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Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee Celebrates Anniversary

By Elizabeth Bentley-Huber

Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee Celebrates Anniversary

It’s the committee’s Third Year Anniversary! Join us at our next meeting of the Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee scheduled for Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the new U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Building, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013. Phone (585) 948-5445 (All meetings are open to the public and you are welcomed to attend.)

Guest Speakers:

- Fran Wagner, President of the Scajaquada Creek Canoe Club will discuss the clubs dedication to improving the environmental health of Scajaquada Creek. The 30 to 40 member club are involved in conducting stream cleanup’s, water quality and wildlife monitoring, and creating access for canoes and kayaks, as well as paddling together on the waterways of Western New York. Several members just participated in the Adirondack Classic, a three-day canoe race.

- Sheila Hess, CEO of Conservation Connects and Executive Director of New York Green will discuss the importance and benefits of partnerships in watershed planning and natural resource conservation. Sheila will review techniques for building relationships and creating synergy with traditional and nontraditional conservation partners.

Great strides have been made in forming a multi-county alliance devoted to the Tonawanda Creek Watershed, which lies within parts of Wyoming, Genesee, Erie and Niagara Counties. On December 2, 2009 a meeting was held at the Corfu Community Center to discuss the feasibility of forming a multi-county Tonawanda Creek Watershed group. This initial meeting was well attended, including officials and interested citizens from: Genesee County: Soil & Water Conservation District, Planning Dept., Health Dept. and Legislature; Towns of Pembroke, Alexander, Bethany and Darien; Tonawanda Band of Seneca’s. Wyoming County: Soil and Water Conservation District, Planning & Development Dept., Emergency Management Dept., Towns of Sheldon and Bennington. Erie County: Soil and Water Conservation District, NRCS, Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeeper, Water Quality Committee, Dept. of Public Works, Environmental Planning/Storm water Coalition, UB Law Environmental Attorney, Towns of Clarence and Amherst. Niagara County: Town of Royalton. Regional: NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative, and US EPA Region 2.

“A lot of work is already going on separately. We need to connect and make a coordinated effort,” said Mark Gaston, District Manager of Erie County SWCD.

A large list of concerns and goals for the watershed were expressed, including water quality, erosion and sedimentation control, stream bank stabilization, flood control, habitat protection and recreational use.

By nearly unanimous consensus, it was decided to proceed with formation of a Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee. “We must identify stakeholders and make sure they are involved. Communication is vital,” said Paul Fuhrmann of the Erie County Water Quality Committee, adding “The database of knowledge of this diverse group is invaluable”.

If you are unable to attend but are interested in joining this effort or have any questions, please send email to Tonawandacreek@yahoo.com or contact Elizabeth Bentley-Huber at Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District at 585-343-2362 or at Elizabeth.Bentley-Huber@ny.nacdnet.net. View our website at http://tonawandacreek.shutterfly.com

Event Date and Time
2012-12-19T18:00:00 - 2012-12-19T20:00:00

Tag(s)

HOLM hosts book signing for local authors - just in time for Christmas

By Billie Owens

Press release:

The Holland Land Office Museum Gift Shop presents a local author book signing just in time for Christmas from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22. HOLM is located at 131 W. Main St. Batavia.

The following authors will be present to sell and sign their

Proposed technology park gets final STAMP of approval from Town of Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

Five years of planning, public meetings, studies, environmental reviews and dozens of written reports came down to one vote Monday night in the Town of Alabama, and by unanimous decision, the town's planning board said yes to a proposed industrial technology park.

The 5-0 vote to change the zoning for

James H. Hutchison

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By Joshua Smith
Hutchison

Byron - James H. Hutchison, 81 of Byron passed away on Wednesday, (November 6, 2024) at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

Mr. Hutchison was born May 29, 1943 in Buffalo, a son of the late James W. and Ella C. (Walters) Hutchison.

Jim grew up in Orchard Park and was a member of the Boy Scouts Troop #288, where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. He was the owner and operator of Hutchison Trucking in Byron and drove several million miles across the country. Upon his retirement in 2009, Jim enjoyed traveling and making his yard a show place. Jim was a dedicated member of the Byron Fire Department for over 50 years. He found great enjoyment in working on his computer ordering gadgets from Amazon and connecting his home to his best friend, Alexa.

He is survived by his wife, Mary (Blaisdell) Michels Hutchison of Byron; daughters, Dawn (Chris) Chugg of Batavia, Jamie (Robert) King of Hammodsport, and Melody (Albert) Ghiloni of Mason, Ohio; step-children, Deborah (Walter Bennett) Yeomans of Savannah, New York, Cynthia (Douglas) Rotondo of Port Byron, and Douglas (Bonnie Dudley) Yeomans of East Bethany; sister, Deborah (late Richard) Ford of Florida. 10 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren also survive.

Family and friends are invited to attend Jim's memorial service on Saturday (November 9, 2024) at 1:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Byron, 6293 West Main Street in Byron. Following the service, all are invited to join in a luncheon in the church hall. Please come with your favorite stories and memories of Jim. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the church.

Arrangements for Jim were entrusted to the care and direction of H.E. Turner & Co. Funeral Home, 51 Lake Avenue in Bergen. Please leave a condolence, share a story, or light a candle at www.bataviafuneralhomes.com.

A walk through the Genesee County Park

By JIM NIGRO

Being it was the second week of December and no snow on the ground, I suggested to Claudia we should load up the dogs and head to the county park. And because we had Tate and Ernie along, we decided to stay off the side trails and stick to the

Law and Order: man accused of stabbing

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By Howard B. Owens
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Daquan Butler

Daquan J. Butler, 28, of Brooklyn, is charged with assault 1st, burglary 1st, criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Butler is accused of illegally entering a residence on Liberty Street, Batavia, on Aug. 25, 2023, and stabbing an adult male inside the residence. A child was in the house at the time. Butler was located in New York City by U.S. Marshals and returned to Batavia. He was arranged in County Court and jailed.

Mr. Anthony Mudrzynski

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By Joshua Smith
Tony

Oakfield - Anthony Mudrzynski, 90, passed away on Wednesday, October 30, 2024 at United Memorial Medical Center.

He was born on February 13, 1934, in Oakfield, a son of the late Anthony and Mary Horzempa Mudrzynski.

Tony was a devout family man. He looked after his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He seemed to always know what they needed and was the first one in line to take care of it. From Christmas presents, to transportation, to advice, and times the strong dose of reality. He was never afraid to tell the truth. Tony always came to every family party and celebration, and treated everyone to something special on the holidays. He would never come empty-handed and will always be remembered for his many homemade pies and fruit with a little Jell-O in it.

Tony was deeply involved in his local fire department. He joined the Town of Alabama Fire Department in February 1952, only five years after the original department started. He was a role model and leader in the department, serving in every single capacity of the department except secretary and chief during his 72.5 year reign. It was very rare throughout this time that he would ever miss any fundraiser, work detail, or bingo night.

Tony helped build the recreation hall in 1967 and he helped reconstruct the recreation hall in 2012. In 2017 he was on the roof putting down shingles.  Less than eight weeks ago he was taking down chairs and setting up the hall for bingo, just as he did every single week. To top it all off this year, Tony was selected to be firefighter of the year. This award was given to his family last week at the annual installation banquet.

In addition to the fire department, Tony was very involved in his town leadership serving for 22 years as town supervisor and actively participated on several councils and boards.

He is predeceased by his wife Helen E. Peters Mudrzynski who passed away on June 12, 2007.

He is survived by his son, Clayton (Diane) Fry of Alabama; daughter, Patricia (Ronald) Thompson of Basom; grandchildren, Melissa (Tim) Lindke of Gasport, Terry (Wendy) Thompson of Basom, Todd (Alison) Thompson of Oakfield and Tonya (J.P.) Phillips of Pensacola, Florida; great-grandchildren, Noelle (Kyle) Bowser, Elisabeth Lindke, Rachel (Brandon) Valerio, Ryan (Ashley) Thompson, Tucker (Susanna) Allen, Kristopher (Bethany) Thompson, Brad (Claudia) Thompson, Becky (Danny) Avila, Kasey (Fiancé Jerrod Smigelski) Thompson, Leah (Fiancé Casey Arnold) Thompson, Bryce Thompson, Arielle (Casey) McVay, Justin (Anais Sanchez) Smith and Mark (Brianna) Smith; great-great-grandchildren, Amelia and Evelyn Allen, Linken Thompson, Kori and Kinzi Smigelski, Ellie Arnold, MayBelle Smith and Bentley Smith; his brother, Henry (Janet) Mudrzynski of Oakfield along with several nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

He is the father of the late Harold Fry; grandfather of the late Dana Fry and brother of the late Josephine Mudrzynski, Amelia Koziol Brown, Bernice Marble, Helen Bauer and Walter Mudrzynski.

Friends and family may call on Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Burdett & Sanford Funeral Home, 11 Maple Avenue, Oakfield. Members of the Alabama Fire Department will gather at 6:30 pm on Friday at the funeral home to honor Tony for his exemplary service to the fire department. His Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 11 am at St. Padre Pio Parish-St. Cecilia’s Worship Site, 56 Maple Avenue, Oakfield. He will be laid to rest in St. Cecilia’s Cemetery. Please consider memorials to the Alabama Fire Department, P.O. Box 798, Basom, New York 14013 or to St. Padre Pio Parish, 56 Maple Avenue, Oakfield, New York 14125. To leave a condolence, share a story or light a candle in his memory, please visit www.burdettandsanford.com.

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