Website Name

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RochesterEnvironment.com

Wetland Newslinks - Rochester, NY area 

RochesterEnvironment.com

These NewsLinks represent a decade of ferreting out local online NewsLinks to the issue of Wetlands in our area. 

The more recent stories are on the top and oldest at the bottom of this list.  GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL STORY ABOUT THE ROCHESTER, NY AREA FROM A CREDIBLE SOURCE? SEND IT TO ME! Looking for something specific. Use Control + F and search for it on this page.

Although many of these links no longer work, I believe that it is important to be able to find that these stories have existed for ferreting out existing or impending environmental problems. The repercussions of pollution or overuse of a resource often takes a long time for us to recognize and when we finally do, it is invaluable to be able to track the history of various issues before they get to a tipping point and became a crisis.

Also, much that mankind has done to change our environment was accomplished without any knowledge of what the environment was like before changing it, but maybe we will be able to heal our environmental if we archive the news stories so we will be able to unravel the events that led up to the disaster. Students, scientists, historians, and citizens alike should benefit from being able to follow the thread of an issue back through time.

2011

• SOS - Preserving a North Coast Treasure along Sodus Bay The Genesee Land Trust, a non-profit land preservation organization is now protecting 627 acres of prime farm land and property along important tributaries of Sodus Bay. The conservation easement was granted from Alasa Farms, Inc and consists of forests, wetlands, working crop lands and orchards. It has over 350 acres of woodlands, two creeks (Second & Third) that feed into Sodus Bay, marsh along the Bay, and rolling orchards on fields of fertile soil.  (October 24, 2011) Save Our Sodus [more on Wetlands in our area]
• 10/06/2011: EPA Launches New Website to Protect Wetlands; Urges Public to Report Any Violations of the Law (New York, N.Y.) From helping control floods to serving as natural buffers against water pollution to providing recreational opportunities and habitat for fish and wildlife, wetlands offer benefits almost too numerous to count. Members of the public can help the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency protect these vital areas by reporting suspected violations of the federal laws that protect wetlands in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the areas that comprise EPA Region 2. Violations can now be easily reported on EPA’s website at http://www.epa.gov/region02/water/wetlands/violations.html.  (October 10, 2011) U.S. EPA Newsroom - News Releases  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Developers say DEC is inconsistent with classification of wetlands - Erie County - The Buffalo News A group of local builders and realtors contends that state regulators act unpredictably in deciding whether a piece of land contains protected wetlands, rulings that are hurting economic growth. Department of Environmental Conservation employees in this region are more likely to designate a parcel of land as a wetland than their counterparts elsewhere across the state, according to developers in this area. While local environmentalists strongly disagree, the developers will get to argue their case today to a delegation of top DEC officials visiting the area.  (September 21, 2011) The Buffalo News - breaking local news, sports, business, entertainment, weather and multimedia  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Plant a tree, resurrect a stream | 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Volunteer efforts began this morning to restore to its former glory a 300-foot section of Buckland Creek on the Brighton school campus near Twelve Corners. About 30 people came out to help re-naturalize the creek in hopes not just of making it more attractive but also more friendly to wildlife and more effective at slowing the flow of water and allowing to cleanse itself of pollutants.  (September 1, 2011) 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Monroe to bank its wetlands | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com Six years after Monroe County began creating wetlands in Black Creek Park to replace those it disturbed during construction at the Greater Rochester International Airport a decade ago, the county is moving to finish the job — and then some. The Monroe County Airport Authority board of directors on Tuesday authorized buying 26 acres of farmland on Ballantyne Road south of Route 252 in Chili that county officials said would be turned into wetlands. (May 4, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• DEC biologist says Greece wildfire may improve wetland habitat | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com Investigators continue to search for the cause of the wildfire in northeastern Greece that closed roads, prompted evacuation of some homes and shrouded the area in smoke Tuesday. No property was reported damaged and no one reported hurt in the blaze, which burned 125 to 145 acres of cattail wetlands near Edgemere Drive that are part of the Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area. The 2,125-acre complex of ponds and marshes is owned by New York state. (April 14, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Brighton's Buckland Creek is on restoration list | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com This September, my daughter will be "crossing the creek," making the transition from Twelve Corners Middle School to her freshman year at Brighton High School. And Buckland Creek, the tiny stream that runs between the schools, also will be in a state of transformation thanks to $20,000 in a restoration grant to Monroe County from the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The grant will enable the town to better control the flow of the stream and restore habitats for plants and wildlife along its banks.  (February 15, 2011) Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York | democratandchronicle.com  [more on Wetlands in our area]

2010

• Thruway's wetlands project completed in NYS park near Buffalo - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports- EVANS, N.Y. (AP) - The Thruway Authority says work has been completed on an innovative wetlands project near a state park outside Buffalo. The project involved the creation of 3 new acres of wetlands in Evangola State Park on the Lake Erie shoreline in southern Erie County. Thruway Authority officials say the new acres of wetlands compensate for a road reconstruction this year on nearby Interstate 90 that impacted about two acres of marshland.  (November 11, 2010) WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports- - Home WCAX.com [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Caledonia wetland renamed for Christine Sevilla | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle An unusually diverse wetland in Caledonia, Livingston County, has become a memorial to Christine Sevilla, the Perinton environmental activist and artist who was slain last November. "Christine really would have liked this place," said Steven Daniel, a naturalist and friend of Sevilla's who has helped organize the living memorial. "It was right. As soon as you got there, you felt like you were transported." (October 1, 2010) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York  {more on Solar Power in our area]
• Landfill opens wetlands preserve Seneca Meadows’ 600-acre project on former farm now open to the public SENECA FALLS — Several years ago, Seneca Meadows Landfill acquired 71 acres of low-grade wetlands for its expanding landfill operations. State law required mitigating the loss of those wetlands by restoring or creating three times that many acres of wetlands. (August 8, 2010) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Seneca Meadows preserve opening set for August 6 SENECA FALLS — A grand opening ceremony for the Seneca Meadows 600-acre Wetlands Preserve will be 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 6. The invitation-only ceremony will take place at the preserve on Black Brook Road, south of Route 318. (July 23, 2010) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front  [more on Wetlands in our area)
• Going Green: Constructed wetlands - YNN, Your News Now Here's what many people think of when you say wastewater treatment system: the traditional film reactor or the more modern, very productive, sequential batch reactor. However, both are more expensive to operate than this reactor; a constructed wetlands. Now these constructed wetlands are more valuable for another reason. They remove pharmaceutical compounds from the wastewater.  (July 18, 2010) TOP STORIES - Rochester - YNN, Your News Now [more on Wetlands in our area]
• County may be required to create wetlands | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle Monroe County may need to create new wetlands if existing wetlands in Black Creek Park are deemed insufficient, according to the county and regulators. Wetlands are federally protected areas and are valuable for their role in controlling flooding, improving water quality and providing a habitat for wildlife. (July 5, 2010) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• ENVIRONMENT: County wetland is still underperforming - News Articles - Rochester City Newspaper A county wetland project in Chili's Black Creek Park continues to struggle. The 13-acre project is meant to make up for nine acres of wetland that county workers disturbed during an airport runway expansion. It's part of a federal enforcement action against the county.  (June 9, 2010) Rochester NY News, Events, Restaurants, Music, Entertainment, Nightlife - Rochester City Newspaper  [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Major wetlands report for 13 states issued just in time for National Wetlands Month May is National Wetlands Month recognizing the importance of wetlands to our environment. To advance our knowledge of wetlands, the Northeast Region's National Wetlands Inventory Program has produced a report summarizing the results of the program's 35 years of mapping wetlands from Maine to Virginia. The report briefly describes the program's history and development of special products to help improve public awareness of the challenges wetlands face and to help wetland conservation efforts.  Get the Report Wetlands of the Northeast: Results of the National Wetlands Inventory  April 2010 Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [more on Wetlands in our area]
• ENVIRONMENT: The upside of the Montezuma fire - News Articles - Rochester City Newspaper In nature, fire's destructive power often has restorative benefits. That has been made clear recently at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca County. On Easter Sunday, April 4, the refuge suffered a 700-acre fire through a contiguous area of cattail marsh, says refuge Deputy Manager Bill Stewart. At one point the flames stretched over a mile of the marsh's surface. Investigators haven't determined fire's cause, although it is thought to be manmade  (April 15, 2010)Rochester NY News, Events, Restaurants, Music, Entertainment, Nightlife - Rochester City Newspaper [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Post-fire hot spots 'mopped up' at wildlife refuge  TYRE — Fire crews had no need to extinguish remnants of this weekend’s wildfire at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge on a rainy Tuesday. (April 7, 2010) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Wildfire erupts at refuge Smoke, glow seen for miles as nearly 1,000 acres burn SENECA FALLS — A massive wildfire at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge Sunday scorched nearly a thousand acres of earth and could be seen for miles around. (April 5, 2010) Finger Lakes Times Online - Front [more on Wetlands in our area]
• Fire burns 700 acres at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle A wildfire at the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in Seneca County scorched about 700 acres in the refuge's main pool area before it was brought under control Sunday. (April 5, 2010) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Wetlands in our area]
• World Wetlands Day Focuses on Role of Wetlands in Addressing Climate Change – Climate-L.org 2 February 2010: World Wetlands Day was celebrated on 2 February 2010 around the theme “Wetlands, Biodiversity and Climate Change,” with the slogan “Caring for wetlands: an answer to climate change.” In a message to mark the Day, Anada Tiéga, Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, explained that the Day provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of these vital ecosystems for our common future and that this year’s theme “captures the sense of urgency we all feel about the need to address the potentially disastrous consequences of global climate change as quickly as possible, particularly in the wake of the Copenhagen meeting of the UNFCCC.”  (February 2, 2010) Climate-L.org [More on Wetlands)

 

2009

• Monroe County wetland mitigation plan makes environmentalists wary | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle The next chapter in the tale of discord between Monroe County and a group of environmentalists is unfolding over a plan that could create wetlands in county parks. If the county's prior effort at creating wetlands is any indication, there is reason to be concerned, environmentalists say. (December 21, 09) democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York [more on Wetlands in our area]

2008

• Wetlands in path of sewer line won't be harmed says DEC - Rochester, NY - MPNnow Farmington, N.Y. - State rules to protect wetlands were correctly followed in the planning process to build a main sewer line for the problem-plagued Stone-wood housing tract, according to Albany. In a letter to town officials and the developer last week, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said the town, acting as the lead agency, exercised due diligence in notifying agencies in writing about the project’s impact on the habitat. (Feb 01, 08) - Rochester, NY - MPNnow
• DEC may protect Seneca land— The state Department of Environmental Conservation wants to add 2,100 acres in or near the former Seneca Army Depot to its list of protected wetlands — a move that could affect plans for a hunting preserve at the depot. The DEC announced its intent last week and specifically noted in a news release a recent proposal by L.M. Sessler Excavating & Wrecking Inc. of Waterloo to lease and later purchase about 2,300 acres at the depot for the pay-to-hunt preserve. (January 14, 2008) Democrat & Chronicle

2007

• After Lobbying, Wetlands Rules Are Narrowed - New York Times WASHINGTON, July 5 — After a concerted lobbying effort by property developers, mine owners and farm groups, the Bush administration scaled back proposed guidelines for enforcing a key Supreme Court ruling governing protected wetlands and streams. The administration last fall prepared broad new rules for interpreting the decision, handed down by a divided Supreme Court in June 2006, that could have brought thousands of small streams and wetlands under the protection of the Clean Water Act of 1972. The draft guidelines, for example, would allow the government to protect marsh lands and temporary ponds that form during heavy rains if they could potentially affect water quality in a nearby navigable waterway. (July 6, 07) The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia
• N.Y.'s montezuma wetlands are a vital stopover for migrating birds  - Every spring and fall, the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in New York's Finger Lakes region is the site of a great feeding frenzy. A solitary great blue heron stalks fish and frogs, blizzards of sandpipers and plovers peck in mud flats for crustaceans, kestrels swoop down on field mice. Two American bald eagles perch on the high branches of a dead tree, their yellow eyes trained on muskrats nibbling cattail shoots in shallow Tschache Pool. (April 1, 07) North Jersey Media Group providing local news, sports & classifieds for Northern New Jersey!

2006

• Wetlands bill to Senate — Local environmentalists are cheering the state Assembly's recent passage of a bill to expand state protection to smaller wetlands. Presently, most independent wetlands smaller than 12.4 acres in size may be developed without any state or federal permits. The bill, called the Clean Water Protection/Flood Prevention Act, would reduce the threshold for state protection to one acre. According to the Sierra Club, New York has more than 265,000 wetlands that are currently not regulated by the state. (February 18, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle

2005

•  Wetland protection may grow-— Every month — rain, snow or shine — members of the Crescent Trail Association in Perinton set off on an excursion, using the 40 miles of single-file trails that wind through town. Along the way, the hikers get regular views of the wildlife-rich marshy areas now getting so much attention in Albany Local groups applaud state proposal to guard smaller areas  (May 2, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle
• Land deals to guard wetlands - Nature Conservancy saves 200 acres in Montezuma complex - — In a coup that will protect more than 200 acres of woodland, meadows and marsh, the Rochester-based chapter of The Nature Conservancy has bought two properties within the Montezuma wetlands complex. The deals were wrapped up last year but were just announced Friday. What's at stake:The Montezuma wetlands complex includes a national wildlife refuge. The marshes, swamps, streams, ponds and woodlands there provide critical shelter and feeding areas for birds along a migratory path known as the Atlantic Flyway. For more on Montezuma, go to: www.fws.gov/r5mnwr/ (March 27, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle

2004

•  Democrat & Chronicle: Money surfaces to help 2 creeks' watersheds — A $100,000 grant from the Great Lakes Commission will help environmental groups protect the Black Creek and Oatka Creek watersheds. Lying southwest of Rochester in both suburban and rural areas, the watersheds are susceptible to pollution from residential and commercial development as well as from farms. (June 30, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
•  Democrat & Chronicle: Small wetlands become a big issue State legal authorities say developing the wetlands on the Parma housing site is illegal. And according to the New York Attorney General’s Office, Fairfield Place is one of a dozen sites statewide where small wetlands have not been adequately protected by the federal government and where development should have been restricted or prohibited.  (June 14, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
•  Democrat & Chronicle: Forum focuses on saving state's coastal wetlands — New York’s Great Lakes coastal wetlands are under increasing pressure from developers — and local municipalities need more money, research and cooperation to reverse the trend. That’s the broad outline of concerns raised at the 10th annual New York State Wetlands Forum, a two-day gathering that wrapped up Thursday. (April 2, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle
•  Democrat & Chronicle: Lakeshore wetlands, woods in Wayne given to N.Y. — The state on Thursday announced its latest acquisition of ecologically valuable Rochester-area land: 40 acres of wetlands and upland hardwoods in Huron, Wayne County. The donated property, whose value was not disclosed, includes a rare 1,400 feet of undeveloped shoreline along Lake Ontario. It borders the 6,130-acre Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area, managed by New York as a birding area. (February 20, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle

2003

•  Democrat & Chronicle: Wetlands proposal in Chili stirs outcry — CHILI — New housing plans are nothing new in Chili. But a request to rezone a 36-acre tract that includes wetlands to make way for a housing/retail complex has upset some area residents, and at least two government agencies are poised to launch environmental investigations (November 13, 2003) .  Democrat and Chronicle

2002

•  Democrat & Chronicle: Grant benefits Wayne bays $80,000 will buy machine to keep four watery playgrounds weed-free— The Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District has received an $80,000 state grant to buy an aquatic weed harvesting machine to be used at Sodus Bay and three other Lake Ontario bays.  (August 18, 2002) Democrat and Chronicle
•  Greece scrutinizes project Proposed housing development has a federally protected wetland area GREECE - A developer wants to build 215 houses at Ling and Kirkwood roads -- which is also the site of a federally protected wetland. (Sunday, January 20, 2002) -DemocratandChronicle.com
•  White House to Relax Some Environmental Regulations The Bush administration announced today that it would ease some Clinton administration regulations covering wetlands and streams, saying the changes would reduce unnecessary paperwork. (January 15, 2002) The New York Times on the Web

2001

•  Grant to help lake cleanup  Nearly $600,000 will be spent to reduce the amount of sediment in three watersheds.
  More than 800 tons per year of sediments wash into three area lakes, loading the drinking water of thousands of residents with pollutants. To stop lakes and streams from overloading with nitrates, which are harmful - especially to young children and the elderly - the Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District recently got a $299,000 grant from the state's Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. (Wednesday, October 31, 2001) Daily Messenger
•  Stinky Seaweed Leaves Kendall Residents In Rotten Mood Kendall, NY - Imagine owning a beach house on Lake Ontario and not being able to use it--that's exactly what some Kendall residents are dealing with. Their stretch of beach has been overrun by foul smelling seaweed and it is ruining their summer. (Thursday, August 2, 2001) - iKnowRochester.com
•  Proposed bay docks generate concern. Damage to wetlands a prime worry about facility for townhouse owners -- A developer is again pushing to build docks near Willowpoint on the Bay, but some town residents and environmentalists worry that the project could harm Irondequoit Bay's wetlands and erode nearby steep slopes. (Wednesday, August 1, 2001) - -DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
•  Wetlands 'lab' on Henrietta campus RIT students help restore key sites just outside the classroom  -- About 25 students from Rochester Institute of Technology this week have been briefly trading in their books for some strenuous labor, muck and muddy boots. (Friday, May 18, 2001) -DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
• RIT students restoring wetlands College studies sometimes go beyond books -- to muck, weeds, buzzing insects and bright sunshine. This week, students from the Rochester Institute of Technology are working with a professor and a consultant to restore three small wetlands on the Henrietta campus (Thursday, May 17, 2001)   -DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

2000

•  Creeks feel current of caring Monroe residents reach out in a day that encourages stewardship for area watersheds (April 30, 2000) --DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE