Members like Libby are investing in our future. 

Together, we can continue to grow support networks for our region's small businesses so they can remain the cornerstone of our communities. Now is the time to re-localize our economy; your membership is an investment in a resilient future that is anchored by small businesses, local farms, and clean energy. Thank you! 

Dani Delaini, our Center for Businesses in Transition Coordinator, picked out some great Christmas gifts for her kids (pictured) while checking in with CBIT Community Liaison and St. Lawrence County Chamber Executive Director Brooke Rouse. 

Interested in buying or selling a North Country business? Check out CBIT's new website to connect with regional CBIT community liaisons and business owners. 

The Center for Businesses in Transition partnership will kick off 2021 by hosting a virtual conference for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to take over a North Country business — empowering those who live here and those who want to live here to realize their dreams of business ownership.

The Conference will take place virtually during the week of February 22, 2021 and will offer various dates and times for people to participate.

LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) invites small business owners in rural locations across the country to apply for the LISC-Lowe's Rural Relief Small Business Grants program.

The next grant application period will open on Tuesday, December 29, 2020, with an application deadline on Tuesday, January 5, 2021. 

ANCA is offering assistance to North Country businesses that may need help completing the application form. When you have filled out as much as you can, we welcome you to sign up for a 20-minute appointment with an ANCA staff member who can support you through the process.

Congrats to Lewis County for passing a resolution to pursue Climate Smart Communities (CSC) certification and forming a CSC task force to begin the process.

Lewis County joins 15 other North Country communities registered with the NYSDEC, pledging to pursue CSC certification. Only one community — the Village of Saranac Lake — has reached bronze level certification, but Lewis County shouldn’t be far behind! CSC will be a key element of NYSERDA's Clean Energy Communities (CEC) Program, which will launch again soon.

Contact the ANCA Clean Energy Program for a free consultation on how the CSC or CEC programs can benefit your community: energy@adirondack.org.

The US Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is accepting grant and loan applications from New York small businesses and agricultural producers until March 31, 2021.

The program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Agricultural producers may also apply for new energy efficient equipment and new system loans for agricultural production and processing.

Please reach out to ANCA's Clean Energy team with questions about the program: energy@adirondack.org. 

The New York Power Authority's board of trustees recently approved a 10-point plan to holistically center diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across the organization. 

The plan will expand customer energy products and services in underserved and environmental justice communities to help customers lower energy costs and meet environmental and sustainability goals. The plan also affirms NYPA's commitment to diversify its workforce and educate employees about relevant DEI topics.

We look forward to continuing our collaboration with NYPA, as we work together to grow clean energy opportunities for all who live, work and travel in the Adirondack North Country region. 

The new ADI 100 program aims to train 100 dialog facilitators from communities across the Adirondack Park. To date, ADI has received 22 applications since the program’s “soft launch” this November. A bigger push will occur in January 2021. To learn more or sign up, please contact Nicky at nhylton-patterson@adirondack.org.

ADI’s Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EIB) Internship Program will welcome 34 undergraduate interns and 6 graduate fellows for paid/unpaid internships for the 2021 academic year. These interns are affiliated with Clarkson University, SUNY Potsdam, and Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. 

Talking Wings, a St. Lawrence University documentary program, will feature ADI’s work at the intersection of environmental and racial justice in the Adirondacks.  

Queer of Color Voices is a partnership with the Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance. ADI Director Nicky Hylton-Patterson sat on the panel of queer activists and organizers involved in the Transgender Day of Remembrance and Pride activities in Keene and Plattsburgh. The series will resume in January 2021 and will center the lives of LGBTQI+ lives in the Adirondack North Country.

ADI’s Cultural Consciousness Program, facilitated by Nicky, is currently being engaged by four organizations in the Adirondacks: Eagle Island Camp, Northern Lights School, North Country School and ANCA.

The Bi-directional Exchange Program will continue in March 2021 (COVID-19 conditions permitting).

• The University/College Program will welcome its 2021 cohort under the Alternative Spring Break banner with BIPOC students from SUNY Potsdam and Hunter College. ADI is working to expand program partnerships to include students from other Adirondack North Country/NYC colleges.

• The Youth Program, which was postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions, is on schedule to welcome the inaugural cohort of 55 students from Bronx area schools June through August 2021. Each group will be joined by peers from schools across the Park. Students will be hosted by North Country School/Camp Tree Tops, Paul Smith's College and Eagle Island Camp. ADI is still accepting applications from students enrolled at Adirondack region schools! Contact Nicky for more information: nhylton-patterson@adirondack.org.

ADI’s new Community Wellness Initiative focuses on five areas of engagement across the Adirondack North Country:

• K-12 to Ranger School Pipeline with SUNY-ESF

• ADI's Community Policing is led by Core Team members Pete Nelson and Chris Morris (also ADI liaison on the Village of Saranac Lake’s policing reform community advisory group). ADI is working with Renz Consulting to provide cultural consciousness development to law enforcement agencies across the Park. Several municipal leaders and law enforcement agencies have signed on and will begin training in February 2021. On December 15, ADI initiated discussions with Hamilton County local government and organization leaders. Keep an eye out for our community forum with RENZ consulting and local law enforcement!

• Community Health Officers: stay tuned for updates!

• The ADI Youth Advisory Council is being convened under the leadership of CorrieAnn Stoner of Keene and Jada Meadows of Saranac Lake. Thank you CorrieAnn and Jada!

• Local Government Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Policy Conference: ADI is planning this virtual conference to coincide with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 203 deadline on “Policing Reform” in April 2021.

The new ADI School Board Liaison Program aims to have a representative voice on every school board in the Adirondack Park. To date, ADI liaisons have been identified and are serving on Saranac Lake and Lake Placid school boards. In October, ADI convened its first Community Advisory Council in Keene Valley. The Council is currently recruiting members.

Planning retreat: On Saturday, December 5, Nicky and the ADI Core Team gathered for the Initiative’s first (virtual) annual planning retreat. The day's conversations focused on ADI’s redesign and relaunch, which aim to reflect the current local and national climate around racial and environmental justice.

Check out ANCA's jobs page for openings with member and partner organizations, as well as regional nonprofits:

• Conference & Digital Marketing (contract): Center for Businesses in Transition
• Energy Circuit Rider: ANCA
• Vice President for Conservation: Adirondack Council
• Senior Conservation Associate: Adirondack Council
• Economic Development Coordinator: Lake George Regional Planning Board

Have an opening you want to promote? Send a web link to jobs@adirondack.org.