Audubon Nature Photo Contest is Opportunity for Youth to Shine

also be named in each category. Two additional $200 cash prizes are awarded for the Adult and Youth photos receiving the most Community Choice votes online. A photo could receive both the Community Choice and a judged award.

All winning and honorable mention photographs will be displayed on the contest website and announced in a widely distributed news release.

Full details of the 2023 competition are at GoGoPhotoContest.com/ ACNCPhotoContest2023, where you can enter photos and see all the 2022 contest winners and honorable mentions.

Photo Submitted

With a total of $1,600 in prize money, Youth and Adults have their own categories in the Audubon Community Nature Center 2023 Nature Photography Contest. Pictured is the 2022 Youth Fauna (animals) winner, “Spring Peeper” by Benjamin Genter of Columbus, Indiana. It can also be seen in two places on the 2023 contest website, GoGoPhotoContest.com/ACNCPhotoContest2023.

The sooner photographs are submitted, the longer the public can vote for them for the Community Choice awards. Photographers are reminded to encourage friends and family to vote for their entries, using the social media buttons on the contest website.

Deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 2, 2023.

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. To learn more, visit AudubonCNC.org.

DiNAPOLI: FORMER CITY OF DUNKIRK FESTIVALS COORDINATOR INDICTED ON PUBLIC CORRUPTION CHARGES

Official Allegedly Abused His Position to Steal Hurricane Relief Donations and Festival Funds

State Comptroller Thomas

P. DiNapoli and Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt today announced the indictment of former City of Dunkirk Festivals Coordinator Hector Rosas for using his public position to pilfer more than $50,000 through several schemes.

"Rosas allegedly used his position to steal donations meant to help Hurricane Maria victims and divert funds meant to benefit his community into his own pockets," State Comptroller DiNapoli said. "Public service is a privilege and a duty that he is charged with betraying. Thanks to our partnership with District Attorney Schmidt, we have exposed these schemes.”

“These types of crimes are not victimless,” said District Attorney Schmidt. “Dunkirk City, like many of our local municipalities here in

Chautauqua County, is engaged in an every-day battle to service its residents with precious little money. City residents, themselves, and most of us here in Chautauqua County, live paycheck to paycheck. Every dollar stolen is a dollar not spent servicing our community. No one should use their public office for personal gain.”

Hector Rosas, 63, of Silver Creek, was employed since 1984 with the City of Dunkirk as a Water Meter Reader and then Laborer. In 2016, Rosas was promoted to the newly created position of Festivals Coordinator. In that capacity, Rosas ran the city’s summer festival programs through the city’s local development corporation.

In 2017, in his role with the city, Rosas oversaw fundraising efforts to aid the people of Puerto Rico in recovering from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria. Rosas collected nearly $15,000 in donations from citizens, schools and civic groups. The investigation revealed that all of these funds were transferred by Rosas from the city’s festivals bank account, which he controlled, to his personal bank account. Although Rosas visited his mother’s home in Puerto Rico and spent some of the funds, he could produce no receipts, nor could he account for the money collected.

As Festivals Coordinator, from the summer of 2016 to the summer of 2019, Rosas was responsible for collecting and depositing cash generated from beer sales at the annual summer festivals. The investigation revealed that over $42,000 in cash sales were collected by Rosas but never reported or deposited in the festivals account.

SKAL, AGRICULTURE PROGRAM COORDINATOR

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK (May 15, 2023)

-- Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program wants to remind everyone about the local Chautauqua Grown producers this spring.

Spring is in the air and affecting all five of the senses, the sweet smell of soil being prepared for planting, animals tasting the new spring grass, birds and bees chirping and buzzing pollinating and feasting on the early spring bugs and flowers, the wind whirling or sun shining, and the calming sound of a good spring rain. All these things point to one of the busiest times of the year for local producers of all kinds.

Rosas was arraigned in Chautauqua County Court before Judge Stephen Cass and is due back in court on June 13, 2023. The charges against the defendant are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by filing a complaint online at https://www.osc.state.ny.us/ investigations, or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.

Chautauqua Grown has increased in size in the last year and offers everything from eggs, honey, maple, produce, to pork, beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, and everything in between!

All Chautauqua Grown producers have farm goods that are grown and produced right here in Chautauqua County so we can easily cut out the middleman!

Check out or new Facebook group “Chautauqua Grown” found at this link: https://www.facebook. com/Chautauqua.Grown.

Chautauqua.County. Here you will find the producers that are on Facebook and all their updates on what they have available in one easy location.

Right now, asparagus is coming into season and strawberries will be quick to follow! I hope everyone is as ready and excited for the growing season as we all are! If you need help in finding a local producer, feel free to reach out to our Agriculture Coordinator, Cassandra at cks83@cornell. edu or 716-664-9502 ext. 202!

The Agriculture Program is one of many programs offered by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County (CCE-Chautauqua). CCE-Chautauqua is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under a form of organization and administration approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York. It is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The association is part of the national cooperative extension system, an educational partnership between County, State, and Federal governments. As New York’s land grant university Cornell administers the system in this state. Each Cornell Cooperative Extension association is an independent employer that is governed by an elected Board of Directors with general oversight from Cornell. All associations work to meet the needs of the counties in which they are located as well as state and national goals. For more information, call 716-664-9502 or visit our website at www. cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua. Cornell University Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.