A water main break in the village of Coxsackie that occurred around 2am Monday has shut down Route 385, put the village under a boil-water alert, and delayed the opening of schools in the village.

A message posted on NY-Alert this morning states that Route 385 (Mansion Street) is closed between Route 9W and Apple Blossom Lane, and instructs drivers to use Plank Road and Bailey Street.

An emergency alert system message from the village sent out to subscribers at 7:15am states that it may be a day or two before the main break can be fixed:

Temporary water supply to the Village is be made by the FD, lower pressure may be experienced. Engineers are on site determining a permanent fix to the 18” main line which may take between 24-36 hours from now.

Mansion St. is closed is the area of Apple Blossom Rd. and a detour is in effect. The boil water remains in effect for the Village only.

Additional alerts will be sent as information becomes available.

Photo of Ashokan Reservoir Fountain by Flickr user ianbckwltr; published under Creative Commons license.

Part of the public area near the Ashokan Reservoir Fountain will be closed until April 25 while a contractor cleans up hundreds of trees damaged or felled during Hurricane Sandy, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday. 

The closed area is on the east side of the park near the fountain, off Route 28A in the town of Olive. The unaffected portion of the park will continue to be open to the public from dawn to dusk.

According to the DEP's announcement, Sandy caused widespread damage to the trees in a 15-acre area near the reservoir, mostly Norway spruce and white pine. The tree removal will be done by a private timber harvester, who will remove the trees at no cost to the city, and pay the DEP for the harvested trees. The agency says the trees will be recycled into lumber -- enough to build almost 25 homes. 

The Daily Freeman reports that Frederick Schussler Jr., life member and former assistant chief of the Lomontville Fire Department, was killed on Wednesday when a car he was working on fell on him:

The man — identified by his sister as Frederick Schussler Jr., 59 — was working under the car on his property on Lapla Road in the Marbletown hamlet of Lomontville when the jack holding up the vehicle slipped and the car fell, according to Ulster County Undersheriff Frank Faluotico...

In a post on their Facebook wall, the Lomontville Fire Department writes that they will let the community know when Schussler's memorial service is scheduled:

We lost Life Member and Former Assistant Chief Fred Schussler today. He was a great friend. May he Rest in Peace. Arrangements will be posted as they become available.

Above: The Catskill mountains still waking up to spring, seen from a high perch atop Sam's Point in Ellenville. Photo taken April 7, 2013 by Ethan Myers; shared in the Watershed Post's Flickr pool.

Blue sky, blue hills -- and a vivid green landscape that keeps its color all year round. Sam's Point, a Nature Conservancy preserve at the highest point of the Shawangunk Ridge, is home to a rare dwarf pitch pine barrens ecosystem. The acidic soil of the pine barrens harbors rare plants like Appalachian sandwort and clustered sedge, and Sam's Point is a hotspot for wildlife and migratory birds.