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How to make a review as beneficial as possible for local businesses

Patronizing a business and thanking its staff on your way out can help business owners and their employees feel good about the work they’re doing. Though such gestures will never go out of style, customers can do even more to help the small businesses in their communities.

Since the internet became such a vital part of life, online reviews have become increasingly important for small businesses.

According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey 2022, 78 percent of consumers use the internet more than once a week to learn about local businesses. What’s more, the survey found that a whopping 99 percent of consumers have used the internet to find information about a local business in the last year.

The BrightLocal survey also found that positive reviews can be especially beneficial to local businesses. Consumers indicated that written reviews describing a positive experience and reviews with a high star rating were the most significant review factors to make them feel positively about a local business.

The value of positive reviews for local businesses in undeniable. Consumers who want to help the small businesses in their communities can consider these tips to ensure their

a Jump on Spring!

Huge

Jamestown, N.Y. – The Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) 2023 Birdathon is a great reason to spend time outdoors looking for birds, especially during the spring migration season.

Each year, teams of birders raise money to fund the Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship and to provide ongoing care and habitat improvements for Audubon’s Animal Ambassadors.

Gather a friend or two and sign up as a team to spend up to 24 hours birding from Saturday, April 29, through Sunday, May 7. Then spread the word to get friends and family to pledge your team by sharing the link to the Birdathon website, Go.RallyUp. com/ACNCBirdathon2023.

The Ryan Exline Memorial fund is a long-time beneficiary of the Birdathon. Exline was an integral part of the Audubon family for many years until he was tragically killed in an auto accident during his junior year at Duke University. Each year this fund, created in his memory, provides a $500 scholarship to a college-bound high school student or a college student who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in an environmental field.

The winner of the 2022 Ryan Exline Memorial Scholarship was Charlie Milliman of Cattaraugus, New York, then a student at Jamestown Community College. While at JCC, Milliman was president of the Earth Awareness Club, the Student Representative on the campus Tree Committee, and a member of the Jamestown chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.

Additional money raised beyond the scholarship funds will help cover annual expenses including visits to the vet, food, and other necessary items to keep Audubon’s animals healthy. These expenses include approximately $5,000 annually. This year’s goal is to raise $4,000 to fund the 2023 scholarship and to offset some of the animal care expenses.

You can decide whether to bird for 24 hours straight or a few hours every day. At least 60% of the team must be present to count. Though teams of one are accepted, to be eligible for

Saturday, awards a team must consist of two people. reviews prove as beneficial as possible for local businesses.

• Go to the right place. A review is only helpful if it’s seen. The BrightLocal survey found that, in 2021, Google (81 percent), Yelp (53 percent) and Facebook (48 percent) were the three most utilized sites or apps to evaluate local businesses. The popularity of Google and Yelp in particular grew considerably between 2020 and 2021, suggesting that consumers can do the most good by leaving positive reviews on one or both of these sites.

• Recognize that recency matters. BrightLocal notes that the number of consumers willing to trust reviews left as long as year ago is on the rise. However, consumers who have already reviewed a company in the distant past should know that only 7 percent of consumers feel that recency of review does not affect their decision. Consumers who really to want to help a local business they’ve already reviewed can leave a new review if their previous one was posted more than a year ago. • Leave a review even if the business already has plenty. The value of recent reviews has already been noted, but it’s equally important to point out how valuable the volume of reviews can be. The BrightLocal survey found that 39 percent of consumers indicated a business having more reviews than another business they’re considering is one of a handful of deciding factors when they must choose which firm to patronize. So even if a business already has lots of positive reviews, one more positive review can still prove beneficial. Consumers can tailor their online reviews so they’re as beneficial as possible for the local businesses that help their communities thrive.

This year’s “Top Birders” will receive special recognition through ACNC’s e-newsletter.

Awards will be given to the teams that see the most birds, raise the most money, or have the most unusual sighting.

If you aren’t a birder, you can visit the website and support your favorite team and/or the cause. Donors can contribute based on the number of birds seen or by making a flat contribution.

To participate in or contribute to the 2023 Birdathon, go to Go.RallyUp.com/ ACNCBirdathon2023.

There is no fee to participate.

For any questions, contact Audubon Public Engagement Specialist Jeff Tome at JTome@ AudubonCNC.org or (716) 5692345. For help with registration, call the reception desk at (716) 569-2345.

Audubon Community Nature Center is located at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown, N.Y., and Warren, Pa. You can visit the nearly 600acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike more than five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, the 2022 Nature Photography Contest winners, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 - 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC. org.

Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.

Agriculture Literacy Comes To

Schools

BY EMILY REYNOLDS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OF CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (April 13, 2023)

-- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program is dedicated to providing opportunities for the public to interact with our local agriculture industry.

In celebration of National Agriculture Week (March 19th – March 25th), area elementary students were able to participate in the New York Agricultural Literacy Week, locally coordinated by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County.

This year, 2,500 elementary aged students at 15 different locations in Chautauqua County enjoyed listening to a book entitled “Tomatoes for Neela” written by Padma Lakshmi, Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. This year students heard the story of tomatoes preservation and sauce making through the experiences of Neela, a young girl who loves cooking with her Amma and writing down the recipes in her notebook. It makes her feel closer to her paati who lives far away in India. On Saturdays, Neela and Amma go to the green market and today they are buying tomatoes to make paati’s famous sauce. But first, Neela needs to learn about all the different kinds of tomatoes they can pick from. And as Neela and Amma cook together, they find a way for paati to share in both the love and the flavors of the day.

Author Padma Lakshmi takes young readers on an intergenerational journey full of delicious flavors and fun food facts that celebrates a family’s treasured recipes, and illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal brings this circle of women to life with vivid detail and warmth. Tomatoes for Neela lovingly affirms how we can connect to other cultures and build communities through food.

Careers and post-secondary education opportunities are abundant in traditional and developing food-centric industries. Agriculture contributes over $37 billion to the New York State economy and ranks in the top ten in the nation for yogurt, apples, grapes, calves, and onions, among other products. These products and industries allow New York producers to explore all varying scales of marketing and selling niche markets, direct to consumer selling, food processing, wholesale, and more.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County coordinated Agricultural Literacy Week across Chautauqua County and regularly extends their services to celebrate and promote agriculture. Local Coordinator and Executive Director Emily Reynolds thanked local volunteers and donors. “Ag Literacy Week is always a highlight of our programming here at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County. We appreciate the opportunity to highlight our incredible agricultural industry, and this program helps to bring together members of our agricultural community. This year was an exciting opportunity to highlight our area farmers and provide opportunities for our county’s young students to interact with a member of the agricultural community while also having the chance to learn more about the safe, wholesome products our local farmers work hard to produce every day.”

Donors that made this event possible were Dave Munch, Sara Toth, Alyssa Porter, Dan Smith, Elizabeth Rankin, Shelly Wells, Farm Credit East- ACA, Jamestown Public Market, Janet Forbes, JM Joy Farms - Jim and Rosie Joy, John and Carol Hardenburg, Richard & Janice Jozwiak, Olde Chautauqua Farms, Chautauqua County

Farm Bureau, and Novel Destination Book Emporium.

Donations exceed expectations and have allowed for a book to be donated to all twenty-nine Chautauqua County Elementary School libraries and twenty-seven Community Libraries.

Volunteer readers that shared their agricultural experiences with the area’s students were Alyssa Porter, Assemblyman Andrew Goodell, Brian Northdruft, Carol Hay, Cassadaga Ag Students, Cassandra Skal, Chautauqua Dairy Ambassadors, Cheryl Wahlstrom, Clymer Ag Students, Colton Reynolds, County Executive Wendell, Danielle DeJoy Moss, Edwin Lacen, Emily Reynolds, Ginny Carlberg, Hailey Laramie, Heather Gregory, Heather Woodis, Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist, Jan Schauman, Janet Forbes, Jennifer Phillips-Russo, Jodi Gray, Lauren Sharp, Lindsey Crisanti, Linnea Haskin, Mary Ryder, Matt Overfield, Molly Brown, Randy Henderson, Raylene Kwilos, Sara Toth, Shannon Carpenter, Sharon Reed, Sharon Rhinehart, Shelly Wells, and Wendy Alexander.

Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day

Chautauqua County

Ethics Board To Meet On May 10

MAYVILLE, N.Y.: -- The Chautauqua County Ethics Board will be holding a meeting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 at 2 p.m. in Room 331 of the Gerace Office Building, 3 N. Erie St. in Mayville, N.Y.

Current members of the board are John Hamels,

Pre-workout tips for seniors

Diane Hannum, John Marengo, and Stephanie Stevens.

For more information or a meeting agenda, please contact the Ethics Board Liaison at (716) 753-4120 or visit chqgov.com/countyexecutive/Ethics-Board .

‘The Big Catch-Up’

Are Your Family’s Routine Vaccinations Up To Date?

Join Us In Celebrating Independent Bookstore Day

Saturday, April 29th

Thanks to all our generous donors, The Next Chapter Bookstore is bursting at the seams with books! So, in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day, we will be holding a large book sale on Saturday, April 29 from 10am – 7pm. Tables will be set up outside the bookstore and education center at 10 & 12 Park Place, Fredonia.

Books are priced to sell! Fill-A-Bag for $3.00, Sale books, “Grab” Bags of books. Plus a wonderful selection of books inside the bookstore, most are priced at $3 or less!

New, Some Used, Some Vintage.

All proceeds benefit Literacy Volunteers of Chautauqua County

In addition to the book sale, there will be:

· From 10:00 am –12:00 pm - Rubber Ducky Fishing. A $1.00 donation gets a child a chance to “fish” for 2 Rubber Ducks to win prizes.

· From 12:00pm –2:00pm Free Popcorn (while supplies last)

· From 2:00pm –2:45pm enjoy Chamber Music (cello and bass) inside the Bookstore.

Come join the fun and stock up for your summer reading!

Lincoln Arms Housing

For Your Senior Housing Needs ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

430 Main Street, Dunkirk, NY 366-1613

MAYVILLE, N.Y. – April 2430, 2023 is World Immunization Week and National Infant Immunization Week. The World Health Organization has selected this year’s theme as ‘The Big Catch-Up’ noting that we need to act now to catch-up the millions of children who missed out on vaccines during the pandemic, restore essential immunization coverage to at least 2019 levels and strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization.

“We want to highlight the importance of protecting infants and young children from vaccine-preventable diseases.” states Dr. Michael Faulk, Chief Medical Officer and Interim Public Health Director. “Unfortunately, COVID-19 caused many disruptions in care and, as a result, families have missed appointments. Let this week serve as a reminder to residents to contact their local physician’s office to stay on track for their children’s well-visits and routinely recommended vaccinations.”

Most parents choose the safe, proven protection of vaccines. Giving babies the recommended vaccinations by age two is the best way to protect them from serious childhood diseases, like whooping cough (pertussis) and measles.

Vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools available for preventing disease and death. Vaccines help protect both individuals and communities by preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases.

“Pediatric and adolescent vaccines are extremely safe and highly effective in preventing vaccine associated diseases in children.’ explains Dr. Tariq Khan, Chautauqua County Board of Health member and local pediatrician. ‘Parents should feel confident and comfortable in getting their children age appropriate vaccines as recommended by CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics”

To learn more about recommended vaccines for all ages and when they should be given visit https://www.cdc. gov/vaccines/schedules/.

Residents are encouraged to check with their physician’s office to find out if their family is up to date. The Chautauqua County Health Department can also review vaccination records; simply call 866-6044789. For more information on vaccines and vaccine preventable illnesses visit www. heathyCHQ.com.

As physically active individuals age, they typically must change how they approach exercise. For example, rather than jumping two feet first into new activities like they might have done when they were younger, seniors may have to think about injury prevention and ways to improve their endurance prior to lacing up their sneakers. For most, that may boil down to taking various pre-workout steps.

• Get enough rest. The body requires adequate sleep and other rest during the day to stimulate muscle growth and repair. Exercise may not be as effective and it may be more dangerous if seniors are engaging without enough sleep. In addition, sleep deprivation can reduce reaction times, which can adversely affect workouts.

• Emphasize stretching. Stretching can improve flexibility and reduce the risk of muscle injuries. It also can improve range of motion in the joints. Stretching before and after a workout prepares the body for exercise and helps it recover.

• Wear the proper footwear and clothing. Sturdy, supportive athletic shoes and wellfitting workout wear can make working out more comfortable and safer. The National Institute on Aging recommends finding footwear designed for the specific activity you’ll be engaging in. Footwear that offers sufficient heel support and nonslip soles is beneficial as well.

• Warm up. Give the body an opportunity to acclimate during a warm-up period that will facilitate healthy breathing. Warming up also loosens up the joints and muscles for the exercise ahead. After a workout, seniors should cool down to reduce their heart rates and prepare for recovery.

• Carefully consider pre-workout supplements. Pre-workout powders and pills have become quite popular for exercise enthusiasts. Manufacturers may advertise that their products are loaded with vitamins and minerals that will help energize the body for a workout. However, they also may be fortified with caffeine. Do not take a pre-workout supplement without first consulting your physician, as certain products may adversely interact with medications you’re taking for preexisting conditions.

Pre-workout steps can keep seniors safe and reduce injury risk from exercise.

Photo Submitted

You can observe bird scientists in action and birds up close at bird banding demonstrations every Saturday morning from April 29 through May 20 at Audubon Community Nature Center. This photograph of flycatchers, “Two Birds on Perch,” by Olean, New York, photographer Paul G. Beretta, was an adult winner in an Audubon Nature Photography Contest. For information on submitting to and voting for the 2023 Photo Contest, visit GoGoPhotoContest.com/ACNCPhotoContest2023.

– Weather permitting, you can join ornithologists on the west side of Audubon Community Nature Center (ACNC) on Saturday mornings April 29 through May 20 and observe them banding birds.

Bird banding is an established technique used to discover details about the behaviors of birds. Stop in any time between 7 and 11 a.m. to learn exactly how this is done and why.

Come on your own or bring the kids with you to view this amazing process. Watch how these bird scientists capture migrating and resident birds in “mist” nets – so-called because they are so fine they are almost like mist – fit them with identification bands, measure, weigh, and then release them. You might even be selected to help release a bird.

If the weather is too harsh for the safety of the birds, the nets are not opened and an alternate date is chosen.

While not necessary to enjoy the demonstrations, you may want to bring bird guides and binoculars if you have them, and remember to dress for the weather. Plan to listen closely to the scientists and follow their instructions carefully, as safety of the birds is the priority.

Come to the picnic pavilion on the west side of the Audubon property at 1600 Riverside Road, just east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. Look for a “Bird Banding” sign at the entrance closer to Route 62. Drive in and park on the grass along the edge of the trees. Or park at the Nature Center parking lot and walk to trail over to the banding site, especially if it has been raining.

Birdbander Emily Thomas Perlock holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degres in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from

Penn State. She has worked as a wildlife biologist for the United States Forest Service Northern Research Station’s Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Irvine, Pa., and is currently an Instructor in Wildlife Technology at Penn State DuBois. Since learning how to band in 2005, she has banded over 4000 birds; she has a Master Banding permit and is certified as a bird bander by the North American Banding Council. She established a banding program at The Arboretum at Penn State and has participated in banding programs for Audubon and the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.

Audubon offers these demonstrations to the public free of charge, but donations are greatly appreciated. No reservations are required. No dogs please.

To learn more and donate if you choose, click through “Programs and Events” at AudubonCNC.org.

While at ACNC, you can visit the nearly 600-acre nature preserve, check in on the live birds of prey, and hike over five miles of trails dawn until dusk daily for free.

The three-story Nature Center building houses interactive displays, a collection of live animals including the Hellbender exhibit, the 2022 Nature Photography Contest winners, and the Blue Heron Gift Shop. Visitors are welcome Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., and Sundays, 1 - 4:30 p.m. Nature Center members and SNAP/EBT cardholders have free building admission daily. Building admission is also free every Sunday for non-Nature Center members.

To learn more about Audubon and its many programs, call (716) 569-2345, find Audubon Community Nature Center on Facebook, or visit AudubonCNC. org. Audubon Community Nature Center builds and nurtures connections between people and nature by providing positive outdoor experiences, opportunities to learn about and understand the natural world, and knowledge to act in environmentally responsible ways.