Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena – Coeymans

Last night, a group of local “woodland warriors” donned rain jackets and flashlights in an effort to save our slippery friends.

Every year, in early spring, defenseless little critters awake from their winter slumber in upland woods and migrate to nearby creekbeds and vernal pools to breed and spawn.

CAC Chair, Barbara Heinzen, lives on the border with Hannacroix Creek near Route 144 where the annual migration takes place. The event is triggered by warm, rainy nights, and Monday evening (3/16/26) proved one of those ideal crossing opportunities. Heinzen puts out a ‘call to action’ in advance to folks willing to assist the slimy, little species in their journey across the busy road.

Volunteers walked up and down both sides of the road where they scoop hapless toads, frogs, salamanders and peepers, and gently carry them to safety in the wetlands.

A total of 80 living things were collected and protected from roadkill last night. “A stupendous amount,” said Heinzen.

This count helps the NYS DEC in their efforts to gather critical data on habitat conservation. To learn more, visit today’s DEC press release with important links to what you can do to help.

Even if you’re not Irish, this action doesn’t get any greener! Happy St.Patrick’s Day, everyone!

Judith Enck is our extraordinary local Environmental Policy Expert and good friend to the Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena Coeymans.  She invites you to an in-person book event at the Opalka Gallery at Russell Sage College 140 New Scotland Ave, Albany, NY on Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 PM  to learn about “The Problem with Plastic.”  An eye-opening talk about how we can help protect ourselves and our planet before it’s too late.

It’s free and open to the public so please feel free to invite your friends and family to join you. And, by the way, Judith’s new read has a cover that is not made of plastic, a highly unusual first but not the last.

Judith founded Beyond Plastics in 2019 to end plastic pollution through education, advocacy, and institutional change. She was appointed Regional Administrator of Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by President Barack Obama. And she was the longest serving EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator. To learn more about all she has been up to since she left the EPA job go to her website: https://judithenck.com/

 

The age-old sewer system in Ravena and the hamlet of Coeymans is on the brink of failing. Increasingly intense rainfall can cause sewage backup and force untreated waste into the Hudson River. Our antiquated system poses problems today that can lead to severe health risks later, including bacterial infections and disease transmission. Repairs are needed now to avoid these serious issues. 

After working on an application for 2 years, the Town has been given $2.5 million to repair the system, but the money will vanish unless ALL four members of the Town Board pass a bond resolution to support the sewer project.  

Tomorrow, Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 6 pm, the Coeymans Town Board will vote on the bond resolution.  Please come to support the resolution.  

The message is simple: 

“I don’t want the sewers to fail.  Pass the bond resolution today.”
No bond = no grant
No grant = no project 
No project = more sewer failures

The CAC has provided you with email links (below) to write to all the town board members today, if you can’t make the meeting tomorrow:

Supervisor, Stephen Donnelly: sdonnelly@coeymans.org;
Deputy Supervisor, Mike Stott: mstott@coeymans.org;
Board member, Steve Schmitt: sschmitt@coeymans.org;
Board member, Patricia Grogan: pgrogan@coeymans.org.

Do you want to wade through sewage after the next heavy rain?   
Let’s fix the system now.  The money is here. 

Happy New Year from Hannacroix Bay Swamp Forest & Garden, a Barbets Duet site on the Hudson River. Enjoy this 2025 summary of progress written by our CAC Chair, Barbara Heinzen. Barbara and her friends, Eric Remillard, along with countless neighbors are helping to make a positive difference in the return of a small plot once polluted by industrial debris and invasive growth. Their time, energy and passion have culminated into something special for all to admire and enjoy. If you’d enjoy a tour of the space or would like to volunteer, feel free to email!