if you go to lake placid or like george or old forge in the summer or the ski areas in the winter you'll notice lots of people working at the touristy places are from other countries They're in the US on what's called a J-1 visa. It's designed to be sort of an educational work study. These are mostly young people, and they fill jobs that are only available during high season. They learn about America, and they get to travel a couple weeks around the country before they go home.
This system is the backbone of the tourist economy in the North Country. And people are worrying about problems just before the J-1 students arrive. That's today's story. Support for Story of the Day comes from the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, dedicated to strengthening visitors' connections to the natural world. More at wildcenter.org.
Hey, I'm David Summerstein. It's Monday, May 12th. First up, Fort Ticonderoga officially kicked off its celebration of the country's 250th anniversary over the weekend. Multiple events commemorated the Green Mountain Boys' 1775 capture of the fort, the first major victory in the American Revolution. A government-sponsored commission called America 250 is in charge of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the country's founding next year.
Chairwoman Rosie Rio. said local ties to revolutionary history like those at Fort Ticonderoga, are important to engaging all 350 million Americans in the commemoration. Everything is local, but for us, this is also a national effort, and as far as we're concerned... this is also a global platform so as much as we can share these local stories
as much as possible. That is our goal. North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik was at the event at Fort Ticonderoga Friday and took questions on President Donald Trump's policies and proposed budget. Kara Chapman was there and has our story. Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik said she invited the America 250 Commission to Fort Ticonderoga last year.
She said she's helped secure millions over the years for the battle site and other historic sites throughout the 21st Congressional District that included funding for reconstruction of the Fort's Wall. In addition, we worked closely through the appropriations process to ensure that organizations like Fort Ticonderoga are able to apply for federal grants.
for other federal opportunities when it comes to battlefield preservation and protection. Like other North Country museums, the Fort Ticonderoga Association has also received federal support through the Institute for Museum and Library Services, known as IMLS. President Donald Trump's administration gutted the agency at the end of March, and the president's budget proposal would eliminate it entirely. Stefanik is one of Trump's staunchest allies in Congress.
Asked if she supported the cuts, Stefanik deflected, pointing to past funds delivered to local museums and libraries. And she said Trump is committed to celebrating the country's 250th anniversary. We have a record of delivering funds while also being good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Another important pot of federal money that's under threat is the Essential Air Service, or EAS, program. It subsidizes flights at five airports in the North Country, four of which are in Stefanik's district.
Trump wants to cut EAS funding by half. Stefanik signaled she'd defend the program. What I've been able to do is to work with the president to make sure that we need those dollars for rural airports. And just look at the past decade of support that I've given. Legislators will tell you that all across the district. We have been the leader when it comes to delivering for our rural airport.
airports, and essential air services. Aside from funding cuts, tariffs have also been a hallmark of Trump's second term so far. They've affected the bottom lines of small businesses across the North Country in industries ranging from agriculture to tourism.
Tariffs and trade threats against Canada have led Canadians to boycott U.S. goods and travel plans. Two-thirds of businesses surveyed by the North Country Chamber of Commerce said they've experienced a slight significant decrease in Canadian bookings this year. Stefanik said she supports Trump's tariff approach and pointed to how Canada hasn't abided by USMCA dairy provisions.
So the president has delivered the agreement with the U.S.-U.K. Obviously U.S.-Canadian trade is one of our top trading partners as well. I have faith in the ability of this president to deliver those trade deals to benefit. hardworking families, small businesses, manufacturers, and farms in the district. Stefanik said she's strongly considering a run for governor against Democrat Kathy Hochul next year.
She's been increasingly vocal on national issues as a top leader in Congress. One reporter asked for her response to some constituent concerns that she's been less visible in the district. Stefanik threw a jab at Governor Hochul. Kathy Hochul hasn't had a single public town hall the entire time she's governor. It's a disgrace. I've had many town halls, and importantly, I have teletown halls that reach
across this district that seniors in particular love. It allows me to hear feedback from thousands of constituents, and I do local events, so I stand by my thousands of events over the past decade. Vocal's campaign didn't respond to an email requesting comment by deadline. Stefanik plans to appear at various events across the state in the coming weeks. Kara Chapman, North Country Public Radio, Ticonderoga.
especially Old Forge, like Placid, and like George, are getting jitters about possible problems affecting the foreign workers who staff summer businesses. People in the U.S. on J-1 work-study visas account for half of the hospitality workforce in Lake George, for example. But businesses are concerned the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants may spill over to the J-1 visa system.
Tony Hall co-owns and edits the Lake George Mirror newspaper and talked to me about the issue. If for some reason they're denied entry that's going to be a huge problem because the local labor pool is simply not large enough to make up the difference. So these students live and work throughout the world primarily Europe and Asia and the Lake George region for the past two decades has developed relationships with agencies who are able to recruit
these students who are interested in working and then traveling in the U.S. for the summer. And they come to Lake George and they work in a variety of venues from hotels, resorts, to the theme park. And the idea is, you know, it's kind of a win-win, right? The businesses of Lake George get workers and the people, the mostly young people, I would imagine, come from other countries.
get to make some money in the United States and then also travel around and see America. Exactly. And so the issue... that's come up recently is that we've learned that the US State Department has instructed consulate to scrutinize the social media activity of the applicants for any evidence of use opposed to those of the Trump administration. This is, you know, you said it's 50% of the workforce.
So, obviously, businesses must be concerned if there's any percentage decrease of workers who would be coming. They're very concerned. At this point... No one knows precisely how many applicants will be affected until they're really expected to arrive, which will not be until mid-May. I've spoken to, let's say, for instance, the general manager of the Sagamore, one of the largest employees. and he has not heard anything about any interruption.
On the other hand, the director of the Chamber of Commerce has said that she has heard of some of her members having at least two visas. made pulled by the consulate. Just last question. How does the presence of these foreign workers, these young people from other countries, How does that affect the social fabric of Lake George in the summer? Over the past two decades, as a group, they've become a valued part of the community.
Lake George Village has created something called a student connection to provide hospitality and assistance and even housing and the local churches. host weekly lunches for the students. They're welcome, and many of these students do form permanent relationships.
with people and with the communities. So it's an accepted part of the Lake George summer. Tony Hall co-owns and edits the Lake George Mirror newspaper. He and I speak regularly about the issues in the Lake George community. Thanks very much to him for sharing his expertise. We have more news all the time on our website, ncpr.org. Music today by Paul Myers of Colton and the Buskers Band of Alexandria Bay. I'm David Summerstein, North Country Public Radio.