Earth Day Activities, Town Cleanups on Tap in Local Communities

The Mount Kisco Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) has scheduled an expanded series of family events starting later this week to celebrate Earth Day.

The festivities start with the photography exhibit “Nature & Culture in Mount Kisco” at the Mount Kisco Public Library. Organized in cooperation with the Mount Kisco Arts Council, the exhibit opened on Thursday and will run through Friday, Apr. 27.

More than 130 pieces were received for the show, said CAC Chairman John Rhodes. All submitted pictures will be displayed on the library’s big flat-screen television as well as online at www.mountkiscohistoricalsociety.org.

The town’s second annual Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, Apr. 21 begins at 10 a.m. with a guided hike up Kisco Mountain. It’s an easy, scenic walk. Families, photographers, nature enthusiasts and history buffs of all ages will be able to enjoy the hour-long adventure. Naturalist Steve Ricker of Westmoreland Sanctuary and Mount Kisco Village Historian Harry McCartney will lead the hike. Highlights will include spectacular views of the entire valley, spring wildflowers and a demonstration of the proper tree-hugging technique. Rides will be available starting from the library to the trailhead at the top of Mountain Avenue beginning at 9:30 a.m.

At 1 p.m., Mount Kisco Public Library attendees will be treated to music and light refreshments followed by “Caring for Our Common Home,” a program featuring how citizens may participate in the care and enjoyment of the town’s natural treasures. Mayor Gina Picinich will welcome guests and keynote speaker Dr. Sergio C. Trindade, former U.N. Assistant Secretary General and member of the Intergovernmental Policy for Climate Change, who will speak on the topic “Responding to Climate Change.”

Jim Nordgren, president of JN Land Trust Services, will reveal “The Natural Wealth of Our Valley” and McCartney will discuss the synergy between nature and history and provide an update on the innovative Mount Kisco Trail Project.

To cap off the festivities, master storyteller Jonathan Kruk will take children of all ages on a brief enchanted walk through Branch Brook Park as he shares some magical stories of Mount Kisco.

On Sunday, Apr. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Leonard Park Playground, residents and visitors of all ages can enjoy an easy guided Hike Along the Kisco River – Early Settlements Trail and discover the hidden beauty and history of Mount Kisco.

The following Saturday, Apr. 27, at 10 a.m., the village will host an Arbor Day celebration at the Tea House on Wallace Pond in Leonard Park. At 10:30 a.m., Picinich will read an Arbor Day proclamation celebrating Mount Kisco’s renewed status as a Tree City U.S.A. Along with event organizer Ruth Moy, Picinich will present awards to all the winners in this year’s Children’s Tree Art Poster Show. Following the awards ceremony, children and families can join in tree planting with Brendan Murphy, forester from the Watershed Agricultural Council, and Jim Gmelin, chairman of the Mount Kisco Tree Board.

“It’s wonderful to have such an expanded Earth Day celebration in our town, a real testament to the love and respect our town has for the environment and the hard work of dedicated volunteers from Mount Kisco’s Trail Team, Tree Preservation Board, Historical Society and Arts Council,” Rhodes said.

 

North Castle, New Castle Town Cleanup Days

Local communities will see legions of volunteers will head to parks or to roadsides this weekend to pick up trash and beautify the area where they live or work.

North Castle and New Castle have scheduled cleanup days for this Saturday. Typically, the eff coincides with Earth Day celebration.

“It’s a good way for people to get to know their neighbors and do something constructive,” said North Castle Councilman Jose Berra, the Town Board liaison to the Recycling & Sustainability Committee. “Most people in this town are great.”

In North Castle, the event is scheduled from 9 am. to 3 p.m. with the town supplying bags and safety vests to all volunteers. Trash should be collected in black garbage bags with recyclables in clear bags and left on the side of the roadway for pickup by the town’s Highway Department.

Residents can register to volunteer by e-mailing cleanupnorthcastle@gmail.com or by visiting Town Hall in Armonk or the North White Plains Community Center at 10 Clove Rd. on Saturday morning. Berra said residents should wear long pants and gloves.

Also on Saturday, there will be a shredder located in the parking lot of the Town Hall annex for town residents only. Residents can shred up to four boxes of personal papers. The shredder will be on site from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  In case of rain, clean up day would be held on Sunday, Apr. 22. For more information, check the town’s website at www.northcastleny.com.

The Town of New Castle will be holding its 29^th annual Cleanup Day on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The town’s Beautification Advisory Board will have bags and gloves available at the Millwood Shopping Center next to DeCicco’s and near Starbucks in downtown Chappaqua on Saturday morning.

Bags and gloves are now available in advance at Town Hall, Millwood Hardware and Chappaqua Paint & Hardware. Bags will be collected from the roadside starting Apr. 30.

For more information, call 914-238-4771 or arrive at one of the locations on Saturday.