Good Tidings for the New Year

As we approach the close of another year, we look back on 2022 with deep gratitude for the ANCA Community and pride in all that we have accomplished together. And we look forward to another great year of collaboration, connection and growth in 2023!

Happy holidays from all of us at ANCA.

Establishing a Clean Energy Hub for the North Country

ANCA has been selected by NYSERDA to establish a new Regional Clean Energy Hubs Program for the North Country. We are excited to work closely with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties and SUNY Canton Career Ready Education and Success Training (CREST) to administer the $4 million award and bring clean energy programs and workforce development opportunities to North Country residents, homeowners and businesses. 

Tupper Lake Food Hub Awarded $500K USDA Grant

Congrats to ADK Food Hub owner Cherie Whitten for being awarded nearly $500,000 in grant funding through the USDA Local Food Promotion Program! 

Cherie's project, based in Tupper Lake, will provide small-scale and low-income food producers with support for production, aggregation, distribution and marketing of local food. The project will ultimately bring more high-quality, nutritious products to rural and low-income consumers who currently have limited access to local food.

Did you know-ho-ho? Tips to save energy and money this season.

Looking for ways to reduce your environmental impact over the holidays while saving money on your energy bill?

Read this month's What's Up North blog by new ANCA Energy Circuit Riders Shawnea Hull and Carlie Leary for some holiday energy facts and a few easy carbon-conscious practices you can weave into your holiday traditions — like feeding your Christmas tree to goats at The Cook Farm in Owls Head, NY!

You Make the Difference

If these stories inspire you, we could use your help. ANCA members like you make each one of the initiatives in this newsletter possible. Your support means the North Country has more local food, healthier and more welcoming communities and vibrant main streets. Please join today… and thank you!

Longtime friends Tyler Merriam and Nick Prechel are now the proud owners of Adirondack Awards & Promotions in Lake Placid, NY.

Drawn to the shop’s legacy of community service, the opportunity to invest in a local business, and the history, diversity and complexity of company, Tyler and Nick are now carrying the torch and providing customized trophies, awards, and engraved and embroidered products for local businesses, organizations and sports teams.

Entrepreneurs Wanted!

Be like Tyler and Nick, and make your dreams of business ownership come true. Join CBIT, business owners, support professionals, fiscal and legal agencies and community leaders for a 3-day, hybrid conference designed to provide tools and connections to help you take over a North Country business.

Register by January 20 to get the early bird discount!

• What: Small Communities. Big Opportunities.: Own a North Country Business Hybrid Conference
• When: Sunday, February 12 to Tuesday, February 14, 2023
• Where: The Hotel Saranac, Saranac Lake, NY or Virtual
• In-Person Cost: $100, early bird* rate of $80
• Virtual Cost: $80, early bird* rate of $60

* Sign up by January 20, 2023 for the early bird rate.

Do you own a business and are interested in attending the conference as a seller? Please email director@slareachamber.org or call 518-891-1991 to find out more.

National Grid Grant and Other Sponsor Support

Thank you to National Grid, who awarded ANCA a $100,000 grant to support 2023 CBIT programs including the SCBO conference! And thank you to the following conference sponsors who are helping connect aspiring North Country business owners with the resources and professional support they need to succeed:

• Adirondack Foundation
• Community Bank
• Franklin County Government Office of Economic Development and Tourism
• New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), an Avangrid Company
• SUNY Canton Small Business Development Center

Looking to Sell Your Business Next Year?

Business sellers are invited to join ANCA, the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, Hamilton County Economic Development, the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, and the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce for a two-part Virtual Sellers' Working Group:

• Business Sellers' Working Group
• Tuesday, Jan. 17 and Tuesday, Jan. 24, 5-7 p.m.
• Virtual via Zoom

Publicly available business registrants will be invited to showcase their business at the SCBO Conference.

Bill Relief Program Open Until Dec. 31

Electric utilities in New York are offering an opportunity for income-eligible residential customers to have all utility debt prior to May 1, 2022 erased. Please help spread the word to National Grid or NYSEG customers who could benefit from the Electric and Gas Bill Relief Program. The deadline to enroll is Dec. 31, 2022.

National Grid customers: bit.ly/3tAmeN7

NYSEG customers: bit.ly/3EFIjAB

Thank You for Funding Support

Thank you to the Lake Champlain Basin Program’s Artist-in-Residence Program, which awarded ADI $40,000 to partner with composer Glenn McClure on the Watershed Voices project.

The music project will celebrate regional biodiversity and human diversity by weaving together sonification of scientific data from Lake Champlain and lyrics from writings of Lake Champlain Basin poets, residents, explorers, and cultural leaders. The project will of engage the public in an integrated experience of the natural world and represent diverse racial and linguistic communities, including indigenous artists.

And thank you to the Strickler Gallogly Family Fund for supporting ADI's Community Policing Initiative with a $25,000 award. 

Lake Placid Cooperative Housing Project

The cooperative housing steering committee of about 15 active members has been meeting and building their dreams of Cooperative Ownership. It is not too late to join this growing community of advisors and participants. Contact us at housing@adirondack.org to learn more.

Check out some of the cooperative models the group has been learning about from peers throughout New England and New York:

• New England Resident Owned Communities
• Willow Permanent Real Estate Cooperative

Grant Writing 101 Resources

More than 150 community members attended a Grant Writing 101 webinar presented by ANCA CPR and ANCA Energy Circuit Rider Jennifer Perry. Our team fielded questions from the audience and covered basics and best practices for finding, applying for and managing grants.

You can now view the presentation on ANCA's YouTube channel. Please contact Program Navigator Olivia Dwyer, odwyer@adirondack.org for additional resources on grant writing for small businesses, clean energy programs, and local food systems.

Welcome New Clean Energy Staff

Please join us in welcoming two new Energy Circuit Riders to our Clean Energy Team:

Shawnea Hull has joined ANCA as Clean Energy Communities Coordinator and is supporting North Country communities as they pursue clean energy actions and funding opportunities through NYSERDA's CEC program. Shawnea has extensive work experience with community outreach, grant writing, and technical assistance for grants. She earned a B.S. in Human Services and is pursuing a Masters in Public Health. 

Carlie Leary is ANCA's new Climate Smart Communities Coordinator. Carlie earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Science from The New School and a M.S. in Biology with a specialization in the Ecology and Evolution of Medicine from UCLA, where she also obtained a Food Studies Certificate. She is currently completing a post-graduate program through the University of Edinburgh on the One Health Model. Carlie has worked in education as a STEM teacher, summer camp assistant director, and a zip-line guide and serves on the Adirondack Land Trust's Next Generation Council.

Check out our jobs page for openings with member and partner organizations and regional nonprofits:

• Grants Manager: Cooperative Development Institute
• Energy Advisor: Cornell Cooperative Extension Jefferson County
• Olympic Center Business Manager: Olympic Regional Development Authority
• Inclusive Conservation Intern: Adirondack Land Trust

Have an opening you want to promote? Send a web link to jobs@adirondack.org.