Taghkanic Community Forest
Opening Day

Over 250 people came to celebrate the official opening of the Taghkanic Community Forest on June 6th. It was a perfect day to check out the trail system, take a kayak or canoe ride on Lake Lahr, meet Ellen From Ravensbeard and her incredible raptors, go on a BioBlitz hike with TCF stewards, or just eat ice cream and have a sandwich with your neighbor. Thanks to everyone who came out to enjoy the day!

The Taghkanic Community Forest includes 3 miles of trails that wind through forests of different ages and around a pond. The site is home to birds like the barred owl (the site’s mascot), warblers, creepers, flycatchers, woodpeckers, and scarlet tanagers.

This landscape is lovingly cared for and maintained by volunteers who are part of the Taghkanic Community Forest Committee. The Community Forest Committee plans for and stewards the Taghkanic Community Forest in partnership with community members, the Columbia Land Conservancy, and relevant experts. The Committee develops the vision, goals, site-specific rules, and a Community Forest Management Plan, and serves as the primary stewardship oversight body accountable to the CLC Board of Trustees.

Most of the trails are wide, forested, and rocky. The trails may be muddy after rain. Seating is available at a bench near Tim’s Woods. Go to the TCF website for full information: CLICK HERE.

TCF Committee Meetings

Whoo wants to learn more about what’s happening with the new Taghkanic Community Forest? Come sit in on our committee/stewards meetings at Taghkanic Town Hall (909 SR 82, Ancram). Also available on Zoom; check the Meetings Calendar for times and zoom link.

Taghkanic Talks

Taghkanic Talks is a program developed by the Taghkanic Climate Smart and Conservation Advisory Committees to host public presentations on a variety of topics of interest to the Taghkanic community. Past presentations have spotlighted community solar programs, heat-pump technology, and programs to assist with home weatherization. Another series focused on pollinators and native plant species, highlighting small but meaningful actions individuals can take to restore and preserve the ecology of our beautiful county.

The theme for 2026 is The Plants and Animals in Your Backyard. In the upcoming months Taghkanic Talks will host a series of presentations about Vernal Pools, Birds and Butterflies, Meadow Making and Maintenance, and Invasive Plants, as well as a number of Taghkanic Walks, in which local neighbors will offer tours of their properties to show how a meadow was created or what was done to reduce the impact of invasive sepecies on their properties. The schedule for 2026 Taghkanic Talks is listed below.

2026 - "The Plants and Animals in Your Backyard"

The 2026 Taghkanic Talks calendar kicked off with the Jan 17 presentation Beavers in Taghkanic, which featured presentations by Dan Aitchison and Alexis Broz, with a special guest appearance by Bo the beaver.

In June 2022, four Mitsubishi air-source heat pumps were installed at Town Hall to replace the existing oil-based heating and window air conditioning units. In the summer of 2023, the lighting system at Town Hall was converted from a combination of incandescent & fluorescent fixtures to all LED fixtures. A recent analysis by the Climate Smart Committee shows how these changes affected energy use and energy costs at Town Hall. The results indicate an annual cost saving of around $1076 and an annual reduction in energy use equivalent to 5.8 metric tons of CO2. This corresponds to the CO2 emitted by 1.3 average gasoline powered cars over a 1-year period.

But how much CO2 is that? It's not easy to visualize, right? Well, imagine a block of Dry Ice measuring one meter high X one meter deep X 3.72 meters wide, weighing over 12,000 pounds - that would be 5.8 metric tons of CO2 in its solid form. See full article.

If you are interested in helping Taghkanic's seniors and caregivers, please contact TSN co-chairs Celine Kagan and Susan Silverman at taghkanic60plus@gmail.com.

ADUs in Taghkanic

In 2024 the Town Board passed two local laws updating the town Zoning Code. One of these, Local Law #2 2024, defines and allows for Accessory Dwelling Units. The permitting of ADUs was enacted so that Taghkanic residents would be eligible for NY State grant funding to help residents with the costs of building or restoring these structures.

The county applied for and has been awarded a $3 Million ADU Grant. Residents of Columbia County, and in particular Taghkanic, are now eligible for individual grants of up to $125K to assist in the construction or remodeling of an ADU. Check HERE for details.

The community fridge is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can't miss it - the cheery yellow building sits alongside the back door of Town Hall. The fridge and pantry are stocked with all manner of foods, including meals prepared by Columbia Kitchen.

We welcome food donations - click on image to download full-size PDF of Guidelines. If you'd like to join our brigade of fridge volunteers and help manage, clean and stock the fridge, please contact Betsy (betsyalbertfortaghkanic@gmail.com).

There are now three ways to donate directly to the Fridge: (1) PayPal (@taghkanicfridge); (2) Venmo (@taghkanicfridge); or (3) drop a donation in the box at Town Hall. Donations are NOT tax deductible. However, if you'd like your donation to be tax deductible, OR if you have a matching donation program through your employer and would like to double your impact, you can make a donation to the Purpose Cooperative. The Purpose Cooperative is a 501c3 through which we receive our Shared Plate stipend. You can send a check to Purpose Cooperative, 95 Main Street #546, Philmont, NY 12565 and ask that it be earmarked for the Taghkanic Fridge.