Adirondack Sports September 2023

News Briefs
The Omentum Project: Zoom
Event and Study
The Omentum Project aims to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors living
without an omentum through awareness, education and informal research. The
omentum is an organ in the abdominal cavity which is part of the immune system
and lymphatic system. It is standard protocol to remove the omentum in certain
cancer staging surgeries such as ovarian cancer and survival rates are higher when
the organ is removed. However, there are some long-term ramifications for women
living without it.
The Omentum Project is conducting a study to determine if there’s a difference
in symptoms after consuming a salty food. Participation in the study involves a
one-time, three-hour home experiment eating a specific salty food and reporting
on specific measures before and after. Join the online event on Zoom on Sunday,
Sept. 17 from 2-5:15pm. Registration: theomentumproject.org. Participation is confidential
and unknown to other participants.
This is an Institutional Review Board approved research study. For questions
related to the IRB review, contact Emily Spinner, IRB administrator at Ellis Hospital.
For questions, contact Meg Wilkinson: theomentumproject@gmail.com.
Saratoga Field Day
SEPTEMBER 2023 5
Saratoga Field Day is set for Saturday, Sept. 23 at Pitney Meadows Community Farm
in Saratoga Springs. The event is filled with four great events, all to benefit Building
on Love. A morning yoga session presented by Yoga Mandali will take place inside
the High Tunnel at 8:30am. This is a pay what you can event, with a suggested donation
of $25.
Upstate NY Cornhole will host the Cornhole Tourney, with divisions for all
skill levels as well as a family division. Registration is by team and includes at least
four games, T-shirt, snacks, refreshments, and a post event party at Harvey’s Bar &
Restaurant in Saratoga Springs.
The main event, Saratoga Field Day Games is a throwback to grade school but for
all ages! Classic events include relay races and tug-of-war, games to challenge your
mind, and other activities, plus axe throwing. Teams of 4-8 compete to earn points
in each event as they compete for the Field Day Championship. Games end with an
awards ceremony and post-game bonfires and s’mores! Registration is by team and
includes t-shirts, snacks, refreshments, and post event fun. Food vendors include
Artisanal Brew Works, Dizzy Chicken and Ben & Jerry’s.
The day closes with the I Run For _____ Twilight 5K presented by FC4 Inc, the
Firecracker 4 folks. All levels are welcome to run/walk on the Pitney Meadows
Community Farm trails. Participants are encouraged to honor someone special
that they are running or walking for. There will be music and post event bonfires and
s’mores. Registration is $30 for adults and $20 for kids and includes a T-shirt and the
post event fun. Register: saratogafieldday.com.
Capital Region Aquatic Center
picks ViaPort Mall
The Capital Region Aquatic Center is constructing a swimming, training and diving
complex at the ViaPort Mall in Rotterdam, next to the former Kmart. Backers of the
center have signed a letter of intent to lease more than 80,000 square feet at the
ViaPort Rotterdam Mall as the future home of a $36 million swimming and diving
complex that is projected to attract thousands of swimmers and inject more than
$9 million into the local economy annually.
The nonprofit organization has signed a non-binding letter of intent to lease
ViaPort property for 10 years with options for up to 20 additional years. Once a
contract is finalized, it is expected to include an option to purchase the property.
The aquatic center group has been fundraising and searching for a location in the
Capital Region for a decade.
The ViaPort location makes a lot of sense because it already is equipped with
utilities, curb cuts and 2,000 parking spaces right off Interstate 890, creating easy
access for local, regional and national visitors.
The plans are to build a complex with three pools, including an Olympic-sized
50-meter pool and diving platform. The center will be designed to host large competitions
in addition to offering swimming, training and physical therapy programs
for children, adults, veterans and people with special needs. The project is modeled
after the Greensboro Aquatic Center built 12 years ago in Greensboro, N.C.
DEC’s Forest Preserve
Work Plan Policy
NYS DEC announced the finalization of the Commissioner Policy 78, the Forest
Preserve Work Plan Policy. This will serve as a guide for newly proposed projects
and the evaluation of their site-specific impacts to the environment and character
of the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves.
“The Adirondacks and Catskills continue to experience significant numbers of
visitors and this new policy, finalized with input from New Yorkers, stakeholders,
and other partners, will provide DEC with the proper guidance when evaluating
potential projects and any environmental impacts to the Forest Preserve,” says
Commissioner Basil Seggos.
The policy establishes procedures for assessing the impacts of construction and
maintenance activities on the Forest Preserve and for drafting site-specific work
plans. With the adoption of this new policy, DEC’s previous Forest Preserve tree-cutting
policy, Cutting, Removal or Destruction of Trees and Endangered, Threatened
or Rare Plants on Forest Preserve Lands, is officially being rescinded. The new policy
formalizes DEC’s assessment of construction and maintenance activities beyond
just the identification of vegetation impacts to include a more holistic analysis of
all potential impacts to the Forest Preserve, with an emphasis on identifying ways
to avoid, minimize and mitigate such impacts. Protected by the NYS Constitution
as “forever wild,” the Forest Preserve comprises state lands in the Adirondack and
Catskill parks. Providing a welcoming and accessible experience while preserving
the wild setting of the Forest Preserve continues to be a priority for DEC, and CP-78
will allow staff to design and evaluate projects to meet these important objectives.