 Boss Road Extension
Marion, NY
(315) 986-1349

New York State’s agriculture industry is one of our great assets and keeping it growing and thriving is one of the most important things we can do. When you see products with the New York State Grown & Certified seal, you are assured that it comes from a local farm that adheres to high food safety standards and environmentally responsible practices.

To learn more about the NYS Grown and Certified program contact Ian Priestley AEM Specialist at 315-946-7200 or email: Ian@wayneNYswcd.org

A representation of the Spotted Lanternfly during its lifecycle. A winged adult SLF is center. The insect as it appears with black and white markings after hatching during May and June is to the right. As the insect matures, it changes from black to mainly red, usually during July through September, as shown to the left. It assumes it adult, winged form in late summer, and lays its eggs in the fall, starting the cycle again. (Artwork by Juliet Linzmeier, Student Conservation Association member, Invasive Species Unit, NYS Parks)

The Finger Lakes PRISM is hosting a webinar to address titled Emergency response to Spotted Lantern Fly. Right now, Spotted lanternfly is wreaking havoc downstate and is expected to take a foothold in our region as soon as this season. Learn what SLF is, what this means to our communities, and how we can build a response plan for its imminent arrival. This program is for municipal leaders, planners, educators, and community advocates.

This program is approved for 1.5 Category 1 CFEs through SAF.

Agenda:

10am-10:30   An overview of SLF. What it is, what is does, and why we are worried

Brian Eshenaur, Sr. Extension Associate, Cornell University and NYS IPM

10:30-11:00    NYS response to SLF- where it is currently, what is being done, and how we can mitigate the impacts

Thom Allgaier, Invasive Species Coordinator, NYS Dept. of Ag and Markets

11:00-11:30    A response plan to SLF. How to mobilize your community, develop and disseminate a communication plan, and engaging your stakeholders in the region

Linda Svoboda, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County; Judy Wright, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Seneca County; and Hilary R. Mosher, Coordinator for the Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management

11:30-12pm    Detailed Q/A session with expert panel including Linda Rohleder, PhD, Director of Land Stewardship for the NY-NJ Trails Conference and Lower Hudson PRISM Coordinator, Mitchell O’Neill,  iMapInvasives and NY Natural Heritage Program, and Hans Walter-Peterson, Viticulture Specialist for Cornell University in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

Click here to register

Red rubber ducky in pond

A new video has been posted to DEC’s YouTube channel  reminding New Yorkers to “Look for the Zero”. Before buying lawn fertilizer, check the bag for a set of three numbers showing the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Buy a bag with a “0” in the middle to protect our waters from harmful runoff.

Remember – it is also against NYS law to apply lawn fertilizer before April 1. Visit DEC’s Lawn Fertilizer webpage for more information.

MARSH! is part of a larger effort to restore, protect, and enhance wildlife habitat on nearly 50,000 acres in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex. This VOLUNTEER program supports the habitat restoration efforts of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Montezuma Audubon Center and other partners at Montezuma. This group works on controlling invasive species in grassland, shrubland, forest, marsh and river. The work is hands-on as we monitor, cut and pull invasive species & replant and monitor natives that will be more beneficial to wildlife & less harmful to Montezuma habitats overall!

MARSH is part of a larger effort to restore, protect, and enhance wildlife habitat on nearly 50,000 acres in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.
MARSH! workdays run 9:00AM to 1:00PM.

YOU MUST SIGN UP IN ADVANCE before noon on the day before work day
For Refuge/Seneca Meadows workdays, call 315-568-5987 or email nicholas_vermeulen@fws.gov
For MAC/DEC work days, call 315-365-3588
You can download a flyer here

Bats of New York Friday, August 26th 7 PM – 9 PM
To register: https://act.audubon.org/a/bats-new-york
NYSDEC Wildlife Biologist Christina Hoh will be leading us through an educational evening of learning all about the bats that call New York State their home. We’ll learn what they eat if they migrate or hibernate, and that they’re not an animal to be afraid of. The program will begin indoors with a presentation detailing the nine species of bats found in NY. Once darkness falls, we’ll head outside for a short hike and demonstration of some of the technical equipment used to survey different bat species. Bring a flashlight and insect repellent! Long sleeves and pants may be desired as well.
-Fee: $5/child, $10/adult, $30/family.
-Suitable for all ages!
Space is limited and pre-paid online reservations are required.
Call 315-365-3588 or email montezuma@audubon.org with questions.

Audubon continues to take necessary precautions to reduce COVID spread, but no public activity can be 100 percent safe. We ask anyone who is feeling unwell or who has had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19 to not participate in any in-person program until the risk for infection has passed.
Program Cancellation/Reimbursement Policy:
If the MAC cancels an event, we will initiate a full reimbursement.
If you need to cancel registration for an event, you must call or email the MAC at (315) 365-3588 or montezuma@audubon.org
If you cancel more than a week before the event, we will initiate a reimbursement minus a 10% administrative fee, or credit you for a future event.
No reimbursements are issued for cancellations received less than a week before the date of the event.
Bats flying at night. Photo: Stuart Anthony/Flickr

October 21 @ 6:00 pm 8:00 pm

Montezuma Audubon Center welcomes back Jean Soprano, of Kindred Kingdoms Wildlife Rehabilitation, who will have live owls on display during her presentation about the silent hunters of the night. Then, join the Montezuma Audubon Center staff for an owl prowl around the woods and grasslands to search for Montezuma’s wild owls and other night time wildlife. Fee: $6/child, $8/adult, $25/family. For more information visit
https://friendsofmontezuma.org/event/happy-owl-ween-3/

The 23rd annual Wayne County Apple Tasting Tour is underway. It runs October 1st – 31st and is packed with many new options for visiting orchards and celebrating agriculture in Wayne County and of course, the apple! According to Wayne County Tourism, there are many new virtual experiences that include live apple tastings, an on-line passport with trivia, and NEW features such as curbside pickup at some stops. The tour includes 10 locations, each one unique with a different taste and texture of apples.  This year’s challenge features something brand new, an Apple Tasting Tour app! Use the app to learn about all of the locations on the tour. When you arrive at each location you will be prompted to answer a trivia question and if you answer correctly you will receive a badge. You can even upload photos of the badges page to be entered into weekly prize drawings!

Visit AppleTastingTour.com to use the brand new app and start planning out your picking!

You can also contact Wayne County Tourism at (800) 527-6510 or visit www.waynecountytourism.com

Meet up on Earth Day for the Erie Canal Clean Sweep. New York’s largest Earth Day clean-up event.

Each year the NYS Canal Corporation and Parks & Trails New York hosts volunteer events along the New York State Canal System as part of the 12th annual Canal Clean Sweep.

April 22, 2017
In Lyons volunteers will clean from Geneva Street/ Route 14 bridge, along canal bank and dock area to Lock 27 and bike trail to Abbey Park. Meet up at 9:00 A.M.

    FOLLOW THIS MAP FOR MORE EVENTS


More .. http://ow.ly/wOzq30ae16p

Stormwater Management with the Sodus Central High/Middle School 


 IMG_0851On August 4th we ran a program with about 30 Sodus Central High/ Middle school “summer program” youth. We talked about stormwater management. We reviewed the installation of a rain barrel at Village of Sodus Point. (The barrel had been painted last year by the Sodus Central Eco club). We then used color chalk to draw pollutants that could enter into storm drains, as we hosed down the drawings we watched the direction that colored water flowed into and around the drains. Kids then broke out into groups of storm clouds and storm water catchers. Using tennis balls as rain drops we mimicked the path rain water takes as it makes its way into Sodus Bay. Many balls followed the cracks in the pavement that were created by heavy rain events. Some drops flowed into a rain garden below. Walking downhill to the bay we looked at the individual storm drains along the way. We ended our tour at the stormwater outlet located directly at the bay shore. Thank you Sodus Central Summer School program for taking time to talk about the importance of stormwater management!
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