The Peru Gazette

By Adele Douglas

This past Sunday two snapping turtles could be seen burying their eggs – one near the entrance to the Fellowship Center and the other in Little Ausable Park.  This morning this mommy was trying her luck in Heyworth/Mason Park.  Here are a few snapping turtle facts.

From NYSDEC’s webpage about snapping turtles:

• The snapping turtle is a very aggressive predator and one of the largest turtles in North America.
• It often buries itself in the mud with only its nostrils and eyes showing, waiting for unsuspecting prey. These turtles will snap at anything they find threatening. Their snap is so powerful that it can easily shear fingers – so stay a safe distance away! Snapping turtles live 30-40 years on average. The snapping turtle is New York’s official state reptile.

And from The Waterman and Hill-Traveller’s Companion, a Natural Events Almanac out of Illinois:

• Female snapping turtles have the ability (as do most turtles) to plan their pregnancies. Sperm cells from the male survive in the female’s reproductive tract for up to three years in a specialized duct so that when food is plentiful and life is good she can fertilize any eggs she happens to be carrying. When the eggs ripen (usually in mid June in our area) she develops a wanderlust and leaves the water (one of the few times these turtles willingly leave the water) to search for a suitable location to lay her eggs.
• Snapping Turtles will sometimes lay their eggs considerable distances from the water – up to a quarter mile away has been recorded. Once the site is chosen she digs a bottle-shaped hole with her hind feet as deep as she can reach – which can be up to eight inches. She then lays from ten to thirty ping pong ball sized eggs and covers them with the previously excavated soil grading it smooth with her lower shell and tail. Depending on the temperature, rainfall and moisture content of the nest the eggs the eggs hatch in from 55 to125 days after laying. In northern climes some nests overwinter with hatching occurring in the spring of the following year. Around here most nests have hatched by the end of September.

Read more on their website: http://www.naturealmanac.com/archive/snappers/snappers.html

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By John T. Ryan

June 1 – The Peru Youth Commission is holding its Annual Early Bird Baseball Tournament today.  Parents and children filled the Laphams Mills Recreation Park at 9 am to participate in and view the opening ceremonies. Over 300 young people ages 5-15 will be members of 23 teams.

Youth Director John Flynn thanked the community for its strong support of youth programs. He gave a special thanks to the local businesses, service organizations, the Peru Town Board,  parents and volunteer coaches who so generously support the program.

Youth Commission Chairman Greg Mills thanked everyone for their assistance especially the volunteer members of the Peru Youth Commission.

John Flynn closed the ceremonies by inviting several members of Peru Central School’s successful boys and girls baseball/softball teams to throw the season’s first pitches.  Flynn said they all had participated in Peru’s summer sports programs during their earlier years.

Bill to promote NY-grown products in restaurants passes Senate, Assembly | syracuse.com.

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Capitol Confidential » Owens joins in the pro tax-free crowd.

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Watertown Daily Times | Fort Drum remembers two soldiers killed in Afghanistan in April.

By John T. Ryan

The Wednesday, May 28, 2013 Town Board meeting started off on a good note with town resident Jim Earle praising Town Highway Superintendent Michael Farrell for his department’s fast reaction to Earle’s report of a 2.5 foot  x 3 foot wide, 3 foot deep, sink hole on a Fuller Rd. just south of the Sullivan Road intersection. Earle said, “Mike and his men had it fixed within an hour. It could have resulted in a fatal accident.” Unfortunately town engineers estimate that replacing two culverts below the sink hole may cost as much as $250,000. A repair, which may not not solve the problem, was estimated to cost approximately $50,000.

Farrell told the Board that two 10 foot diameter culverts were installed following the 1996 flood and were damaged and repaired at the time of the 1998 flood. He said he had talked to town engineers about several solutions. Farrell is worried that portions of the culverts which are out of sight may have been washed out. Farrell said, “We’ve got to do something. We’re going to be playing Russian roulette because we don’t know what’s gone.” Read more »

Don’t miss this Carl Heilman photo 

Memorial Day Frost And Snow Covered High Peaks – The Adirondack Almanack

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Canton, NY – The Cornell Cooperative Extension associations of Northern New York are bringing respected stockdog trainer Barbara Armata of Taravale Farm Kennels to Canton for a two-day training workshop for handlers and their dogs June 22 and 23.

Barb has been training working and competitive Border Collies since 1974 and breeding, training, and competing with the livestock herding breed since 1990. Barb and her husband, Bernie, have competed successfully throughout the East Coast region and Canada. Barb has qualified four and run three dogs in United States Border Collie Handlers Association competition finals. All the dogs she has competed with, Barb has trained herself.

In Canton, Barb will work with up to a dozen dogs and their handlers each day. Read more »

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Saratoga casino to expand – Times Union.

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