Division Advisory Committee: Doris LaSpada
email: laspadad@yahoo.com
phone: (716) 366-6964
address: 49 E. Green St., Dunkirk, NY 14048 Mary Lewandowski
email: lewpar@netsync.net
phone: (716) 672-2202
address: 45 Middlesex Drive, Fredonia, NY 14063 Treasurer - Patricia Webb
email: crafterpat@aol.com
phone: (716) 965-2932
address: PO Box 152, Forestville, NY 14062 |  Chautauqua Division to sponsor "fracking" event Hydraulic fracturing of natural gas wells--usually called "fracking"--is almost certainly coming to western NY. The industry claims that there are "two Saudi Arabias" worth of natural gas trapped in the shale formations found underground. With that amount of money in play, we can almost certainly expect to see a significant increase in drilling activity.The real question is how will these drilling activities be regulated so as to avoid some of the "nightmare" situations--such as contamination of water supplies--occuring in other states. The Chautauqua Division of RC4 will be sponsoring a luncheon on April 25 with a representative of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation as our speaker. We have asked the DEC to address "lessons learned" from other states and what homeowners--particularly those living in rural areas--should know about fracking and its regulation in our state. The luncheon will be held at the NYSUT Southwest Regional Headquarters, One West Hill Road, Jamestown, NY at 11:30 AM. (A tour of this facility will also be included in the program.) We expect the cost to be about $10/person. As soon as we are ready to take reservations, you will find a reservation form on this page, as well as in an upcoming edition of our newsletter, The Grapevine. While this event is sponsored by the Chautauqua Division, we invite participation by anyone in the RC4 area of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus or Allegany counties. We have chosen late April, and a location in Jamestown just off Route 86, in hopes that good driving conditions and easy travel will encourage participation. We expect to be able to accomodate up to 50 participants. In anticipation of this event, we have created a "fracking" page to bring members "up to speed" on fracking. Click here to access this page. (The fracking information page may also be accessed from the top menu bar on each page.)
Chautauqua Division members hear from Master Gardner 
Chautauqua Division member met June 7 at Fireside Manor in Dunkirk for lunch and a presentation from Buffalo News columnist and master gardner, Sally Cunningham. 
Sally Cunningham, a master gardner, writes the "Great Gardening" column which appears each Friday in the Buffalo News. Her gardening tips are also seen each Sunday morning at about 8:20 AM on Channel 4. "If Only Everybody Knew..." was the title of her presentation in which she shared tips about soil, keeping plants alive and maintaining your yard. Here are links to some of Sally's recent columns from the Buffalo News: Sally is also the director of "National Buffalo Garden festival" which has activities that spread the garden walks throughout the summer months. There are wonderful bus tours available to various garden locations such as Forest Lawn and the Botanical Gardens, Olmsted Parks, outstanding private gardens in Boston, Hamburg, Eden, Amherst and Buffalo, as well as Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House. You will find details at www.nationalgardenfestival.com. Sally also works with Lockwood's Greenhouses in Hamburg, which donated a beautiful hanging basket as a door prize. The prize was won by Jim and Jean Maxim, who truly deserved it since they drove 90 miles to be at this event! (Jean is a SUNY Fredonia grad, and they coupled this event with their first return to the campus since the 1970's!) The schedule of workshops--some taught by Sally--at Lockwood's Greenhouses can be found at www.weknowplants.com.
Fredonia Retiree on Front Page of Dunkirk Observer! "It's not every day you get to meet your idol, and it's definitely not often you get an opportunity to thank them for how they have truly inspired you throughout your life. For former physical education teacher at the Fredonia Central High School Ann LaDuca, that dream was fulfilled recently during a trip to Chicago." Continue reading here.
We Need Your Email Address!! It takes several weeks to get bulk mail items such as the bimonthly newsletter to you. This often makes critical information out of date by the time you receive it. With email, we can attach a pdf copy of the newsletter, conference information , etc. to an email and get it to you in a timely manner. Please send your email address (and the name of the local from which you retired) to Lisa Perrin at the NYSUT SW Regional office. Her email is lperrin@nysutmail.org
Chautauqua County Humane Society Needs Help The Chautauqua County Humane Society is seeking volunteers to help with a new humane education program. The program is designed to teach care, compassion and respect of animals to students in grades K-4th. The presentations are 30 minutes in length and consist of 6 sessions per class for each school year. CCHS is currently running a pilot program at Love School in Jamestown to fine tune the program, and then would like to offer it to other area schools. The Humane Society is looking for individuals that would be interested in being a presenter. CCHS will provide all materials and coordinate with the schools. Your time commitment is 1 week every other month from September to June. If you are interested in volunteering for this program or if you have any questions, please contact Sue Bobek at (716)665-2209 ext.212 or at sbobek@spcapets.com .
November 17, 2009: Dunkirk author/photographer Diane Andrasik discusses photography. Andrasik gave attendees great tips on what to look for when purchasing a camera. 
Attendees enjoy buffet provided by SUNY Fredonia catering services at the SUNY Fredonia Alumni House. 
Chautauqua division VP Sallie Pullano introduces the program. 
Retired Dunkirk teacher Diane Andrasik shares her extensive knowledge of photography. Not only is Diane Andrasik an expert on photography, she is also a published author. Her book, "Dunkirk" reveals the history of that city through photographs. According to a story in the Dunkirk Observer (July 19, 2008): "Andrasik was born and raised in Dunkirk to parents of Polish descent. She attended Fredonia State University, receiving her bachelor's and master's degrees there. Born in 1951, she grew up in the midst of the city's vitality. She can remember walking downtown with her mother and siblings, and seeing the streets filled with shoppers. She ate ice cream at the counter of Kresge's, shopped at Sidey's and attended movies at The Capital and The Regent Theaters. Dunkirk's downtown was diverse and full, stores and banks and theaters filling each edifice on the east and west side of both Central Avenue and Main Street. She became aware of the presence of plants such as ALCO, witnessing streams of men entering and leaving in gates each day to work. Her mother worked at Van Raalte's "silk mill," one of the primary workplaces for women in the city for many years. During that time, Andrasik worked or 34 years as an English teacher in the Dunkirk Public School System. The population changed and diminished, urban renewal profoundly affected the city and its architectural history, and the city lost much of its industrial base. All of these experiences caused her to have the desire to research the city's history and preserve many of the memories and experiences that she remembered personally or which others recounted to her. In addition to her interest in writing, Andrasik is an experienced portrait photographer, as well as someone interested in photographing landscapes and her travels. She is a scuba diver, skier, hiker and loves to bicycle. She has participated in the martial arts and loves to travel. An avid reader since her youth, two friends who themselves are published Arcadia authors encouraged her to present a proposal to Arcadia Publishing, and this led to her proposal acceptance and the completion of the book." Diane's book can be purchased online via Amazon.com, as well as from the publisher. It can also be purchased in the Dunkirk area at the Book Nook in the D&F Plaza, and the Dunkirk Historical Museum (call ahead to check available hours when open at 366-3797).
"Free At Last" Luncheon Held at Historic Dunkirk Lighthouse 
Chautauqua division members gather under tent in front of Dunkirk Lighthouse 
Members learn of lighthouse history from one of the volunteer guides--in this case, a retired teacher himself! 
Just because you're retired doesn't mean you can't make it up all those stairs to the top of the lighthouse!! 
Retiree Council #4 president Hobie Rhinehart was one of many in attendance. 
NYSUT Retiree Consultant, Louise Ortman, can be found at all of our events.
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