The Otselic Valley Fishing and Heritage Association has decided to expand their reach as an organization and include additional communities along the 54 mile route of the Otselic River. (Photo by Kathy Russell Kellog

CHENANGO COUNTY – Otselic Valley Fishing (OVF) and Heritage Association (HA) has decided to expand its reach as an organization and include additional communities along the 54 mile route of the Otselic River.

The river communities include Nelson, Georgetown, Otselic, Pitcher, Cincinnatus, Willet, Lyle, and then ends in Whitney Point following New York State Route 26 through the valley.

OVF and HA Vice-Chair Michael Foor-Pessin said the organization will be sponsoring a three-part literacy based program entitled “The Circle of Reciprocity: Our Gift-The Otselic River.”

“The purpose of this grant program is to generate community-wide discussion with citizens from the villages that lie along the Otselic River about our stewardship of and our responsibility to our greatest natural resource,” he said.

The three sessions will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9, Oct. 7 and Nov. 4 in the United Methodist Church located at 102 Clarence Church Rd. in South Otselic.

For more information about this program and to reserve books, contact foorpessin@gmail.com or call (315) 653-7811.

Anyone can join the sessions, and it’s open to the public.

Foor-Pessin, who also teaches English at Morrisville State College, will host the participants in discussions surrounding the books “Braiding Sweet Grass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer and “West with Giraffes” by Lynda Rutledge.

He said he will be handing out 50 copies of each book, free of charge on a first come, first served basis.