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Check here whenever flooding threatens.
This past summer we were out in the field doing normal maintenance (cleaning/brush and grass trimming) as well as making repairs as needed. The following is a list of improvements/repairs that were made. Currently all eight stations are functioning beautifully.
Our Worcester station has been returned to full functionality.
The rain gauge conduit from the Sidney Center station has been replaced.
A faulty rain gauge wire at the Sidney station has been replaced.
Upcoming work-
The Edmeston station has a damaged antenna and soil moisture gauge due to a fallen tree branch. While the station is still functioning, we will need to replace both soon.
Some station batteries have been in the field for 8 years and we have purchased new batteries to replace the old ones.
All of the work that has been done or will need to be done soon will be covered by the monies received through the Unatego Science Foundation. We thank this group again for allowing us to bring our network of stations back to full strength.
We also will need to replace the satellite communication devices in another 6 of our 8 stations within the next few years as those devices will become obsolete and will cease to transmit. The Sidney station device has been replaced (again with monies from the USF) and the Hartwick station was replaced in the fall of 2023 through a regional grant awarded through Rotary. The students and I have presented to the Sidney Chamber of Commerce, Sidney Rotary, and "Four Towns Forward" in an attempt to generate funds for the purchase of additional communication devices. Each device costs approximately $2500.