HVNY News + Notes

The Shawangunk Mountain’s first Via Ferrata – “a blend of rock climbing, cable traverses and aerial staircases” with harnesses – opens at the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz on April 1, 2024. The experience is open to overnight guests at Mohonk, ages 13 and up, and weighing between 88 and 264 pounds. Good health and hand strength recommended. Cost for guests is $250 per person. mohonk.com/recreation/via-ferrata
Voting in the Presidential Primary takes place across New York State on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Polls will be open from 6am to 9pm. Find your voting location at elections.ny.gov
Storm King Art Center opens for the season on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Hours are Monday, Wednesday-Sunday from 10am - 5:30pm (closed Tuesdays). Renovations are underway for the site’s new visitor welcome pavilions and parking lot, so be mindful of new traffic patterns while visiting https://stormkingartcenter.org
Work to replace two bridges on Salt Point Turnpike (Dutchess County Route 17) in the Town of Stanford is beginning this week. The bridges, located over the Willow Brook and the Wappinger Creek near the intersection of Meadowview Way, will be replaced to ensure the safety and stability of the bridges and roadway for motorists. During construction, the section of Salt Point Turnpike near the bridges, between Meadowview Way and the Stanford Wildlife Preserve, will be closed, with a detour posted along the Turnpike, Route 82 and Clinton Corners Road (CR-13). View a map of the detour. The project is expected to be complete, with the road and bridges open to traffic by early 2025.
The Mohonk Preserve will be offering Ulster County residents a free one-month pass to access its trails. Passes will be distributed from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7 from 9am to 6pm at the Preserve’s Visitor Center on Route 44/55 in Gardiner, at the Testimonial Gateway Trailhead on Route 299 in New Paltz, and at the Spring Farm Trailhead off Mohonk Road in High Falls. More info: https://mohonkpreserve.org/healthyulster
New home of Pride - The Dutchess County Pride Center has announced it will be moving from its home at iPark in Hopewell Junction to 766 Main Street in Poughkeepsie as of April 1, 2024. “This highly visible location, already served by several major Dutchess County transit lines, will enable Dutchess Pride to reach more county residents in need, expand on its current community and social offerings, and become a true queer community space.” The new space will feature a large community room, a private meeting room, art on display by local queer artists and a new location for the Trans Closet of the Hudson Valley – which provides clothes and resources to the transgender community.

Birders in Greene County recorded the county’s first sighting of a Townsend solitaire foraging on holly berries at North-South Lake on March 16. The Western North American species ranges typcially from Alaska, northwest Canada to California into Mexico. Only four sightings of this relative of bluebirds and other thrushes have been recorded in New York State.

The Hudson Valley Renegades start their season on Friday (on the road so upgrades at Heritage Financial Park can be completed). But in the meantime, Rascal is offering $5 tickets to any April game all day on Monday, April 1 (no joke):
Kingston secures $1.5M in federal funding to raise roadways prone to flooding – The East Strand & North Street Roadway Elevation project will raise the road on two portions of East Strand that experience frequent tidal flooding and ensure that travel to and from nearby residential neighborhoods can remain uninterrupted. In addition to raising and rebuilding sections, the road will be restriped, and adjacent sidewalks elevated, providing safety upgrades for pedestrians and cyclists: engagekingston.com/weaving-the-waterfront-transportation-project
This week’s New York Blooms Report: https://www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/nature/blooms/