New York Mixed Bag: Annual Arbor Day Poster Contest welcoming submissions through Dec. 31

Albany — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recently announced the start of the annual Arbor Day Poster contest. Each year, DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program coordinates the contest to promote the value of trees.

DEC is accepting original photograph and artwork submissions through Dec. 31. Entries must feature trees in New York State and be submitted through the online poster contest submission form. The winner of the contest will have their photo or artwork reproduced as the 2025 Arbor Day Poster to commemorate the holiday.

The annual contest is sponsored by the New York State Arbor Day Committee, which includes DEC, the Empire State Forestry Foundation, the New York State Arborist Association, State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and Sylvamo North America.

For more information about the contest, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/ArborDay24, email arborday@dec.ny.gov, or call 518-402-9428.

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IHEA Names Ralf Hartman As New York’s Hunter Education Instructor Of The Year

Bloomingdale, N.Y. — The International Hunter Education Association has named Ralf Hartman, of Bloomingdale, in Essex County, New York’s Hunter Education Instructor of the Year. Since 2020, the organization has honored one member of each state. New York’s 2023 recipient was Kit Twetan.

Hartman was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1958, and spent 20 years in U.S. Air Force. He has been teaching safety classes in firearms, archery and crossbow since 2014 and taught over 25 courses. His German language fluency has allowed him to communicate well with the Amish and Mennonite communities. As a Master Instructor, last year he completed the mentoring and certification of two Amish men who are now N.Y.S. instructors themselves.

In addition to teaching courses during various months of the year, Hartman also teaches courses at two New York State summer youth camps: Camp Colby, in Saranac Lake, and Camp Pack Forest in Warrensburg. He said his selection as the IHEA’s New York Hunter Educator of the Year for 2024 came as a big surprise.

Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon’s Brother Killed In Treestand Fall

Buffalo, N.Y. (AP) — The brother of the acting mayor of Buffalo died in a fall from a treestand while hunting, authorities said. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said in a statement Nov. 7 that his family had “suffered a sudden and tragic loss” of his brother Mark Scanlon, who died “while doing one of the things he enjoyed most, hunting.”

The New York State Police said in a news release that troopers went looking for a hunter who had not returned to his vehicle parked in the town of East Otto, about 50 miles south of Buffalo, on Nov. 6. They found Mark Scanlon, 54 and a sergeant with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, in a wooded area dead from an apparent fall from a portable treestand, the police said, adding that there were no signs of foul play.

Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said in a statement that the department “mourns the loss of Sergeant Mark Scanlon, a veteran, valued member of our Jail Management Division.”

Two Roads in Winona State Forest Closed On Weekdays For Tree Removal

Lorraine, N.Y. — DEC recently announced the temporary closure of the Wart and Hessel public forest access roads in the Winona State Forest in Jefferson and Oswego counties. The roads were closed Nov. 18 and will remain closed to the public Monday through Friday for an estimated four weeks. The roads will be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Meanwhile, DEC encourages visitors to find alternate access points.

The closure is necessary during the removal of potentially hazardous white ash trees within the road right-of-way, which have become infested with the emerald ash borer, a wood-boring beetle from Asia that feeds on all native ash trees. EAB was accidentally transported in infested crates and pallets to the United States where a lack of natural controls such as predators and disease allowed the population to grow rapidly. Since its introduction, this invasive pest has killed millions of ash trees and cost billions of dollars in damage and loss. DEC continues to evaluate impacts that could affect public safety, including infrastructure and facilities within the region, that would be negatively impacted by invasive species.

NSSF To Trump: Disband White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

Washington, D.C. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation is urging President-elect Donald Trump to disband the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. NSSF said the office, installed under President Joe Biden, never addressed criminal misuse of firearms, but rather squandered taxpayer dollars and employed former gun control lobbyists to minimize the American rights to keep and bear arms. NSSF suggests replacing this office with one dedicated to the advancement and preservation of the Second Amendment.

The Biden-Harris administration established The White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention in September, 2023 under the direct supervision of Vice President Kamala Harris as the “gun control czar.” Greg Jackson serves as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director, who was previously a gun control advocate for the Tides Foundation Community Justice Action Fund. A former lobbyist for Everytown for Gun Safety is also on the staff.

To date, NSSF said, this office, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), have yet to comply with subpoenas issued by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.