ALBANY, NY – Spring will arrive early at the New York State Museum February 19-21 when visitors will find more than 110 thematic floral displays positioned throughout the galleries for the 19th annual “New York in Boom” fundraiser benefiting the Museum’s award-winning after-school programs.

GE is the presenting sponsor for the event. Garden club members, professional designers and floral enthusiasts from across the state will create unique floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. Table displays will also be provided by local interior designers and home furnishing stylists, florists and event specialists. The event also will feature demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday and children’s activities on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, “New York in Bloom” marks the only time during the year that admission is charged to enter the Museum. The “New York in Bloom” admission fee is $5 for adults on Friday. On Saturday and Sunday the fee will be $6, which also includes admission to the 17th annual “James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale.” Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Eight floral arrangements, positioned in front of eight-foot high panels in primary colors, will form an octagon in the Museum lobby window space. A flower market will also be open in the lobby area on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5p.m., while supplies last.

Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD will create a lush, floral garden display in the Crossroads Gallery. In Bird Hall, visitors will see 10 table displays created by KatsEye Interior Design, Henry F. Clas Florist, Designs by Douglas, Renaissance Floral Design, W&P Enterprises, Experience and Creative Design, Stickley Audi & Co., In Bloom, Object Obscura and The Floral Garden. Demonstrations will be presented in the Huxley Theater and Adirondack Hall. Topics on Saturday will include “Homestyle Floral Arrangements," 10 to 11 a.m.; “How to Structure Larger Arrangements,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Butterfly Garden Basics,” noon to 1 p.m.; “Hand-tied Bouquets for All Occasions,” 1 to 2 p.m.; “Gardening in the 21st Century,” 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; “Designs for the Home,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.; “263,000 Bulbs,” 3 to 4 p.m. and “Cooking and Crafting with Fresh Flowers,” 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday demonstrations will include “Thinking Outside the Vase,” 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; “Floral Arranging for a Wedding,” noon to 1 p.m.; “Inside Out,” 1 to 2 p.m. and Michele’s Flower Hour,” 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

All children’s activities will take place in Kids’ Cove. They will include Face Painting on Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. On Friday, children can learn how to make “Duct Tape Flowers,” from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., and “Dried Flower Sachets” from 2 to 3 p.m.

One new addition to this year’s event will be a display of rare books, dating from1802 to 1921, from the New York State Library’s Manuscripts and Special Collections. Prominent among them is Pierre-Joseph Redoute’s eight-volume work, “Les Liliacees” (The Lilies), published in 1802. Redoute was a Belgian botanist and painter famous for his paintings of roses, lilies and other flowers. There also will be a floral arrangement interpreting the cover of the book.

Also, for the first time, a video created by the Museum’s after-school program will be shown at various locations in the Museum. Working with a Museum film educator, the students wrote their own scripts and interviewed visitors, curators and educators to enhance their knowledge of science, history and the arts.

On Friday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Classe′ Catering will offer soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and beverages at the Sugar Maple Café in Adirondack Hall. Other food will also be available all three days at Subway, on the Museum’s fourth floor Terrace Gallery, and on Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Big Don’s Hot Dogs & More/ Losee’s Deli in the Museum’s first floor Student Center.

“New York in Bloom” is a primary funding source for the nationally recognized, educational after-school programs -- the Museum Club and Discovery Squads. Since 1987 the after-school program has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany’s underserved neighborhoods. Students receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive projects involving Museum exhibitions. In the Discovery Squad, teens receive essential job training, academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in various work environments.

Supporters of the after-school program include KeyBank, Capital Bank, SEFCU, CDPHP, Paradigm Capital Management and SmileMonster.com. In addition to presenting sponsor GE, support for “New York in Bloom” was provided by the Times Union, Ambiance Florals and Events, Seagroatt-Riccardi, Ltd., Quality Retail Systems, The College of St. Rose, Dan Engwer Wholesale Florist and Bill Doran Company.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY, NY – Children will have the chance to dig for minerals while adults shop for their own treasures at the “17th Annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale,” to be held Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21 at the New York State Museum.

Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 4th floor Terrace Gallery, the show is part of the Museum’s annual fundraising weekend, the only time admission is charged at the Museum. Proceeds will help fund new acquisitions for the museum’s gem and mineral collections.

There is a general admission price of $6 per person, which also admits visitors to the “New York in Bloom” event the same weekend. There is no charge for children 12 and under if accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door and there is limited free parking.

The show will feature more than 20 vendors, who will display and sell gems, jewelry, minerals, fossils, books, videos, lapidary equipment and supplies, as well as stone carvings, bookends and silver and goldsmithing tools. There also will be children’s activities, mineral identification and guided exhibition tours.

Publications, produced by the Museum’s Research and Collections staff, documenting research in New York’s natural and human history, will also be for sale. Materials on display will include information on geology, archaeology, paleontology, anthropology, biology, and history.

Other activities over the weekend will include:

• A mineral dig for children, held throughout the weekend, hosted by the Capital District Mineral Club.
• Guided tours on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p. m. of the Minerals of New York gallery. Michael Hawkins, the Museum’s mineralogy collections manager, will highlight recent acquisitions. Participants will meet in the Museum lobby.

The “Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show” was initiated by the late James Campbell, a member of the Museum’s geological staff, and has become one of the Museum's most well-attended annual events.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the State Museum is open daily from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Huxley Theater. The lecturers will focus on the results of research that was funded by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute. Lecture topics and dates are:

• October 7 – “White-nose Syndrome: The Darkest of Nights for North American Bats.” During the winter of 2005–2006, a disease appeared in a Schoharie County cave that has nearly eliminated bats that winter in the Northeast. Twenty-five of the 45 bat species in the United States may be at risk, with extinctions being a real possibility. Alan Hicks, from New York State’s endangered species program, will discuss the history, current status, and future conservation efforts regarding this unprecedented problem.
• October 14 – “Impacts to Wildlife from the Consequences of Exurban Development in the Adirondack Park.” Large-scale fragmentation resulting from large lot development outside incorporated cities and towns may decrease biotic integrity, alter species behavior and composition, and increase human-wildlife conflict. Dr. Michale Glennon, a scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Adirondack Program, will discuss her work to understand the responses of avian communities surrounding residential homes in the Adirondacks.
• October 21 – “Benthic Biodiversity in the Great South Bay: Effects of Hard Clam (Mercenaria mercenaria) Restoration.” The Nature Conservancy has created hard clam spawner sanctuaries to restore hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, to Long Island’s Great South Bay. Michael Doall, of the Functional Ecology Lab in the Ecology and Evolution Department at Stony Brook University,will discuss the impacts of increasing hard clam populations on benthic biodiversity and examines ecosystem benefits of hard clam restoration efforts.
• October 28 – “Forgotten Floras: Making the Case for Vouchered Plant Collections.” In 2004, a species-area curve analysis revealed that at least 10 counties in the state documented fewer than half the plant species than predicted. Five years later, Otsego, Montgomery and Fulton counties were surveyed, generating more than 1,000 new records, including several rare and some newly invasive plants. Dr. Donna Vogler, of the State University of New York College at Oneonta, will discuss the major findings of those efforts and the role of voucher-based natural history collections in the increasingly molecular and digital world of biology.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY – New York State Museum geologists, biologists, historians and curators will share their knowledge and research on a wide variety of topics in a series of fall lunchtime lectures – “Brain Food for the Curious” -- at the State Museum, beginning September 15.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Huxley Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

• September 15 – “Aquatic Critters Are Being Killed. Who Done It?” Dr. Dan Molloy, the director of the Museum’s Field Research Laboratory, will assume the role of disease detective, calling on his international network of scientific sleuths, to solve mysteries involving animals – especially microscopic ones – discovered dying in our lakes or rivers. This is CSI: NYS Museum on a budget!

   

• September 22 – “The Straight Story on the Marcellus Shale.” Dr. Taury Smith, an oil and gas geologist and the curator of subsurface geological collections at the Museum, will provide information on the geology of the Marcellus Shale, how and where wells could be drilled and “hydrofracked” in New York State, and the likely environmental and economic impact of shale gas production, both locally and globally.

   

• September 29 – “Global Warming Isn’t Going Away.” The Earth has just experienced the warmest 12 months in recorded history, yet polls show an American public that is increasingly skeptical of the scientific consensus position that human activity is warming the climate. Geologist Dr. Taury Smith will present evidence for global warming and discusses how media coverage is weakening the case for action.

   

• October 6 – “Shaking the Helderbergs: Earthquakes in Berne, 1980 to 2010.” When people think of earthquakes they are likely to think of California, Indonesia, and China. There were 23earthquakes in the Helderbergs last year. Geologists are puzzled by small, deep earthquakes in the town of Berne, 3–13 miles below the surface. Dr. Charles Ver Straeten, a sedimentary geologist, will delve into the mystery.

   

• October 13 – “Human Frogs! The Twisted Story of Two Vaudeville Performers.” Friede and Harry DeMarlo toured the globe between 1910 and 1928 performing contortionist and trapeze acts. In their most famous act, “A Frog’s Paradise,” they contorted their bodies into frog-like poses. Dr. Jennifer Lemak, senior historian, will piece together their extraordinary life based on artifacts in the Museum collection.

   

• October 20 – “Should We Go Nuclear?” The amount of the relatively carbon dioxide-free form of energy generated by nuclear power plants may increase in the next few years, but there are some constraints on future nuclear energy use. Dr. Marian Lupulescu, curator of geology, will analyze the availability of the uranium resources and the disposal of nuclear waste.

   

• October 27 – “Zebra Mussels and The Batten Kill: What’s the Threat?” Zebra mussels are unwanted invaders in New York State lakes and rivers, causing harm to native aquatic life. When they were discovered one year ago in the Batten Kill, a trout stream in Washington County, residents and sportsmen feared the worst. Research scientist Denise Mayer will discuss what can be done to protect this river.

   

• November 3 – “Meet the People of Colonial Albany Online at the People of Colonial Albany Live Here Website.” Community historian Stefan Bielinski will lead an interactive tour of new and improved features of the community history website dedicated to the 16,000 people who founded and built the city of Albany from 1686 to 1800. The site has more than 3,000 separate features and millions of visitors every year. New features are added virtually every day.

   

• November 10 – “Qualla Arts and the Federal IACB Among Eastern Native Nations.” 
  Intertribal influences of the Eastern Cherokees’ famous Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual (est. 1946) are largely forgotten. During the 1960s–80s, however, their master craftspeople led Indian and Arts and Crafts Board workshops for other Nations in the East, sparking crafts revitalization in several. Dr. Betty Duggan, curator of ethnography and ethnology, will discuss this revitalization.

   

• November 17 – “Taking the Pulse of the Moving Animal Planet.” The Earth is in constant motion through the daily patrols and yearly migrations of animals. Dr. Roland Kays, curator of mammals, will provide an around-the-world tour of discoveries made with the assistance of new technologies that allow tracking of bees through the forest, birds on cross-continental flights, and predators moving into your backyard.

The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY – The New York State Museum will present a March lecture and film series – “Life on a Small Planet” – focusing on the financial meltdown, as well as issues related to the sustainability of the world’s natural resources.

The free lectures and films will be offered on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. in March in the Huxley Theater. The schedule is:

• Wednesday, March 4 – “The Global Predicament: Increasing Consumption, Decreasing Abundance of Resources.” Museum geologist Dr. Taury Smith will discuss current trends in population growth and resource consumption and provide the latest scientific information on global oil supplies and other trends in resource consumption and depletion.
• Sunday, March 8 -- “Screening of Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil.” Alice Oldfather, an Albany resident concerned about the implications of peak oil, will introduce the film and lead a discussion on what lessons can be learned from Cuba’s experience. Cuba survived a 75 percent decrease in oil consumption when imports from the former Soviet Union suddenly stopped. The film is 60 minutes long.
• Wednesday, March 11 – “Global Cooling?” Dr. Smith will discuss the latest scientific data. Climate change can be caused by both natural phenomena and human activity. Evidence suggests that the Earth is in cooler phases of natural climate variations, but that this is likely to change in the next few years
• Wednesday, March 18 – “Why You Should Think About Peak Oil, Climate Change, and Economic Collapse When It Seems Much Nicer Not To.” This lecture will be presented by Sharon Astyk, the author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front and the forthcoming A Nation of Farmers (with Aaron Newton, Spring 2009). She also homeschools children, teaches,and is a subsistence farmer in upstate New York.
• Sunday, March 22 – “Screening of Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladahk.” This film, by Helena Norberg Hodge, examines the impact of economic globalization on successful centuries-old practices in the high Himalayan region of Ladahk, India. Sharon Hoffman, an Albany resident who spent two summers in Ladahk, will introduce the film, show slides from her trip to the region, and lead a discussion. The film is 60 minutes long.
• Wednesday, March 25 – “The Financial Meltdown and the Economics of Sustainability” Dr. John Gowdy, a professor and ecological economist at RPI, will discuss the shift from a growth economy to a sustainable economy and how the world might then function. Topics covered will include the current revolution in economic theory, the ongoing financial meltdown, global climate change policy, and more.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

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LANDSCAPE EXHIBIT OPENS AT NYS MUSEUM SEPTEMBER 3

ALBANY, NY – “Not Just Another Pretty Place: The Landscape of New York” opens at the New York State Museum September 3 showcasing the many different ways views of New York have been captured and used by artists, photographers, scientists and others during the past 200 years.

This is the first exhibition of landscape art to be completely culled from the State Museum’s vast collections. On display in the Museum’s West Gallery, this exhibition takes a unique look at the landscape art form, looking beyond the purely aesthetic. It features more than 100 landscape scenes and includes paintings, photographs, prints, ceramics, furniture and much more.

The rich and varied landscape of New York State has been a subject of interest to artists, photographers, historians, and scientists alike for hundreds of years. Artists have used the landscape in their work to draw tourists to Niagara Falls or the Adirondacks, create allegorical scenes of the Hudson River for advertising, and document the ever-changing streets of New York City.

The exhibition includes works by Currier & Ives, Seneca Ray Stoddard, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Thomas Benjamin Pope, Fairfield Porter, Edward Gay, Asa Twitchell, E.L. Henry and William Henry Jackson.

A complementary photo exhibition will also open on September 3 outside West Gallery in the West Hall Corridor. “Wish You Were Here! New York State Photographed by You” will feature photographs of the scenic New York State landscape submitted by the general public. These can be photographs of a beloved vacation spot or even the backyard, neighborhood street or other favorite place. Images chosen for the exhibition, as well as others that are submitted, will also appear on the Museum’s website and flickr page. Photographs will still be accepted after September 3, since new ones will continually be added to both the gallery and website.

Those wishing to submit photos for “Wish You Were Here” will find further information at www.nysm.nysed.gov/wishyouwerehere.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY, NY – “Early settlers” will be the theme of the New York State Museum’s November

4-5 Family Fun Weekend, which will focus on the lives of New York’s colonial settlers and the

soldiers who protected them.

The program, which is presented free of charge, takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. both

days and will give young people a glimpse of the ways in which people endured harsh upstate

winters in the 18th century. Events take place in the Adirondack Hall on the Museum’s first floor.

Both afternoons, re-enactors from British Army units, which served in and around the Capital

Region during the French and Indian War, will be encamped, appearing as they might have

in 1758. They will play the role of two units -- the 55th Light Infantry and the Grenadiers of

the British Army. Commanded by Capt. Chris Cook of Springfield, MA, the soldiers of the 55th

will act out chores and drills and demonstrate how they made and used winter gear. These

soldiers protected settlers against raids by the French and Indians who were coming from the

North. Often their wives and children traveled with them.

Wendy Nollner of the Museum’s visitor services staff will demonstrate crafts of colonial

women. Children can also make their own crafts, including an old-fashioned sheep ornament.

They can also make a spinning top, which was a favorite of children in that era. The Museum will

also hold a scavenger hunt, with prizes, and give children an activity packet with games and

puzzles.

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At 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday a display in the Museum’s Star Lab

will show how early settlers used the sky to help determine their daily activities. The Star Lab is

presented in the Museum Theater, across from West Gallery. Attendance is limited to 30 people

and tickets must be picked up in the lobby.

Family Fun Weekends offer theme-based family activities and are held the first

weekend of the month.

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York

State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in

Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving,

Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible.

Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518)

474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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On February 20-22 the New York State Museum will host "New York in Bloom," its annual celebration of flowers and fund-raiser for its award-winning after-school programs.

"New York in Bloom" will be open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, February 20; Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22. The event will feature floral arrangements, designed by more than 90 exhibitors, to complement the Museum's exhibitions.

A special attraction this year, made possible by Seagroatt Riccardi, LTD, will be a tropical plant and flower display centered around a 1999 Acura NSX, Zanardi edition, one of only 50 such automobiles manufactured worldwide. Also, students in the Museum's after-school programs -- the Museum Club and Discovery Squad -- will transform the Museum's lobby into a Greek garden, integrating self-made busts of themselves as Greek gods. Faddegon's Nursery will donate plants and flowers and assist the students in creating the display.

Demonstrations will be held all three days on a variety of topics including spring table decorating; low-maintenance, high impact perennials; hand-tied bouquets; creating flowers using dried materials, making fossil garden stones and more. There also will be children's workshops and a fresh flower market, while supplies last, with flowers donated by Seagroatt Riccardi. A gala reception, with musical entertainment by the Joe Sorrentino Quartet, will be held Friday evening. The public may call (518) 474-0068 to request an invitation to the gala. Reservations are required.

"New York in Bloom" is one of the most heavily attended of the museum's annual programs.

Garden club members and amateur and professional designers from across the state will create inventive floral arrangements that thematically complement the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions including Let It Shine: Improvisations in African-American Star Quilts; Form Structure Place: Minimal

Art from the Guggenheim Museum Panza Collection; Lost Cases, Recovered Lives: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic; Dreaming of Timbuctoo; Bound for the Promised Land: Albany's Rapp Road Community and Ancient Life in New York: A Billion Years of Earth History.

New York in Bloom is a primary funding source for the Museum Club, a nationally recognized, educational after-school program for youths, ages eight through thirteen. Since 1987 the club has provided tutoring and educational enrichment opportunities for youths from Albany's underserved neighborhoods. Children receive homework help and reading support and participate in interactive, thematic projects involving museum exhibits. The Discovery Squad is the teen extension of the Museum Club. Teens work with younger Museum Club children while developing professional skills with the assistance of adult mentors. Students receive essential job training, academic and personal support, explore higher education opportunities and gain confidence as they serve the Museum in a variety of work-based capacities.

The admission fee for "New York in Bloom" is $3 for adults. There also will be a $5 combination ticket available that will also include admission to the 11th annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale, which will be held at the museum the same weekend on Saturday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, Feb. 22. Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Volunteers are needed to assist Museum staff during the three-day event. Anyone interested may call Brian Malloy at 402-5869.

On Saturday and Sunday there will be limited free parking in the East Garage (corner of Eagle and Madison) and in the Cathedral lot and Museum parking lot.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum will host "New York in Bloom," its 12th annual celebration of flowers and fund-raiser for its after-school programs, February 21-23.

"New York in Bloom" will be open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, February 21; Saturday, February 22 and Sunday, February 23. The event will feature floral arrangements by more than 75 exhibitors, demonstrations and gallery tours all three days, children's workshops Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m., and a flower market Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while supplies last. A gala buffet reception, with musical entertainment, will be held Friday evening. The public may call (518) 474-0068 to request an invitation to the gala.

First Lady Libby Pataki will be this year's honoree in recognition of her deep commitment and advocacy on behalf of children. She has been in the forefront in advancing programs that ensure the safety, health and education of all of New York State's children.

"New York in Bloom," a primary funding source for the Museum Club and the Discovery Squad after-school programs, is one of the most heavily attended of the museum's annual programs and a tradition in the community. It consists of inventive floral arrangements by garden club members and amateur and professional designers from across the state. Participants in the event create arrangements that thematically complement the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions including "The World Trade Center: Rescue Recovery Response," phase II of which opens February 1; "Paul Robeson: Spirit of a Culture,""The Burgess Shale: Evolution's Big Bang; "Once Upon a Time: Fiction and Fantasy in Contemporary Art, Selections from the Whitney Museum" and "New York State Girls."

Friday demonstrations will include "How to Create Flowers from Pods" "Cones & Berries" at 11 a.m. and "Decorative Gift Wrapping with a Floral Theme" at 1 p.m.. Saturday's demonstrations will include "Making a Spring Basket & Garden from Permanent Flowers" at 11 a.m.; "Floral Design with Everyday Containers" at noon; "Creating Fossil Garden Stones" and "Seagroatt: 75 Years in the Floral Business", both at 2 and "Creating Terrarium Gardens" at 3 p.m. Sunday's offerings will include "Hand Tied Bouquets" at noon; "Floral Impact with Minimal Cost" at 1 p.m.; "Interpretive Floral Arranging" and an Iris slide presentation and lecture at 2 p.m.; "Table Settings Old & New" and "Floral Design," both at 3 p.m. An updated schedule of demonstrations will be posted in the museum lobby on the days of the event.

The Museum Club/Discovery Squad program has been nationally recognized by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities as a "model program serving underserved youth during the after school hours." The Museum Club combines a commitment to the underserved children in the City of Albany with hands-on, interactive learning opportunities that are facilitated by museum staff and teenage graduates of the Museum Club known as the Discovery Squad. The Museum Club and Discovery Squad programs offer educational enrichment, tutoring, behind-the-scenes views of museum exhibitions and, for the teens, opportunities to work with scientists and other professionals as they prepare for college.

The admission fee for "New York in Bloom" is $3 for adults. There also will be a $5 combination ticket available that will also include admission to the 10th annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale, which will be held at the museum the same weekend on Saturday, Feb. 22 and Sunday, Feb. 23. Admission is free for children 12 and under, accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. It is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. The museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

Spring will arrive early at the New York State Museum where visitors will find more than 100 floral displays positioned throughout the galleries February 22-24 for the 22nd Annual "New York in Bloom" fundraiser benefiting the Museum’s educational programs for children.

The Museum will be open Friday through Sunday for this special event from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 each day. There is a separate $5 admission fee for the 20th Annual James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale February 23-24 at the 4th floor Terrace Gallery. A combination ticket can be purchased on Saturday and Sunday for $8, which includes admission to both events. Children ages 12 and under will receive free admission when accompanied by an adult.

Garden club members, professional designers, interior designers and floral enthusiasts from the Capital District and beyond will create unique floral arrangements that complement and interpret the museum’s permanent and temporary exhibitions. David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design will transform the front window area of the Museum lobby with a floral arrangement incorporating artifacts from the Museum’s collections.

Visitors can view several demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday about gardening, design and creating floral arrangements. There will also be free children’s art activities on Friday at 11 a.m. to noon and 1 to 2 p.m. A flower market will be open in the lobby area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while supplies last. Classe Catering will offer a selection of light luncheon fare in the Adirondack Wilderness gallery and Losee’s Homestyle Deli will offer a selection of family-friendly foods at the 4th floor gallery.

Supporters of "New York in Bloom" are Ambiance Florals and Events, Spotlight Newspapers, Quality Retail Systems, and Community Partner: Price Chopper. 

For more information, please visit the Museum’s website at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/programs/nybloom/.

The New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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The New York State Museum will resume Sunday public hours, beginning on Sunday, September 16, 2012. The Museum will be open to the public from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Sunday, except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The resumption of public services on Sundays immediately precedes the opening of a major exhibition on New York in the Civil War, which will open to the public on September 22.

"The Museum is a great public resource and a great public treasure," Commissioner John King said. "Our goal is to make that resource as available as possible. Sunday has always been one of the most popular days for families and tourists to visit the Museum. Fiscal reality forces us to close the Museum one day a week, but it shouldn’t be one of the Museum’s busiest days. It’s time to welcome New Yorkers back into their Museum on Sundays."

Since January 2011, as a result of overall budget reductions, the State Museum was closed to the public on Sundays. Prior to that date, Sundays represented approximately 20 percent of the Museum’s attendance.

"We are extremely happy to be able to re-open the Museum to the public on Sundays," said Museum Director, Mark Schaming. "There are so many amazing exhibits and artifacts inside the Museum."
 

In order to open on Sundays, the Museum will be closed to the public on Mondays. The reading rooms of the State Archives and State Library, which are also in the Cultural Education Center, will remain open to the public on Mondays

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. The Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany and admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.
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ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research, conservation and education initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Carole F. Huxley Museum Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

• October 10 – Recent Land Snail Discoveries and Questions in New York. Four kinds of land snails not previously reported from New York State have been discovered, raising new questions about snail ecology in the Northeast as the climate changes. Ken Hotopp, of Appalachian Conservation Biology, presents research conducted with Dr. Tim Pearce of the Carnegie Museum.
• October 17 – How Can Earthworms Be the Bad Guys and Salamanders Not Be Able to Help? The behavior and ecology of introduced earthworms make them a threat to forest processes and species composition. While salamanders help with earthworm control, they are unable to stem earthworm advances. Dr. Richard Wyman, director emeritus and senior research associate of the Huyck Preserve & Biological Research Station, presents new research into these complex interactions.
• October 24 – Forest Herb Community Recovery in New York’s Second-Growth Forests. Nearly one-half of New York’s forests are secondary woodlots recovering from two centuries of agricultural conversion, but native forest herb communities have been slow to recover. Dr. Gregory McGee, adjunct assistant professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, describes factors limiting the re-establishment of forest herbs.
• October 31 – Our Native Orchids as Organisms: Some Biological Minutia and Implications for Conservation. The biological diversity of orchids presents conservation challenges beyond

simple preservation. Dr. Charles Sheviak, curator of botany at the New York State Museum, presents an overview of the native orchids of the Northeast, with emphasis on their habitats and ecological relationships.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon New York, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: or by calling (518) 474-6531.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

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ALBANY, NY – Governor George Pataki’s proposed 2006-2007 budget, released today, creates a Cultural Education Trust and allocates $20 million toward the construction of a new Office of Cultural Education (OCE) Collection and Research Center, as well as $20 million for the public display of the collections of the State Museum, Library and Archives.

The new state-of-the-art collections center will accommodate all of the Museum’s collections and research laboratories, the State Records Center and parts of the collections of the New York State Library and Archives. The Cultural Education Center (CEC) on Madison Avenue will continue as the primary public service and education space for the three OCE institutions, including the Museum’s exhibition galleries, the Research Library and Archives public spaces and other OCE public and educational program areas.

In 2003 a blue ribbon panel of distinguished experts from the nation’s major cultural institutions visited Albany and concluded that both the State Museum and the State Records Center, located at the Harriman State Office campus, are filled beyond capacity and their irreplaceable collections are threatened by insufficient space and obsolete and substandard storage facilities. The Museum currently stores larger items in its collections in a non-insulated, partially heated, leased warehouse in Rotterdam. It also leases laboratory facilities in North Greenbush.

The new facility will ensure that the collections are properly stored in an environment with appropriate temperature and humidity controls. It will be a “green” building that utilizes modern technology to reduce pollution and save energy. The collections storage area will be based on a modular design that will meet the space needs of the Museum and Records Center for a minimum of 25 years.

The need for a new State Records Center Storage Facility was made even more pressing by a recent discovery of asbestos at the current facility at the Harriman campus. The building was closed and its 14 employees were transferred while tests are conducted to determine whether asbestos found in the

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building presents a danger.

The State Museum, Library and Archives house historic treasures that reflect over 170 years of collecting and research in the earth sciences, biology and human history and 375 years of documentation by New York’s colonial and state governments. The Museum has 12.5 million specimens and artifacts and the Archives and Library have more than 140 million documents, volumes and manuscripts.

The allocation for the public display of the collections of the State Museum, Library and Archives will allow OCE to chronicle the state’s history in a more comprehensive manner, using state-of-the art technology. The expanded display will also allow the Museum, Library and Archives to bring to the public exhibit floors many more items currently stored away.

The New York State Museum, Library and Archives are programs of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Further information on the Museum can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov. Information on the State Archives is available at www.archives.nysed.gov or by calling (518) 473-9098 and State Library information can be found at www.nysl.nysed.gov or by calling (518) 474-5355.

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ALBANY – The New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) and the New York State Museum will present weekly lectures in October focusing on recent biodiversity research and conservation initiatives in New York State.

All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at noon in the Museum Theater. Lecture topics and dates are:

October 5 -- “Science on the Fly! Loon Migration: Linking People and the Environment.” Dr. Nina Schoch of the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program, and Valerie Trudeau of the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks, will speak about recent research on the migratory paths and wintering areas of Adirondack loons, using satellite telemetry. A new interactive public and school-aged curriculum, “Science on the Fly,” enables students to learn to design and conduct their own scientific studies using the loon migration research. October 12 -- “From Montauk to Niagara Falls: Biodiversity, Threats and Conservation in State Parks.” Tom Lyons, director of environmental management for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, will talk about the biological diversity in the state park system, how it contributes to the quality of our lives, what threatens it, and what is being and can be done to protect it. October 19 -- “Important Bird Areas of New York: The Second Edition.” Dr. Michael Burger, director of Bird Conservation at Audubon New York, will present the results of the second round of Important Bird Area Identification in New York. He will focus on the criteria and process through which sites were evaluated and discuss the new book “Important Bird Areas of New York: Habitats Worth Protecting.” October 26 – “The NY Flora Project.” Troy Weldy, a botanist with the New York Natural Heritage Program and director of the New York Flora Association, will present an overview of the New York Flora Project, including the steps taken to move from a paper to a dynamic online

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flora atlas. The presentation will include many images of New York's beautiful flora.

The New York State Legislature created the Biodiversity Research Institute in 1993 to help meet the challenges associated with preserving the state’s biodiversity. The BRI serves as a comprehensive source of biological information, which is used to advise both public and private agencies on matters relating to the status of New York’s biological resources. Housed within the New York State Museum, the BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund. The BRI includes several collaborators, including the State Museum, the New York Natural Heritage Program, Audubon, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, New York, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and The Nature Conservancy. Further information is available at: http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri/ or by calling (518) 474-653

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

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ALBANY, NY – A nationally acclaimed, Emmy-nominated documentary, profiling three elderly troop greeters, will be presented at the New York State Museum Oct. 14 as part of a program that will also feature the film’s award-winning director and one of its leading characters.

“The Way We Get By” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. free-of-charge in the Museum’s Huxley Theater. Following the 83-minute film presentation, Director and writer Aron Gaudet and his mother, Joan Gaudet, one of the troop greeters, will answer questions from the audience.

National Grid, the presenting sponsor, is supporting the program in part to honor the company’s veterans and active duty soldiers, as well as those who have family members serving overseas. Stewart’s will sponsor a free ice cream social at the conclusion of the program. Other sponsors are Wells Fargo, Dutch Apple Cruises, and Hilton Garden Inn Albany Airport.

Those wishing to attend the Museum screening should call (518) 474-0076. The film is one of a series of programs planned in conjunction with the Museum’s Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century exhibition, open through March 2011.

Nominated for an Emmy Award this year, “The Way We Get By” has been called “profoundly humane” by the New York Times. The Cleveland Plain Dealer said there are moments in the film that “cut right to your heart.” This film is “filled with a rare honesty and intimacy that makes for a rewarding film experience,” said the Los Angeles Times.

“The Way We Get By” is a seemingly idiosyncratic story about a group of three senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, but the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality. Carefully building stories of heartbreak and redemption, the film reminds its audience about how American society casts its elders, and too

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often its soldiers, aside. More importantly regardless of one’s politics, “The Way We Get By”

celebrates three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and deserve it.

Since 2003, Joan Gaudet (age 77), Bill Knight (age 87) and Jerry Mundy (age 75) and a rotating group of volunteers, have greeted more than 1 million American soldiers at the Bangor, Maine International Airport, a frequent stopover for troops deploying or coming home. Despite their age and failing health, the three dedicated and selfless volunteers have risen at all hours of the day and night, regardless of the weather, to be at the airport to ensure that the soldiers passing through there have someone waiting to welcome or bid them goodbye. While the troops wait for their plane to be serviced they are offered the free use of cell phones and the company of their hosts in the troop greeters’ welcome center.

Hundreds of Capital District soldiers are among those who have benefited from the warm hospitality. But they are not the only ones. The film shows how the experience has transformed the lives of the three troop greeters.

“Witnessing firsthand how her life changed in such positive ways, while at the same time touching the lives of troops from all over the country, convinced me this was a story that could inspire people,” wrote Aron Gaudet about his mother’s role as a troop greeter. “This is a unique film, encompassing important social issues and controversial topics, while remaining a story that every American can support.”

The documentary has won 17 awards to date including the Audience Award at the Full Frame Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Atlanta, Little Rock, Phoenix and Newport Film Festivals. Most recently, the AARP awarded “The Way We Get By” an award for the “Best Documentary of 2009”

Aron Gaudet has worked in television news for over a decade and has won a total of eight Telly Awards, one national Emmy nomination, two regional Emmy nominations, two Vermont Association of Broadcasters awards, and a Michigan Association of Broadcasters award.

Gita Pullapilly, the film’s producer and interviewer, began her career as a television reporter. She has been honored with a number of distinctions for her work—including a national Emmy nomination, the University of Notre Dame Asian American Alumni Association Exemplar Award, two Associated Press Awards, a Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award, three Telly awards, and a Northwestern University Scholarship for Outstanding Storytelling.

For more information on “The Way We Get By visit The Way We Get By Movie

Established in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further

Information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

ALBANY, NY – Fire safety is the theme of the New York State Museum’s next Family Fun Weekend, Oct. 6 – 7.

The Family Fun Weekend, presented by Fidelis Care, takes place from 1 – 4 p.m. both days. Activities, which are free of charge, are held in and around Fire Engine Hall, on the Museum’s first floor.

On Saturday, the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control will open its Fire Safety House, which provides hands-on learning for children and their parents. The house, which will be located just outside the Museum, is furnished with a kitchen, living room and bedroom, where families can identify fire hazards and correct them. A working telephone system will even enable them to make a sample call to a 911 dispatcher, and practice providing all of the necessary information.

From 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, “Mr. Stop, Drop & Roll” will walk around the Museum to hand out stickers and demonstrate safety tips.

Throughout the afternoon both days, fire safety movies -- “Safe at Home- Fire Safety Check List’’ and “Kids and Smoke Detector Response’’ -- will play continuously. Children can cut and color a Dalmatian to take home, and attach fasteners so that the legs move. There will be a scavenger hunt, with prizes, and an activity packet to take home filled with coloring sheets, puzzles, word searches and other activities.

Family Fun Weekends, presented by Fidelis Care, offer theme-based family activities and are held the first weekend of the month. 
 

The New York State Museum, established in 1836, is a program of the New York State Education Department. Located at the Empire State Plaza on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free and the Museum is fully accessible. Further information about Museum programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY, N.Y. - Former State Botanist Eugene C. Ogden, who conducted pioneering research on the airborne travel of allergenic pollen, died Saturday. He was 96.

Dr. Ogden of Delmar held the position with the New York State Museum from 1952 to 1975.

"Dr. Ogden's important work paved the way for many scientists," Museum Director Dr. Cliff Siegfried said today. "He was well respected among his peers and will be deeply missed by his colleagues here at the Museum as well as by other researchers from many other institutions. The State Museum expresses its sympathy to the family of Dr. Ogden."

Dr. Ogden, a Michigan native with a Harvard Ph.D., held the position of State Botanist from 1952 to 1975, when he reached the (then) compulsory retirement age of 70. He was third in a continuous succession of only four scientists to hold that title since 1868. His principal research interests were allergenic pollen and aquatic plants.

Starting in 1957, backed by federal grants, Dr. Ogden formed a partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island and combined meteorology and botany to study the release and airborne travel of ragweed pollen, perhaps the major cause of airborne allergy in eastern North America. He was an inventor, devising new pollen sampling devices and mobile towers to measure airborne particles in the high Adirondacks. In the 1960s, he could be seen, with his team of technicians, sampling ragweed pollen in the middle of Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs. He even tested the feasibility of completely eradicating ragweed (Ambrosia artemesiifolia) from Saratoga, but it wasn't possible.

His research results formed the basis of a whole field of current study by many scientific groups interested in allergens and air sampling.

In the 1940s, his work on pondweeds was the first to feature random-access identification keys for plants, an important and modern device now widely used with computers. Dr. Ogden taught at the University of Maine, Orono, and worked for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, before coming to New York.

After officially retiring, he continued studies on pondweeds, and became interested in ferns. Reviving his interest in random-access keys, he again became an innovator, producing books that included computerized plant identification programs along with current State Botanist Richard Mitchell.

"His passion for science lasted into his final days, when we would still engage in joyous, heated debates over obscure botanical details," Mitchell said.

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ALBANY – As part of the Museum Lecture Series, the New York State Museum will host free weekly lectures in March focusing on global warming, peak oil and other environmental trends.

State Museum Geologist Dr. Taury Smith, the Museum’s curator of oil and gas, will discuss past, present and future trends in global population, resource consumption and the environment. The four free lectures will be held every Wednesday in March at 7 p.m. in the Huxley Theater.

“Earth as a Cornucopia” will be the topic on March 5. Smith believes that although medical, scientific, and technological breakthroughs have increased longevity and made lives more comfortable, many of these same advances have set the world on an unsustainable path. He will examine human population growth, resource consumption, and attitudes about what Earth can provide.

Smith will talk about “Global Warming and Other Environmental Trends” on March 12. Earth’s climate is warming at least, in part, due to burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other human influences. Smith will provide background on the science of global warming and discuss what needs to be done to slow down this and other damaging environmental trends.

On March 19 the topic will be “Peak Oil – The End of Life as We Know It? Life as it is known today is almost entirely built on the consumption of oil, but geologically there is a finite amount of oil, and production will peak and begin to decline in the next few years or decades. Smith will examine where oil comes from, current production and consumption, and the timing and possible economic and geopolitical implications of peak oil.

Smith will focus on “Life on a Small Planet” on March 26. He will discuss current science and economics behind alternative sources of energy and how civilization might need to change if Earth’s inhabitants are to live in a sustainable manner that is in balance with what Earth can provide.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

CORRECTION!

The New York State Museum's tour of Cedar Grove and Olana is October 25th not October 5th!

Tour of Cedar Grove and Olana: The Homes of Hudson River School Artists Thomas Cole and Frederic E. Church
Saturday, October 25
Tour leaves from the museum at 8:30 a.m.
(Free parking available next to the museum.)
Come along for a trip back in time to the homes of Hudson River School artists Thomas Cole and Frederic E. Church. The trip to the northern Catskills will take visitors to Cedar Grove, in Catskill, New York where Thomas Cole established the foundation of the Hudson River School of landscape painting. Frederic Church came to Cedar Grove, now a National Historic Register site, to study art theory and practice with Cole. The other stop on the day's adventure will be Olana, the exquisite home created by Frederic Church between 1870 and 1891 just south of Hudson, New York. Visitors will spend time in the homes and on the grounds that served as respite and inspiration to these American artists. October is a particularly beautiful time of year in the Hudson River Valley. Lunch at a specially selected site in Hudson is included in the cost of the trip. The cost of the trip is $60. Reservations are required by October 4 and can be made by calling Travels thru History at (518) 372-0777 or by writing to tcolarco@nycap.rr.com

ALBANY, NY – New York State Museum researchers and scientists from Binghamton University and Cardiff University have reported the discovery of the floor of the world’s oldest forest in a cover article in the March 1 issue of Nature, a leading international journal of science.

“It was like discovering the botanical equivalent of dinosaur footprints,” said Dr. William Stein, associate professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University, and one of the article’s authors. “But the most exciting part was finding out just how many different types of footprints there were. The newly uncovered area was preserved in such a way that we were literally able to walk among the trees, noting what kind they were, where they had stood and how big they had grown.”

Scientists are now piecing together a view of this ancient site, dating back about 385 million years ago, which could shed new light on the role of modern-day forests and their impact on climate change.

The recent discovery was made in the same area in Schoharie County where fossils of the Earth’s oldest trees – the Gilboa stumps – were discovered in the 1850s, 1920 and again in 2010 and were brought to the State Museum. The Museum has the world’s largest and best collection of Gilboa fossil tree stumps. For decades scientists did not know what the trees connected to the stumps looked like. That mystery was solved when Linda VanAller Hernick, the State Museum’s Paleontology collections manager, and Frank Mannolini, Paleontology collections technician, found fossils of the tree’s intact crown in a nearby location in 2004, and a 28-foot-long trunk portion in 2005. The discovery of the 385-million-year-old specimens was named one of the “100 top Science Stories of 2007” by Discover Magazine. Stein, Mannolini, Hernick, and Dr. Christopher M. Berry, a paleobotany lecturer at Cardiff University in Wales, co-authored a Nature article reporting that discovery, as well as the most recent one. Working in conjunction with Stein, Mannolini also developed a sketch of the ancient forest.

“This spectacular discovery and the resulting research provide more answers to the questions that have plagued scientists for more than a century since the first Gilboa stumps were uncovered and brought to the State Museum,” said Hernick, whose passionate interest in the fossils date back to her childhood exposure to the Gilboa fossils.

In 2003 Hernick wrote “The Gilboa Fossils,” a book published by the State Museum, about the history and significance of the fossils and their use in an iconic exhibition about the Earth’s oldest forest that was in the Museum’s former location in the State Education Department building on Washington Avenue. One of the key planners of the exhibition, which influenced generations of paleontologists, was Winifred Goldring, the nation’s first female state paleontologist who was based at the State Museum. She worked tirelessly to study and interpret the Gilboa fossils and named the trees Eospermatopteris, or “ancient seed fern.” In 1924, her paper about the stumps, together with the Museum exhibition, brought the “Gilboa forest” to the attention of the world. One of the Gilboa stumps will be on display in the Museum lobby, beginning March 2.

Following the discovery of the tree’s crown, a thorough investigation was conducted by Stein and Dr. Christopher M. Berry, a paleobotany lecturer at Cardiff University in Wales and the other co-author of both Nature articles. They were able to determine that these trees actually resembled modern-day cycads or tree ferns, but interestingly enough, were not related to either one. Many questions still remained about what the surrounding area looked like, whether other plant life co-existed with these trees and how.

In 2010, during ongoing repair of the Gilboa Dam, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) engineers excavated infill from a quarry in Schoharie County. They agreed to allow researchers to re-examine the site where the fossils had been found when the dam was built in the 1920s. What they found this time was a large, substantially intact portion of the ancient forest horizon, complete with root systems. As they had expected, Eospermatopteris root systems of different sizes were the most abundant. But what they didn’t expect to find was the level of detail of the overall composition of the forest.

The first glimpse of the unexpected complexity of this ancient forest came when Stein, Berry, Hernick and Mannolini found the remains of large scrambling tree-sized plants, identified as aneurophytaleans. These plants were likely close ecological associates to the original trees, living among them on the forest floor like modern ferns, possibly scrambling into the forest canopy much as tropical vines do today. The aneurophytes are the first in the fossil record to show true “wood” and the oldest known group in the lineage that lead to modern seed plants.

Work on the new discoveries also pointed to the vital importance that the State Museum’s collections have played in the paleontological research. “Discovery of scrambling aneurophytaleans at Gilboa was a complete surprise, but pointed to the likelihood that similar material had already been found at the site, but was unrecognized,” said Hernick. “Sure enough in the State Museum collections a wonderful specimen, originally collected in the 1920s, provided additional key evidence.”

The team also came across a tree belonging to the class Lycopsida, or club mosses, which predates an earlier discovery made in Naples, NY and an ecologically important group in the history of land plants. The lycopsids are an ancient group of non-seed plants represented today by low growing forms such as the “running pines” of the northern hardwood forests of New York. They also inhabited swamps and ended up being much of the Pennsylvanian coal we burn today.

Based on the new research, the team now believes that the area probably enjoyed a wetland environment in a tropical climate. It was filled with large Eospermatopteris trees that resembled weedy, hollow, bamboo-like plants, with roots spreading out in all directions, allowing other plants to gain a foothold. Scrambling among these roots on the forest floor were aneurophytaleans, acting much like ferns do today, and possibly climbing into the forest canopy as vines. The lycopsids, although seemingly rare, may also have been very important in certain places although perhaps not yet as specialized inhabitants of swamps.

But what the research team believes is most important about this particular site is what it was doing to impact the rest of the planet. At the time the Gilboa forest began to emerge -- during the Middle Devonian period, about 385 million years ago – Earth experienced a dramatic drop in global atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the associated cooling led ultimately to a period of glaciation.

“Trees probably changed everything,” said Stein. “Not only did these emerging forests likely cause important changes in global patterns of sedimentation, but they may have triggered a major extinction in fossil record.”

For Stein, it all comes down to one thing – how much we don’t know but need to understand about our ancient past. “The complexity of the Gilboa site can teach us a lot about the original assembly of our modern day ecosystems,” said Stein. “As we continue to understand the role of forests in modern global systems, and face potential climate change and deforestation on a global scale, these clues from the past may offer valuable lessons for managing our planet’s future.”

Binghamton University is one of the four university centers of the State University of New York. Known for the excellence of its students, faculty, staff and programs, Binghamton enrolls close to 15,000 students in programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. For more information, visit Binghamton website.

Founded in 1836, the State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY, NY -- Nature, a leading international journal of science, has reported the discovery of the world’s most intact fossils of Earth’s oldest tree by two researchers at the New York State Museum.
The tree’s intact crown, discovered in June 2004, and a 28-foot long trunk portion of the same species found the following summer, have been pieced together to represent Wattieza, which resembles a modern-day tree fern, and has a palm tree-like shape that evolved repeatedly through time in several plant groups. With an attached crown of fronds, the tree grew up to 30 feet high and reproduced through spores. Nature reports that the 380-million-year-old “stunning specimens” found in Schoharie County mark the first time paleontologists have seen the upper portions of this Devonian-Period tree, rather than just the stumps.
The discovery solves a mystery that has puzzled scientists for more than a century. Fossil tree stumps, rooted and in situ (in life position), were discovered in 1870 when workers were blasting in a quarry in Gilboa to obtain rock to repair roads damaged by a major flood. The Gilboa stumps have been “widely cited as evidence of the Earth’s ‘oldest forest,’ ” the Nature paper reports. However, until this latest discovery, scientists have never seen the upper portions of the tree.
“Now the riddle is solved and we know what was out there,” says Linda VanAller Hernick, the Museum’s Paleontology Collection manager and one of the co-authors of the Nature paper. She and her colleague Frank Mannolini, Paleontology Collection technician, made the two latest discoveries. 
For both of them the discovery was fueled by a passion that was both personal and professional. Hernick had been interested in the Gilboa fossils since she was a child growing up in Schoharie County.
She saw an outdoor exhibit near Gilboa about the Gilboa stumps, and loved visiting the Gilboa forest restoration exhibit, an icon of the State Museum in its former location in the State Education Department building on Washington Avenue in Albany. 
One of the Gilboa exhibit’s key planners was Winifred Goldring, who joined the State Museum in 1914 and served as the nation’s first female state paleontologist from 1939 to 1954. A paleobotanist, she worked tirelessly to study and interpret the Gilboa fossils. She produced drawings of the “Gilboa tree,” which appeared in a paper that was published in 1924, and have been reproduced in hundreds of books and articles since.
The Museum’s Gilboa exhibit “had a profound effect on me,” Hernick recalls. She was eventually hired as a paleontology technician at the Museum, and worked side-by-side with Sharon Mannolini to search for fossils in Schoharie County as often as they could. 
In 2003 the State Museum published a book by Hernick, “The Gilboa Fossils.” Complete with photos and drawings, the book chronicles the history and significance of the fossils, Goldring’s research and the development and success of the museum exhibit. 
After Sharon Mannolini’s untimely death, Frank was hired by the Museum and eventually stepped into her position, determined to carry on his sister’s work. Hernick and Mannolini made their first discovery while they were searching for fossils in a small Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) sandstone quarry that was previously well known in the scientific literature for fossils of land plants and arthropods. The quarry is about 10 miles from where the Gilboa stumps had been found. 
DEC was about to excavate the quarry to obtain stone for road repair and had given the Museum access to the site. After the discovery was made DEC offered its support and gave the Museum permission to continue collecting at the site indefinitely. 
It took several weeks before Hernick and Mannolini were able to remove the 400-pound fossil using an industrial saw, pickup truck and manual engine hoist. Their second find – the fossilized tree trunk -- was recovered in large chunks and was carefully pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Since the discovery, Hernick and Mannolini have worked with their co-authors of the Nature paper – scientific experts who have studied and interpreted the fossils and the environment in which they were found. They are Dr. Ed Landing, state paleontologist, and paleobotanists Dr. William Stein, associate professor of biology at the State University of Binghamton, and Dr. Christopher M. Berry, a paleobotany lecturer at Cardiff University in Wales.
Berry had been working on the same group of plants that include Wattieza since 1990 and had undertaken a tentative reconstruction of the extinct plants using fragmentary fossils from Belgium and Venezuela where the tree also lived. He said the discovery of the whole tree allows scientists to begin to understand the impact the plant group had on the terrestrial environment.
“In forming the first forests, they must have really changed the Earth system as a whole, creating new types of micro-environments for smaller plants and insects, storing large amounts of carbon and binding the soil together,” said Berry. 
Landing, who studied the geology of the area where the fossils were found, believes that when the trees died they fell over, became waterlogged as they traveled down a small stream, and sank to the bottom at the foot of a small delta that formed in standing water. Layers of fossilized trees were found intertwined like pickup sticks in an underwater log jam in the quarry.
When the trees were living, terrestrial animal life in the area was confined to tiny arthropods. “The trees preceded dinosaurs by 140 million years,” said Landing. There was nothing flying, no reptiles and no amphibians.”
Stein, a paleobotanist who specializes in the Devonian Period, noted that the discovery of the fossils provide the first concrete information on the overall shape and size of the earth’s oldest trees.
“This information is crucial,” he said, “to understanding how forests came to dominate the land surface at that time, and fundamentally shape the Earth’s terrestrial ecology even today.”
For Hernick, the discovery was the realization of a longtime goal. “It has always been my dream to work on this,” she said. The Gilboa tree, as described by Winifred Goldring in the 1920s “was cutting-edge paleobotany. The State Museum has now been able to solve the mystery that remained and it seems appropriate in the tradition of the Museum that we were able to do that.”
The New York State Museum in Albany is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department .Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.
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(ALBANY, NY) – On September 11, six years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the New York State Museum will debut an online version of its World Trade Center exhibition and also display new objects representing the nation’s emotional response to the tragic events of that historic day.

The World Trade Center: Rescue, Recovery Response exhibition, which opened at the Museum a year after the September 2001 attacks, chronicles the history of the World Trade Center (WTC), the attacks, rescue efforts, recovery operation and the public response that followed.

In honor of the sixth anniversary of 9-11, the Museum has installed new objects from its WTC collection in the Response section of the Museum’s WTC gallery. These include panels that served as the backdrop for a production of “War At Home” a play about the World Trade Center and September 11 performed by 27 Hudson Falls High School students. The production raised $1,500, which the students presented last February to the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, a project of the September 11th Families’ Association.
There also is a battle dress uniform and boots donated to the Museum by Specialist Jeffrey Bly of Watervliet, who was deployed to Ground Zero with Company B, 1st Battalion, 101st Cavalry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division, based in Troy. The New York National Guard unit provided security at the perimeter surrounding Ground Zero and assistance to displaced civilians.
On a wall near the entrance of the gallery visitors will find a large thank you sign, which was used at the corner of Christopher Street and West Streets in Greenwich Village -- a site dubbed “Point Thank You.” On this small traffic island, individuals would hold signs to thank recovery workers who traveled this route on the way to Ground Zero. 

Also on display are a message panel, prepared by residents of Cleveland, Ohio to express their support for the recovery effort, and a quilt completed for the fifth anniversary of September 11 and dedicated to EMS workers by members of the 9-11 Memorial Quilt Organization of Dixon, Illinois. There also is a flag recovered from the WTC site by the New York State Police, and another flag, embellished with photographs by a Chicago artist to convey her feelings about the events of September 11.

The Museum’s new online WTC exhibition can be found at http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/wtc. beginning September 11th. It will allow visitors access to the same objects, images and videos found in the WTC exhibition gallery, as well as interactives and podcasts of oral histories created exclusively for the web. Panoramic images will provide a 360 degree view of the galleries.

The exhibition includes facts and figures about the World Trade Center, a construction video and information on the 1993 WTC attack. Also featured are photographs of objects from the World Trade Center, which include crushed computer fragments, keys, elevator door signs, security and visitor badges and a souvenir sold at one of the building’s gift shops.

Visitors to the Rescue section of the online exhibition will be able to pan across a timeline to trace the first 24 hours of September 11, 2001. They also will have access to full-screen views of the objects rescued, including the heavily damaged Engine 6 pumper, and recovered New York Police and Fire Department objects. There also will be links to web pages providing more information and photographs on the Engine 6 company and the firefighters who responded and perished on 9-11. The site will include a video of firefighter Billy Green. He recounts his experience that day as the only one of the six Engine 6 firefighters who entered the North Tower and survived the collapse.

The Recovery section documents the work that took place at Staten Island’s Fresh Kills facility, whose Dutch-derived name means “freshwater stream.” Truckloads of steel and solid material from Ground Zero began to arrive there by 2 a.m. on September 12. New York Police Department and FBI Evidence Response Teams arrived soon after to sort through the materials searching for human remains, personal effects and evidence from the terrorists.

The site provides a panoramic view of Fresh Kills, images of the sorting process and objects associated with the recovery effort, including signs from the site and clothing worn by those who worked there. 

In the Response section, images of the front pages of the nation’s leading newspapers tell the story of the country’s initial reaction to the events of 9-11. A link to a photo of a fence at Liberty Plaza, in the Museum’s WTC collection, allows web visitors to pan across the image to see the variety of spontaneous memorials that arose in the weeks following September 11. There also are images of other memorials, as well as photographs, of St. Paul’s Chapel and Nino’s Restaurant where weary Ground Zero rescue workers found refuge.

Podcasts of four oral histories will be available online. Through the “voices” link visitors will hear from the widow of a Port Authority officer and office workers who fled from the towers’ upper floors. Lee Ielpi, a retired firefighter, will recount how he initially rushed to Ground Zero to search for his son, also a firefighter, but later became much more involved in the recovery effort. 
As time goes on, the online exhibition also will allow visitors increasing access to the Museum’s WTC collection not currently on display. Through funding from a $128,683 Save America’s Treasures Grant, the Museum has hired additional staff to catalog and organize this vast collection. 

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.
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ALBANY, N.Y. – A New York State Museum paleontologist has become the only scientist in the U.S. selected to participate in an all-expense paid research program in Spain that will enable him to investigate the effects of climate change on mammals over the last 2 million years.

Dr. Robert Feranec, the Museum’s curator of vertebrate paleontology, will work with Dr. Nuria Garcia from the Department of Paleontology at the University at Madrid. The three-month research project, and all expenses associated with it, are totally funded through the Program of Distinguished Visiting Foreign Investigators at the Complutense University of Madrid. Feranec’s selection is a rare honor since historically, most scientists chosen to participate in this program are within the European Union.

During the research stay Feranec will help excavate a cave for vertebrate fossils in Madrid.He will also visit numerous museums collecting data to conduct analyses.

The data from this extended research stay will be critical to Feranec’s research in New York State for several reasons. The Pleistocene vertebrate paleontological record in Spain is significantly greater than what exists in New York. Many of the fossils that Feranec will examine in Spain will come from caves, and the extensive Spanish fossil record will allow him to put the fossils in the State Museums collections (also mostly from caves) into both an ecological and evolutionary context. For example, he will be able to study and analyze ancestral species related to the Cohoes Mastodon and mammoths.

Spain also offers Feranec the opportunity to explore the effects of humans and climate change on animals, an increasingly important topic. Humans have existed in Spain and interacted with animals for 1.8 million years as opposed to New York where the record is only 13,000 years. Analyses of the Spanish fossils will allow Feranec to compare and contrast what happens to animals with global warming in the presence of humans (data from Spain), and what happens when humans are not present (data from NY).

Also, Feranec will have a unique opportunity to study fossils that come from United Nations designated World Heritage Sites. During his museum visits, he will be able to see the techniques that museums in Spain use to curate and manage the extremely rare and important fossils in their care. He can then use this knowledge to better curate and maintain the fossil collections at the State Museum.

In 2007, Feranec oversaw the conservation of the Cohoes Mastodon, the reconstruction of its frame, and its relocation from the State Museum lobby window to its new location in the Museum’s Exhibition Hall. The iconic Museum treasure is now the centerpiece of an expanded exhibition, which Feranec collaborated on.

Feranec joined the Museum staff in 2006. Prior to that, he had a two-year post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford University and was a part-time teacher at Contra Costa College, in Richmond, California. In addition to his research in New York State, he also has conducted field work several times in Spain, as well as in Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and California. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology and geology from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in Geological Sciences from the University of Florida and a doctorate in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY – A New York State Museum botanist and a Colorado scientist have discovered a new species of orchid and have described their research findings in a recent study published in a highly respected botany journal.

Dr. Charles Sheviak, curator of botany at the State Museum, and William Jennings, a Colorado geologist, reported their discovery in the journal Rhodora in March. Sheviak discovered the new plant, Platanthera tescamnis, while surveying orchids as part of his research on the relationships within the species of this wide-ranging group. Although the plant had been known for many years it had previously been misidentified. It differs in appearance from other orchids in the genus and is the only species that lives in relatively dry habitats in the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, a region of the country that is normally hot and arid.

Jennings, who has an intimate knowledge of Colorado flora, raised the possibility that the plant had been misidentified after coming across it in Colorado. Sheviak, an authority on orchids who has worked at the Museum for 30 years, has published many articles on orchids, including other descriptions of new species. But this particular species was a challenge to orchid taxonomists because of the confusion surrounding the group as a whole.

In order to conserve an area, biologists and resource managers alike need to understand the biology of the species present. At a minimum, they need to be able to recognize the plants and animals and relate them to their particular habitats. This begins with accurate descriptions of each species.

Sheviak made several field trips and studied hundreds of museum specimens before discovering that the orchid was something that was previously undescribed and was a new species.

The orchid has small green and yellowish flowers, grows from 1 to 2 feet, and occurs in Colorado, Utah and Nevada, reaching the bordering areas of Arizona and California. This particular plant is not found in New York State. However, there are about 17other species of Platanthera that are. Sheviak described the 17th species in 1999, clearing up some uncertainty that dated back to 1918.

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Orchids are distributed throughout the world but the large, showy types are uncommon in North America. The orchids in the U.S., like the Platanthera, have small flowers.

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Department of

Education, the University of the State of New York and the Office of Cultural Education.

Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

# # #

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Chris Cory, Pace University, 212-346-1117 / 917-608-8164

Frank Lentini, M. Booth and Associates, 212-481-7000 ext. 601

Joanne Guilmette, NYS Museum 518-474-8730

Note: photos are available on request of objects from the related exhibition of 9/11 artifacts, including a battered 1” x 3” plaque saying “78.” It denoted the sky lobby floor in the south tower, which took a direct impact while many people waited for their elevators.

PACE UNIVERSITY TO HOST

“AFTERSHOCK: RETHINKING THE FUTURE

SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, 2001”

CONFERENCE TO EXAMINE

“THE DAY THAT CHANGED

EVERYTHING”

Speakers include Former White House Adviser David Gergen,

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin,

9/11 commission co-chair Lee Hamilton, Editor William Kristol.

Event is Part of Pace University Centennial Celebration

NEW YORK, N.Y., July 24, 2006 – Five years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Pace University, four blocks from Ground Zero, will host a major conference to examine how those tragic events changed the world in which we live.

Taking place Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 6-8, at the University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts on Spruce Street, just East of City Hall in New York City, the conference is likely to be the most wide-ranging anniversary forum on the effects of 9/11. Many of the high-level participants have not spoken publicly about 9/11 before.

The conference is titled “Aftershock: Rethinking the Future Since September 11, 2001.”

Admission is free but registration is required. More information is at www.pace.edu/aftershock.

Officials and scholars. The nearly 40 speakers include the vice chair of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, Lee Hamilton, a former Congressman who now is president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; David Gergen, White House adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton and editor-at-large of US News & World Report, who will deliver the opening address; Doris Kearns Goodwin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Presidential historian; and Bill Kristol, editor of The Weekly Standard, who will give the closing speech.

Their views will be juxtaposed with the practical experience of many of the key public officials involved in rebuilding and protecting the city’s downtown, including John Cahill, Secretary to Governor George Pataki and his downtown reconstruction coordinator; Stefan Pryor, President of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler. US Senator Charles E. Schumer, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly have been invited.

Topics: From Emotions to Economy. “This conference is about preparing for America’s future,” said Pace University President David A. Caputo, a political scientist who also is a conference participant. “We expect to help prioritize the steps that our nation, state, and city need to take to complete our emotional and political reaction to the aftershocks of 9/11. We hope for both contention and consensus on issues from port security and pandemics to local and national politics and foreign policy to reduce the threat of attacks.”

Nine panels will probe everything from the emotional impact on individuals to the economic effects on the global economy. One session examines how 9/11 has changed the preparedness of first responders; another looks at the environmental impact of the attacks; a third examines victims’ families and their influence on public policy.

Exhibitions. Accompanying the discussions will be an exhibition of artifacts from 9/11, many not seen since they went into storage after the attacks. Organized by the New York State Museum, “The First 24 Hours” will include a U.S. flag rescued from the rubble, a section of the chain link fence on Broadway hung with dried flowers and notes seeking missing persons, a firefighter’s air tank, and a seat belt from one of the hijacked airplanes. Also on display will be an evocative art installation recreating a World Trade Center office abandoned by a fleeing worker. The work was created a year ago as the senior project of a Pace undergraduate fine art major, Dan Daley. Both exhibitions will be open to the public at times posted on the website.

Pace students will participate in separate seminars with Gergen, Kristol, Godwin and Hamilton. At the public sessions, a bloc of seats will be reserved for students attending Pace High School, the new “small” public school on which Pace collaborates with the New York City Department of Education.

Education, Slavery, Environment. The conference is part of Pace’s Centennial celebration, which includes three other nationally-significant conferences -- a Founders Day Symposium on higher education in a global society (Sept. 27-28); a conference on the Legacies of Slavery and Sisterhood: The Life and Work of Harriet Jacobs (Oct. 6-7) and a worldwide legal summit on Implementing Environmental Legislation (Oct. 16-20).

The Centennial also includes a yearlong volunteer initiative called “100 Opportunities for Service and Civic Engagement” and “Roll Back the Clock Day,” during which Pace cafeterias will offer representative 1906 food items at 1906 prices.

Pace frequently serves as a forum for major addresses by international figures. Starting July 25, Pace will be the location of a series of debates and town meetings involving candidates for New York State offices in this fall’s elections, presented by NY1. Former President Bill Clinton began the Centennial with a speech at Pace in March, a year after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) hosted a town hall meeting on social security there. Millions of Americans tuned in to the 2003 Democratic Presidential candidates’ debate held at Pace and broadcast on MSNBC.

A private university in the New York metropolitan area, Pace has a growing national reputation for offering students opportunity, teaching and learning based on research, civic involvement, international perspectives and measurable outcomes. It is one of the 10 founders of Project Pericles, developing education that encourages lifelong participation in democratic processes. Pace has campuses in downtown and midtown New York City and in Pleasantville, Briarcliff, and White Plains, New York (a graduate center and law school). The University enrolls approximately 14,000 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lienhard School of Nursing, Lubin School of Business, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, School of Education, and Pace Law School. www.pace.edu.

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(ALBANY, NEW YORK) – A new exhibition in the lobby of the New York State Museum provides visitors with a rare opportunity to see and learn about an iconic North American parakeet, which has been extinct for more than a century.

The exhibition features the Carolina Parakeet, which was once New York’s only native parrot species. It is based on newly published research conducted by Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, the Museum’s curator of birds. Kirchman’s study is highlighted in a cover article in the April issue of The Auk, an international journal of ornithology. The artwork in the exhibition is a digitally updated painting of Carolina Parakeets that was originally created by Michael Rothman and displayed in the State Museum’s first Focus on Nature exhibition in 1990..

“This new lobby exhibition is part of our New York Discovery series through which we periodically share exciting new research conducted by State Museum biologists, anthropologists, geologists and historians,” said Museum Director Mark Schaming. “We hope this information about the natural and cultural history of New York will enhance the educational experience of all visitors, young and old alike.”

The Carolina Parakeet became extinct before any systemic study of its ecology or evolution was undertaken. Kirchman extracted small amounts of degraded DNA from four Carolina Parakeet specimens in the State Museum’s collections and teamed up with scientists at New Mexico State University to use the genetic data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the species. DNA from the Museum’s specimens was compared to the genetic data from 43 species of parrots from South and Central America and the Caribbean, and from more distantly related species from Africa and Asia.

The study found that the Carolina Parakeet was genetically distinct from all other sampled parrot species and may have colonized North America from South America as long as 5 million years ago, well before the continents were joined approximately 3.5 million years ago.

The Carolina Parakeet once lived and bred throughout the eastern half of North America as far north as Albany and the shores of Lake Ontario, making it by far the most northerly distributed species of parrot. Carolina Parakeets were shot for sport, feathers and to protect agricultural crops. Loss of breeding habitat also may have contributed to its demise. By the time laws were passed to protect birds in the United States, some species, including Labrador Duck, Great Auk, and Passenger Pigeon were already extinct, and Carolina Parakeets had been pushed to the brink. The last reliable sightings of Carolina Parakeets were in Florida in the 1920s.

“Our new study using DNA sequencing technology to analyze specimens up to 130 years old highlights the enduring value of the State Museum’s collections,” said Kirchman. “Our continued research and exhibition of Carolina Parakeets reminds us that there once was a time when wild bird populations were not protected from indiscriminant destruction. The millions of birders and nature lovers of New York have been deprived of an important element of our shared natural history.”

Kirchman and Rothman will present a free lecture on the science and art behind The Auk article.

“New Insights on Evolution and Extinction of New York's only native parrot, the Carolina Parakeet” will be presented on Saturday, May 5 from 1-2 p.m. in the Museum’s Huxley Theater.

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is a program of the State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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ALBANY – New York State Museum researchers and collection specialists will lead walks to explore the biology and geology of John Boyd Thacher Park on Saturday, June 13.

The “New York State Museum Goes to the Parks” daytime programs will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public, with age limitations for some programs. There is a $6 parking fee charged at the park. Participants must provide their own transportation and register by June 8 by calling 518-473-7154 or emailing psteinba@mail.nysed.gov. Directions and the day’s schedule will be sent with confirmation.

The program schedule is:

• Mammal Walk ? 8–10 a.m. Dr. Roland Kays, the Museum’s curator of mammals and author of “Mammals of North America,” and Chris Collins, a graduate student at the University at Albany studying the ecology of small mammals, will lead a one-mile walk. During the walk, they will check live traps and talk about the species that are caught. Limited to 15 people. Children may attend with parent.
• Morning Bird Walk ? 8–10 a.m. Dr. Jeremy Kirchman, the Museum’s curator of birds, will lead a walk along park trails (some with steps) and will help participants identify local breeding birds. There is a possibility of seeing ravens, hawks, and a variety of thrushes and warblers. Participants should bring binoculars. Limited to 15 people.
• Insect Walk ? 10 a.m. – noon. Museum entomologists Dr. Jason Cryan and Dr. Tim McCabe will lead this easy walk. Participants will discuss major morphological and behavioral adaptations that have contributed to the success of insects. Limited to 20 people. All ages welcomed. Collecting nets will be provided.
• Glacial Geology Walk in the Helderbergs ? 1–3 p.m. Dr. Andrew Kozlowski, a glacial geologist, will focus on landforms and deposits within the park and the broader influence of glaciation on the Capital Region as observed from scenic overlooks. Limited to 20 people. Children age 12 and older may attend with parent.
• Fish and Crayfish Wade ? 1–3 p.m. Ichthyologist Dr. Robert Daniels will take his group from Thacher Park to nearby Thompson’s Lake to discuss the ecology and behavior of fish and crayfish in the lake. Participants will use seines and dipnets in shallow areas to capture and look at the fish, so they should wear shoes and clothes that can get wet. Limited to 20 people. Children age 12 and older may attend with parent.
• Bedrock Geology II: 30 Million Years of Seas and Life ? 3–5 p.m. Dr. Chuck Ver Straeten, sedimentary geologist, will explore the geology of more obscure parts of Thacher Park. Fossils, limestone, shale, volcanic ashes, and deformed rocks provide details about the park’s deep history. Limited to 20 people. Children age 12 and older may attend with parent.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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(MAY 18, COHOES, NY) – State officials welcomed the 1921 motor ship, the Day Peckinpaugh to its new home today and announced grants to rehabilitate the canal boat and preserve the historic Matton Shipyard, where it will be berthed. 
The motor ship will be open for public tours on Saturday, May 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the Peebles Island Open House. The Day Peckinpaugh is the most storied and longest serving of all of the motor ships that saw service on the New York State Barge Canal. While nearly 100 of these vessels plied the waters of the canal during its commercial heyday, only the Day Peckinpaugh remains. Plans call for it to be transformed into a traveling museum and classroom that will travel along the state’s historic waterways by 2009. 
Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the vessel was saved from the scrap heap two years ago through the efforts of the New York State Museum in partnership with the New York State (NYS) Canal Corporation, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the National Park Service and the Canal Society of New York State. 
During a welcoming ceremony at the historic shipyard, which is part of Peebles Island State Park, it was announced that the State Parks agency will make $290,000 available to rehabilitate the Peckinpaugh through a grant from the Environmental Protection Fund. The funds will be used for extensive repairs to the Peckinpaugh’s mechanical and structural systems
Additionally, the NYS Canal Corporation announced $150,000 in funding through its Erie Canal Greenway grant program for the State Parks agency to help preserve the historic buildings at the Matton Shipyard and to accommodate the Peckinpaugh. 
The Matton Shipyard, originally established along the mule-drawn era Champlain Canal in 1899, re-opened in its current location in 1916 to build, repair, and operate barges and tugboats for service along the Barge Canal. One of the longest operating tug and barge shipyards in the United States at the time of its closure and incorporation into Peebles Island State Park, Matton Shipyard is perhaps the single-most significant remaining vestige of the rich maritime history of the 20th-century canal. The historic 
shipyard, still intact but vacant, is ideally suited to tell the story of New York’s Canals and waterways, and to inspire future generations. In addition to the Day Peckinpaugh, the shipyard will become home to other historic canal craft and host visiting vessels. The goal is to create an educational center and premier heritage tourism destination as recommended in the “2005 Report on the Future of New York State Canals.” 
Renovations to the shipyard will include structural improvements to the bulkheard, repairs to the roadway leading to the dock, installation of electrical service, and work at the adjoining former Cohoes Barge Canal Terminal where the Peckinpaugh will be docked. Funds will also be used to rehabilitate and transform the main building into a classroom and exhibit space and to provide parking and access improvements. 
“We are so pleased today to welcome the Peckinpaugh to its new home in this historic shipyard,” said New York State Museum Director Dr. Clifford A. Siegfried. “As the first vessel of its kind and the last to survive, the Day Peckinpaugh is an integral part of the history of the Erie Canal system. 
“I want to thank the Canal Corporation and the State Parks agency for making funds available to restore this historic vessel and its new home. With continued support from the public and private sector, the Peckinpaugh will travel the state’s waterways again, sharing its rich history with generations to come.”
"The Peckinpaugh represents the culmination of commercial canal transportation in New York and will serve as a unique tool in sharing the history of the state's waterways,” said New York State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash. “At a time of rapid expansion, the Matton Shipyard was instrumental in the building, maintenance and housing of vessels traveling along the New York State Barge Canal. State Parks is proud that the shipyard is returning to its historic roots and providing a home for the Peckinpaugh as it continues its journey."
New York State Canal Corporation Director Carmella R. Mantello said, “John E. Matton’s dream is alive and well today, as we give this incredible historic site a new lease on life as a home for historic craft like the Day Peckinpaugh and other venerable tugs, and as the ultimate hands-on learning experience for future generations. The Canal Corporation is pleased to support restoration of Matton Shipyard, which will be one of New York’s most unique heritage tourism destinations when complete, and will complement so many other wonderful things happening in Cohoes and all throughout the Canal Corridor.”
“The Day Peckinpaugh is an authentic link to the Erie Canal’s rich heritage,” said Frank Dean, executive director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. “Still operating under its own steam, the ‘Peck will now become a moveable museum and roving ambassador along the canal corridor. The significance of the Day Peckinpaugh is evident by the unprecedented alliance between our federal, state and non-profit partners to save her. The Erie Canalway is pleased to have provided the new interpretive exhibits aboard the ship.”
The Canal Society of New York State provided the funding to purchase and move the Day Peckinpaugh back to the Erie Canal. A non profit organization dedicated to the education and preservation of New York’s canals, the Canal Society has been a canal advocate for over 50 years.
The Peckinpaugh was built at McDougall-Duluth Shipyard in Duluth, Minnesota for service on the Barge Canal and Great Lakes. At 259 feet long and 36 feet wide, this historic craft was one of the largest to operate on the Barge Canal, and the first vessel designed specifically for the dimensions of the canal.
Built for Interwaterways Lines Inc. of New York City, the Day Peckinpaugh was originally launched as the ILI 101, and later christened the Richard J. Barnes. During World War II, the Barnes carried coal along the east coast in the service of the U.S. Merchant Marine. In 1958, and after some extensive modifications, Erie Sand and Gravel Company purchased the vessel and named it the Day Peckinpaugh. The vessel’s namesake was a well-known freight forwarder in the Great Lakes region, and brother of one-time New York Yankees interim manager Roger Peckinpaugh, the youngest manager/player in the history of major league baseball. 
In 1961, the Peckinpaugh was converted again to haul cement from Oswego to Rome, which she did without fail until her retirement in 1994. 
The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov. 
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 176 state parks and 35 historic sites. Additional information on any of these recreation areas is available by calling (518) 474-0456 or visiting www.nysparks.com. 
The New York State Canal Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Authority, is responsible for the maintenance, operation, preservation and promotion of the New York State Canal System. The System is comprised of four historic waterways: the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture. Information on boating, vacation opportunities and news about the New York State Canal System, is available at www.nyscanals.gov or by calling 1-800-4CANAL4.

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(ALBANY, NY) The New York State Museum has received a $3.1 million federal transportation grant to make mechanical upgrades to the Day Peckinpaugh, paving the way for the historic canal boat’s transformation into a permanent floating museum, dedicated to sharing the history and heritage of the state’s canal system.

The grant was among more than $81 million in federal funding for 59 transportation projects across New York State, announced by Governor David Paterson. Funds will be allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) projects. TEP finances transportation improvements with cultural, aesthetic, historical and environmental significance.

“These projects will make necessary improvements to our local walkways, bicycle paths and other transportation routes while spurring economic development and job creation,” Governor Paterson said. “I thank President Obama and the entire New York State Congressional Delegation for working to ensure that transportation funds were included in the economic recovery package. New York is committed to using the federal resources at our disposal to put people back to work and ensure that our State provides safe and accessible travel beyond that provided by traditional highways and bridges.”

“These projects, which were made possible by the Economic Recovery Act, will both beautify our neighborhoods, spur commerce and job creation and allow us to better interact with our neighbors and surroundings,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer.

"This tremendous historical resource may now be shared across New York State, bringing to life the history of our famous canal corridor,” said Commissioner Richard P. Mills. “New Yorkers can find inspiration in the remarkable accomplishments of our past. The Regents and I are proud of our New York State Museum staff and our many partners who have rescued the Peckinpaugh and will be giving it this new role.”

The Peckinpaugh is scheduled to have temporary exhibits installed for the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain quadricentennial celebration tour in August and September. This was organized by the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, in conjunction with the State Museum, Saratoga National Historical Park and the New York State Canal Corporation. This new federal grant will provide funds for the rehabilitation work necessary before permanent exhibits can be installed and the Peckinpaugh is ready for continuous tours.

Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Peckinpaugh was saved from the scrap heap in 2005 through the efforts of the New York State Museum, in partnership with the New York State (NYS) Canal Corporation; NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission; the National Park Service and the Canal Society of New York State.

“This collaboration of state and federal agencies, and private not-for-profits and private donors, have made possible the rescue and rebirth of this iconic vessel,” said New York State Museum Director Dr. Clifford Siegfried. “Not only will this rehabilitation project result in the creation of jobs for steel workers, welders, electricians and others, but this traveling museum will boost the economy of communities up and down the Hudson River through increased tourism. It also will allow the State Museum to reach out to new audiences and share the history of the canal system with generations to come.”

The value of a waterborne traveling exhibition, dedicated to sharing the history of the canal system, became apparent when more than a million visitors turned out to visit the 1976 Bicentennial Barge, which reached several dozen communities over a five-month journey. It is estimated that as much as 85 percent of the state’s population live in regions within a half-hour drive of the state’s waterway network.

The Peckinpaugh will follow a schedule of visits from New York City to Plattsburgh to Buffalo to Ithaca. When it is not touring during the navigation season it will be available for tours at the historic Matton Shipyard at Peebles Island State Park in Waterford. During the winter season it may also be open at its winter berth on the Waterford Flight.

Plans call for the Peckinpaugh’s permanent exhibitions to be installed and ready for visitors by summer 2010. The National Park Service will coordinate the development and operation of the exhibitions in the 130-foot long open cargo hold of the motorship, which at one time carried 160 tons of dry cement. While maintaining the Peckinpaugh’s industrial character, initial plans call for the creation of a gallery that is nearly as large as some gallery spaces in the State Museum. The gallery will be universally accessible and compliant with the American Disabilities Act..

This grant will help to mitigate a decade of neglect that left many of the boat’s mechanical systems in disrepair when it was largely abandoned in Erie, Pa. between 1995 and 2005. It follows a $290,000 grant in 2006 from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Environmental Protection Fund that has been used to stabilize the Peckinpaugh. Additional work will include the replacement of fuel tanks, ballast piping and valves, the possible addition of a new ballast tank and the rebuilding of fresh water, sanitary and electrical systems. Plans also include some hull plate replacement, repair and painting.

As the first motorship of its kind specifically designed for the dimensions of the 20th-century Erie Barge Canal, and the last surviving vessel of its kind remaining afloat, the Peckinpaugh has become an iconic fixture on the state’s waterways. Built in 1921 in Duluth, Minnesota to carry grain from the Midwest to New York City, it was the harbinger for nearly a hundred other canal motorships that were seen everywhere on the waterway until 1950. In 1994, the Peckinpaugh made its final commercial voyage, with communities from Rome to Oswego turning out to wave goodbye.

"The Canal Corporation is pleased to learn about the recent commitment to enhance the historic Day Peckinpaugh,” said Carmella R. Mantello, director of the New York State Canal Corporation. “The Day Peckinpaugh will not only traverse the waterways this summer as part of the quadricentennial celebration, but will travel across the New York State Canal System for years to come portraying the significant story of the waterways of yesterday and today. The Corporation is proud to partner with many of our partners to help ensure this legacy continues."

"This is fantastic news,” said Beth Sciumeca, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor director. “These critical funds for restoration and interpretive exhibits and programs will help the New York State Museum and its partners realize our goal of sharing the Day Peckinpaugh and New York's nationally significant canal history with millions of New Yorkers."

Robert Kuhn, assistant regional director for State Parks, said, "State Parks is thrilled to know that the Day Peckinpaugh calls Peebles Island State Park and the park's historic Matton Shipyard its home. We look forward to working with the New York State Museum, the State Canal Corporation, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, and our many local partners to make Mattons a great heritage tourism destination for visitors to the Peckinpaugh."

“Having the Day Peckinpaugh project move ahead is great news,” said Peter Wiles, Jr., chair of Canal New York and president of Mid-Lakes Navigation Co., Ltd. “Giving new purpose to this historic vessel preserves the commercial heritage of this vessel and the NYS Canal System. More importantly, the Day Peckinpaugh's ability to travel permits her not only to display that heritage within her former cargo holds, but also to demonstrate today's commercial activity, while transiting NY State's waterways.”

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website.

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NYS MUSEUM HOSTS ABE LINCOLN IN “TWO MILES A PENNY” APRIL 14-16 ALBANY - During the weekend commemorating the 140th anniversary of his assassination and death, the nation’s 16th president returns to life at the New York State Museum April 14-16th in the theatrical production “Abraham Lincoln in Two Miles a Penny.”

The play will be presented Thursday, April 14th at 1 p.m., Friday, April 15th at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 16th at 1 p.m.

Actor Ed Trotta, a 33-year veteran of Broadway, stage, films and television, portrays a Lincoln who has traveled through time to the present. Speaking directly to the audience, he comments and reminisces about the myths and truths of his life - both public and private - and about the similarities and differences of the times in which he lived and the present. He shares his thoughts on “modern” events, such as the advent of the ballpoint pen, terrorism, splitting the atom and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Lincoln comments on the monuments built for him, transporting the audience to the Lincoln Memorial and Mount Rushmore, and reveals at the end of the play what his favorite tribute is. He also displays humor and master storytelling as he shares numerous anecdotes and “lore” that contributed to the legend of “Honest Abe.” The play’s title “Abraham Lincoln in Two Miles a Penny” stems from one anecdote in which Lincoln walked six miles to return three cents to a customer he’d unintentionally overcharged while working as a clerk in a dry goods store.

Trotta wrote the play he performs in and based it on extensive research he did into Lincoln’s life, from childhood to the presidency. He says it is the most rewarding of the many roles he has played which have included Henry VIII, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Don Quixote and others. Trotta also portrayed Lincoln on the Cartoon Network and in a nationally-broadcast television ad for Honda, which appeared in February and March. He has appeared in many films including Liar Liar, The King and I and Desert Heat, as well as TV shows such as Star Trek, MacGyver and Equal Justice. Broadway and national tour credits include Godspell and Sweet Bird of Youth.

Trotta also was the model used to create the tall, suit-clad passenger on the State Museum’s subway car, who holds on to a strap with one hand and his briefcase with the other.

Tickets for all performances are $5. They will be sold in the Museum lobby each day of the performance, starting at 10 a.m., and at the door. There will be no reserved seating. For additional information call (518) 474-5877 or (518) 408-1033.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation’s longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY – To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the event that gave birth to the contemporary Gay Rights Movement, the New York State Museum will host free events in recognition of Gay Pride Month, including a panel discussion featuring Joe Norton, the 90-year-old co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian Community Council, the oldest organization of its kind in the nation.

The panel discussion, “Stonewall 40 Years Later,” will be held Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. in the Huxley Theater. It will also feature people from the capital region who participated in the Stonewall Rebellion, as well as founders of the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council, which was formed shortly following Stonewall. They will talk about Stonewall’s impact on the upstate area.

The State Museum will also sponsor “Family Diversity Day” on Saturday, June 13, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m. This program celebrates the diversity of family life. It will feature tours, storytelling, crafts and other activities. A complete listing of all of the Gay Pride events throughout the Capital District and beyond is available at http://www.cdglcc.org/Pride_Events.htm.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. The state museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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New York State Museum Specialist Gay Malin will display and talk about the facial reconstructions she has completed, based on the remains of two individuals found during the 2002 excavations at the site of the former Albany County Almshouse (1826-1926). She also will show a video demonstrating the facial reconstruction process. An excavation at the Almshouse cemetery during the spring of 2002 unearthed about 1200 skeletons that were studied by Museum scientists and reburied at Albany Rural Cemetery. The archaeological survey of the site was undertaken prior to the construction of a biomedical research laboratory built at the site by the Charitable Research Foundation. The former almshouse was located behind the World War I-era Armory diagonally across from Albany Medical Center. Malin will be available to answer questions.

WHERE:
New York State Museum
Museum Theater
Madison Avenue, Albany

WHEN:
Tuesday, October 12
7 p.m.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation's longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, NY -- The New York State Museum is inviting the public to submit their digital photographs of scenic New York State landscapes, the best of which will be showcased in an upcoming Museum exhibition and displayed on the Museum website and Flickr page.

Scenic landscapes exist in every corner of New York State and are often found on picture perfect postcards that read “wish you were here.” The State Museum’s exhibition, Wish You Were Here! New York State Photographed by You will open in the State Museum’s West Hall Corridor on September 3, featuring a selection of the best landscape photographs submitted by the public. These can be photographs of a beloved vacation spot or even the backyard, neighborhood street or other favorite place. Images chosen for the exhibition, as well as others that are submitted, will also appear on the Museum’s website. Photographs will still be accepted after September 3, since new ones will continually be added to both the gallery and website.

Wish You Were Here will complement another exhibition in the Museum’s adjacent West Gallery -- Not Just Another Pretty Place: The Landscape of New York. Also opening on September 3, this will be the first exhibition of landscape art to be culled from the Museum’s vast collections.

Those wishing to submit photos for Wish You Were Here will find further information at www.nysm.nysed.gov/wishyouwerehere

The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Founded in 1836, the museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the U.S. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website.

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As part of the continuing Museum Series, the New York State Museum will present a series of March lectures on Biology and Conservation in the Pine Bush and Beyond, sponsored by the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission and the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute All lectures are free and will be held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in the Museum Theater. Free event parking is available next to the museum. Lecture topics and dates are:

March 9 “The Uncommon American Crow” -- Dr. Kevin J. McGowan, research associate at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, will explain the complicated lifestyle of this common, but under appreciated bird that has the most human-like social system around. He will also talk about how the West Nile virus is affecting crow survival and threatening crow family values.

March 16 “The Insects of Albany’s Pine Bush: A Century of Change” -- Dr. Timothy McCabe, state entomologist at the Museum, will present the results of more than 25 years of intensive insect sampling, focusing on changes in the community of butterflies and moths in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve.

March 23 “Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Recovery in the Glacial Lake Albany Sand Belt” -- Neil Gifford, conservation director for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, will present an update on Karner blue butterfly recovery and pine barrens conservation in the Albany Pine Bush.

March 30 “Pine Bush Preserved? How Did We Get There? The Political History of Saving the Pine Bush” -- This will be presented by Don Rittner, archaeologist/historian and author of 22 books on science, technology, and history.

The State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Department of Education. Started in 1836, the museum has the nation’s longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey. The museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. Further information is available by calling 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

The New York State Museum is located on Madison Avenue in Albany. It is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week throughout the year except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Further information about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY - By the time J. Erwin Porter made his drawings of the Erie Canal in the 1960s, the system had long since lost its stature as an important national thoroughfare for commerce. But with "All Along the Erie Canal: The Pastels of J. Erwin Porter,'' exhibited from Nov. 17, 2001, through April 7, 2002 at the New York State Museum , viewers get a glimpse of the canal's historical importance and a sense of how much a part of the upstate landscape it has become. The exhibit, 40 pastels and rubbings from the series of over 70 that Porter's three sons donated in 1984 and 1985, is on view in the Museum's Photography Gallery. Also exhibited are canal-related artifacts from the Museum's collection, including a 20th century canal locktender's booth.

A free gallery tour for adults will be offered Dec. 4 from noon to 1 p.m.

Porter, who died in 1981, produced his canal series in the 1960s, following his retirement as a commercial artist. Many of the images have never before been displayed. They have become especially important as a record of upstate townscapes in the mid-20th century, long after the canal thrived and before many of the buildings disintegrated or burned to the ground.

"The canal is part of our history. Its legends and stories contributed to the culture of 19th century New York beyond its economic importance,'' said Ronald Burch, the Museum's curator of Art and Architecture. " It created a folklore; it determined where towns were. Now,40 years after Porter's studies, some of those structures have disappeared, and the landscape has changed. But we have a more complete record.'' Porter was born in Medina, Orleans County, and settled in Penfield, near Rochester. After studying art at the Rochester Institute of Technology and working as an illustrator and art director in New York City, he ran an advertising firm in Penfield, retiring in 1960 . He clocked more than 25,000 miles on his car to capture bridges, locks and outbuildings from Whitehall on the Champlain Canal, to Tonawanda. Some structures still stood as testament to a rich industrial past, while the remains of others Porter had to dig out of the brush. The 363-mile Erie Canal, which opened in 1825, secured New York City as the nation's largest port and created a path of cities and bustling towns across the state. Even 100 years after the system's heyday, Porter's work reflects the great importance assigned to the design of its structures.. He shows bridges, towpath and aqueduct structures reflecting almost 150 years of growth and commerce. In "Gasport's Shafer Warehouse,'' Porter shows a great 19th century vernacular stone building in Niagara County that remained the oldest cold storage warehouse in the nation until it burned in 1967. "Schoharie Creek Aqueduct,'' built in 1841 recalls, as do other aqueducts recorded by Porter, the magnificent stone structures of ancient Rome. In the "Great Stone Aqueduct over the Genesee'' at Rochester, and his image of the Weighlock Building in Syracuse, Porter presents 19th century structures in a 20th century cityscape. Porter's work shows how the canal was often tucked behind homes, and out of sight, as evidenced by the back porches and clotheslines in several of the pastels.

"Today we're an auto culture. We're used to seeing the barge canal from our cars,'' said Burch. "Ironically, in the Mohawk Valley the thruway often follows the old bed of the original Erie."

ALBANY, N.Y. - America's first legal battle over science took place in New York's capital from 1849 to 1851. The issue was over a geological chart created by James T. Foster, a local schoolteacher, which claimed to accurately depict a vertical slice of the earth.

But State Paleontologist James Hall perceived the chart as a personal and professional affront. He denounced Foster's chart and designed his own in retaliation.

The beautifully lithographed charts, along with the papers documenting the ensuing legal battle will be on display at the New York State Museum from Friday, Feb. 18 to April 30 in the West Hall. Scientific papers, fossils and lithography stones are also among the items that will be in the exhibit.

The charts were carefully conserved and are owned by the New York State Archives and the New York State Library, which along with the State Museum, are programs of the State Education Department. The charts feature intricate lithographs of prehistoric scenes. Paleontology Collections Manager Linda Van Aller Hernick curated the exhibit and researched the fascinating court case.

It all started when Foster, who was not a geologist, created a chart he intended to have used in New York State's public schools. However, Albany was the center of geologic research in America at the time, and Hall was the science's primary authority.

With the help of acclaimed Harvard University zoologist Louis Agassiz, one of the country's most eminent geologists, Hall publicly denounced Foster's chart and designed his own chart.

Agassiz called Foster's chart a "monstrous map," declaring that "its mere circulation would be considered abroad as a disgrace to American geologists ..." Hall published a critical letter by Agassiz, as well as one of his own, in the Albany newspapers.

Foster, saying he was "greatly injured in his good name," subsequently sued both Agassiz and Hall for libel, demanding $20,000 and $40,000, respectively, in damages.

It is even believed that just before the trial, Hall learned that a shipment of maps were heading to New York City on a Hudson River night boat. It is reputed that Hall booked himself on the same boat, found the maps and threw them overboard.

The defense brought in other eminent 19th century geologists and they handily defeated Foster, who left Albany in disgrace. The trial was the focus of national and international attention, raising numerous issues. Clearly there was a need to establish a system of review and criticism to prevent the distribution of inaccurate information by amateurs.

Related Program:

Join Philip Weimerskirch, the Special Collections Librarian from Providence (RI) Public Library to discuss 19th Century Natural History Lithography on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. He will talk about the specific techniques used for lithographing natural history publications, such as the Foster and Hall charts.

N Y S M

ALBANY, N.Y. - The New York State Museum became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, officials announced today.

In addition to the 6 million artifacts in the State Museum's collection, New Yorkers will now have access to even more objects through the Smithsonian Institution Affiliation Program.

This affiliation allows the State Museum, a program of the State Education Department, to borrow artifacts from the Smithsonian's 140-million-object-collections for long-term use.

New York's First Lady Libby Pataki initiated the State Museum's affiliation with the Smithsonian. Gov. George Pataki and the First Lady are both advocates of museums and culture across New York State.

"The New York State Museum is New York's Smithsonian. The State Museum's fine collections can only be enhanced by the wealth of treasures held by the many Smithsonian museums," Gov. George Pataki said. "Together, both institutions will provide New Yorkers with a rich learning experience that will help them better understand our state and nation."

The Smithsonian, founded in 1846, is the largest museum and research complex in the world. It consists of 16 museums and galleries, the National Zoo and research facilities.

"I'm delighted that the New York State Museum has become an affiliate of the Smithsonian, and I look forward to a relationship that will be exciting and rewarding for both institutions," Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small said.

"Now there are even more reasons to visit the State Museum," said State Education Department Commissioner Richard Mills, who oversees the Museum. "By integrating with the Smithsonian, the Museum will greatly enhance the educational experience of the 40,000 school children who visit each year."

The State Museum, in the midst of a $60 million makeover, plans to use Smithsonian artifacts within exhibitions in the updated museum.

"It makes our master plan for exhibition galleries even more exciting. The universe of objects that can be used to tell the story of New York State has been expanded by more than the order of magnitude," State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said.

Affiliates may integrate Smithsonian artifacts and collections in exhibitions, educational initiatives and/or research programs. The Affiliations Program provides greater public access to the Smithsonian collections. The goal of the program is to share Smithsonian resources and collections more widely and to enhance relationships with communities throughout the nation.

There are close to 50 museums, including the New York State Museum, throughout the United States participating in the Smithsonian Affiliations Program. The Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents adopted the program in September 1996.

The State Museum has hosted traveling exhibitions from the Smithsonian for short periods of time, such as Theodore Roosevelt: Icon of the American Century on display in the State Museum through July 9. The State Museum is currently researching Smithsonian collections and how its objects can be used in current and future exhibitions.

To learn more about the Smithsonian and its affiliation program, visit: http://www.si.edu/affil_program/

Smithsonian Institution Museums

• Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture
• National Museum of American History
• National Museum of the American Indian Arts and Industries Building
• National Museum of Natural History
• National Portrait Gallery
• National Postal Museum
• Renwick Gallery
• Freer Gallery of Art
• Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
• Smithsonian Institution Building
• National Air and Space Museum
• National Museum of American Art
• National Zoological Park
• Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design

ALBANY, N.Y. - Look back after hours with the New York State Museum. On Thursday, Aug. 26, the Museum will host an evening of jazz from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Dwight Sills, a nationally recognized jazz guitarist, will perform in the Museum's fourth-floor Terrace Gallery that overlooks the Empire State Plaza. Sills' current release is "Easy" on Citylights Music. Between sets, Museum curators will offer tours of the Museum's latest exhibit -- Looking Back: The State Museum in the Year 2000.

"This is a way to reach out to some of our visitors who have a hard time getting here during the day," Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "In addition to enjoying some very fine music, they can also get a chance to see a very special exhibit."

The Big House Brewing Company is providing food and drinks. Plans are underway to make After Hours events a mainstay at the Museum.

Looking Back features about 200 of the State Museum's greatest treasures, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1932 Packard, which he bought with his own money while governor of New York. Other items include breathtaking minerals, a cabinet of curiosities and a steam engine. The exhibit offers visitors a chance to see how Museums collect.

Admission to this event is $5 per person in advance. Members of the Museum may bring one guest at no extra charge. Anyone wishing to attend may call 518/474-5801 to purchase tickets. The event is also sponsored by WHRL and NY Press and Graphics.

N Y S M

ALBANY, N.Y. - The New York State Museum will extend its hours to host another After Hours evening of music, exhibit tours and refreshments on Friday, Jan. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The acoustic guitar music of national recording artist Marcus Ruggerio will be featured on the Museum's fourth-floor Terrace Gallery that overlooks the Empire State Plaza.

"Our premier After Hours in August was wildly popular, quickly selling out, so we decided to make the After Hours program a regular part of our offerings," Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said.

"Visitors will not only be treated to an evening of great music, food and beverages, but our experts will be on hand to give tours of some very exciting exhibits."

Curators will provide numerous tours throughout the evening of Trains that Pass in the Night: The Railroad Photographs of O. Winston Link, Looking Back: The State Museum in the Year 2000 and Minerals of New York.

Admission to this event is $12 per person in advance. Members pay $10 per person. Anyone wishing to attend may call 518/474-5801 to purchase tickets. The admission price includes food, music and tours. Drinks will be available. The event is sponsored by The River, WRVE and the Big House Brewing Company.

N Y S M

ALBANY, NY - New York State Paleontologist Dr. Ed Landing has received a $180,532 National Science Foundation Grant to study important evolutionary events that took place 510 million years ago, the New York State Museum announced today.

Dr. Landing's grant, which will be dispersed over three years, will fund a collaborative study with Dr. Samuel A. Bowring of the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The scientists will focus on the evolution of animals in a time interval known as the Early to Middle Cambrian periods. They will examine ancient volcanic ashes to determine high precision uranium-lead ages. They will be able to quantify rates of evolutionary change in fossil marine animals. These evolutionary changes will be related to global sea-level rises and falls and a possible interval of rapid "continental drift" in the Lower and Middle Cambrian periods that shifted a number of ancient continents from the tropics to sub-polar latitudes.

"We're putting together the precise chronology, and for the first time figuring out the rates of evolution for the earliest animals," Landing said.

This work will build on previous NSF-supported research by Dr. Landing in the eastern U.S., Maritime Canada, Britain, Sweden, Morocco and the Middle East. Those areas all show important faunal changes and evidence of important sea level fluctuations from the Early to Middle Cambrian. The current research will most likely take the scientists to New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Morocco, Wales and England.

Dr. Landing has worked at the State Museum since 1981. He was recently featured in Earth Story, a series of documentaries produced by the British Broadcasting Corp. for the Learning Channel that described geological forces that made the earth what it is today. Dr. Landing serves as the curator of the State Museum's large paleontology collection.

He earned a bachelors of science from the University of Wisconsin. He holds a Masters and a PhD from the University of Michigan.

Check out New York State Museum news releases in our virtual press room at www.nysm.nysed.gov.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The Bell Atlantic Foundation has donated $35,000 to the New York State Museum Institute to help fund the Museum's after-school programs, the Museum Club and its teen extension, the Discovery Squad, officials announced today.

"We are absolutely delighted by this generous gift," said Laurie Roberts, the executive director of the Museum Institute, the private, fund-raising arm of the Museum. "With this support, Bell Atlantic continues its important commitment to our community."

The money is to be distributed over two years and will be used to purchase three computers for use by Museum Club students and local families who participate in the nationally recognized Healthy Families America Program. A part-time computer instructor will be hired to tutor students and parents who will also have the opportunity to participate in a mid-day computer tutorial.

"Bell Atlantic is proud to be a part of these programs," said Richard Amadon, director of community relations for Bell Atlantic. "Over the years, Bell Atlantic's philanthropy efforts have focused on education, children's programs, technology and the cultural arts. The Museum has succeeded in bringing all these interests together to benefit families in the Capital Region."

The Bell Atlantic Foundation supports a variety of projects domestically and internationally, with an emphasis on new technology applications in education, health and human services, the arts and humanities and civic development in the communities served by Bell Atlantic. For more information, visit www.bellatlanticfoundation.com on the Internet.

The Museum Club was established 10 years ago to address the growing number of unsupervised neighborhood children who visited the Museum after school. The Museum is a program of the State Education Department and is committed to providing such creative programming. The President's Council on the Arts and Humanities has cited the Museum Club for its innovative learning opportunities for urban youth.

The Museum Club includes two sections: the Museum Club, which caters to approximately 50 children, and the Discovery Squad, in which 16 teens participate. Many of the students are from Albany's South End and Arbor Hill communities. Young people may find themselves working with renowned artist/teacher Tim Rollins to create their own mural based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches in the Museum on one day, and visiting with Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings on another. Other accomplishments include distributing more than 1,500 toys to needy Capital Region families around the holidays, improving reading and math skills through tutoring and computer workshops, and developing animal/plant classification charts.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry. With 42 million telephone access lines and eight million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 companies.

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ALBANY, NY -- Thomas Hart Benton's mural depicting Father Louis Hennepin at Niagara Falls will be on view at the New York State Museum from Tuesday, Sept. 21, 1999, to May 2000 as its home, the Niagara Power Project Visitors Center, is renovated.

The 7-foot high, 20-foot wide mural was commissioned in 1961 to celebrate the completion of the New York Power Authority's Niagara Power Project. It will be hung near the newest exhibit: Looking Back: The State Museum in the Year 2000.

"We are proud to be able to give even more people living and traveling through New York State the chance to view this incredible mural," State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "The New York Power Authority has generously allowed the mural to be on display rather than in storage while they complete their renovations."

The mural is being delivered from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, where the painting is undergoing some minor restoration work, which includes a new frame.

"This magnificent mural has greeted millions of visitors to our Niagara Power Project. We'll be happy when it is once again safe at 'home,' but in the meantime, we're happy to share it -- newly restored -- with all those who visit the State Museum," said C.D. "Rapp" Rappleyea, chairman and chief executive officer of the Power Authority.

Hennepin, part of explorer Robert Cavelier de LaSalle's advance party, was one of the first Europeans to ever see Niagara Falls in December 1678. With a cross in one of his hands, the priest appears to be blessing the Falls in the mural. On either side are members of the party and Native Americans, including Senecas and possibly Algonquins.

About a year was spent researching and planning the scene before Benton spent three months painting the oil mural.

"The Benton mural is a treasure. This piece is truly one of Thomas Hart Benton's masterpieces, telling a great New York story in the epic manner he is known for," the Museum's Director of Exhibitions Mark Schaming said.

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ALBANY, NY -- New York City is a place where change happens faster than almost anywhere else. Berenice Abbott sensed that in the 1930s when her camera was used to capture that rapidly evolving urban scene. These images will be on display in Berenice Abbott's Changing New York at the New York State Museum from Nov. 17 through April 16, 2001, in Crossroads Gallery.

The Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) hired Abbott from 1935 to 1938 to capture the rapidly changing urban scene.

Thirty-nine of these photographs from this major Depression Era project in New York City will be shown.

"Berenice Abbott epitomized the clean, objective techniques of modern photography--her work was as modern as the 20th century city she documented so thoroughly," said Museum historian Christine Kleinegger, who curated the exhibition. "Even sixty years later, to view Abbott's photos is not an exercise in nostalgia."

Abbott had worked as darkroom assistant to Man Ray in Paris and had become an accomplished portrait photographer of such intellectuals as James Joyce and Jean Cocteau.

While in France, she discovered and was influenced by the work of Eugene Atget, who photographed Paris from the 1880s to the late 1920s. Abbott's absence from New York allowed her to view the city with fresh eyes when she returned in 1929, on the eve of the Depression.

Abbott was struck by "the past jostling the present" as she surveyed New York's cityscapes. In this exhibition viewers may be struck by an even more profound sense of change as they compare the "present" of the 1930s with New York of today.

The Museum acquired the photographs after Museum Director Charles Adams suggested in 1938 that "Changing New York" travel to other cities "to impress local people with the importance of doing similar work in their localities." In that spirit, the current exhibition will be complemented by a student photography show that documents life in Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester, Watertown and Buffalo.

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*Color slides are available by calling 518-486-2003.

The New York State Museum is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

WATERFORD, NY -- Scientists will BioBlitz Peebles Island State Park on noon Friday, July 30 until noon Saturday, July 31, in an attempt to record all living species there.

The intense 24-hour biological census of Peebles Island is being organized by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) at the State Museum. The purpose of the BioBlitz is to generate public awareness to the concept of biodiversity, meaning the total variety of living organisms and the natural processes that support them, and to evaluate the biological resources that can exist near urban areas.

Additionally, the data obtained will be used as an indicator of the environmental quality of the park and as a baseline for future monitoring or management plans.

"There is an amazing variety of species in and near urban environments," Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "Many people don't even realize that there are hundreds of types of insects in their backyard alone. This is way to dramatize the incredible diversity of species."

About 50 scientists and researchers from the Museum, the State Department of Environmental Conservation, local universities and the New York Natural Heritage Program will participate. They will note everything they see or hear including bats, grass, moths, slugs, birds, lichens and snakes. The tally will be announced every few hours at the base camp. Results will be available in several weeks since some specimens will have to be identified in laboratories.

"Most people don't realize the significant biological diversity they can find in their local city and town parks," said organizer Karen Frolich, a biodiversity specialist at the Museum. "Even scientists have only recently discovered the value of viewing cities as ecosystems."

Peebles Island is about 12 miles north of Albany and consists of 158 acres of wetlands, grasslands and upland hardwood forest. An early fall survey in 1996 found 156 species of plants, including eight considered to be vulnerable, 11 mammal species, one frog species, one snake species and 140 species of birds, including eight that are endangered, threatened or vulnerable.

"Unfortunately, this biodiversity is often threatened by humans in some way," said Ron Gill of the BRI. "By increasing awareness, through events such as this BioBlitz, we hope that more people will care and be concerned with the future of this biodiversity."

The BRI was created in 1993 by the State Legislature to help meet challenges associated with preserving the state's biodiversity. Pursuant to Section 235-a (2,3) of State Education Law, the BRI serves as a comprehensive source of biological information to be used to advise both public and private agencies on the status of New York's biological resources. The BRI is funded through the Environmental Protection Fund.

The first BioBlitz was sponsored by the National Park Service and the National Biological Service and was held in Kenilworth Park, Washington, D.C., in 1996. Surrounded by heavy residential and industrial development, it had been considered to be devoid of any significant biological diversity. However, scientists tallied more than 900 species during that BioBlitz.

Plans are already underway to make the BioBlitz an annual occurrence in the Capital Region. Next spring, researchers plan to gather at the Papscanee Island Nature Preserve in East Greenbush.

More information on the event can be found at www.nysm.nysed.gov/bri_bioblitz.html

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EAST GREENBUSH, NY - Scientists and researchers identified 416 different species during the recent Capital Region BioBlitz held at Papscanee Island, New York State Museum officials have announced.

The roughly 40 participants were undeterred by cold, rainy conditions as they fanned out over the 192-acre preserve during the event, which was held over a 24-hour period from May 19-20.

"The bad weather and low temperatures probably reduced the activity of amphibians and reptiles and, more significantly, insects," said Karen Frolich, a research specialist with the Museum's Biodiversity Research Institute. "We could potentially have found five times the number of species if the weather had been different. There were still, however, several interesting finds."

Highlights of the event included the sighting of an exceptionally broad range of bird species and the discovery that a high number of plant species, roughly one-third, were non-native, possibly because the preserve is surrounded by farmland.

"Although overall biological diversity was low, there were still some things of interest," BRI specialist Ron Gill said. "For example, there were 72 species of birds observed, which is pretty good considering we only had a few birders out there."

Ken Dufty, who oversees the Papscanee Island preserve for the Rensselaer County Environmental Management Council, was pleased with the BioBlitz. He characterized it as a "wonderful gift" presented to the preserve by the Museum since the park had never before been inventoried.

"The BioBlitz has given us a better understanding of what's on the preserve and how much of it there is," Dufty said. "This information will enable us to manage the preserve in a way that will be more sensitive to the ecosystem."

"The BioBlitz highlights the complexity of ecosystems," Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "At first glance, Papscanee Island might appear to be a site where there would not be a great variety of species. In excess of 400 were documented during the BioBlitz, however, and each of them interacts with the others in complex ways that are vital to the ecosystem."

The New York State Museum plans to hold another BioBlitz on Iona Island in Rockland County on September 15-16.

More details about BioBlitz 2000 can be found at www.nysm.nysed.gov/bioblitz.html.

ALBANY, N.Y. - Scientists and researchers identified at least 610 different species during the first Capital Region BioBlitz held at Peebles Island, State Museum officials announced today.

Held during a 24-hour period from July 30-31, scientists intensely canvassed the 158-acre state park on the Hudson River in Waterford. Plants are still being counted, so the number will grow. About 50 volunteers participated in the event in a cooperative effort.

"Capital Region BioBlitz 1999 was an incredible success," State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said. "This demonstrates the rich diversity of species that exists so close to an urban environment."

The BioBlitz was organized by the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) at the State Museum. The purpose of the BioBlitz was to generate public awareness to the concept of biodiversity -- the total variety of living organisms and the natural processes that support them. The data obtained is being used to complete a management plan for the park and may be used as the basis for future monitoring.

Museum officials hope to hold the event annually in the Capital Region. Plans are underway for Capital Region BioBlitz to be held in the spring at the Papscanee Island Nature Preserve in East Greenbush.

"We look forward to next year at Papscanee Island," organizer and BRI specialist Karen Frolich said. "There have been no species inventories there to date -- it is more undeveloped and unexplored."

Several interesting highlights of BioBlitz 1999 included:

• The sighting of an osprey, which is listed in the state as a species of special concern.
• An encounter with a woodchuck believed to be rabid. It was safely removed by animal control officers.
• The discovery of Cosinodon cribrosus, a bryophyte, considered extremely rare.
• The discovery of a blue crab, which is relatively uncommon north of Albany.
• The sighting of a brook silverside fish in the Mohawk River. This is the only second time since the 1930s that the fish was caught in the Mohawk.
• That the BioBlitz was held during the second driest summer on record in New York. Both days were hot and humid with highs above 90 degrees rendering all of the wetlands dry.

"We want people to realize that there are often areas very close to their homes that support diverse amounts of life, even if they live in urban areas," biodiversity research specialist Ron Gill said.

More details about BioBlitz 1999 can be found at www.nysm.nysed.gov/bioblitz.html.

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ALBANY, N.Y. - Despite what the groundhog says, spring is just around the corner at the New York State Museum. New York in Bloom will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Friday, Feb. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 27.

The flower show is the main fundraiser for the Museum's after-school programs for city youth, the Museum Club and its teen extension, the Discovery Squad. New York in Bloom features about 60 local exhibitors, including many professional floral designers. During New York in Bloom, the Museum charges $2 per person (children 12 and under are free).

The main theme of the flower show will be Asian-influenced floral and garden design. Museum Club and Discovery Squad members, with help from Faddegon's Nursery, will create a lush Asian garden in the Museum's main lobby. Included will be replicable walkways, origami cranes, rice terraces and stone ruins.

"For more than a decade, the Museum's outstanding after-school programs have provided a very important resource for our young people. New York in Bloom provides vital funding for these programs," Museum Institute Executive Director Laurie L. Roberts said.

Serving as honorary chairwoman this year will be Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"Education must continue well after the typical school day ends. The structured environment of the Museum Club and Discovery Squad programs lead to success within and beyond the academic confines," Dr. Jackson said.

In addition to the floral displays, several special events are planned. A Preview Gala Reception will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m., honoring Jack Faddegon, an avid supporter of both the Museum and New York in Bloom. Tickets for the gala are available at the Benefactor Level for $80, the Supporter Level for $60, or the Junior Level (age 35 or younger) for $40.

A flower-arranging demonstration will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by a luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 26, and will feature the Asian-influenced arranging techniques of John Haines, who will be available to sign copies of his books. The $40 fee for this event includes admission to the demonstration, a gourmet luncheon catered by Yono Purnomo, valet parking and admission to New York in Bloom. For more information or to reserve tickets to these events, please call 518/474-5801.

Other activities throughout the weekend include: floral painting and drawing for kids, table setting demonstrations, a talk on the history of tulips in Albany and exhibit tours of Treasures from the Wunsch Americana Foundation and The Weitsman Stoneware Collection.

The Museum Club and the Discovery Squad includes about 75 youths, who meet during the after-school hours, often cited as the times children are most at risk. They help develop academic and cultural activities that link Museum exhibits to curriculum, current events and social issues. There are tutors available for homework, and to help improve math and reading skills - which helps fulfill goals of the State Education Department.

The teen extension of the Museum Club, the Discovery Squad, works throughout the Museum with mentors to learn job skills and knowledge of the workforce.

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ALBANY, NY - If you're noticing an unusual number of ladybugs, crickets and spiders taking refuge from the cooler weather inside your home, you're not alone.

1998 was a banner year for bugs, according to entomologists with the New York State Museum.

"Because it was a moist spring following a fairly mild winter, plants and insects have done extremely well this year," said Jeffrey K. Barnes, a State Museum entomologist who also studies folklore about insects and weather. "When vegetation is lush, insects are abundant."

Since there is a healthy population, certain things can be expected as fall and winter approach and insects start looking for places to spend the winter. The plummeting temperatures also fuel popular myths involving insects.

Particularly noticeable will be the famous "Halloween Ladybug" or Harmonia axyridis, named for its bright orange color and the time of year it becomes extremely conspicuous.

This 19-spotted creature finds its way inside in droves with tens of thousands sometimes congregating in corners of rooms. They tend to be attracted to white paint, unfortunate for the homeowner since they excrete an orange substance when stressed and also leave a stain when squashed. The arboreal bugs may be disarming, but they are not harmful. In fact, they help farmers and gardeners by eating pesky aphids, Barnes noted. Many cultures believed that ladybugs are good luck and killing one will bring bad luck. Barnes offered several remedies: If you vacuum them up, they may be released on a warmer day to allow them to find a more suitable winter home. They also can be stored in a cool basement with some sugar water for food and then released in the spring. There's also been a bountiful spider population this year. Keep in mind that the common venomous house spider Cheiracanthium mildei, which has a reputation for inflicting long-lasting bites, has become very common in Northeastern homes, Barnes said. Those allergic to arachnids should seek immediate medical treatment. "We're very lucky in New York State; truly dangerous spiders are extremely rare," Barnes said.

Crickets can be another aggravating visitor to your home, although some believe they are good luck. But since their lifecycle ends shortly, keeping them in the basement for spring would be fruitless, Barnes said. In addition to the loud chirping, crickets can also cause some damage. They have been known to eat holes in fabrics, leather and rubber, he said.

"I think we'll be treated to their songs well into October," Barnes said. "They'll become almost deafening," Barnes said. "It will seem like they're never going to die no matter what."

A particularly attractive and benign insect to keep an eye out for is the wooly bear caterpillar. In October, scads of these can be seen crossing the road. They spend most of the summer in fields or gardens feeding on lower leaves. In autumn, they begin searching for a place to spend the winter. Some cultures say the severity of winter can be predicted by the size of bands on the red and black caterpillars. Barnes emphasized that the winter has nothing to do with the size of the bands. Keeping caterpillars indoors would not benefit them. Their metabolism needs to slow down for the winter and individuals have even been known to survive after being thawed out of block of ice, he said.

"The caterpillar wanderings happen every year as vegetation starts to die back and leaves start to fall," Barnes said.

While New York State plays host to about 30,000 types of insects and 500 to 600 kinds of spiders, one you may not notice is the state insect: the nine-spotted lady bug or Coccinella novemnotata.It has not been seen in the state since 1970.

"There are a lot of things that are going to get into the house before the winter," Barnes noted. But added homeowners can take some preventative measures: caulking any cracks, keeping mulch and leaves raked back away from homes and shutting garage doors since leaves - a favorite respite for insects - tend to blow into garages.

The New York State Museum houses an extensive entomology collection with more than 600,000 insects and 25,000 mites, ticks and spiders from throughout the state. New York State entomologists are constantly monitoring the state's insect population for signs of extinction, extirpation or introduction of non-native species.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Six natural history illustrators have been chosen to participate in this year's COM.EN.ART (Community.Environment.Art) program, a joint venture between the New York State Museum and the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve.

"Natural science illustrators don't often get grants at biological stations or arts colonies. The opportunity for the illustrator to be in the field is almost nil," said Patricia Kernan, the State Museum's staff scientific illustrator.

COM.EN.ART, begun in 1995, at the 1,800-acre not-for-profit biological research station in Rensselaerville, Albany County, gives scientific and natural history illustrators the opportunity to immerse themselves in a field situation either by working with scientists or gathering materials and conducting research for their own work.

"Early naturalists were most often their own artists," said Kernan, a co-founder and co-director of the COM.EN.ART. "As science became more formalized and institutionalized, biologists began to rely on artists to illustrate the results of their scientific research."

"Biologists recognize the specialized form of natural history art as an effective way to bring recognition of the importance of the environment and biological diversity both in our everyday lives and the long term health of the environment," State Museum Director Cliff Siegfried said.

The artists will be able to spend one to two weeks at the preserve where housing, studio space and local transportation will be provided. Artists participating in the program, begun in 1995, must donate one piece to the preserve. During their stay, anytime between May and September, the artists are asked to meet with members of the community to discuss their work as scientific and natural history artists. This could include demonstrations, outdoor workshops, school visits or evening lectures.

"They leave with a deeper knowledge of nature and a much deeper knowledge of themselves - essential for doing any kind of art work," Kernan said.

The State Museum plans to open a permanent exhibition space for natural history art this fall.

Artists Selected for COM.EN.ART 1999:

• Timothy Angell of Burdett, NY
• Linda Beckwith McCloskey of Red Hook, NY
• Camille Doucet of Etna, NY
• Margy O'Brien of Albuquerque, NM
• Sandra McDermott of Amesbury, MA
• Katherine Shelbourne of Durham, NC

*For slides, please call 518/474-0079.

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ALBANY, NY An anchor shot off a British ship during the War of 1812 can stay in New York state.

The British Ministry of Defense has agreed to donate the 14-foot anchor, recovered in Lake Champlain by divers two years ago. It will now be raised Friday morning at 8:40 a.m. - the same time and day in 1814 when the crucial Battle of Plattsburgh took place.

Local divers discovered the iron and wooden anchor and brought it to the surface two years ago. But officials with the State Museum determined it would be safer if returned to the lakebed until a preservation plan was in place. Generally, artifacts discovered on state land are considered to be the property of the state. However, it was determined by the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Department of State to belong to the British government.

"What it does is allow an important project to go forward, and it gives the State Museum a wonderful new asset for its collection," said Philip Lord, the acting chief of the historical survey at the State Museum.

Lord, who will represent the state at Friday's ceremony, said the decision sets a precedent for future international artifacts discovered underwater in New York state. Lord noted that the anchor is a wonderfully preserved artifact with its paint and lettering intact.

The anchor was shot off the Confiance. The ship had been brought to Canada in pieces before entering Lake Champlain and was considered indestructible before the battle between nine American ships and the 15 British ships.

The Navy Historical Center and the U.S. Department of State assisted the State Museum in the negotiations.

After the anchor is raised Friday morning, it is to be taken to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Basin Harbor, Vt., to be restored. After that, plans call for the anchor, under the management of State Museum experts, to be displayed in either Plattsburgh City Hall or in a possible museum at the Old Stone Barracks at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base.

"Relief is the big word," said a grateful Shirley Koester, the director of the Clinton County Historical Society.

Now, the 14-foot anchor will be raised and at the same time a ceremony honoring those killed in the battle, both British and American, will be held.