2010 was the warmest year on record for five Northeast cities, climatologists say.

The five record setting cities -- Hartford, Conn.; Caribou, Maine; Boston, Mass.; Concord, N.H.; and Providence, R.I. -- were among 35 cities monitored by the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University, a  Jan. 5 article in the Cornell Chronicle says.

“All but four of the 35 cities experienced above-average temperatures overall; none had a record-setting low average for the year,” the article says.

For the Northeast overall, 2010 was the fifth warmest year on record since 1895, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center.

It was a bit cooler around Albany. 2010 was the 14th warmest year on record for the state capital, scientists say.

To learn more visit the Northeast Regional Climate Center website and read the Cornell Chronicle article Northeast cities see record average temperatures.  

The Cornell University Library recently became the new home of the papers of Robert Trent Jones, the famed golf course architect who designed the Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course. 

“Jones created some of the most challenging and most photographed golf courses in the world, including Spyglass Hill at Pebble Beach and Port Royal in Bermuda. There are 325 Jones-designed courses in all (and many others he redesigned), in 45 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and more than 25 countries on four continents,” a Dec. 7 article in the Cornell Chronicle says.

Early in his career, Jones designed the Arthur Carter Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course.

Born in England, Jones grew up in East Rochester and attended Cornell University. His papers, recently donated by his family, cover the entire span of his 70-year career and include thousands of hand-drawn plans, sketches and blueprints.

“Although it is not yet available for research or public use, the Library is making efforts to raise funds to support the processing, organization and preservation necessary to make the collection accessible,” a library press release says.

In their blog, Evidence Based Living, the associate dean and associate director of Cornell Cooperative Extension discuss some home heating research performed at Cornell University.

In a recent blog entry, the extension leaders discuss the research of Mark Pierce, an extension associate at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology, who has conducted a detailed analysis of portable electric space heaters.

Pierce’s research has found that electric space heaters are expensive to operate and their use is unlikely to significantly lower home heating costs.

To learn more read the blog entry Portable space heaters: Money-savers or energy-wasters? Or check out Pierce’s fact sheet Purchasing a Portable Electric Heater? Don’t Get Zapped by Misinformation.

Pierce’s research on home heating is among the topics covered in CCEFM’s local energy saving workshops. CCEFM energy saving workshops are planned for Jan. 10 in Amsterdam and Jan. 26 in Mayfield. 

Being short on time of­ten translates into eating more snacks and fewer meals. But this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Snacking in and of itself is not the problem — it’s the type of snacks you choose. While sugary and high-fat snacks are readily available, choosing healthy snacks that nourish and sustain can be easy and cost effective. Cornell Cooperative Extension in Fulton and Montgomery Counties offers the following ideas for healthy and affordable snacks:

Shopping tips:

• Make a grocery list that includes healthy snacks. Then, make sure to keep these cheaper and healthier items on hand. Stick to your list and avoid impulse buying.
• Do not shop when you’re hungry, or you will buy more than you need.
• Buy quantities that you can readily use or store to pre­vent wasting food.
• Save money by purchasing store brands or generics. Compared to name brands, they are equal in quality and less expensive.

In less than three weeks, two fleas can multiply to become five hundred.  Don’t let them in! Fall is not necessarily the end to the pest season.  Insects and rodents begin their preparations to “overwinter” so they can emerge next spring and start a new generation and they often do this in your home.

Insects and rodents are hazardous to your health.  Organisms that cause such diseases as typhus, typhoid, Lyme disease and Bubonic plague are transmitted from pests to humans.  Even insect parts have been proven to cause allergies.  Insects are destructive to property causing billions of dollars of damage to construction.  Rodents have been linked to almost 25 percent of all unexplained fires in the country.

Today’s pest control is a combination of chemical and non-chemical methods and a collaborative effort between the professional pest manager and  the homeowner.  Above all else, it is common sense to protect our health and property from insects and rodents.

The baby boom pales in comparison to the “bug boom” that hits homeowners.

Two mice can become 2,500 in a year’s time

Two fleas in nine months can be two trillion

An African termite queen can lay as many as 30,000 eggs a day

One female German cockroach can be responsible for up to 135,000 roaches in a year

Do you ever feel as if you are trying to juggle too many items at the same time?  Do you care for your kids, go to work, go to school activities, take care of parents, help with outside activities, attend meetings, take care of the car, keep up with the house or apartment, shop for food, fix meals and do ten other things too?  And when is there time in the day to take care of you?

Many studies show that families have trouble managing work, family and community responsibilities.  Creating a balance helps family members find time to nurture, support and enjoy each other.

Humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping, yet 65 percent of Americans are sleep deprived, says sleep expert James Maas, co-author of the new book "Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep but Are Too Tired to Ask" (AuthorHouse).

But just one extra hour of sleep per night can greatly improve a person's mood, alertness, health and productivity, says Maas, professor of psychology at Cornell.

In the book, co-authored by Cornell graduate student Rebecca S. Robbins while she was an undergraduate, Maas presents the latest scientific research on sleep, much of it conducted in his Cornell sleep lab, where he recently studied the sleeping patterns of 450 Cornell students.

According to the Cornell Chronicle Online, a new book about sleep by James B. Maas includes advice on sleep tips for teens, seniors, shift workers, athletes and women who are pregnant or going through menopause as well as time-management advice to combat stress, tips for managing jetlag and guidelines on sleep medications.

Maas has been teaching Psychology 101 at Cornell for 47 years, with an enrollment of 1,600 students some years, giving him the record for having taught more than 65,000 students in his Cornell career.

During a special meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors last night, the board passed a resolution to further reduce funding for Cornell Cooperative Extension in 2011 to only $80,000. This reduction is a move devastating to Extension programs in Montgomery County.

This action will cripple much programming in the county, render some programs nearly inoperable, and result in staffing pattern changes. The resolution came after NO conversations with CCEFM about its consequences or resulting impact. There were no inquiries from supervisors about how Extension could fulfill its mission if such a cut were made. 

During the same meeting, the Board of Supervisors removed funding for the Montgomery County Agriculture Economic Development Project, which had been contracted to Cornell Cooperative Extension for ten years. The project was the stimulus for the Mohawk Valley Markets, Farmer Rountable Education Series, educational workshops for farmers and producers, Harvest Tour Map project, Taste of the Mohawk Valley producer cookbook, and many other projects supporting economic development for small farms in Montgomery Counties. Because of the elimination of funding, this program will cease to exist on December 31st. Three new projects had been scheduled for January and February, but will now be cancelled. Mohawk Valley Markets as planned by CCEFM and Ag Economic Development for February, March and April will be cancelled.

The CCEFM Board of Directors continue to work on program prioritization and will implement a new plan of work in the near future.

Several supporters of CCE spoke to the Montgomery County supervisors at last night's public hearing in Fonda. Thank you to Mary Beth Allen, current 4-H member, Emma O'Shea, college student and former 4-H member, Wendy O'Shea, Nutrition Program participant and 4-H parent, Bill MacLaughlin, vice-president of our Board of Directors, Amy McGrath of BeechNut, and Marilyn J. Smith, CCEFM executive director.

Thank you for sharing your support of CCE.