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Tug Hill Commission Celebrates 50 Years, Announces
Class of 2023 Tug Hill Sages at Annual Dinner
Published: October 24, 2023
at 08:00 p.m.
By: Press Release from Tug Hill Commission
Tug Hill Commission Celebrates 50 Years,
Announces Class of 2023 Tug Hill Sages at Annual
Dinner
WATERTOWN, NEW
YORK – Friends of the Tug Hill Commission from near and far joined together
on Thursday, October 19, to celebrate 50 years of “helping local governments
and citizens shape the future of the Tug Hill region.” Almost 150 people,
including board members, staff, alumni, Tug Hill Sages, and local,
regional, and state partners, enjoyed a fun-filled evening at Tailwater
Lodge in Altmar, located adjacent to the Salmon
River.
The evening began
with the premier of the brand new “Park It: Tug Hill” video produced by
WPBS-TV, exploring the variety of four-season recreational activities
available to residents of and visitors to Tug Hill. The full release of the
video will happen October 26, 2023. Following the video, attendees
socialized while enjoying music by the NYS Old Tyme Fiddlers’ Association.
Led by Chairman
Jan Bogdanowicz and Executive Director Katie Malinowski, several
individuals made remarks before dinner, including former executive
directors John Bartow, Bob Quinn, and Ben Coe. One very special thing about
the Tug Hill Commission, and what has contributed to the commission’s
longevity and success in serving Tug Hill communities and the State of New
York, is that over 50 years, the organization has been led by just four
executive directors.
Current Tug Hill Commission members: Jan Bogdanowicz
(chairman), Leona Chereshnoski,
Mike Yerdon (vice chairman), Gerry Ritter, Tom
Boxberger (secretary). Not pictured, Bill Scriber.
Commission Executive Directors Katie Malinowski, Ben
Coe, Bob Quinn, John Bartow.
The commission
was also honored with proclamations from Senator Walczyk and Senator
Mannion, and well-wishes from the remainder of the Tug Hill legislative delegation:
Senator Griffo, and Assemblymembers Barclay, Blankenbush,
Buttenschon, Gray, and Smullen.
Roger Maciejko
was recognized for his 27 years as a Tug Hill Commissioner, having stepped
down from the board earlier this year. Roger was born and raised on Tug
Hill, and is a man of many talents, having been a ski instructor at Snow
Ridge, private pilot, certified scuba diver for law enforcement, well
drilling contractor, deputy sheriff, and Turin town supervisor. He was
instrumental in creating the State of NY Police Juvenile Officers
Association in 1975, which is still in effect today.
Recognizing 27 years of board service: Katie
Malinowski, Carolyn Maciejko,
Roger Maciejko, Jan Bogdanowicz.
After dinner,
current Tug Hill Sages were recognized:
Current Tug Hill Sages: Wayne McIlroy, Bob Quinn, Ben
Coe, Loretta Lepkowski, Wayne Kwasniewski,
Art Baderman, Rip Colesante,
Fran Yerdon. Not pictured, Bob Sauer.
Bob Sauer, Class of 2003 –
Bob worked for many years as a forester and buyer for Harden Furniture and
continues his work in retirement as a consulting forester. Bob is a former
trustee and mayor of Camden, founding member of THRIFT, former board member
of THTLT and continues to serve as chairman of NOCCOG.
Francis Yerdon, Class of 2012 –
Fran is a life-long resident of the Redfield/Osceola area, and was actively
involved in the effort to introduce land use planning in the original nine
towns in the heart of Tug Hill in the early 1970’s. Fran is an avid hunter,
trapper, fisherman and recreationalist, and is also the current Osceola
Town Supervisor, stepping down from the board at the end of this year.
Benjamin Coe, Class of 2015 –
The Tug Hill Commission’s first executive director, he set the course and
tone through the first two decades of the commission’s existence.
Lastly, the Class
of 2023 Tug Hill Sages were announced:
Art Baderman is a lifelong
resident and dairy farmer in the town of Rodman, and
continues to live on part of his family farm. Art has served his community
of Rodman for over 50 years, by serving on the town board, planning board,
zoning board and the Rodman Fire Department. He is retiring from the Rodman
Town Board at the end of this year. He has also served as an EMT with the
South Jeff Rescue Squad, and worked with Cornell Cooperative Extension for
many years, delivering agricultural programs throughout Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
Richard “Rip” Colesante, a native of Watertown, NY, has lived
and worked along the North Shore of Oneida Lake for 50 years. Rip has
served his community of Constantia in multiple ways, including:
serving as a councilman on the town board and leading the charge to form
two water districts and a sewer district in this capacity; chairing the
parks and recreation commission for over 35 years, and chairing the North
Shore Council of Governments for over ten years. Rip’s professional life
was spent working for DEC as an aquatic biologist with an expertise in
walleye, helping to rebuild the Oneida Fish Cultural Station. He has been
an active member of the Oneida Lake Association Board of Directors since
1986.
Wayne Kwasniewski
was
born in Constableville and has spent his entire life on Tug Hill, save for
two years at Paul Smith’s College. He has worked in the forestry industry
since age 12, and at 17 harvested timber on the
Gould Paper Company/Georgia Pacific Tract on Tug Hill. His career in
forestry has been varied, from the NYS Department
of Environmental Conservation to J&C Lumber Company at their sawmill in
Swancott Mill, to his own contracting business with his father and as a
consultant forester for LandVest. He has a
lifetime of hunting, fishing, trapping and logging
experience on Tug Hill. He has also served the town of Lewis as past vice
chairman of the planning board, past councilman, and past assessor. He is a
member of the Point Rock Fish & Game Club and the Atlantic Salmon Fish
Creek Club.
Loretta Lepkowski
is
a lifelong Tug Hill and Lewis County resident. She was raised on the family
farm and went on to a career in social work and education. She developed an
interest and talent in art, and with the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
(THTLT), began a traveling art shows in 2010 that featured “Celebrating
Family Farms of Tug Hill.” In 2017, she partnered with Traditional Arts of
Upstate NY (TAUNY), THTLT, and the commission to produce and present the
“Venerable Folks of Tug Hill” multi-media exhibit that has traveled the
Hill and beyond. It has been displayed in at least 26 locations and has
served to increase awareness of the special place
that Tug Hill is. She was awarded the Evergreen Award at TAUNY in
recognition of her contributions as an artist and community scholar.
Loretta is committed to preserving the heritage, history, and stories of
Tug Hill.
Wayne McIlroy is a lifelong
resident of the Carthage/West Carthage area. Most of his life has been
spent serving the Carthage community, most notably over 30 years on the
village of Carthage board as trustee and president. He represented the
village on boards too numerous to list, but closest to the commission as
chair of the River Area Council of Governments from its inception in 2002,
until his retirement from the village board in 2022. In his free time, he
has volunteer for the fire department, for some time as chief;
the St. James Catholic Church, and the Carthage Area Hospital Auxiliary.
Now in his retirement, he and his son built a camp in Osceola, where they
enjoy the land through four-wheelers, walking trails, and hunting.
Robert “Bob”
Quinn has dedicated his life to the preservation, protection, and
marketing of the Tug Hill region. His experience includes serving on the
Tug Hill Commission as a natural resources
specialist from 1986 to 1993, and as executive director from 1993 to 2004.
He is the past chairman and current member of the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land
Trust board of directors. Bob firmly believes that the citizens of Tug Hill
must shape their own future.
A full set of
photos from the evening are available in a Flickr photo album. Video from the
evening, including all of the evening’s remarks, Ben Coe’s pre-recorded
video, and a historic photo slideshow, are available on the commission’s YouTube
channel.
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