Black Creek/Nonprofits
Scouts, Alfred State College's Hiking and Camping Club, and members of the land-stewardship nonprofit IMPACT spent an April 18 afternoon planting oak seedlings at the Western New York Land Conservancy's Black Creek Preserve, part of a two-site countywide day of service that also cleared trails at Phillips Creek State Forest. Volunteer Marcus Rosten walked participants through proper planting technique before crews hand-dug holes for the young trees. The Land Conservancy supplied the seedlings and protective tubing through a watershed-protection grant aimed at improving wildlife habitat and water quality at the 226-acre preserve, which the conservancy acquired in November 2025. IMPACT, a nonprofit that raises private funds and volunteer labor for state-managed public lands, coordinated the broader day of service alongside Scout units from Alfred and Angelica.
Andover/Schools
Andover Central School named James Miller-Young as valedictorian and Naudia Pierson as salutatorian of its Class of 2026. Principal Molly Turner credited Miller-Young, a multi-sport athlete and National Honor Society member, with challenging himself academically through the New Visions Health Professions program; he plans to study biology at St. John Fisher University with an eye toward medical school. Pierson, also a National Honor Society member and multi-sport athlete, has been active in the school's PAWS after-school mentoring program and plans to pursue a finance degree in college. The announcement highlighted both students' combination of academic achievement and community involvement ahead of graduation.