Ithaca ordered to clean encampment area, Hoosock honored, ICSD budget vote, FL recreation.

Good morning ☀️

It’s Wednesday, so I’m hoping to send you on an outdoor adventure this week with some info I’ll be sharing later on in this newsletter.

If someone forwarded this to you, click the sign-up link here for more updates and don’t forget to spread the word to anyone else who might enjoy giving it a read.

Without further ado, here's a look at an ongoing encampment dispute in the city of Ithaca.

Ithaca ordered to clean illegal encampment area

The city of Ithaca has been ordered by Tompkins County to clean land surrounding homeless encampments in the city, known as “The Jungle,” after the county declared widespread refuse a public health hazard.

The garbage includes hypodermic needles, bicycles, and shopping carts.

Tompkins County’s Environmental Health Division sent a dual-violation notice to the city earlier this month, demanding officials to create a plan to clean the triangular strip of land by May 10 and recommended a “coordinated response” by relevant city agencies and multiple property owners affected by the refuse.

Here’s what Ithaca’s working on to remedy the situation.

Here’s some more of what you need to know today

Michael Hoosock honored Monday: Thousands came to honor the Onondaga deputy after he was killed on April 14 while responding to a home outside of Syracuse after a traffic stop gone awry.

Ithaca City School District will soon be voting on this year's budget: ICSD’s annual budget has been proposed at nearly $169 million this year, according to the Ithaca Voice. Give this article a read for more details on the budget and upcoming vote.

What happened to the TikTok ban and Ukraine / Israel aid from NY?: Chris McKenna digests the latest updates from NY’s house members in this article.

10 new Finger Lakes recreation spots recognized by FLLT 🌲

Gofingerlakes.org has been a great place to find some candidates for your next outdoor outing since its founding, by the same group that ventures to conserve and protect nature here in the Finger Lakes, but the site just got a whole lot more informative by adding 10 new locations to its outdoor recreation recommendations Monday.

The complete list includes Braddock Bay Wetland Complex, Chimney Bluffs State Park, Cornwall Preserve, Durand Eastman Park, The Erie Canalway Trail, Fair Haven Beach Park, Mendon Ponds Park, Old Erie Canal State Historic Park, The Sterling Nature Center and the Waterman Conservation Education Center.

The site also offers an interactive map of Finger Lakes trails, linked here.

I hope as many of you reading this as possible can go check it out and take a trip to soak in that spring sunshine.

That’s about it for me today, check your inbox tomorrow for more updates.

Feel free to reach out to me at jmack@gannett.com for any comments, questions, or concerns about this newsletter.