Carving Lacrosse Sticks 7/26 at Iroquois Museum

HOWES CAVE, NY -- Alf Jacques and Parker Booth will be at the Iroquois Indian Museum on Saturday, July 26, sharing the art of carving lacrosse sticks -- a “Catch the Basket” museum mentoring program.

Taught by his grandfather and father, Jacques (Onondaga) has carved lacrosse sticks and snow snakes for almost 40 years. Jacques, a retired machinist, is one of the very few Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) who maintain a mastery of the art form. Jacques has been both a lacrosse player and coach; and brings knowledge of the wood and of the game to his hand-crafted sticks. Commissioned to create sticks for the International World Cup Lacrosse games, he feels that an appreciation for his craft ends with the players, and does not extend to other members of his community. “I think here, it’s not out of the ordinary, it’s something we just take for granted. There is a misconception that it’s always been here, it always will be,“ says Jacques. Jacques has served as a demonstrating artist at Ganondagan Historic Site (Victor, NY), Otsiningo Powwow, and Saint Marie, among the Iroquois (Syracuse, NY), the Utica Children’s Museum and schools throughout the region.

Until recently, Jacques had no apprentice to whom to pass on his knowledge until Parker Booth. The lengthy time commitment and physical demands of the craft discouraged most members of his community. Even as a young boy admired Jacques’ work and knew he would one day learn the craft. In 2012 at age 33, Booth moved back to the reservation with his family and made the decision to work closely with Jacques. His deep cultural dedication to traditions will ensure the crafts’ continuation for another generation.

Catch the Basket and all events at the Museum are free with paid admission. The Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 12 Noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed Monday. Regular admission is $8 for adults, $6.50 for seniors/students and $5 for children ages 5-12. Children under five are free when accompanied by an adult. Special group rates are available by calling the Museum at 518-296-8949.

For more information, visit www.iroquoismuseum.org.

Schoharie County Planning Commission to Review Wright Interconnect Project, Vital Part of Constitution Pipeline

The Schoharie County Planning Commission, which is headed by Peter Shulman of Fulton, will be reviewing a referral submitted by the Town of Wright Planning Board tonight at seven in regards to the Iroquois' Wright Interconnect Project, which would expand the existing Wright Compressor Station to enable the delivery of gas via the proposed Constitution Pipeline.

 

In documents submitted in early August to the Town of Wright Planning Board, Iroquois' detailed its sketch plan of constructing a "new compression facility with gas cooling as well as modifications to certain existing facilities," with plans to commence construction by mid-Summer 2014 to meet their proposed in-service date of March 31, 2015.

 

They also included in their plan that "This Project is being developed in conjunction with the proposed Constitution Pipeline to enable delivery of up to 650,000 Dth/d of natural gas from the terminus of the Constitution Pipeline in Schoharie County, NY into both Iroquois' and the Tennessee Gas Pipeline under a 15-year capacity lease agreement with Constitution."

 

However, local review of the sketch plan seems almost foolhardy considering the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has "exclusive jurisdiction" over Iroquois' existing pipelines and the Wright Interconnect Project, leaving both the County and Town planning boards with little to no room to represent their local constituents.

 

If approved, the Constitution Pipeline would transport a natural gas equivalent of 4.5 million gallons of oil from the Marcellus Shale deposits in Pennsylvania to the Wright Interconnect Project which would then direct the fuel across New York State byway of both the Iroquois' and Tennessee pipelines.

 

There have been worries expressed across Schoharie County, some of which will be addressed in a community meeting at Richmondville's Radez School that is also scheduled for seven this evening, over the Constitution Pipeline's proposed path through the Northern portion of the county and the potential environmental risks associated with such a project.

 

Although it is still unknown whether the Constitution Pipeline will receive final approval, the County Planning Commission will have the opportunity to express their opinion on the construction of an integral piece of the pipeline puzzle, albeit with the knowledge that their decision could be rendered null and void by the federal government at any moment.

 

Community Pipeline Meeting on Monday December 2, 2013 at 7PM inside of the Radez Elementary School Gym located on 319 Main Street, Richmondville, NY. The latest information on the proposed Constitution Pipeline from threats of eminent domain and legal efforts to landowner resistance and the pipeline company's safety record will be provided to the public. This advertisement is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Rural Communities and the Stop the Pipeline Schoharie Action Committee