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Image provided by: Guilderland Public Library
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm • ;ji:i!i::iii::H::;;;j:i::::iii i I...I ffltttttUHlHtltttltttlttttKtttttllttt IttltttmmtltiJIlHHtHHl UllHIHfHUHUtMHIIIIII HtttttttttHtttitM ' 'I'll' 11 SI \i lii'i'l 1 ''\'Jli '^HMBWBSK:.\.:^ i, i • HOLIDAY I '• I V l'.i.'.'nT i' W i.l. . '< .» nil i ! i' . y s,', „ Gill & Event Guide DO NOT CLIP ANYTHING from newspapers. This is defacing library property, and anyone found doing this will be held responsible for the cost of the items defaced. ********************************************** Skating Dutch at Union ^i^tmmmmMmimMMtiiimmmmummmm MLDERIAND PUBLIC LIBRARY Albany County's Independent Newspaper For 120 Years Number 18* Thursday, November 25, 2004 m '$*%, The Enterprise — James E. Gardner Courtship ritual: A wild torn turkey in Knox fans his tail and puffs his feathers, hoping to impress the hens behind him who seem to be going out of their way to ignore him, finding seed far more interesting than being seeded. Epilepsey takes O y Grady's wings, not his determination By Matt Cook .John ()'(ir;ulv felt nostalgic last week when a United I'.inel Sci VII e plane lieu m IT In. lintel near 1 hr Alli.mv import <)'( !i ailv. ;i Ion;', ill -lam i- i \ I'IISI , was ;i I'oiimii'i rial pilot lm I 'I'S .mi I AI rlii ii in- K\pie.--. 11 ii :!:! Ve.llS 1)1 'l l il l III' ua.- ;;i 'nun,It'll because ho >l.irti'<l II.IVIII;' SCI/. I I IT.'- 1 lc lives III (il'OI\;:i. l llll l was in town the end of last week for the Kpilcpsy Foundation of Northeastern New York's annual conference. O'Grady rides his bike throughout the country raising awareness about epilepsy and collecting donations for the Epilepsy Koundation. \It's devastating .to go from a $90 million airplane to a bicycle,\ O'Grady, clad in a T-shirt, biking pants, and holding a bike helmet, told The Enterprise after speak- ing to first-grade students at the Berne Elementary School. But, as he told the students, \You can still do things when you ride a bicycle.\ O'Grady's long ride began in April of 2000. On his way home from piloting an international UPS B767 flight, O'Grady stopped for breakfast. The next thing he remembers, he was waking up in a hospital near Cincinnati. He was confused and his body hurt, he said. The doc- tors told him he had had a tonic clonic (or grand mal) seizure and that he had epilepsy. (Continued on Page 18) Snowy owl on the mend Becker gives a hoot about helpless birds By Nicole Fay Barr GUILDERLAND — Wild ani- mals, especially native birds, are a passion for Dr. Edward Becker. In his office, at The Animal Hospital in Guilderland, Becker has a scrapbook of pictures and newspaper clippings that tell of dozens of bald eagles, peregrine falcons, great-horned owls, and hawks he has nursed back to health. The articles begin in 1979 and end with a bald eagle story from earlier this year. Becker is the only veterinarian in the area that specializes in wildlife rehabilita- tion; he treats over 500 wild ani- mals a year, free of charge. Becker likes publicity when he helps injured birds, he told The Enterprise. This is because, he said, a child might see the pic- tures or read the story and be in awe of the bird. That may save a bird's life someday, he said. That kid might get older and be in the woods with a BB gun, look at a hawk, an eagle, or an owl and say \Nah\ to shooting it, Becker said. Respecting birds and holding them in awe is one of the best methods of preserving them, he said. 'She is perching on her own.' This week, Becker is treating a snowy owl that is sick. Monday, he brought the bird into a small examination room in his office. It's snow-white plumage with dark markings attracted a good deal of media attention last week when the owl was discovered at Union College in Schenectady. The beautiful creature was calm as it perched on Becker's hand Monday; it turned its head and surveyed the room. Becker extended his arm and the owl spread its long, white wings. Becker estimated that the snowy owl, which is native to the Arctic, flew thousands of miles to get here. Snowy owls often migrate to northern Canada, Becker said, but will travel as far south as they have to for food. He' specu- lated that, since this snowy owl is sick, it may have had a more dif- ficult time finding prey, so it flew further south. Becker presumes the bird has the West Nile Virus because of its behavior. But, he said, he can't define it as having the disease for sure. Given proper treatment, Becker said, the snowy owl will get over its illness. He added that (Continued on page 13) 'A diamond in the rough' Guilderland duo building baseball field By Nicole Fay Barr GUILDERLAND — Two baseball fans with a dream gazed across an isolated lot at Keenholts Park. They each looked passionate, as if they were staring at a beautiful woman. But Mark Blaauboer and Jim Conde were thinking about their favorite pastime and imagining what will soon be Dutchmen Field. \Back by those trees is where the batting cages will be,\ said Blaauboer, pointing. \And the scoreboard will be there, in the center.\ \We will play here this coming spring,\ Conde said firmly. \And it's going to be great.\ The pair, who are involved in the Guilderland Babe Ruth league, are helping to create a new baseball field by raising money for equipment and taking on much of the physi- cal labor themselves. Keen- holts Park is owned by the town of Guilderland who, ac- cording to Blaauboer and Conde, has recognized the need for a new baseball field in town and contributed much to the project. The field will be much larger than any the town now has, allowing older kids to play baseball. Blaauboer and Conde are eager to publicize the $300,000 project to encourage more volunteers and community suport. \It's a diamond in the rough,\ Blaauboer said. \If you don't know something's there, you can't get i t buffed U P-\ (Continued on Page 20)
