During the week of May 4 through 8, the fire tower on Mount Nimham in the Town of Kent will be closed to the public so that the floor and walls of the cabin can be replaced. The current flooring is believed to be original to the tower, and recent inspections show it needs to be replaced. Replacement of the flooring offers a perfect opportunity to replace the walls of the cabin which have also begun to show their age. The new walls will feature murals of scenes from nature in each of the four seasons painted by members of the Go Green Club of George Fischer Middle School (see article).

The tower will be open for public use as soon as the work is completed, and the view from the top will be just as good as it is now.

While the tower is closed, please keep well clear of the tower site. Do not attempt to cross into the area behind the orange fencing or to climb the tower as it is not safe to do so. The floor and sides of the cabin may be missing or insecure and there is real risk of being hit by falling debris.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

The need for the project was identified by the Kent Conservation Advisory Committee (CAC) which maintains the tower under a stewardship agreement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) which owns the tower. The project is being carried out by volunteers. It is managed and funded by the Kent Conservation Foundation (KCF) under a permit issued to the CAC by the NYSDEC.

A lone sentinel guards a misty landscape. Photo: Beth Herr

Grab your camera and capture the nature of Kent. Send your best images to enter a juried photo competition. The winning photos will be exhibited at the Kent Public Library for the month of June and will be included in the Kent Nature Almanac. Beautiful scenery is easy to find in our town. Abundant biodiversity awaits in Kent’s lakes, cliffs, forests and backyards. Focus your camera and capture the beauty.

A maximum of three submissions per photographer will be considered for the show. They will be judged on artistic merit and how they express an aspect of nature in Kent. Explain where and why you took the photos. Recommended photo size: 1920 x 2400 pixels or larger.

Send to: herrszur@comcast.net.

The deadline for submitting images for the competition is May 15, 2015.

By Marty Collins

February 4, 2012

Former Kent Conservation Advisory Committee Chairman George Baum was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation by members of the Kent Town Board at the KCAC’s January 18 meeting. Photo by Dave Ehnebuske.

The Kent Conservation Advisory Committee, an all volunteer organization whose seven members advise the Town Supervisor and Board on environmental and conservation issues and work to preserve Kent’s unique natural resources, has a new chairperson. Last month the Town Board, after accepting the resignation of George Baum who led the group for 12 years, appointed Beth Herr, a Kent resident and naturalist/artist, as the organization’s new leader.

“You’re a hard act to follow,” Herr said to her longtime friend at the group’s January 18 meeting when Councilpersons Penny Osborn and Lou Tartaro presented Baum with a Certificate of Appreciation thanking him “for all the time and effort” he had devoted to the KCAC.

Herr recounted when she first moved to Kent and “without having any children in local schools, and no church connections, I wasn’t sure how I would locate kindred spirits.”

But she soon found them in the KCAC, “a community of conservationists,” she said.

Among the many suggestions and topics discussed during the meeting was Vice-Chairman Dave Ehnebuske’s announcement that the KCAC had launched the Kent Nature Almanac on January 2. The Nature Almanac is an internet based community diary of “natural happenings in the neighborhood” and is open to anyone who would like to post an entry of their observations. Then, at the end of each month, an e-newsletter with Almanac entries will be sent to subscribers who have signed up at the Kent CAC’s subscription page.

Herr reported that she and Baum, who will remain active in the KCAC, are collaborating with Clearpool Education Center as members of its Model Forest Project steering committee. Herr said she is looking into the possibility of having Clearpool partner with the KCAC in its Natural Resources Inventory program and has already arranged for a vernal pool survey to be held at Clearpool, weather permitting, on Sunday, March 25. Clearpool Education Center with its 350 acres of protected woodlands is located off Route 301 in western Kent.

After some discussion, the group determined that its annual Hike to Hawk Rock will take place starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 29. A list of upcoming hikes will be posted on the group’s website shortly. See the CAC upcoming hikes page for more information.