WWCA continues effort to make Westport more environmentally friendly

WESTPORT | The Environmental Action Committee of the Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance (WWCA) will be hosting its first-ever Eco Week from May 9 to 16. The festivities will kick off that Saturday with the Champlain Area Trails' Grand Hike, which begins in waves at 10 a.m. at the Whallonsburg Grange Hall in Essex and ends at the Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center in Lewis. The WWCA will be tabling. Then, on Sunday, while the WWCA doesn't have anything officially planned, they encourage locals to visit Vagabond Blooms, a flower shop on Main Street, which will be offering Mother's Day specials. The festivities will pick back up Monday with "Green Golf" for $10 at Westport Golf, an 18-hole championship course near Lake Champlain that offers spectacular mountain views, challenging holes, and low prices. On Tuesday, WWCA members hope to offer a program focused on low-impact logging, but at the time of this writing, details were still being mapped out. The next day, however, WWCA President Jen Williams will host a track cleanup around the Essex County Fairgrounds from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Another cleanup event will take place on Thursday with a riverside and roadside cleanup with WWCA Event Planner Austin Martin and Essex County Soil & Water at the Champlain Area Trails' Beaver Bend Preserve, a 0.5-mile loop trail on Angier Hill Road. On Friday, there will be a special vineyard walk at the Rolling Hills Estate Winery on Maple Way. Starting at 10 a.m., the walk will be guided by Kyle Mizuno, director of winemaking. "Together, you'll spend an hour among the vines, sharing a closer look at the varietals grown and the character of the land that shapes them. It's a chance to ask questions, learn what's taking root here, and better understand what's being created in this special region and emerging AVA." The festivities will end with a hike with Chris Maron, chair of the Environmental Action Committee, at the Viall's Crossing Trail from 10 a.m. to noon. Those who wish to participate are asked to meet at the parking area and trailhead on Route 22. Another Champlain Area Trail: this network of trails includes the John Brown, Harold's Oak, and Hemlock Hill paths; there are some steep sections, but for the most part, the trails traverse rolling terrain through a mixture of fields and forests, with small rocky knolls throughout the system. This first-time event was created as part of the town-wide effort to make Westport more environmentally friendly and beautiful. For instance, last November, a determined bunch of volunteers gathered to remove tires and other debris from Lake Champlain, collecting about 60 tires and transporting them to the Transfer Station. Last month, Town Councilman Michael "Yogi" Fergot ran the annual month-long spring clean-up, where residents picked up special orange trash bags and came together to tidy up roadways, parks, sidewalks, and other communal areas throughout Westport and Wadhams, making the area more inviting and pleasant for everyone. Eco Week is specifically being hosted by WWCA's Environmental Action Committee, a new group formed to raise awareness of the local environment and support actions that reduce environmental impacts and encourage participation in eco-friendly activities. "Westport has tremendous ecological assets, including Lake Champlain, ecologically rich forests, productive farmland, scenic vistas, and the attractive hamlets of Westport and Wadhams," said Williams. "We are so pleased to have this new committee to engage residents and the broader community in honoring and protecting these valuable features. "[This event in particular] is a great way to give back to our community [and] to celebrate and nurture the beautiful place we are fortunate to call 'home.'" Along with these events, the committee is developing other environmentally friendly efforts, such as scheduling hazardous waste disposal days, encouraging the planting of pollinator gardens, and supporting the creation of a composting program for town residents. "As we develop our goals and the projects, priorities, and actions to accomplish them," Maron stated online, "we welcome new members from the community to join this exciting new venture to enhance the exceptional quality of life we all get to enjoy here in Westport and the Champlain Valley." For more information or updates, visit gowestportny.com.

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WWCA continues effort to make Westport more environmentally friendly

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