Mia Quick

I aim to bring to light the untold stories of our environment and humanity. Through my work I strive to ignite conversations and question the hidden structures of everyday life. This platform showcases my writing and video storytelling skills, offering a diverse range of multimedia content.

My Recent Work

The Overlook •

Greener Living, One Roof (or Loaf) at a Time

Making a move towards sustainability can look like Melissa Gibson’s promotion of biodegradable hemp products at HERbal Woodstock or the installation of green roofs by Hudson Valley Green Roof’s Nicholas DePalma. It can be through a community push via the composting program by Woodstock Farm Festival or the gradual shift towards reusable and efficient housing by Phoenicia Lodge’s new managers. 

Hudson Valley Green Roofs

Nicholas DePalma stands at the edge of a roof lush with plant life, admirin...
The Legislative Gazette •

As EPA Awaits More Data, Environmental Groups Say PCB Levels In Hudson River Fish Is Still Unsafe

Concerns over individuals eating contaminated fish and differing interpretations of data has put environmental groups at odds with the Environmental Protection Agency after the federal agency’s most recent review of polychlorinated biphenyls in the Upper Hudson River. 

On Jan. 16, EPA stated that it needs more time to collect data on the level of contaminants in the river before they can decide if the result of the cleanup project from 2015 is safe enough for people and the environment or if mor...
The Overlook •

It’s Domesday for Two Local Gardeners Betting on Geodesics

A former New York City real estate agent and a retired medical center engineer say the future of gardening is here—and it’s round.Joe’l Moss and Harold Castellano, who met when Castellano visited her property while serving as Hurley’s building inspector, have turned to geodesic domes—half-sphere structures invented for a German planetarium more than a century ago and popularized by architect and futurist Buckminster Fuller—to grow their gardens.

The benefits, they say, are obvious: The indoor g...
The Overlook •

Village Apothecary Weighs Ending Loss-Making Scrips, Citing `Predatory Reimbursement Practices’

Village Apothecary, Woodstock’s independent pharmacy, is telling some customers that it can’t survive if it keeps filling the 15% of prescriptions that it sells at a loss, asking them to consider paying for medicine out of pocket, using a big-box outlet, or buying a store membership to get discounted prices. 

In an email reviewed by The Overlook, the retailer told some customers that “predatory reimbursement practices” by pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, have more than tripled its loss ratio...
The Overlook •

Where Stone Remembers: Brunel Park Reimagined

The 19th-century French immigrant portrait photographer Emile Brunel churned clumps of concrete in preparation for his Indigenous-inspired sculptures, influenced by his time traveling through the western states. After immigrating to the United States in 1904 in search of frontier adventure, Brunel supported himself as a nomadic artist and later a commercial photographer, documenting the lives of Native Americans and embracing an artistic vision dedicated to the magnificence of nature.

Brunel,...
The Legislative Gazette •

After Weeks Of Strikes, Corrections Officers Make Presence Known At State Capitol

Hundreds of corrections officers from across New York rallied outside the state Capitol Tuesday amid an ongoing strike over working conditions in state prisons.

The corrections officers, their family members and allied lawmakers demanded better working conditions inside state prisons and a legislative repeal of the HALT Act, a 2022 law that limits the use of solitary confinement for prisoners. 

“Two things need to happen, the HALT Act must be repealed and Kathy Hochul must resign,” said Steve Mc...
The Legislative Gazette •

Advocates Say HALT Act, More Protections Needed for Prisoners' Safety

While hundreds of corrections officers rallied outside the state Capitol on Tuesday, a smaller group of prisoners’ rights advocates stood on the fringes of the crowd, calling for a prison system that protects the incarcerated along with the employees.

About a dozen counter protesters from Jails Justice Network, an organization that attempts to reform corrections policy, stood a few feet away from the rally organized by corrections officers demanding better working conditions and a repeal of the...
The Legislative Gazette •

Kavanagh, Kelles Introduce Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act

The Food Safety and Chemical Disclosure Act, sponsored by Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles, attempts to close loopholes in the Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of substances classified as “generally recognized as safe.” A coalition in support of the bill (S.1239/A.1556) made their voices heard during a rally in the State Capitol on February 4. 

The legislation would ban food additives, synthetic dyes, and certain chemicals that are manufactured in New York state an...
The Overlook •

Woodstock Pride Celebrates Visibility and Belonging

The flowing fabrics of dancers dressed as butterflies, drag queens, and local businesses, along with bands playing “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan, filled the streets on Sunday, June 8, for Woodstock’s Pride Parade—a festive march from Comeau Drive to Colony.

“It’s not common in Pride parties that there’s so many families. That is very Woodstock,” said Jennifer Brown, a secretary for Queerly, Inc., the organization behind the weekend of festivities.

Woodstock Pride and Queerly received stron...
The Overlook •

`Moon Gardens’ Bloom as Gardeners Cultivate Nocturnal Pollinators

An alarming quiet has replaced the familiar buzzing from pollen to petals as populations of  honey bees and other pollinators rapidly decline. Nothing, it seems, can bring them back, not even colorful, nectar-rich flowers that greet the morning sun with open petals and should lure bees and butterflies.

In response, and perhaps in quiet defiance, moon gardens are starting to bloom. The ethereal, nighttime gardens support nocturnal wildlife and offer a sense of otherworldly beauty after sunset....
The Overlook •

Flood-Prone Shandaken Works to Shore Up Support from Threat of Rising Waters

Shandaken is working to educate residents about what to do if a town named for rising waters lives up to its moniker.Environmental groups invited by the town’s Conservation Advisory Council this week told people who live on Shandaken’s floodplain to sign up for emergency alerts, look into flood insurance and consider raising their homes or plant trees to mitigate flooding. More resources are available than local homeowners may have thought.

“We’ve got a lot of funding here to help you out,” said...
The Legislative Gazette •

Cellphone Ban All But Certain Amid Ongoing Budget Uncertainty

On March 11, Gov. Hochul announced her proposal for a bell-to-bell cell phone ban policy for public, charter schools and BOCES in New York state with minimal pushback. 

According to multiple reports, the ban will likely be passed in the upcoming budget bills.

Students would not be able to access their phones throughout the entire school day when the ban is enacted. It would require schools to provide parents with a means of contacting their children. Schools would be able to create their own imp...
The Legislative Gazette •

SUNY Responds to U.S. Department of Education Accusations of Antisemitic Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Education on Monday warned three SUNY schools they are under investigation for Title VI violations relating to antisemitic harassment and discrimination.

The DOE’s Office for Civil Rights sent letters to 60 colleges and universities — including three SUNY campuses — that they face possible “enforcement actions” if they do not fulfill their obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act “to protect Jewish students on campus, including uninterrupted access to campus faci...
The Legislative Gazette •

Extreme Risk Protection Orders Must Now Be Filed On Statewide Registry

A new provision of the state’s “Red Flag Law” took effect on February 6, requiring broader notifications about those who may pose a danger to themselves or others.
The Extreme Risk Protection Orders are meant to prevents individuals who show signs of being a threat to themselves from possessing firearms, either temporarily or permanently, depending on the circumstances of their case.

A bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in October 2024 (S.3340/A.5873) requires courts to notify the statewide regist...