The Town of Orangetown Parks and Recreation Department hosted its first annual Pickleball Tournament on July 31st. Supervisor Teresa Kenny served the first ball.
Orangetown hosts Pickleball Tournament
Haverstraw Farmers Market this Sunday
The Haverstraw Farmers Market will be held this Sunday, August 8th, from 9 am to 1pm at 40 New Main Street in the Village of Haverstraw.
NursingProcess.org Ranks RCC Nursing Program Number One for Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) of all New York State Nursing Schools
ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. (August 6, 2021) – Rockland Community College recently rose from number six to number one out of 76 New York nursing schools for its Associate’s Degree in Nursing program. The ranking was done by NursingProcess.org, a website that compiles nursing education and career information data.
Rockland Community College ADN nursing students achieved an astounding 100 percent pass rate on their latest NCLEX-RN examinations. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing developed the NCLEX exam to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the U.S. and Canada. It is a difficult test that is a major stepping-stone for a career as a registered nurse. The national first time NCLEX-RN pass rate for U.S.-educated nurses in 2018 was 88 percent.
“We are very proud of our Nursing Program here at RCC,” says Kathy Hopkins, EdD, RN, CNE, RCC Dean of the School of Nursing, Health and Wellness. “Receiving this number one ranking by NursingProcess.org is an honor as well as a testament to the quality of our program, the hard work by our faculty, and the dedication of the students we serve.”
The school’s accredited ADN program prepares nurses for careers in the ever-changing healthcare system and incorporates philosophical beliefs and scientific discipline in the studies. To earn an ADN, students need to take 67 credits in four semesters. Tuition costs at RCC are about one-third of other colleges in New York, making it an affordable choice for future nurses.
“I am proud to say I attended the nursing program at Rockland Community College. The nursing faculty has skillfully guided us through every step of the way to succeed beyond graduation, and to flourish as nurses wherever our path will continue,” said Tova Klein, Nursing Class of 2021.
For more information about RCC’s Nursing Program, contact 845-574-4223 or nursing@sunyrockland.edu, or visit: www.sunyrockland.edu/nursing.
Upper Nyack Green Committee Newsletter August, 2021
Grasscycling
by Judy Ryan
What is grasscycling?
As environmentally conscious citizens, we dutifully carry our bins of plastic, glass, metal and paper to the curb each week. In addition, many village residents drag to the curb heavy bags of grass clippings.
It turns out that’s a chore we can give up without guilt. Grasscycling means leaving grass clippings in place to nourish our lawns with nitrogen and other organic nutrients. Clippings also hold in moisture, and if we add proper lawn watering techniques, we can significantly reduce water usage. According to Planet Natural, the EPA “estimates that watering lawns accounts for 30-60% of water [usage] in summer.”
I’ve gleaned my information from a myriad of excellent websites (listed below). Information is available from environmentally focused organizations, but also from businesses selling lawn products. Some are geared to those obsessive about their lawns, and some are for the rest of us. Cornell Cooperative Extension offers three detailed pages of information about lawn care without pesticides. Gardening Know How assures me that “you’re probably already [grasscycling] and just didn’t know. Essentially, it is “mow and go.”
An old adage is that not removing grass clippings can lead to thatch (a mat of tangled grass), but grasscycling can actually prevent the growth of thatch. Only if clippings settle in clumps is there a risk of thatch. In that case, use a rake to spread out the clumps evenly over your lawn.
Here are some tips from Planet Natural:
- Don’t cut the lawn too short. Cut no more than 1/3 of a blade. Taller grass exposes more leaf surface to the sun, and also shades the soil from rapid evaporation.
- Make sure your mower blades are sharp, so as not to tear grass.
- Let grass clippings settle on their own – only take a rake to clumps.
- Water thoroughly but not often. Thorough watering encourages deep root systems; it’s shallow roots that can lead to thatch. And make sure grass is dry before you water. It’s best to water in the early morning, when the air is cooler and water won’t evaporate too quickly.
- It’s a good idea to add high quality organic fertilizer in the spring, but you’ll need less because of the nitrogen in the clippings.
- It isn’t necessary to buy a mulching mower, but if you do, it can mulch leaves directly into your lawn in the fall. This also contributes to a healthier lawn … but more about that in the fall.
- We don’t see old-fashioned push mowers much any more, but the newer ones are lightweight, easy to maneuver, and their spinning blades are ideal for clipping grass. You can skip your walk that day!
A blog on Lawnstarter’s website quotes Cassy Aoyagi, a landscaper in Los Angeles, where droughts are intensifying: “Grass is 80% water, so in essence you’re watering your lawn a bit by leaving clippings in place.” According to Planet Natural, “Much of [our] money for lawn products goes to those that degrade the soil, pollute any water they reach, and pose … health threats to humans, … pets, and wildlife….” The writer states that “60-70 million birds die from pesticide poisoning each year in the US alone.”
Yard waste in landfills is another major issue on a planet filled with garbage. Since 1980 yard waste in landfills has been reduced from 27 million tons to10.8 million tons according to the Lawnstarter blog. Many states have passed laws limiting or banning yard clippings in their landfills. Composting grass clippings has become common. But leaving most of them in place remains the healthiest option for your lawn, as regular mowing and mulching “provide a barrier to weed seeds, preventing them from taking root.”
Since we’re heading into late summer, you may want to check the Cornell University Cooperative Extension website to learn how to prepare and plant your lawn in September, as the air cools. Even us “mow and go” folks can follow some of its simple tips, like loosening soil compaction and incorporating topsoil, if needed, into the soil beneath. Others can dig into its extensive information about a truly beautiful pesticide-free lawn.
Grasscyling is not a burden. It makes lawn care easier, requiring only that we leave grass clippings in place, water with care, and fertilize organically only in spring. It turns out that the practice of leaving grass clippings on our lawns is a win for our lawns, a win for our environment, and a win for the health of everyone.
http://www.lawnstarter.com/blog
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com
Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Village of Upper Nyack Board of Trustees.
Overnight on-street parking allowed tonight and tomorrow in Upper Nyack
The Village of Upper Nyack is resurfacing School Street today and there is no parking on that street until Saturday, August 7. To accommodate the residents, the Village’s overnight parking prohibition is suspended for two nights.