RochesterEnvironment.com’s Newsletter

May 2007

"I am convinced that ecology cannot be kept secret. Environmental openness is an inalienable human right. Any attempt to conceal any information about harmful impact on people and the environment is a crime against humanity." --Alexandr Nikitin, Russian environmentalist.

Encourage your friends to subscribe to this newsletter: There is no other comprehensive environmental newsletter like this one for any city in the world. No fees, no corporate influence, just environmental news, events, actions, and essays. The main page for RochesterEnvironment.com's RENewsletter includes links to past newsletters and an overview: RENewsletter and a sign up box: http://rochesterenvironment.com/subscribe.htm

Overall, you cannot come away from even just one month’s encapsulation of just one city’s environmental news and not see how humanity now drives Nature. Like it or not the anthropogenic affect of man on Nature is so profound (and continuing to grow) that as you look for man’s footprint in each story, you will understand how our relationship with our environment is forever changing the direction of evolution. We are warming the planet, determining what species thrive and what species fail, what chemicals interact with everything, what bodies of water rise and which one fall—in short we (as a species) are no longer just bystanders in our environment—we are at the helm.

As always, there are lots going on in the Rochester area pertaining to our environment. You just have to look all over the Internet to find the stories. But, here at RochesterEnvironment.com we bring it all to one place. If you have any comments about any of the issues in this newsletter, surf over to Environmental Thoughts and make your voice heard. http://rochesterenvironmentny.blogspot.com/

Go to: News - What's New?- Events of the Month - Actions to take - Site of the Month

NEWS SUMMARY: Many of the news links below may already be out of date because these online news sources do not archive their stories.  To get the full articles, you can contact the news service and ask them for a copy. 

News for May 2007:

• Riga discusses need, costs for water Town of Riga residents learned what expanding public water might cost them, and how long it might take to get it during a public information meeting on Wednesday, May 16 at the Churchville-Chili Intermediate School Auditorium. Town Engineer Paul Chatfield and Special Counsel Marcia Havens gave a presention on the findings of a Water Feasibility Study to a crowd of about 100 people. (May 20, 07) http://westsidenewsonline.com/
• Elms not easy to replace — Question: In light of the recent article "Elm trees making national comeback" published April 29 in the Democrat and Chronicle, I am wondering: What was Rochester's legacy regarding elm trees and what plans, if any, does our city have for the elm?  Answer: Back in the mid-1960s, old-time residents of Nunda Boulevard could remember when the trees were first planted along their city street in 1925. (May 28, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Victor soon to breathe easier - Special fund to begin flowing to protect homes hit by toxic plume — Installation of ventilation systems to protect against toxic vapors, paid for by a special state Senate grant, should begin soon in a pocket of western Victor. A number of homeowners have been contacted this week about the systems, and a contractor has set dates for home visits or system installation, said Victor town finance director Michael Dollard. (May 27, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• DURAND BEACH TO RE-OPEN FOR SEASON Mayor Robert J. Duffy and County Executive Maggie Brooks today announced the re-opening of Durand-Eastman Beach for legal public swimming. Late yesterday, the Monroe County Department of Health issued the permit after a final inspection. City and County staff had been working since April to provide updates to their safety, operating and site plans and again have secured a permit to use the beach as a bathing facility in accordance with the New York State Sanitary Code. (May 24, 07) Welcome to the City of Rochester
• RG&E: RG&E PROPOSES REDEVELOPMENT OF RUSSELL STATION POWER PLANT SITE Rochester, NY, May 1, 2007 – RG&E today informed the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) that it plans to build a new 300-megawatt (mw) electricity generating plant at the site of Russell Station, the company’s coal-fired power plant in the Town of Greece. The submittal to the NYISO represents the first formal step in siting and building the new power plant. RG&E will operate the current plant until the Rochester Transmission Project (RTP) is completed. The proposed plant will replace the existing plant. (May 1, 07) RG&E: Home Page
• Energy East Proposes Redevelopment of Russell Station Power Plant Site PORTLAND, Maine, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Energy East Corporation's subsidiary Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) informed the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) that it plans to build a new 300-megawatt (mw) electricity generating plant at the site of Russell Station, the company's coal-fired power plant in the Town of Greece. The submittal to the NYISO represents the first formal step in siting and building the new power plant. (May 2, 07)  Business, financial, personal finance news - CNNMoney
• Cleanup of brownfield sites is at crawl - 'Tens of thousands' in 4-year-old program not getting aid — ALBANY — The polluted former industrial sites that most need government help to get redeveloped aren't getting the aid they need, slowing revitalization of upstate cities, according to a report released Tuesday. The state's 4-year-old "brownfields" program to provide redevelopment subsidies at the sites of former factories, gas stations and other facilities, has completed cleanup of only 25 sites out of the "tens of thousands" that need attention, said Jody Kass of New Partners for Community Revitalization, a Manhattan-based community group. (May 23, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Pesticide law takes hold — but its when-to varies - 48-hour notification rule broadly interpreted Supporters of the pesticide Neighbor Notification Law say that alerting neighbors beforehand permits them to take precautionary steps, while lawn care companies consider the law an unnecessary burden — but one that cannot be ignored. (May 23, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Bear visits Avon looking for eats — AVON — A female black bear has been spotted wandering around Avon. Sean Hanna, the regional director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, says her presence is unusual but isn't cause for alarm. At this time of year, mother bears send their children off to find their own territory. Each new generation forges a little farther north and east from the Allegany Mountains. Bears have recently been spotted in Palmyra, Canandaigua and now Avon. (May 23, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Deadly Fish Virus Spreading Rapidly - SYRACUSE (AP) — A deadly, fast-spreading aquatic virus is reaching epidemic proportions in New York’s two Great Lakes and has already spread into the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, a Cornell University fisheries expert said Tuesday. The viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus — or VHS — has now been identified in 19 species in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, including muskellunge, New York’s No. 2 sport fish, said Paul Bowser, a professor of aquatic animal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. (5/23/07) The Post-Journal, Jamestown New York
• Club Teaches Reducing Home Energy  - There’s plenty buzz about global warming and saving energy and anyone looking at going green. But where do they start. The Sierra Club is running a workshop on reducing energy use at home. It will start with a documentary on two people who have significantly reduced their carbon footprint. “It shows the reasons for their concerns specifically with coal powered electricity,” said Bob Siegel of the Sierra Club. “They show how they were committed to reducing their impact to zero and how in fact they went about doing that. (May 21, 07) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Virus killing lake fish -- and tourism? Die-offs may hurt fishing industries - — Dead fish, killed by a virus, are becoming more prevalent in the Rochester area this spring. Weakened by the stresses of winter and spawning, fish are particularly vulnerable this time of year to a deadly virus known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, which has rapidly circled the globe and last year made its way into New York state waters. (May 22, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Late Protest To Landfill Plan Rises - Making a mountain out of a landfill. That's what opponents to the proposed expansion of the High Acres Landfill are rallying against. They're trying to build momentum heading into a town zoning hearing Tuesday that will allow for public comment on Waste Management's plan to expand the landfill. (May 21, 07) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• West Nile virus ravages seven species of birds - WASHINGTON - Birds that once flourished in suburban skies, including robins, bluebirds and crows, have been devastated by West Nile virus, a study has found. Populations of seven species have had dramatic declines across the continent since West Nile emerged in the U.S. in 1999, according to a first-of-its-kind study. The research, being published today by the journal Nature, compared 26 years of bird-breeding surveys to quantify what had been known anecdotally. (May 17, 07) http://www.nydailynews.com/index.html
• Waterloo may ban outdoor wood stoves - WATERLOO - The Village Board is considering banning the use of outdoor wood-burning stoves, which Mayor Ted Young said pose problems because they “do not have tall enough chimneys to carry smoke away from homes.” (May 15, 07) Finger Lakes Times Online
• MPNnow.com: Bristol adopts windmill rules The Town Board made a few revisions following talks with residential windmill suppliers. BRISTOL — The Town Board voted unanimously last night to adopt a law regulating windmills, towers and satellite dishes after making a few changes at the suggestion of residential windmill suppliers. The original proposal would have limited residential windmills to a height of 60 feet, but Supervisor Wayne Houseman said the town would increase the maximum height to 120 feet from the ground to the tip of the rotors. (May 15, 07) Messenger Post Newspapers
• MPNnow.com: New DEC chief wants talks on Hemlock, Canadice watersheds A spokesman for the city of Rochester insists that it’s not necessarily a sale negotiation. ROCHESTER — The new head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation has asked Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy to open negotiations on the future of city-owned watershed lands around Canadice and Hemlock lakes. A letter to Duffy from DEC Commissioner Alexander Grannis confirms statements made in April by state Parks and DEC officials at a Sierra Club meeting in Rochester. (May 21, 07) Messenger Post Newspapers
• Campaign tells people about water issues — The Rochester Museum &Science Center is part of a coalition that has launched a new multimedia campaign designed to raise awareness and educate the community on how our daily activities affect the area's water quality. "Most of our residents believe that industrial pollution is our greatest threat affecting water quality," said Jim Sperry, executive director of the Water Education Collaborative, based at the museum. (May 19, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• State Health Department Issues Annual Fish Advisories ALBANY, May 18, 2007 - The New York State Department of Health (DOH) today released changes in New York's health advisories as part of its annual guide for chemicals in sportfish and game. The annual health advisories provide advice for sports anglers, hunters and the general public about how to reduce exposure to chemical contaminants in sportfish and game. Health advisories now apply to 135 New York State waters. This year's sportfish guide includes new advice for Onondaga Lake (due to mercury); the Valatie Kill between Nassau Lake and Kinderhook Lake (due to PCBs); and part of the Mohawk River (also due to PCBs). DOH is also advising women of childbearing years and children under the age of 15 to avoid eating any fish from these waters. No additional waters have new advisories. New York State Department of Health
• It's not easy being green, so town seeks residents' input - Ideas wanted on how to save energy, protect environment — IRONDEQUOIT — In April, the town of Irondequoit announced that Rochester Gas and Electric Corp. would be removing some older incandescent street lights in the Summershire and Hoover lighting districts, on Beach, Lake and Parkview terraces and on Burwell, Maplehurst and Rawlinson roads. (May 16, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• City Council Approves Tax Abatement Plan, Lake Appraisal - 13WHAM.com The Council has also taken the first step toward selling Hemlock and Canadice lakes to New York state for use as state park land. The council voted to allow an appraisal of the property, but only if the city agrees not to sell to private developers. - 13WHAM.com
• Council OKs lakes' appraisal - City Council voted Tuesday night to authorize an appraisal of Hemlock and Canadice lakes. Midland Appraisal Associations will be paid up to $28,000 for the work. - (May 16, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Hazardous waste recycling is free during 'Stay Cool' — PITTSFORD — Residents are encouraged to turn in old or inefficient air conditioners, dehumidifiers and household hazardous waste (paint, flammables, etc.) items to be recycled free during the 2007 Stay Cool! Program from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Pittsford Highway Garage, 60 Golf Ave., Pittsford. Appointments must be made by Friday to turn in household hazardous waste items. Pittsford and East Rochester residents should call (585) 248-6250 to make an appointment; Perinton and Fairport residents should call (585) 223-5115. - (May 17, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Victor to get aid for vapor shields - Emergency relief to come from $50,000 Nozzolio grant — Stepping in where New York's executive branch has not, a state senator pledged to provide a $50,000 grant to pay for health-related work in a portion of Victor beset by contaminated groundwater. State Sen. Michael Nozzolio said Wednesday that the money would pay for testing and for installation of home ventilation systems to protect against intrusion by toxic vapors. (May 17, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• State Health Commissioner Participates in Tick Dragging Exercise to Kick Off Lyme Disease Prevention Month ALBANY, May 14, 2007 – New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D., will kick off Lyme Disease Awareness Month today by participating in a "tick dragging" exercise in Columbia County to highlight the need for Lyme disease prevention. "Governor Spitzer has proclaimed May Lyme Disease Awareness Month to remind New Yorkers that Lyme disease remains an urgent health concern in our state, with more than 73,000 confirmed cases reported since 1986," said Dr. Daines. "The good news is that Lyme disease is preventable by taking simple precautions such as wearing light colored clothing, by tucking pants into socks and doing a tick check after walking in wooded areas." New York State Department of Health
• www.whec.com - City of Rochester and Monroe County Water Authority work on new water agreement Talks continue between the City of Rochester and the Monroe County Water Authority on a new water-sharing agreement. The existing 30-year deal expires next year. One of the options on the table is a county takeover of the city system. Most city residents get their water from the Cobbs Hill reservoir. It's piped in from Hemlock and Canadice lakes. The county system gets its water from Lake Ontario. The city and county already share water. In fact there are more than 50 interconnection points between the city and the water authority. (May 8, 07) www.whec.com - Front Page
• OK for NYSEG ‘smart meters' could come by Sept., peak hours to cost more - New York State Electric & Gas Corp. officials hope to roll out as early as September an advanced metering system they hope will trim their customers' electricity bills and allow the company to better manage demand for electricity. Switching to a “smart meter” system is also a way to protect the environment by reducing the need to build more energy generation sources, said James P. Laurito, president and chief executive officer of NYSEG and Rochester Gas & Electric. ( May 12, 07) The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca, NY
• Wind Farm at Forefront In Hamlin - Despite a one year moratorium on development of a wind farm in the town of Hamlin, residents are keeping the issue at the forefront. New signs are popping up near the proposed site. Some are in favor. Some are strongly opposed. (May 3, 07) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Hearings planned on power lines — Rochester has been added as the site of one of a series of federal public hearings on two proposed electricity "transmission corridors." Federal officials said Wednesday that they would expand the public hearings on the designations, which could spur the building of major new power lines in many states regardless of local opposition. (May 10, 2007)  Democrat & Chronicle
• Festival explores birds, climate change — Nearly 1,500 people flocked to last year's Bird Festival at Braddock Bay Park, and organizers expect even more this year. Next weekend, the Bird Coalition of Rochester and the Genesee Valley Audubon Society will host the fifth annual bird festival to mark International Migratory Bird Day, which is observed on the second Saturday in May. The theme for this year's festival is climate change. (May 7, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Anglers must join virus fight - Syracuse.com - Fishermen will be asked to produce a receipt to prove their bait fish are disease-free. A pernicious viral disease capable of wiping out large numbers of fish in Central New York is looming up in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, and the state Department of Conservation has joined federal officials and others in taking measures to stop its spread. The culprit is viral hemorrhagic septicema - VHS for short. The disease causes fish to hemorrhage and destroys the organs that make blood cells. The state has targeted the sale and transportation of bait minnows as one way to stop the migration of VHS, but even that may prove fruitless, officials say. (May 6, 07) Latest News and More from Syracuse.com
• Group decries artificial turf - Some high school fields called threat to people, environment — BRIGHTON — A local environmental group said Friday that artificial-turf fields, which have sprung up at several area schools, could be dangerous to children's health and to the environment. Rochesterians Against the Misuse of Pesticides held a news conference at Brighton Town Hall to discuss the topic. More than a dozen local schools or school districts have recently installed the turf or are hoping to do so. (May 5, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Hybrid Cars--Good for the Budget - 13WHAM.com Monroe County has increased the number of fuel efficient hybrid cars and trucks in its service.  (May 2, 07) Home - 13WHAM.com
• Lyme and tick-borne diseases research center opens at Columbia - Columbia University Medical Center has opened the first endowed research center for chronic Lyme disease in the world. The Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center in New York will use its vast resources to bring together various disciplines from within and outside the University to address fundamental clinical and basic science questions that plague adults and children affected by Lyme disease. (May 9, 07) New York State News on the Net!
• Energy East Proposes Redevelopment of Russell Station Power Plant Site PORTLAND, Maine, May 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Energy East Corporation's subsidiary Rochester Gas RG&E will operate the current plant until the Rochester Transmission Project (RTP) is completed. The proposed plant will replace the existing plant. (May 2,07) The Earth Times Online Newspaper, Serving the Planet
• DEVELOPMENT: Towns hope to control growth pressure on 250 - News & Opinion - Rochester City Newspaper In some localities, the development pressure along state Route 250 would easily turn the road into a multi-lane highway flanked by extensive commercial growth. But Stephen Aldrich, a project manager for the Henrietta-based engineering firm FRA, says the diligence of communities along the corridor has kept that from happening. And, he says, Route 250 seems to function well as a two-lane road with pockets of commercial development and short four-lane stretches. (May 1, 07) Rochester City Newspaper
• Pills offered to residents near Ginna — For only the second time, Monroe and Wayne counties are offering protective medication to people who live or work within 10 miles of the Ginna nuclear power plant in case of a radiation leak. The federal program, started in the wake of elevated concerns after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, entails giving free potassium iodide to each individual living or working in parts of Wayne County, Webster and Penfield. The over-the-counter medication doesn't protect a person from radiation overall, but it does protect the thyroid from exposure. Ginna is located on the shore of Lake Ontario in Ontario, Wayne County. (May 3, 2007)  Democrat & Chronicle
• N.Y. may pull plug on incandescent bulbs — ALBANY — An Assembly bill introduced this week could mean lights out for traditional light bulbs. The bill would ban the sale of incandescent light bulbs, the kind that most people use now, by June 2012. Supporters seek to replace traditional filament bulbs that they say contribute to global warming with energy-saving halogen or fluorescent lights. (May 3, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle
• Algae woes spur spray park idea - Pollution at Charlotte beach defies easy fix, says Army Corps — Algae problems and closures at Ontario Beach Park cannot be eliminated, so the best alternative is to build a spray park, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommends. There's just one catch: The federal government won't fund a spray park, so any action would fall to Monroe County, which owns the park. (May 1, 2007) Democrat & Chronicle

 WHAT'S NEW?  Each day RochesterEnvironment.com scours the Internet for all environmental articles, events, actions and issues pertaining to Rochester, New York.

 Updates in RochesterEnvironment.com for May 2007:

• 5/23/07) - Be Aware, Follow some simple guidelines: Because of the new invasive disease rapidly spreading through our Great Lakes and maybe even our smaller lakes, Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week by the state of Michigan is a good idea. You only have to look at the long list of articles about viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) to get an idea of how fast and devastating a single disease can rip through such a large body of waters such as our Great Lakes. – Just check out today’s story: Deadly Fish Virus Spreading Rapidly - SYRACUSE (AP) — A deadly, fast-spreading aquatic virus is reaching epidemic proportions in New York’s two Great Lakes and has already spread into the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, a Cornell University fisheries expert said Tuesday. The viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus — or VHS — has now been identified in 19 species in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, including muskellunge, New York’s No. 2 sport fish, said Paul Bowser, a professor of aquatic animal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. (5/23/07) The Post-Journal, Jamestown New York
• 5/22/07: Time to begin being aware of West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease again. Sure the good weather’s here, but so are some of the things that warm weather brings. One is West Nile Virus, which will probably be with us for a long time, and on my West Nile Virus page, I outline several of the basic precautions. I don’t think this disease is a major threat to people with normal immune systems, but forgetting that we have a yearly problem with both West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease will be a problem.
• 5/19 07 - Take Over The Media:

  In this day where the major media is owned and operated by the major corporations and so our environment reporting reflects the few and powerful, instead of what is actually occurring, it’s a good time to learn to be your own media. RochesterEnvironment.com sprung from this sentiment that a concerned individual was reading about a world in ecological crisis, but experiencing a Disney-like world where everything was going along fine.

  However, after ten years of watching Rochester, New York’s environment and comparing all the news on our city from all online sources, this fantastic tranquility is just that—fantastic.

  Mostly, what occurs in the media are sporadic explosions on toxic releases, brownfields that occasionally bubble up out of their containments, bad air-quality reports from agencies like the American Lung Association, or something else that, by its compelling Nature, forces itself through the media’s door.

  Many other just as pernicious environmental issues are going on but they are not either as sexy as an inner city shooting, or ‘hot’ as a car crash, or ‘weird’ as people collecting body parts. Too bad that most of the really worrisome environmental problems (like Global Warming, Bee Colony Collapse Syndrome, the infestation of an invasive species disease like VHS, or the breakdown in water quality in the many lakes surrounding Rochester) don’t hit the front pages or splashed on the 6 O’clock news because the major media don’t thing these story sell. And that means we don’t usually find out about an environmental problem until it’s in our face as a major crisis.

  Imagine a world where our media knew how to report on environmental matters, that is a continual investigation of all the possible threats to our environment, which keeps us alive and healthy. That would be a world where we knew how all our man-made products were entering in and reacting into our environment, like pharmaceutical and pesticides going into the waters we drink; objective cancer cluster studies that might reveal buried trouble spots of industrial waste; land that should be public land given away at cheap prices for those with money; the total effects of sprawl on our local fauna and flora, the entire range of possible effects in our area of global warming and the loss of biodiversity; how our local recycling programs are working, what potential environmental health problems lay on the horizon, and how our area is helping the Climate Change effort with our areas business and residential energy policies and practices.

  In short, we need a media that isn’t afraid to give us an entire and unbiased picture of our environment so we can react to it responsibly—and timely. Baring a complete makeover of our media, which is flourishing in a hail of sexy, sports, political scandal, car crashing, lottery-winning, and (more often than not) just downright silliness, individuals could enter the public discourse on the media with their own observations.

  One way to Take Over the Media is to create your own web site, like RochesteEnvironment.com and/or begin your own podcast. What is a podcast? Let Dave Atias [ greenpmc34@yahoo.com ] tell you:

  "The hosts of the locally-based podcast, The Stuart Bedasso Show, will be holding a free, one-hour workshop for area progressives who are interested in producing their own podcasts. The workshop, called Podcasting for Progressives, will be run by Dave Atias, Keziah Kelsey and Erick Rodriguez and take place on Tuesday, June 5th at 7pm at Spot Coffee, 200 East Avenue in downtown Rochester. A podcast is an audio file that is available for downloading on the internet to be played on personal computers or portable media players. Most podcasts are like online radio shows that are downloadable on demand. Participants will learn what a podcast is, how to produce one and strategies on how to publicize a podcast. Participants will also leave with a list of free resources that are available. The workshop will show participants how to use the medium of podcasting to help promote progressive ideas as done on The Stuart Bedasso Show. The Stuart Bedasso Show is a weekly, non-commercial podcast that features talk, independent music and pre-produced comedy. The hosts, with special guests, discuss a wide range of topics ranging in scope and seriousness. They have been privileged to play independent music, in some cases, exclusives, before any local radio station has been able to. All shows are archived at http://bedasso.libsyn.com and are available for download for free. Internet users can also subscribe to the show using iTunes. For more information, call Dave at 966-9067 or e-mail bedasso23@yahoo.com . Listen to The Stuart Bedasso Show Help The Stuart Bedasso Show get on Public Radio"

• 5/19 07 - Wikia Environmental Project

  This collaborative project on the environment seems to me one of the most important and potentially successful Wikia projects since Wikipedia. The promise is to create a free, on-going white paper from everyone who has learned something about making our environment sustainable and update that information continually.

  According to the UN Intergovernmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC), our environment is going to change drastically and in turn this is going to change the human condition dramatically, quantumly, and soon. Climate change also is a National Security risk. None of this is new, except for the degree of verification from expert data; many environmentalists have been predicting global warming, the loss of biodiversity, and the pollution of our land, air and water, the build up of man-made toxins in our environment and in ourselves (the body burden) for a long time. It’s just that finally the media and governments have started to Get It!

  Many new opportunities, including the Internet and the Wikia encyclopedia project, offer up a chance for humanity to share their observations, their knowledge, and solutions to what appears to be a faster and faster rate of environmental change. I recently listened to a report on DemocracyNow.org Friday, May 18th, 2007 George Monbiot: "If We Don’t Deal with Climate Change We Condemn Hundreds of Millions of People to Death" and came away (again) with a sense of urgency that this issue needs. A Wikia Environmental project can deal with the quick and evolutionary change of information and solutions we will need to solve this world-wide crisis.

  Many environmental solutions, either in business, in government, and even individuals have worked in one place or another. And some ideas like recycling seem simple at first blush but require a constellation of changes attitudes, inventions, transportation between collection and use, collecting and separating properly. There are different programs in different cites, offering ideas for places to continually ramp up recycling until the point where no trash enters our waters or land. For example, in some cities, garbage collectors will not pick up a resident’s garbage if, after examination, recyclable goods are found—and a fine delivered. Everything can potentially be used and reused, making endless possibilities for creating new businesses.

  Of course, most ideas about sustainability are already out there in books, and are working in communities, but there is no single clearinghouse that is not managed and edited by the people themselves who want their children to survive--only governments, groups, and corporations with their own agenda. An open-source project for ideas and solutions on how best to reach a sustainable world for humans can only be accomplished with a variety of scientists, individuals, educators, and environmental groups hoping for a better world that will not collapse under its own progress.

  Much in the way the first Wikipedia project matured and came to rival and then surpass the book form of an encyclopedia (which is out-dated the moment it gets published) this project can grow and change to the volatile world we are entering, where the oceans levels will rise, the Great Lakes water level will fall, and where pests and disease will migrate to areas unfamiliar with how to cope wit them will certainly occur. As some areas become warmer, the people in those areas can learn how to cope with changes from a district that has always dwelt with heat and how it affects all aspects of people's lives and the business arena.

  As the site stands now, there is little there. It’s just a start. But, it’s also an opportunity to help kickoff and shape this environmental solutions project that should be at the foremost concern of all peoples and governments of the planet. So, check out Main Page - Environmentalist - a Wikia wiki and encourage others to join in.

• 5/18 07 - Shred the cost of Commuting: One way to save energy in Rochester is to Ride Share. Call Rideshare at 585-262-3100 for your application form or go visit our website at www.rgrta.com commuter services.
• 5/17/07 - Find out about mobile air toxins in Rochester, by the Center of Environmental Information:  In March 2007, the Air Toxics Research Group released the report entitled "Inventory and Literature Review of Mobile Source Air Toxics in the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area" The purpose of this report is to present information about the sources and relative contribution of major mobile source air toxics emissions in the Rochester MSA.
• 5/14 07 - How is the state of the air we are breathing in Monroe County? Find out by check out the American Lung Association’s State of the Air: 2007. American Lung Association: Air Pollution Facts & Air Quality Info - County Report - ALA State of the Air 2007  And also, check out: Air Quality - American Lung Association site "Nation's Air Quality Picture Split East-West, As Research Shows Life-and-Death Need for More Protective Federal Standards American Lung Association State of the Air: 2007 Finds Americans in Eastern U.S. Breathing More Soot, while Stricter Local and State Controls Drop Pollution in West" -- from American Lung Association
• 5/13 07 - Important notice: New address for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has a new website, now available at www.dec.ny.gov . The webpages and documents from this original site have been moved to this new site.
• 5/12/07 -- Properly dispose of hazardous waste: I just stumbled onto this very valuable page in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Make sure you don’t just throw hazardous waste into the normal garbage. Things like paint and pharmaceutical pills have a way of making their way to your drinking water and the fish you catch and eat. http://php.democratandchronicle.com/RocDocs/vaporsites "Statewide, more than 400 older hazardous waste disposal sites with underground contamination are being studied for evidence that toxic vapors could be rising through the soil and accumulating in nearby buildings. Forty-seven of these sites are in the Rochester region. In the coming months, buildings may be tested for vapors near some of those sites. An undetermined number of newer hazardous waste disposal sites not on this list could be in for the same treatment. " from Democrat & Chronicle
• 5/12/07 -- Recycling in the Twenty-first century. Garage sales are a great way to spend time (for some actually, I not there yet) and recycling things you do want and make money for things that other want. The net effect is that your old things don’t go in the ground, but gain new life in new ownership. In this new century, with the Internet, this garage sale motif gets ramped up a lot with Freecycling. I have been posting Rochester Freecycling for a long time on my Recycle page, but it needs reminding, so check out City Newspaper good article on this present environmental phenomenon and perhaps find some great items: RECYCLING: Give and get stuff and save the planet - Arts & Entertainment - Rochester City Newspaper ""Think globally, recycle locally." That's the motto of the Freecycle Network, an online nonprofit organization that links the haves with the have-nots while reducing the waste in landfills. Working for a small nonprofit recycling organization in Tuscon, Deron Beal often found it hard to find takers for the group's recyclables. In May 2003, he sent out an e-mail to friends and nonprofits, announcing the Freecycle Network. Through it, people could post lists of what they wanted to give away or request what they needed. There was and remains one rule: everything posted must be free, legal, and "appropriate for all ages." --from Rochester City Newspaper
• 5/12/07 From the father of Biodiversity, E.O. Wilson, comes a very interesting story about a new website that attempts to catalogue all animals on the planet. This is important because almost lost in the world-wide embracing of the issue of Global Warming acceptance as a true danger for mankind is one of the other major environmental issues of our day. There are many others including toxic pollution, our oceans breaking down, but the loss of biodiversity is something difficult to understand as a truly global problem. There are many arguments that the loss of biodiversity means there are pharmaceutical drugs we’ll never see, or it’s just ethically bad to allow spices to expire, but in my mind the true danger of the loss of biodiversity is the loss of important information on how Nature works. We might need the billions of years of countless animals and plants solution to the problem of sustainability and that information is locked up in the understanding of other life. If we allow the mass destruction (some say the Sixth Great Extinction ((the fifth being the loss of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago) of species through urban sprawl, pollution, and downright poaching, we could be losing valuable information about how to survive. Check out this vast new project that attempts to catalogue all life on earth and bring attention to this problem that few understand, let alone get. --  Encyclopedia of Life "Comprehensive, collaborative, ever-growing, and personalized, the Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Our goal is to create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike. To transform the science of biology, and inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating all known data about every living species. And ultimately, to increase our collective understanding of life on Earth, and safeguard the richest possible spectrum of biodiversity."
• 5/12/07 -- Tipping Point as Cliché - In some minds Global Warming may augur a boon for real estate not previously longed for: the tundra, for example, that may take on the aspect of idyllic parcels with lawns for bold entrepreneurs. The cold North according to this dream might become a new Mecca for those who would come to love the new warmth of climate change. However, it is more likely that areas once covered in snow and ice and soon to be green are going to be more problematic. A slow and gradual transformation from the un-saleable to the ripe for the pickings is rather to be rife with change, quantum change. Tipping point, a phrase stolen from science and now so overused in general speak that it threatens to become cliché, is nevertheless the proper and principle concern of Global Warming. For, while there has always been climate change on this planet, some of it occurring through the time of man, there has never been the threat of dramatic, quick quantum change caused by a fast-moving amalgamation of issues to a tipping point in a cascade of cause and effect. (Whew! That was a mouthful and I won’t do it again.) An example, or rather the archetypal model for this effect is the warming of the polar caps, which increase the sun's warming power on the water due to the lack of the snow to reflected sunlight, the albedo effect, thus changing the salinity of the ocean and thus the relationship to cold and warmer waters and eventually the direction of oceans currents. In language a word or phrase can become so overused that the cliché numbs the mind and you don’t really hear it. That’s a problem because in Nature some processes, like global warming, keep repeating themselves so often that one becomes habituated to them, until tiresome or not, a cool breeze that had always before wafting off the ocean warming green fields suddenly delivers something quite unexpected. Check out this report:  Living on Earth: Melting Ice "A new study from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado shows that scientists grossly underestimated the rate of ice loss due to warming from greenhouse gas emissions. The study claims that if current trends continue, we could be facing an ice-free Arctic summer within the next 50 years." --from Living on Earth: Sound Journalism for the Whole Planet
• 5/11/07 -- What do you do with left over paint? Paint and Coatings | Sector Programs | US EPA "EPA Study Estimates the Quantity of Post-Consumer Paint that is Disposed by Americans Each Year -EPA Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock released a study on April 18, 2007, that estimates that about 10 percent of the house paint purchased in the U.S. each year is ultimately discarded -- corresponding to about 65 to 69 million gallons. This study was released at a national meeting of the Paint Product Stewardship Initiative. This multi-stakeholder dialogue, spearheaded by the Product Stewardship Institute, has brought together paint manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, EPA officials and representatives from more than two dozen state and local agencies, to find better ways to manage leftover house paint. "- from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• 5/11/07 -- Some interesting info from the EPA, how to be more environmentally friendly:   Environmental Stewardship | US EPA "Environmental stewardship is the responsibility for environmental quality shared by all those whose actions affect the environment. Everyday, more than 300 million Americans make countless choices that can impact our environment. By being an active environmental steward you can reduce those impacts and make a difference in the kind of world we live in today and pass on to future generations." - from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• 5/11/07 --Air Compare | AIRNow | US EPA How does the air quality in my city compare with other cities? What time of year has the best air quality? Has the air quality in my city improved? AirCompare provides local air quality information to help you make informed, health-protective decisions about moving or vacationing. - from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

• 5/09/07 -- Need info on Lyme Disease? - Welcome to Lyme Disease Research Studies Established in 1994, the Lyme Disease Research Program of the New York State Psychiatric Institute is the first in the United States to focus research efforts on the neuropsychiatric aspects of Chronic Lyme Disease in adults and children.

• 5/02/07 -- Get the latest May 2007 Outdoor Newsletter from Hike, Bike, Cross Country Ski, Snowshoe and Birding Trail Guide Books (Footprint Press)

Events of the month:  Each Month I will post all up and coming environmental events until they are over.  Be sure to check the list often as events come and go and I only post this newsletter once a month. 

Events for June 2007 and beyond:    

When	What	Where
Tues., 6:15-8 pm, May 29 - The series will continue every Tuesday through Aug. 28.	"PREFERRED CARE TUESDAY NATURE NIGHTS" START MAY 29 Mayor Robert J. Duffy announces the start of "Preferred Care Tuesday Nature Nights," an outdoor series focusing on the beauty of Rochester's natural surroundings, with a Tues., 6:15-8 pm, May 29 Guided Bike Ride through the High Falls neighborhood. No pre-registration is required. The series will continue every Tuesday through Aug. 28. Interested bikers are asked to meet at the Pont de Rennes Bridge, behind the Centers at High Falls, off State St. The guided tour will go along the Genesee Riverway Trail and by road into the community, through downtown Rochester, Genesee Valley Park and include a tour of the Susan B. Anthony home.	Interested bikers are asked to meet at the Pont de Rennes Bridge, behind the Centers at High Falls, off State St.
Wind Events Many Dates and locations	Wind Power Events and Events Around NYS. --from New York Wind Power Education Project. "To: NYS community, civic, and community organizations — There are many opportunities to learn about and discuss wind power in the next several weeks. Please consider attending these events and publicizing them to your membership. Also: The various regional planning councils in New York State have launched a program to help municipalities address wind power development. This effort, coordinated by the Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, is described at: http://www.gflrpc.org/AboutTheCouncil/Newsletter/fall06.pdf -- About The NY Wind Power Education Project The NY Wind Power Education Project is a collaborative effort of the Pace Law School Energy Project, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, and NYPIRG to increase the public's understanding of wind power issues, including its environmental benefits, in the belief that a better informed public can participate more meaningfully in the environmental review process and other public discussions surrounding proposed wind facilities. Twice per month, the NY Wind Power Education Project will distribute this email bulletin on wind energy issues and events around New York State. If you would like to forward announcements for possible inclusion in the WPEP Bulletins, simply email Anne Reynolds, areynolds@law.pace.edu . (The same address should be used if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
	The latest Parks, Recreation and Human Services Calendar Update is available on the City of Rochester's web site. Click on the link below (or copy and paste the link into your browser) to view the document. http://www.cityofrochester.gov/prhs/updates/30JUNE06update.pdf
Every Saturday from now through May 12, plus June 16.	Discover spring with a Saturday outing to the “Iroquois Observations” nature programs presented by the Buffalo Audubon Society at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Every Saturday from now through May 12, plus June 16. All programs are free and open to the public.April 2007 Outdoor Newsletter  --from Hike, Bike, Cross Country Ski, Snowshoe and Birding Trail Guide Books
Sunday, June 3, 2007 -12:00 noon to 4:00 pm	Hands-on Activities for all Ages! -Sunday, June 3, 2007 -12:00 noon to 4:00 pm -Champlin Beach Park, Hammondsport, NY -Admission and Parking Free -On the shores of Keuka Lake -Learn water testing and aquatic identification with award-winning Bradford science teacher, Rich Hurley -Exhibitors include “Living Stream” from Bath Fish Hatchery, Cayuga Nation Environmental Task Force, Steuben County Soil and Water, Steuben County Historical Society, Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, Hammondsport Library and Keuka Maid -Music, refreshments and readings about water. Lee Welles will read from her new Gaia Girls book, “Way of Water” -Sponsored by: Steuben County Environmental Management Council and the Steuben Sierra Club Committee -For more information, email steubenwaterday@ecobooks.com  or call 607-569-2114	Champlin Beach Park, Hammondsport, NY
every Saturday	Current Events with the Land Trust - Land Trust. Nature walks, cruises, birdwatching, luncheons and more go on throughout the year in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. --from Finger Lakes Land Trust  Get the Summer Talks & Treks 2006 Schedule: (requires .pdf)
	ASES National Solar Tour The American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour opens thousands of homes and buildings throughout the country to provide the public with an opportunity to experience solar power, solar heating, cooling, and hot-water, wind power, daylighting, and green building technologies. Visit a tour and learn energy efficiency strategies and methods, speak with homeowners and experts, and learn how the technology works, what it costs, and why it makes sense. These are “Real Places for Real People” that show real solutions for energy independence, places contributing to a sustainable energy economy. Read more about the tour and ASES. >>> Find a Tour Near You  - 2006 Tour Information 2006 tour information is posted by state. Updates may be provided until the tour date. ASES National Solar Tour	Find a Tour Near You  - 2006 Tour Information 2006 tour information is posted by state. Updates may be provided until the tour date. ASES National Solar Tour
June 9, Saturday, 2007 9 am - 4 pm	Genesee Valley Chapter of ADK 10th ANNUAL ADK OUTDOOR EXPO Saturday, June 9, 2007 9 am - 4 pm Mendon Ponds Park Beach Area - Have you ever wanted to just try a canoe or kayak but didn't know where to go? Have you ever wondered if there was a club with your outdoor interests? Here's your chance! The Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club is hosting the 10th Annual Outdoor Expo on Saturday June 9th from 9:00 - 4:00 on the beach at Mendon Ponds Park. The Genesee Valley Chapter has organized this event with YOU in mind! Just come see what you can do in the Rochester area! Demonstrations, discussions and activities will be offered all day on a wide variety of outdoor related topics. This is the perfect opportunity to connect with people that share the same interests as you all in one location! The annual Expo attracts hundreds of people who attend more than twenty workshops on various aspects of outdoor activities. Attendees also view and inspect outdoor gear and try out canoes and kayaks on the Hundred Acre Pond. ADK, other local outdoor clubs, and local outdoor retailers present all of the events.	Mendon Ponds Park Beach Area
June 23rd 10am	WEED WALK  (Click on flyer to enlarge) June 23rd 10am - Horizon Hill Conservation Area of the Perinton Crescent Trail. Parking area next to Harris Beach offices at 99 Garnsey Road. 10 am meet at parking lot (see map at www.perinton.org/southwest.cfm <http://www.perinton.org/southwest.cfm> ). Learn to recognize six of the most significant invasive plant species affecting Monroe County on a walk of Horizon Hill. Experts will participate to answer questions. For a pocket guide on invasive plants of Monroe County, visit Cornell Cooperative Extension. Ask for the “Garden Villains” brochure. For any questions about the Weed Walk, contact Christine Sevilla at 585-685-6085.	Horizon Hill Conservation Area of the Perinton Crescent Trail. Parking area next to Harris Beach offices at 99 Garnsey Road. 10 am meet at parking lot (see map at www.perinton.org/southwest.cfm
June 2-10, 2007	Here’s a chance to help clean up or organize a clean up of a nearby river in June of 2007: Volunteers Wanted: www.NationalRiverCleanup.org WASHINGTON, DC - Millions of tons of trash wind up in our nation's rivers and streams every year, and American Rivers is harnessing the environmental passion and community pride of thousands of people to do something about it. The nation's leading river advocacy organization is encouraging citizens to take part in National River Cleanup Week, presented by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and set for June 2-10, 2007. This annual event, which kicks off a series of cleanups across the country, falls during National River Awareness Month next year. Since its inception by America Outdoors in 1992, National River Cleanup Week has helped to raise public awareness of the magnitude of trash accumulating in our nation's waterways. Over the years more than 500,000 volunteers have participated in over 4,500 cleanups across the country, covering more than 100,000 miles of waterways. This past spring saw a record 422 cleanups, with an estimated 60,000 volunteers removing trash from their local rivers and streams. "A healthy river is a valuable asset to any community, and we're encouraging everyone to be a part of a program that has removed over 1,000 tons of litter and debris from beloved rivers and streams all over the nation," said Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers. "A cleaner river is a healthier one, and healthy rivers benefit all the communities through which they flow." Not just a worthy cause, the cleanups also are fun for everyone. That explains why so many environmental organizations, civic clubs, paddle-sports groups, federal and state agencies, and schools organize these events in their local communities. "You can't find a more hands-on way to get people directly involved in protecting the rivers they love," added Wodder. Anyone wishing to organize a cleanup can do so by first identifying a stretch of river, stream or shoreline, and then registering the event online. The website offers helpful tips for conducting a successful cleanup, including how to recruit volunteers and promote the event to the public. American Rivers supplies trash bags for every cleanup. To register a cleanup or volunteer to participate, visit: www.nationalrivercleanup.org . As part of its support, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is offering a free coffee mug and coffee sample to organizers who register their cleanup online by April 15, 2007. Corporate sponsors - including Old Town Canoes and Kayaks, Perception kayaks, Wilderness Systems, and Thule car racks - are providing free prizes to lucky volunteers who win various contests (best photo, video, publicity, and student essay). ### Founded in 1973, American Rivers is a national non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy natural rivers for the benefit of people, wildlife and nature. American Rivers has over 65,000 supporters nationwide, with offices in Washington, DC and the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, California and Northwest regions. www.AmericanRivers.org <http://www.8americanrivers.org/> . Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is dedicated to providing the richest aroma and flavor, for the highest quality coffee experience. Green Mountain Coffee travels the globe to purchase the finest coffees, batch roast them to peak flavor, and vacuum package them fresh for your enjoyment. www.greenmountaincoffee.com  <http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com/>	To register a cleanup or volunteer to participate, visit: www.nationalrivercleanup.org
When	What	Where

**Action**  (The Internet makes environmental action easier.) Check out these items and help out http://rochesterenvironment.com/action_rochester.htm   RochesterEnvironment.com has made it easy to act on environmental issue by searching for all online environmental actions pertaining to our area.

Actions you can take for June 2007:

• **ACTION**  I have not come across any specific online environmental actions for our area, but here’s are three personal ideas: Contact your public representatives to make sure there are sufficient funds for studies on the VHSV, as according to the Science Friday interview, these studies presently depend on grants.  But in a situation so grave (this present outbreak is the largest of its kind in North American’s history) to our area’s economic and environmental health there should be no cost spared to understand and prevent it.  We should also contact our public officials about the Collapse Colony Syndrome, a condition I have explained in previous newsletters where pollinating honey bees leave their hives and do not return.  Situations like these two concerns are not isolated environmental hot topics, but potential long-term environmental indications of collapse.  They are not other people problems, they are ours.  And, I would ask that all pester our local media to do in-depth stories of the changes being made to upgrade the coal-burning plant at Russell Station.  There are environmental news stories every month about moratoriums and local attempts to block the construction of wind turbine farms and yet, as the public rages about the ravages of these turbines on birds, bats, and our aesthetic sensibilities, all do so under the invisible and significant release of green house gases.

Rochester-area Website of the Month:  The Rochester area has over 80 environmental groups. Rochester Environmentalists http://rochesterenvironment.com/environmentalists.htm  Each Month, I highlight a Rochester-area website that helps promotes finding environmental information on the web.

• Rochester-area Environmental Site of the Month:  The Rochester Environment Meetup Group (Rochester, NY) - Meetup.com We are concerned with a set of problems we recognize as affecting how environmental changes we desire become stymied. We started with a concern about Global Warming. And now have our focus on trying to reticulate possible, real paths toward solutions. My particular issue is the illegal use of DU. I have shared this with the Group. And Kathy Kittel is going to essay the information as she finds it. Hank Stone's particular concern is the effect of "peak oil": our whole manner of living and thinking seems destined to be changed. Please join the discussion. Hank Stone's "Problems and Solutions", scribed from our February and January Meetings is a "must read". Request it.