Spots filling fast for 67th Allegany Nature Pilgrimage
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
RED HOUSE — Enjoy a weekend learning about all things outdoors at the 67th Allegany Nature Pilgrimage, set to take place Friday, May 30 through Sunday, June 1 at Allegany State Park.
This annual outdoor learning experience combines fun with a variety of nature-oriented activities open for all ages, from the experienced naturalist to the inquisitive beginner.
Comprising nearly 65,000 acres abounding with plants and animals, Allegany State Park is the largest state park in New York.
From short nature walks and talks to day-long field trips and everything in between, the biggest challenge for every participant will be choosing from the more than 120 programs offered.
The nature topics include trees, flowers, ferns, insects, birds, salamanders, reptiles,
tracks and signs, mammals, astronomy, geology and ecology. There are also classes in yoga, journaling, making corn husk dolls, disc golf and more.
With many family and child-friendly opportunities, programs vary in length and may be a walk or a seated talk. The complete list is available at alleganynaturepilgrimage. com/walks-talks.
The first Big Tent speaker for Friday evening is Eli Knapp, presenting “From Chicken Coop to Nature Snoop: How to See Nature Through the Eyes of Aldo Leopold.” A world traveler with his Houghton University ornithology students, Knapp will share the perspective of Leopold, the renowned American naturalist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, environmentalist and more.
Then on Saturday evening, Julie Lundgren will offer “Allegany’s Natural
A weekend pass is $45 for adults, $20 for full-time students, $6 for ages 12-17 and free for those 11 and younger.
Adult day passes are $23.
Spots are filling fast. For all the details and to register for this outdoor adventure, visit alleganynaturepilgrimage. com. Walk-in registrations can be made in
How to prepare outdoor spaces for Memorial Day entertaining
Memorial Day weekend is a popular time to entertain. For many, the weekend marks the first outdoor entertaining opportunity of the year, which is certainly something to look forward to. As outdoor entertaining season begins, homeowners can take these steps to prepare their outdoor living spaces for the first big backyard gettogether of the year.
• Inspect outdoor furniture. Now is a good time to inspect outdoor furniture if the task was not performed in late fall or early winter before items were moved into the garage or placed in storage. Check to make sure furnishings are still safe to use, addressing any issues before guests come over for a Memorial Day weekend gathering. Wash cushions for outdoor furniture and replace any that might be showing their age.
• Clean the grill. A thorough cleaning of the grill also is in order prior to summer entertaining season. Many homeowners
• Break out the power washer. Pressure washing is an important component of spring home cleanup. The warmer temperatures of spring allow water from power washing to dry more quickly, which can decrease the chances that mold and mildew will grow on surfaces like siding. A freshly power washed home also makes for a welcoming entertaining space. A power washer also can be used on outdoor entertaining spaces to remove dirt and debris that built up over the winter. Just make sure to read manufacturer instructions before using a power washer to clean paving stones, decks and outdoor furniture.
do little or no grilling during winter, so now is the time to give grilling surfaces and the interior of the grill a deep cleaning. Check for leaks if using a gas grill, and scrub the interior of any grease that accumulated last season. Many grilling experts advise lighting a grill and letting it burn for roughly 20 minutes prior to putting any foods on the grates for the first time. Such a strategy allows residual fluids like soap, vinegar and de-greasing products used when cleaning the grill to burn off before food is placed on the grates.
• Inspect the landscaping, too. It’s not just seating areas like patios and decks that need some investigation prior to outdoor entertaining season. Take a walk around the landscape and make sure there’s no potentially dangerous spots where people could be injured
when playing backyard games. Fill in any holes with soil and fresh grass seed, and inspect trees to see if any branches need to be pruned.
Summer entertaining season begins each Memorial Day weekend. Homeowners can take various steps to ensure their outdoor entertaining spaces are comfortable and safe.
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
ALBANY — Local unemployment decreased in March after steady bumps in January and February, on par with the rates reported a year ago this month, according to state labor officials. The state Department of Labor last week reported that the February unemployment rate in Cattaraugus County was 5.3%, up from 5.1% in January, and a one-tenth percentage point more than reported in February 2024. The labor force was 33,200 in February, up 300 from January and down 200 from February 2024. Meanwhile, the March unemployment rate in
Cattaraugus County was 4.6%, down 0.7% from February and up a one-tenth percentage point from the rate reported in March 2024. The labor force was 32,800 in February, down 400 from February and down 300 from March 2024. The employed labor force was 31,400 in February and 31,300 in March, up slightly from the 31,200 reported in January.
The employed labor force was 31,700 in February 2024 and 31,600 in March of last year.
The unemployed labor force was 1,800 in February, up 100 from January, followed by a decrease of 300 to 1,500 in March. The unemployed labor force was 1,700 in February 2024 and 1,500 in March of last year.
Statewide, the unemployment
rate saw a steady decline from 4.6% in January to 4.3% in February to 4.1% in March, an overall decrease from 4.6% in February 2024 and 4.3% in March of last year. Statewide, 426,000 were unemployed in February and 404,300 were unemployed in March, a significant decline from the 450,000 unemployed persons reported in January. Comparatively, 450,000 were also reported unemployed in February 2024 and 419,400 were unemployed in March of last year.
In March, the highest county unemployment rate was 6.7% in Hamilton County, followed by 5.9% in Bronx County and 5.6% in Lewis County. In February, Hamilton County had the highest unemployment rate at 7.6%, followed by Schuyler County at 6.6% and Lewis County at 6.4%.
The lowest unemployment rate in March was 3.2% in Putnam, Rockland and Saratoga counties. In February, Putnam, Rockland, Saratoga and Tompkins counties had the lowest unemployment rates at 3.6%
Nationwide, the unemployment rate has seen a steady increase from 4.0% in January to 4.1% in February and 4.2% in March — a 0.3% bump from the 3.9% reported for March 2024 — according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nevada again led the nation in state unemployment, at 5.7%, while South Dakota saw the lowest jobless rate at 1.8%.
Three states had unemployment rate increases: Connecticut (0.2%) and Massachusetts and Virginia (0.1% each). Indiana had the only rate
decrease (-0.2%). The remaining 46 states and the District of Columbia had jobless rates that were not notably different from those of a month earlier.
All rates come from surveys and methods created by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics and are not adjusted for seasonal variations. For example, unemployment rates in the area are generally highest in January and February, peaking in either of those months for the last decade, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AUTO CORNER
Driving is a responsibility that should never be taken lightly. Estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency indicate the average small car weighs around 2,500 pounds and the average large car weighs about 4,200 pounds, while SUVs and trucks can weigh as much as 6,000 pounds. The weight of cars underscore just how dangerous the roads can be when fast-moving vehicles are being driven by drivers whose focus or physical abilities have been compromised.
Lack of focus and physical issues can affect drivers of all ages, but the National Institute on Aging notes that age-related changes can alter a person’s ability to drive. Older adults will not necessarily experience physical and cognitive issues that can affect their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. However, the NIA reports that certain variables that tend to affect older adults could compromise their ability to drive.
• Muscle/joint stiffness and weakness: Aging can cause muscle and joint stiffness and weaken muscles. Arthritis
is a common condition among older adults and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases reports that swelling in the joints is one of the more common symptoms associated with the condition. Stiffness, weakness and swelling in the joints can make it harder for drivers to turn their heads, effectively steer their vehicles and brake safely.
• Diminishing eyesight: Strong eyesight is essential to safe driving. As drivers get older, changes in their eyesight can make it harder to see pedestrians, fellow motorists, animals on roadways, and any movements outside of their direct line of sight. In fact, the Optometrists Network reports that aging has been shown to cause a loss of peripheral vision by one to three degrees for every decade of life. The NIA urges drivers 60 and older to schedule a dilated eye exam every one to two years. Certain issues affecting drivers’ vision might be fixable, while others may result in avoiding driving at certain times of day, such as at night and when the sun is at its brightest, or giving up driving entirely.
• Diminishing hearing: Similar to diminishing eyesight, hearing loss, even if it’s complete hearing loss, can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely. Drivers must be able to hear horns and sirens from other vehicles as well as any noises coming from their own cars that could indicate a problem with the vehicle.
• Medications: Data from the health policy research organization KFF indicates 89 percent of adults 65 and older are currently taking a prescription medicine. Medications often produce side effects that can compromise a driver’s ability to drive safely. Such effects include drowsiness, lightheadedness and diminished alertness. Aging drivers should discuss medication side effects with their physicians and what, if anything, they can do to counter the effects of a given prescription on their driving abilities.
A host of age-related variables can affect older motorists’ ability to drive safely. More information is available at nia.nih.gov.
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
OLEAN - The frequency of deaths from opioid overdoses in Cattaraugus County continues to trend downward so far this year, county health officials reported Wednesday, May 7.
Only two confirmed opioid overdose deaths have been recorded during the first three months of 2025, Cattaraugus County Public Health Director Dr. Kevin Watkins told the county health board during its monthly meeting.
This figure is on par with what was reported by this point in 2024, with nine deaths reported by the end of the year. By comparison, 28 deaths were reported in 2023, with 11 between January and March 2023.
“Something has happened that really has changed the trajectory as to why we’re having fewer opioid deaths within the county,” Watkins said. “I don’t know if it’s because the drug enforcement officers have been able to collect more of these illegal drugs coming into our state, or if it’s because of the harm reduction measures that we have put out.”
Both deaths reported so far this year were related to fentanyl, Watkins, and occurred in residences. One
was from the Olean area and the other from the Salamanca area. A third death, from late April, was being investigated and awaiting toxicology reports, he said. Reduction efforts have included the wide distribution of the opioid “antagonist” medication naloxone as well as fentanyl test strips, Watkins said, with many county facilities and offices having them available.
Opioid antagonists block the receptors in the brain that are affected by opioids, helping reverse the negative effects of overdoses.
“In addition to that, there are opioid harm reduction measures that are medically assisted treatment,” he said. “That treatment is occurring at CASA-Trinity, our providers’ office, in our jails,” among others.
Board president David Smith, who also serves as a principal in the Gowanda Central School District and mayor of Gowanda, said the availability of naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, has been a big factor in reducing deaths.
“It’s everywhere.
Everybody has it,” he said.
“It’s in school offices, it’s at doctors’ offices, police stations, supermarkets.”
Watkins said they also
have test strips for xylazine — a veterinary anesthetic, sedating and muscle-relaxing drug primarily used in animals — which has also been found in opioids to help increase the high.
IN OTHER BUSINESS, officials noted that tick activity is increasing as the weather warms. Reviewing the communicable diseases tracked by the department in 2024, Lyme disease was among the most
common, with 159 cases recorded in the health department’s annual report.
“May is Tick and Lyme Disease Awareness Month,” Watkins said, “and we remind those who will be picnicking this month to be aware of ticks that may be out there in the parks.”
Lyme disease and other illnesses are transmitted through the saliva of the ticks as they latch onto skin to feed. Some diseases can spread through ticks while feeding in as little as 15 minutes, Watkins said, while other infections may take up to 48 hours of feeding to transmit.
“Ticks have really become a big problem for public health officials,” he said. “We have roughly about a dozen of these human biters that we’re aware of, and three of them are especially prevalent in Western New York.”
Of those three, Ixodes scapularis, also known as the Blacklegged tick, is of particular note because it can transmit a bacterium to humans that causes Lyme disease, Watkins explained. The other two, the American Dog tick and the Lone Star tick, do not.
“Ticks search for their hosts by attaching to these low-growing vegetations. They sense our body temperature, they sense our chemicals,” he explained. “They climb onto you after you move through a
very brushy area or a very grassy area, but they don’t jump and they don’t fly.”
The state has been conducting regular tests for ticks, Watkins said, including a test in the fall showing that more than two-thirds of the ticks tested from Olean’s Gargoyle Park were carrying Lyme disease. Other tests at Pfeiffer Nature Center land, Allegany State Park and other popular sites in the county saw the majority of adult ticks carry the disease and other pathogens.
“The data only provides for the tick infections at a precise location at that particular time only,” he explained. “It’s not supposed to indicate the density or the percentage of that particular infection throughout the county.”
If a Blacklegged tick transmits the bacterium to someone and they contract Lyme disease, Watkins said typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash that looks like a bullseye target.
When you’re going out into a grassy area, Watkins said health officials recommend wearing light clothing because ticks will be easier to see. And when coming back inside, check your entire body from your hair and ears to behind your knees and between your toes.
“And don’t forget your pets,” he added. “You want to check your pets, just like humans.”
File photo
Dr. Kevin Watkins, Cattaraugus County Public Health Director
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
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OTTO
EAST
Entering its 56th year, Griffis Sculpture Park has plenty of unique attractions and fun activities in store for 2025. The park features over 250 large-scale sculptures dispersed throughout the forests, fields and ponds of the 450-acre park.
Larry Griffis Jr.’s creation is considered one of the country’s oldest and largest sculpture parks.
Scheduled for this season is the return of a major sculpture installation, new public bathrooms, Memory Cafe, the debut of a Sunday monthly music series, a theatrical performance, guided hikes and more, as well as the annual Summer Festival and Night Lights in autumn.
One of the most beloved features of the park is Griffis’s “Bathers” sculptures, originally placed around the pond at the Mill Valley Road section of the park. The bathers are 10 large female sculptures frolicking and posing in the water and on the pond’s banks. Due to a fundraising campaign, the bathers are being repaired and will be reinstalled in the pond later this summer.
A new amenity at the park offers modern, accessible restrooms and handwashing facilities, making visitors feel more comfortable and able to enjoy themselves than ever before. The new facility was made possible through support from state Sen. Patrick Gallivan.
Griffis Sculpture Park looks forward to an eventful 2025 season
Also new this year is the launch of the Memory Café at Griffis Sculpture Park — a free program designed for individuals living with dementia or memory challenges and their care partners. Attendees will be able to join us outdoors for relaxed conversation, light activities and creative experiences in a supportive setting. This isn’t a support group — it’s a social, stigma-free gathering to enjoy art, nature and community.
Griffis Sculpture Park is a private, non-profit that relies on admission fees, grants and programming to stay open. The park requests a $5 admission fee per adult and $3 for children aged 5 to 12 and seniors. Admission can be paid electronically onsite, on the park’s website or in person at the gift shop on weekends.
Some of the listed events may have a higher admission price and will need to be purchased at Eventbrite.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The highlight of the season will be the annual Summer Festival to be held from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17. The festival is a memorable day filled with music, creativity, nature, exploration and much more.
Since 2013, the festival has become one of Western New York’s most beloved summer events. It has become a major fundraiser for the Ashford Hollow Foundation, which
owns and operates the sculpture park. The event also features a vendor village, a kids’ crafts area, food stands, beer and wine service and more.
Also planned for the summer is the Sunday Sound Series. Once a month on Sunday afternoons, world beat vibes will flow through the park. Performances will be held outside the Gate House at the Mill Valley Road section of the park. Attendees may bring lawn chairs, blankets and small coolers. Performances are scheduled for June 8, Masti World Music Ensemble (Arabic jazz and world grooves); July 13, Mirage (Mediterraneaninspired jazz); Aug. 10, Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams (sitar, deep funk and rock grooves).
On the evening of Friday, June 6, the Guerrilla Theatre Project from Olean will arrive at the park and proceed to write three new one-act
plays, audition performers, rehearse and perform the plays — all in 24 hours. The performances will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at different locations in the Mill Valley Road section of the park.
Then on Saturday, June 21, the park will host “The Shapeshifters Are Out!” an entertaining, informative spoken-word performance presented by Mason Winfield, an author, researcher and storyteller. Storytelling may be humanity’s oldest art, and “The Shapeshifters Are Out!” is a walking, storytelling tour throughout the park in the style of the old storytellers.
Meanwhile, the park will feature three select Thursday nights this summer for a free drum circle, led by Steve Bell. The drum circles take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Rohr Hill Road section of the park on June 19, July 10 and Aug. 14.
A couple of guided hikes are also in the works for this summer. On Saturday, July 19, visitors can take a 90-minute walk around the Mill Valley Section of the sculpture
park with Mark Griffis, son of park founder Larry Griffis, and hear stories about the creation of the sculpture park, its founder and so much more.
Then on Saturday, Aug. 16, take a two-hour deep nature exploration of the Griffis Sculpture Park that is not seen by the public. A hike will proceed through the sculpture areas, then proceed into the forested ravines of the park. The group will seek out a forgotten sculpture that has resided hidden in the woods for three decades. The hike will cover two miles of hiking, with a few hundred feet of elevation changes. Finally, Night Lights at Griffis Sculpture Park returns for its 13th consecutive autumn. During Night Lights, the trails, forest and sculptures are illuminated with colorful lighting in the lower section of the Mill Valley area of the park. The event takes place over 16 evenings from midSeptember to mid-October.
Photo provided
A boys sits in the shade under three large mushroom sculptures in the Mill Valley section of Griffis Sculpture Park.
