Sierra Club President Aaron Mair, Migrant Justice and North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association founders to receive Spirit of John Brown Freedom Awards on May 6 CONTACT: Martha Swan, Executive Director, John Brown Lives! (518) 744-7112; info@johnbrownlives.org Ken Aaron, GreatRange (518) 859-0045; ken@greatrange.org Lake Placid, NY - Aaron Mair, president of the Sierra Club; immigrant-rights organization Migrant Justice; and Don and Vivian Papson, founders of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association, will receive Spirit of John Brown Freedom Awards at the John Brown Day celebration on Saturday, May 6, at 1 p.m. The annual event, which is organized by North Country-based human rights and freedom education project John Brown Lives!, will be held at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid. The public is welcome. “Each of our recipients is intimately familiar with the power we can all wield to make a difference,” said Martha Swan, executive director of John Brown Lives! “The spirit of John Brown – the spirit of activism, of not just demanding change but doing everything possible to achieve it – is more alive than ever. And in times like these, it’s especially urgent that we encourage and celebrate the women and men who are leading the way in getting this hard work done.” The Spirit of John Brown Freedom Award honors women and men whose work invokes the passion and conviction of the 19th-century abolitionist who dedicated his life to the cause of liberation for enslaved African-Americans. The award celebrates leaders and innovators in civil and human rights whose courage, creativity, and commitment are models for others to follow. “I have taken each of my daughters to John Brown’s farm, to pray and meditate over the graves of these African American heroes who led the quest for human rights,” said Mair, who lives in Schenectady, N.Y. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of my family’s effort to continue the struggle for justice.” Mair is the current president of the Sierra Club's board of directors. An epidemiological-spatial analyst with the New York State Department of Health, Mair's experience includes more than three decades of environmental activism and over 25 years as a Sierra Club leader, where he has advocated for environmental justice and climate action. The Sierra Club, founded by John Muir in 1892, is the nation’s largest grassroots environmental organization. It has spurred passage of bedrock environmental legislation, helped establish national parks and monuments and is leading efforts to transition to clean energy. Mair is also the founder of Arbor Hill Environmental Justice, a nonprofit group that advocates for green and open space, environmental testing, and other community issues in the Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany, N.Y. Migrant Justice is a farmworker-rights organization based in Burlington, Vt., that has led the charge to ensure migrant workers receive quality housing, health care and other rights. It has been a leading voice behind the Milk With Dignity campaign, an effort to improve conditions in the dairy industry by implementing supply chain codes of conduct. Earlier this year, two of the group’s leaders, Enrique Balcazar and Zully Palacios, were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for 10 days on charges they allege are politically motivated. Don and Vivian Papson founded the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association in 2005, and, in 2011, the North Star Underground Railroad Museum in Ausable Chasm. The Papson’s work has put a spotlight on the Champlain Line of the Underground Railroad, and the stories of both the fugitives from slavery who traveled this region on their way to Canada and the individuals who assisted their flight. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is co-sponsoring the event, as are the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, the Adirondack Council and Champlain National Bank. John Brown Day is held annually to mark the birthday of the great abolitionist, who was born May 9, 1800. Brown is best known for the raid he led on the U.S. Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Va., in 1859 in which he and his followers tried to confiscate weapons to use in an effort to liberate slaves from the South. Brown, who was executed for treason, is buried at the farm alongside several family members and followers who also fought in the raid. In addition to the awards, guests at the event can view “Dreaming of Timbuctoo,” an exhibition that chronicles the experience of black New Yorkers who gained the right to vote after receiving Adirondack land grants from Gerrit Smith, a wealthy landowner and abolitionist. The exhibition, curated by John Brown Lives!, was installed permanently at the farm last year. For the second year, John Brown Day is among dozens of I Love My Parks Day events taking place across New York on May 6. This annual event is organized by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and local Friends groups to celebrate and enhance New York’s parks and historic sites and bring visibility to the entire park system and its needs. John Brown Lives! became an official Friends group of the John Brown Farm in November 2016. JOHN BROWN LIVES! (JBL!) is a freedom education and human rights project that uses the lens, legacies and lessons of the past to inform and inspire civic involvement to address some of the most pressing concerns of our time, from mass incarceration and human trafficking to voting rights and climate justice. Since 1999, JBL! has sponsored surprising collaborations, groundbreaking research, community dialogue and cultural initiatives that upend conventional narratives, provide portals for oft-avoided conversations and facilitate examination of our history for its useful legacies in the present.

The New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association is holding a legislative tourism roundtable on Thursday, April 27 from 5:30p.m. - 7p.m at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort. Don’t miss out on the Lake Placid Legislative Roundtable. This is your chance to network and meet with the area’s hospitality and tourism professionals, and bring your issues to the region’s state legislators and local elected officials. The roundtable discussion has proven to be a valuable tool in advancing the tourism industry’s agenda. Plan to attend and learn more about the issues that impact tourism. This free event will feature hors d’oeurves and light refreshments. Click here to see complete details and to register for this important event.

Where are you from? Brewster, NY is where I grew up, but we spent summers on Old Sweeney Farm Road in Schroon Lake, NY, where my dad was from. How long have you worked at ROOST? This week marks three years at ROOST! Job title? Dual duties: Senior Content Developer, and Grant Development and Administration. 1-2 sentence description of your job duties: I work with a great team to develop content for all of our many sites (you would not believe how many sites we have). I coordinate the weekly email that highlights a story in each of our regions, I also blog, wrangle for our freelance writers, and help secure grant money to support our sustainable tourism efforts. What do you like about working at ROOST? I think my favorite part of this job is the diversity of both the people and the projects. One day I can be sitting in the office typing away, the next day I’m out doing blog research or a photo/video shoot on the side of a mountain, or on a motorcycle, or in a plane! What's your favorite book and why? I’m going old school here. And, I’m breaking the rules and choosing two favorites; I must have read The Outsiders and Little Women dozens of times in my younger years. I can’t wait to introduce my son to Pony Boy. What are your three favorite things to do outside of work? I love to travel, hike with my family, and although I’m a horrible cook, I actually love to bake. Tell us about your pets and/or children. I have a seven-year-old son, Oliver — he’s got a crazy amount of energy, a huge heart, and he keeps me on my toes. He’s my activity companion and the inspiration for most of my family-friendly blogs. Currently we have two cats, Howard and Whitey, however a dog is currently being campaigned for quite successfully. What places are on your travel bucket list and why? What are your favorite places that you have traveled to? I would love to go to Greece and Australia. As for favorite places outside of the Adirondacks, I’d choose Vancouver (the rain forest is awesome), a few small towns in the mountains of Colorado, and basically any ocean shoreline - I love the water. What's a fact about you that you wish you had more opportunity to talk about? I have always loved to travel in non-traditional ways. In my 20s I did a few North American bus-and-truck theatre tours and managed to visit every state in the continental U.S. in under two years. It was a great experience, however, sleeping/living on a tour bus with 9 other people can make you go a bit stir-crazy. Last summer I did the official Cycle the Erie Canal tour - we biked from Buffalo to Albany (approximately 400 miles) in a week. This summer is all about getting our 1980’s-era RV out and about. What song would you sing at karaoke and why? That depends - are you trying to clear the bar? If not, don’t hand me a mic.

Saranac Lake, N.Y. - Saranac Lake-based ArtWorks is seeking artists to participate in its popular Studio Tours. The tours are self-guided and free to the public. New this 10th Anniversary year; the tours will be extended to the last weekend of months June through November. Tour hours are Friday, Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays Noon-3 p.m. The Studio Tours are an exciting event for artists of all mediums to meet and share their love of art, and an opportunity for travelers to be inspired by the region’s robust arts culture while touring the North Country’s gorgeous landscape. From potters to sculptors and photographers to painters, artists who work in all medias, styles and subjects, including non-ArtWorks members located throughout the region, all are welcome to participate in the events. For more information about ArtWorks, visit their website at www.saranaclakeartworks.com. To sign up for the Studio Tours or with any questions, contact Georgianne Gaffney at info@georgeannegaffney.com or 518.524.8603.

ROOST CEO James McKenna reviews results of the 2016 Lake Champlain Bass Fishing Tournament survey in Ticonderoga on May 2.5/2/17: Ticonderoga, N.Y. - The Town of Ticonderoga, the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce (TACC) and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) are pleased to announce the results of the 2016 Lake Champlain Bass Fishing Tournament survey, and the 2017 tournament lineup.In 2016, TACC partnered with ROOST to conduct a survey of bass fishing tournament participants to gather feedback about their experiences and impacts in the region. The survey was distributed to all tournament participants throughout the spring, summer and fall of 2016, and included questions about location and duration of stay, and type and total expenditures while they were in the region, in addition to collecting demographic data. The central and southern portions of Lake Champlain have long been known as a premier bass fishery, and as a result, the area has become a favorite destination for bass fishing tournaments. Ticonderoga has long served as a primary weigh station and tournament headquarters, and the Town and TACC have worked to solicit and support these events.Town of Ticonderoga Supervisor Joe Giordano is pleased with the continued success of the fishing program. “We are fortunate to be a well-known bass fishing destination, and our region possesses the quantity and quality of fish, as well as the gorgeous scenery to draw elite fishermen to the area,” he said. “The Town of Ticonderoga is honored to partner with TACC and ROOST to ensure that this important group of annual visitors is amply supported as they enjoy both our pristine waters and our welcoming communities.” “The results of the survey indicate that Ticonderoga’s leadership in pursuing and supporting these events is having a positive impact in the region,” said James McKenna, ROOST CEO. “Overall, these tournaments represent $1.4 million in estimated direct expenditures in the communities along Lake Champlain’s Adirondack Coast in Essex County.” In 2016, respondents traveled to the region from 11 states, including one from Florida, and the Canadian province of Ontario. The survey results also showed a high rate of return visits, with 45 percent of respondents indicating the they have participated in more than 11 tournaments in the region, and 62 percent saying they have previously traveled to the Ticonderoga/Lake Champlain Region for reasons other than for fishing tournaments. An astounding 99 percent of respondents said that based on their experience, they would visit again. “These folks are valuable, and loyal to the region,” McKenna added.TACC now serves as the official fishing tournament community coordinator, a role that requires facilitating promotional and logistical details, including coordination with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to arrange boat launch access. “We greatly appreciate the DEC staff for their ongoing collaboration,” said TACC executive director Matt Courtright. “Their participation is critical to the smooth and successful organization of these events.” Courtright expressed gratitude to former Town of Ticonderoga Supervisor Bill Grinnell for his contributions to the increase in fishing tournaments that continues today. “We continue to work closely with tournament leaders, and are excited to announce that the number of tournaments continues to increase,” said Courtright. “In 2016, the number of tournaments increased to 24, and we saw the tournament season extending further into the shoulder seasons. In 2017, there are currently 35 tournaments scheduled, and that number could still increase.” For more information about bass fishing on Lake Champlain, visit www.lakechamplainregion.com.###VIEW SURVEY REPORT