RENewsletter October 2, 2011

RENewsletter | October 2, 2011

The Free environmental newsletter from RochesterEnvironment.com

“Our Environment is changing: Keep up with the Change.”

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[9/25/11 – 10/02/11]

* Got news? | Go to my blog: Environmental Thoughts - Rochester, NY or Tweet me @ http://twitter.com/#!/FrankRrrr On Twitter, I post local environmental events, news, and commentary as soon as it happens. If you think this newsletter, which continually informs our community on our local environmental news, events, actions, is worthwhile, please encourage others to sign up.

The great conundrum of our times is that in a time of rapidly occurring Climate Change and a rapid disintegration of the environment that we need to thrive and survive, mainstream media still marginalizes environmental concerns. [Check often for this continually updated list on the possible consequences of Climate Change in our region--supported by facts.] If there isn’t a quick and substantial change in how environmental concerns are reported, edited, and chosen in mainstream media, the public will continue to believe that environmental concerns are merely special interest matters, issues they can avoid if they choose. How can we inform the public and monitor our environment without abridging our Freedoms--in enough time to safe ourselves?

Anything else you're interested in is not going to happen if you can't breathe the air and drink the water. Don't sit this one out. Do something. You are by accident of fate alive at an absolutely critical moment in the history of our planet. -- Carl Sagan

[Hyperlinks work by CTRL + click to follow a link]

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Opening Salvo: “The perfect recycling bin for the Rochester, NY region”

One of the most popular displays at the Rochester Sierra Club’s and the Zero Waste Committee’s booth at Greentopia Festival was the perfect recycling bin. Since April, Monroe County expanded plastics recycling to include #3-#7 plastics and so our Zero Waste committee made a mockup of the perfect recycling bin. What goes into that perfect recycling bin? Check this list MONROE COUNTY CURBSIDE RECYCLING & RECOVERY .

Of course, for the Zero Waste committee the perfect recycling bin would be no bin at all. “Zero waste is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Any trash sent to landfills and incinerators is minimal. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.” Zero waste - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia From the beginning of a product’s life to the end there would be no waste.

However, we are a long way from Zero Waste. Just getting folks to recycle is difficult, let alone trying to get industry to forgo elaborate packaging and new designs so their projects are ready to be reused and recycled. The public, the shopping public, desires their stuff in the most attractive and personalize way possible—which is an anathema to reengineering it all back into an environmentally friendly afterlife.

There are products that are difficult to recycle, some that don’t have a market, and (let’s be honest) a lot of folks who just don’t want to bother recycling even when the perfect recycling bin stares at them in the face. I’ll ignore trying to remedy this last excuse because the chances of someone who has no interest in recycling getting this far in this essay is about the same chance that Superman or Superwoman will save our planet.

For those who do care, there is a lot of thinking going on about recycling by individuals and groups and kids coming out of college wanting to do good for the planet. The Sierra Club thinks about it a lot because one of the issues with trashing the planet with trash is the Climate Change connection. For the Sierra Club, Zero Waste and Climate Change go together: Climate Change > Zero Waste > Sierra Club

Stop Trashing the Climate” provides compelling evidence that preventing waste and expanding reuse, recycling, and composting programs — that is, aiming for zero waste — is one of the fastest, cheapest, and most effective strategies available for combating climate change. This report documents the link between climate change and unsustainable patterns of consumption and wasting, dispels myths about the climate benefits of landfill gas recovery and waste incineration, outlines policies needed to effect change, and offers a roadmap for how to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within a short period. Significantly decreasing waste disposed in landfills and incinerators will reduce greenhouse gas emissions the equivalent to closing 21% of U.S. coal-fired power plants. This is comparable to leading climate protection proposals such as improving national vehicle fuel efficiency. Indeed, preventing waste and expanding reuse, recycling, and composting are essential to put us on the path to climate stability.”

At Greentopia, at the Zero Waste table, we had a chance to talk to the general public about hard to recycle stuff, how happy folks were with the new expanded recycling, and how impossible it is to get those who don’t recycle to recycle. The real conundrum, as far as I can see, is that we often forget who or what we are. We are not a species that was sent down from another planet to trash this planet and then go to another planet and do the same thing. We evolved here and by some freak of evolution have become the most ‘intelligent’ species and the stewards of Earth—and mostly we act like a bunch of adolescents who’ve suddenly been given the keys to a candy and beer store. If there isn’t an immediate and certain retribution for trashing the planet, what’s to change our behavior?

Certainly not landfills, which encourages the delusion that our stuff is being taken care of properly and helping the environment by providing a methane power source (which at best is only 20% of this wildly effective greenhouse gas) that landfills produce. The rest of the methane warms our planet’s atmosphere.

Certainly, not the marketplace; the marketplace can find markets for some trash, but the marketplace, the invisible hand, has no special love for our environment. As a matter of fact the market place rather hates being told what to do—like being responsible to our environment. The marketplace is merely a mindless, economic, algorithm that allows many to forfeit their moral responsibility to this planet by demanding that we conduct our behavior by how much it pays. (This might explain why there are a lot of Hollywood movies about ‘hit’ men and women: Hey, killing people pays and that’s OK.

OK, I’ll get back on topic: The perfect recycling bin will attract some folks who just need a little nudge to do the right thing. The rest of the public who thinks recycling is a code word for ‘boring’ are not going to take responsibility for their product’s complete life until someone slaps them with a fine. Then, they’ll rant and rave because they’ll think big government should get off their backs and stop taxing them—which, by the way, pays for those folks who (in some communities) come and take away their trash.

If only we could force the ant community to haul away all our stuff. There are a lot of them and they do this sort of thing anyway, mindlessly carting stuff away. They’d just happily busy themselves in their little ant numskull ways marching our spent stuff to who-knows-where-or-cares and we’d be free of even thinking about trash altogether.

FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com (Click on my email for feedback)

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NewsLinks – Environmental NewsLinks – [Highlights of major environmental stories concerning our area from the past week]

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Updates – Daily Updates – [Connecting the dots on Rochester’s environment. Find out what’s going on environmentally in our area—and why you should care? Clicking on -DISCUSSION – will take you to my blog “Environmental Thoughts, NY, where you can add your comments.]

10/01/2011 - The problem with treating our environment like a business is that bankruptcy is not an option. Too often we vote for business folks who did well in the business world. The GOP election chatters on about no taxes and jobs and nary a peep about our environment. It has become popular folklore that this maniacal devotion to the free market place translates into voting for political leaders, and even a political party that believes our country should run like a well-ordered business. more...
10/01/2011 - Who knew? Earthworms, some of those industrious little creatures that break up our soil are invasive and a little too industrious. Invasion of the Earth Worms! - YouTube Invasive species of earth worms have made their way north in the United States and are doing their job too well! They've moved into formerly worm-free forests, which rely on undecayed leaf matter. When worms decompose that leaf layer, the ecology may shift, making it uninhabitable for certain species of trees, ferns and wildflowers. It's of particular concern in the Great Lakes region when anglers simply dump their bait worms back into the soil, creating a difficult environment for old growth sugar maples, and other plants and animals.
10/01/2011 - Fracking forum coming up that discusses the Marcellus Shale and the Utica Shale. Rochester, NY is in the Utica Shale. Fracking Forum to be held in Dundee, NY A consortium of groups and businesses are sponsoring a forum on fracking at the the Dundee Central School Auditorium, Dundee, NY on Oct, 17th. It will start at 7:00PM. Horizontal, High Volume, High Pressure Hydrofracking: “fracking”, is a highly controversial form of unconventional, methane gas drilling which is used in various black shale deposits like the Marcellus and the Utica strata. This industrial process is currently supported by Governor Cuomo. It could possibly start sometime next year, with as many as 2500 wells / year drilled after a first year start-up of an estimated 100 wells. Large areas of Yates Co are currently under lease including the area from which Dundee draws its drinking water. more on their flyer.
9/30/2011 - Looks like Fracking is coming to a community near you so you might has well find out what kind of neighbors the ‘Frackers’ are going to be: New source of information for Americans facing oil and gas drilling in their communities | Amy Mall's Blog | Switchboard, from NRDC "NRDC is very pleased to announce the launch of: Don't Get Fracked, a toolkit for citizens around the country looking for sources of information on the permitting and drilling processes, legal rights, environmental information, health resources, local organizations working on these issues, and more. We are regularly contacted by people from across the country who have learned that oil or gas drilling is coming to their neighborhood and are seeking credible information on what to expect, how to prepare, their rights, and what they can do to protect the land, water, air, and health in their communities. Many people are alarmed by the thought of oil and gas operations in their backyard, as happened to this family in Pennsylvania that had a giant waste pit for a neighbor: " NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council - The Earth's Best Defense
9/29/2011 - A short essay by James A. Hanson on Climate Change. “Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology, his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in 1988 that helped raise broad awareness of global warming, and his advocacy of action to limit the impacts of climate change. In recent years, Hansen has become an activist for action to mitigate the effects of climate change, which on a few occasions has led to his arrest.” James Hansen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Here is a quote from this essay: “Monarchs are just one of many species in danger. IPCC WGII (2007) estimates that, if business-as-usual (BAU) CO2 emissions continue this century, between 21% and 52% of all species will be committed to extinction. Humanity is putting pressure on species in many ways, but the principal factor determining how many species will be exterminated is global warming and the consequent shifting of climate zones, which has proceeded with unprecedented speed over the past 30 years (Tipping Point).” Read on: It's a Hard-Knock Butterfly's Life Can a Lady Monarch Provide a Role Model? First the bad news. It has been a tough year for milkweeds and Monarch butterflies on our 7½ acres in eastern Pennsylvania. Common milkweeds that we transplanted from Frogtown Road two years ago ("Storms of My Grandchildren"), and later fertilized, grew so large that many fell over until supported by bamboo sticks – but their large leaves failed to attract any butterflies. Exotic milkweeds that we planted by our pasture, where we let our neighbor's horses graze, grew well. However, two of the horses are 18-hand draft horses (like Budweiser Clydesdales, but coal-black) with neck and head so huge that they could reach over the fence. They don't eat common milkweeds, but they chewed the exotic milkweeds almost to the ground. The only successful milkweeds were some other exotic ones, which my grandson Connor started in pots and I transplanted near the house. One or two Monarchs flitted about these a few weeks ago. When I looked closely, I noticed that the persistent Monarch had a broken (incomplete) wing. It was a female, as revealed by the black 'veins' in the wings (Figure 1), which were thick and did not include two black nodules." Dr. James E. Hansen http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1
9/28/2011 - New York State: No! for renewable energy and Yes! for greenhouse gases and Climate Change The New York State effort to dramatically lower our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by the Great Lakes Off –Shore Wind Project is now dead. This venture by the New York State Power authority would have garnered 150-megawatts of electricity. GLOW died because it was going to be too expensive, too ugly, too noisy, would kill too many animals, would lower too many property values, would be too disruptive for fishing, and just angered too many people. It was so annoying to so many folks. Yet for all that, whether true criticisms or not, wind power on a large scale is renewable energy that does not contribute to Climate Change. Just about all other large-scale energy sources in New York State (except water power) and certainly hydrofracking, which is on track to be passed in NYS, will add GHG in the form of escaping methane gas and carbon dioxide when it is burned for heat. more...
9/27/2011 - Let’s ‘self-certify’ that Climate Change isn’t happening and our environment is doing great I was non-plussed by story ripping around the web this morning that in New York State we are going to be able to ‘self-certify’ that we can see well enough to drive. This must be a good idea because there were only 30,797 fatal vehicle crashed in the US in 2009. (from Fatality Analysis Reporting System Encyclopedia). Of course, not all these deaths were caused by poor eye sight, but still, given a transportation system that wreaks such calamity on humanity as traveling our highways you’d think we do everything in our power to curb some of that carnage. more...
9/27/2011 - Climate Change: Is it an scientific issue or an emotional one? Interesting essay: Avoiding Global Warming Stories : Krulwich Wonders... : NPR I got a call the other day from some producers I very much admire. They wanted to talk about a series next year on global warming and I thought, why does this subject make me instantly tired? Global warming is important, yes; controversial, certainly; complicated (OK by me); but somehow, even broaching this subject makes me feel like someone's put heavy stones in my head. Why is that? (September 26, 2011) Environment : NPR
9/26/2011 - Major talk on Fracking coming up this Thursday at SUNY Brockport. A “Citizens Fracking Forum“Please join us to learn about the method of extracting gas from the shale rock known as “hydro-fracking.” The controversial method is currently an issue of great public concern and debate. While some experts and citizens see this gas drilling technique as a threat to our environment and potential source of water pollution, others feel it is a vital source of energy and way to revitalize our economy. 7 pm, Thursday, September 29 Seymour Union Ballroom, SUNY Brockport, Brockport, NY Read the flyer.
9/26/2011 - Moving Planet, the effort by 350.org and Bill McKibben, who spoke at Greentopia via Skype last weekend, to focus world attention on Climate Changes boasts of a massive turnout: Check out the photos of people around the world: Moving Planet | A day to move beyond fossil fuels. "Moving Planet was a worldwide day to move beyond fossil fuels, with over 2000 events in more than 175 countries! "
9/26/2011 - Environmentally concerned in Rochester, NY … for a little while If you’ve been getting your news from sources other than mainstream local media, you know that a lot of attention has been focused on our environment lately. A couple of weeks ago, the Tar Sands issue raged in Washington, DC; on September 14th Al Gore began a world-wide attempt to challenge Climate Change deniers with a 24-hour Climate Reality Project; the Greentopia Festival brought 18, 000 Rochesterians to engage in a conversation about our local environment last weekend, and yesterday Moving Planet, another in a series of yearly events by Bill McKibben to focus on Climate Change, happened in Rochester and around the world. For a little while, thousands, probably millions gave their attention to the environment that keeps us alive and expressed their concerns. You would think that given the nature of our environment, that is, the physics, chemistry, and biology of the 4-billion-year experiment of life on this planet, our devotion and attention would be easily sustained. But mostly our focus on our environment only goes on for a little while. In The American ‘allergy’ to global warming: Why?: more...

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Events – Rochester Environmental Events Calendar – [The most complete listing of all environmental events around the Rochester, New York area.] If you don’t see your event, or know of a local environmental event, please send me the info: FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com with (EV event) in the subject line.

October 2011

“Lucy Gal” Date : Saturday, October 1st 2011 Location : 1941 Historical Aircraft Group (Geneseo Airport), 3489 Big Tree Lane Geneseo, NY 14454 |

Project -About the Tuskegee P-51 “Lucy Gal” Project. (A project of the 1941 “HAG”) On April 21st, 1945, the city of Rochester, NY lost a war hero. Flight Officer Leland H. Pennington, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen's 301st Fighter Squadron, was lost over Zadar, Croatia while returning to base from combat. A successful bomber escort mission over the Attnang-Puchheim Marshalling Yard in Austria was Leland's last action for the war effort. During this mission, Pennington was flying a P-51B-10 "Mustang" named "Lucy Gal," after his wife. From the ground up, we are going to build an exact-spec P-51B "Mustang" to honor our local Tuskegee hero. more...

Tuesday, October 4, 2011 6:00PM - 8:00PM | 210 Maplewood Drive City’s Maplewood Training Center

Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice by Richard DeSarra Urban Trail Linkages Public Informational Meeting Notice Tuesday, October 4, 2011 210 Maplewood Drive City’s Maplewood Training Center – use entrance on Bridge View Drive Rochester, NY Proposed Eastman Park Trail – Kings Landing Cemetery to NYS Route 390 Genesee Riverway Trail (GRT) – Relining the GRT from Kings Landing Cemetery to Turning Point Park For details of the project: http://www.cityofrochester.gov/UrbanTrailLinkages/

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

, CANADAIGUA FARMERS MARKET COMES TO SCHOOL The elementary school circle off Pearl St, will be alive as class after class of students energetically go from farmer to farmer buying local produce to either make something in class or take a gift home. They’ll stop by the loud speaker to sing and dance with popular folk musicians Allen Hopkins, Ken Hutton and Tom Taylor. Primary youngsters will pull onions, potatoes and cabbage from the school garden and put in the large pot to make “Stone Soup” to be served by head chef Liz McGrath the next day. Yes, a real stone will be in the pot! The public is invited to join us and buy fresh produce as well. Genesee Valley / Finger Lakes Region Center for Sustainable Living

Wednesday, October 5th from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. | Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620

CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION MONROE COUNTY To Host MAKE YOUR HOME ENERGY EFFICIENT AND HEALTHY Rochester, NY – Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 invites to join us and Joseph Laquatra, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Design and Environmental Analysis at Cornell University, for an illustrated talk on “Make Your Home Energy Efficient and Healthy” on Wednesday, October 5th from 7:00pm – 9:00pm. The talk will cover practical ways to lower your home’s energy bills through state-of-the-art air sealing measures, insulation improvements, increases in heating system efficiency, and others. These steps can lower your heating bills up to 40% and increase the value of your home. Financial incentives that are currently available to make these improvements will be discussed. The talk will also cover making these improvements, while at the same time avoiding moisture and mold problems, high radon levels, and other indoor environmental pollutants. Time will be available for you to ask questions. This is a free event.

When: Saturday, October 8th 2011 from 9am – 2pm | Where: 1 Morrie Silver Way, Rochester, NY 14608 – VIP Parking Lot of Frontier Field

Sunnking Electronics Recycling & The Rochester Red Wings Team Up To Save The Environment With The First Annual E-Cycle Derby ROCHESTER, NY (September 23, 2011) – Help hit a homerun for the environment by recycling your old electronics with the Rochester Red Wings and Sunnking Electronics Recycling, at the first annual E-Cycle Derby. The electronics recycling collection event will take place in the VIP Parking Lot of Frontier Field, located at 1 Morrie Silver Way, Rochester, NY 14608 on Saturday, October 8th from 9am - 2pm. For every pound of electronics that the Red Wings and Sunnking recycle at this event, Sunnking will make a monetary donation to Foodlink courtesy of Sunnking’s We-Cycle Donation Program. So far this year Sunnking has collected half a million pounds of electronics to benefit Foodlink, and is currently on track to hit their goal of 1 million pounds. Residents in the area are encouraged to bring electronics such as laptops, desktops, computer accessories, TV’s, monitors, audio/video equipment, mp3 players, communications equipment, servers & IT equipment, printers, scanners, copiers, fax machines, cellphones, PDA’s, medical/lab equipment, and anything else with a circuit board or cord. Please do not bring items containing Freon (air conditioners, de-humidifiers, refrigerators etc.), gas powered equipment, or household hazardous waste. All hard drives and private information will be securely wiped and destroyed in accordance with all HIPAA, FACTA, GLB and Sarbanes Oxley regulations as well as Sunnking’s EPA R2 Certification. For more information regarding Sunnking’s data security practices, visit www.sunnking.com/data-destruction. For a list of acceptable materials for recycling, visit www.sunnking.com/acceptable-materials. If you have any questions regarding what you can/can’t bring please email info@sunnking.com. Event Details: What: Rochester Red Wings E-cycle Derby Where: 1 Morrie Silver Way, Rochester, NY 14608 – VIP Parking Lot of Frontier Field When: Saturday, October 8th 2011 from 9am – 2pm Cost: FREE! (September 23, 2011) [more on Recycling/Events in our area]

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9 1 PM – 5 PM, LOCAFEST APPLE FAIR AT THE ROCHESTER FOLK ART GUILD, 1441 UPPER HILL RD. MIDDLESEX

Attached is the flyer for the 2ND Annual Apple Fair to be held this year on Sunday of the 2 day Folk Art Guild Open House. Along with visiting all the outstanding studios….ceramics, wood shop, boat building, clothing and an amazing gift shop, one can: * press cider · listen to storyteller, Val Doyle · go on an orchard tour, · visit the root cellar · learn about biochar · sample apple strudel and apple crisp and MORE For more information: Contact Bill Bross, 585-615-6255 or www.living-sustainably.org

October 16, 2011, 2-4PM Temple B’rith Kodesh 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618

Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction Upcoming Forum How Hydrofracking Will Impact the Greater Rochester Area October 16, 2011, 2-4PM Temple B’rith Kodesh 2131 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 Presented by Social Action Committee and Women of Reform Judaism of Temple B'rith Kodesh Sponsored by Interfaith IMPACT of NYS, Interfaith Alliance of Rochester, Social Justice Council of First Unitarian Church, Sierra Club - Rochester Regional Group Organized by R-CAUSE (Rochesterians Concerned About Unsafe Shale-gas Extraction) FORUM KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ANTHONY INGRAFFEA, Ph.D., P.E. Dr. Ingraffea is the Dwight C. Baum Professor of Engineering and a Weiss Presidential Teaching Fellow at Cornell University. He did R&D for the oil and gas industry for 25 years, specializing in hydraulic fracture simulation and pipeline safety, and twice won the National Research Council/U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics Award for Research in Rock Mechanics. Some of his many professional accolades: · Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1991, · Co-Editor-in-Chief of Engineering Fracture Mechanics in 2005, · ASTM’s George Irwin Award for outstanding research in fracture mechanics in 2006, · Fellow of the International Congress on Fracture in 2009. Recently, he has been deeply engaged in informal education regarding hydrofracking with over 50 public presentations over the last year. Other speakers TBA

Oct, 17th. It will start at 7:00PM | the Dundee Central School Auditorium, Dundee, NY

Fracking Forum to be held in Dundee, NY A consortium of groups and businesses are sponsoring a forum on fracking at the Dundee Central School Auditorium, Dundee, NY on Oct, 17th. It will start at 7:00PM. Horizontal, High Volume, High Pressure Hydrofracking: “fracking”, is a highly controversial form of unconventional, methane gas drilling which is used in various black shale deposits like the Marcellus and the Utica strata. This industrial process is currently supported by Governor Cuomo. It could possibly start sometime next year, with as many as 2500 wells / year drilled after a first year start-up of an estimated 100 wells. Large areas of Yates Co are currently under lease including the area from which Dundee draws its drinking water. more on their flyer.

RIDE THE BUS FOR FREE ON CRITICAL MASS TRANSIT DAY (OCT. 20)

Critical Mass Transit Day October 20, 2011 | Rochester Cycling Alliance RIDE THE BUS FOR FREE ON CRITICAL MASS TRANSIT DAY (OCT. 20) Reconnect Rochester, RTS Partner to Stop the Exodus of $1.5 Million Vanishing from the Local Economy Daily (September 29, 2011) Rochester Cycling Alliance [more on Transportation in our area]

Green Drinks: October Third Thursday event, October 20, 2011 from 6 - 7:30 2755 Penfield Rd. (Rte 441) Fairport, NY 14450

October Green Drinks will be at Country Way Nursery, located 3 miles east of the Rte 250/441 intersection. Michelle Slominski, the nursery manager will discuss a cool local fundraising opportunity called Goodness Grows (and Penfield Town Supervisor, Tony LaFountain will be there to acknowledge these contributions to local charitable groups) and they grow 95% of their perennials on-site, in a sustainable, earth friendly way. They began growing green since the start, and re-cycling pots since 2001. They encourage customers to return Country Way pots to the nursery to keep them out of the landfills. CEI: Center for Environmental Information

Saturday October 22 at 2 PM | Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89 Savannah, NY 13146

NATURE OF MONTEZUMA LECTURE AT THE MONTEZUMA AUDUBON CENTER: Ducks Unlimited Conservation Program at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex and Across NY State The Montezuma Audubon Center is proud to welcome Sarah Fleming, the new Regional Biologist for Ducks Unlimited, Inc (DU), on Saturday October 22 at 2 PM. Sarah will describe DU’s conservation program, highlighting projects in the Montezuma Wetlands Complex and across NY State. DU conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. The vision of DU is wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. DU will achieve this vision through diverse public and private partnerships to address the full range of factors that continue to erode waterfowl habitat across North America. Sarah Fleming transitioned from DU’s Great Lakes Atlantic Regional Office in Ann Arbor, MI where she worked as the Mitigation Biologist and assisted with delivery of the mitigation program. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from University of Western Ontario where she worked closely with Long Point Waterfowl and Bird Studies Canada. Sarah completed her Master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Mississippi State University (MSU). Work at MSU focused on management of Wetlands Reserve Program lands for waterfowl. She has also worked with organizations such as, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Her experiences include delivery of wetland restoration and protection projects, monitoring and sampling wetland habitat, wildlife surveys, delivery of wetland management strategies, water quality testing, and passerine and waterfowl banding. Sarah is assisting with the delivery of DU’s conservation program and mission in NY. Fee: $3/child, $5/adult, $15/family, FREE for Friends of the Montezuma Wetlands Complex, To register or for more information about the Center or its programs please call 315-365-3588 or e-mail montezuma@audubon.org Montezuma Audubon Center 2295 State Route 89 Savannah, NY 13146 The Center is Open Tuesday-Saturday 10 am- 4 pm http://ny.audubon.org/montezuma.htm

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Action – Take Action - Often, I receive request to pass on alerts, petitions, Public Comments on local developments, and environmental items needing action by the Rochester Community and around the world. I’ll keep Actions posted until their due date.

ACTION: Due date: Now

Take action for our Great Lakes "Speak Out Now to Set the U.S.-Canada Strategy for Protecting our Great Lakes The health of our Great Lakes is threatened by new challenges — including invasive species, climate change, habitat loss and emerging contaminants. The United States and Canada are now completing negotiations on an updated version of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a binational agreemet to address Great Lakes threats. " from Alliance for the Great Lakes

ACTION: Due Dates - Check specific dates

Help preserve and protect Washington Grove Park City of Rochester | Washington Grove Preservation Project Join other volunteers to help the City of Rochester Forestry Division remove invasive plants from the Washington Grove. The focus will be on removing creeping vines including winter creeper, and English ivy which form substantial patches in the Grove. Some volunteers may uproot black swallowwort and lily of the valley. Great progress has been made on removing Norway maples from approximately 10 acres, but stumps are sprouting new shoots and these need to be removed too. You can choose the level of strenuousness to suit yourself. Come, even if only for an hour to help make a difference in preserving this gem of a forest so close to the center of the City. Enjoy the feeling of making a difference, and the company of like-minded folks. For those of you who have worried about vandalism in the Grove, we are happy to report the Mayor has stepped in to take action on this issue. Here are the remaining dates for volunteer work in the Grove this year: Thurs. Sept. 29 remove invasives Sat. Oct. 8 remove invasives, trail work Wed. Oct. 26 remove invasives, trail work Meet at the Nunda Blvd. entrance to the Grove just off Cobb's Hill Drive, 8:30 AM, this Saturday, Sept. 10. Bring a shovel or pitch fork, or tree pruners if you have these tools, gloves, and water. Questions: Call 428-6770, Michael Warren Thomas, Recreation and Parks

ACTION: Take action, due Date: December 12, 201, make public comment, on the most important and immediate environmental concern in our area.

DEC Begins 90-Day Public Comment Period on Draft Hydraulic Fracturing Study - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Four Public Hearings Planned DEC to Move Forward with Hydraulic Fracturing Regulations Concurrently with Draft SGEIS Socio-economic Study Shows Potential for 6,200 to 24,800 FTE Positions with $420 Million to $1.7 Billion in Wages The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation opened a more than 90-day public comment period on its revised draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens announced today. In addition, the agency will issue its proposed regulations governing high-volume hydraulic fracturing in early October. (September 7, 2011) Press Releases - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation [more on Energy in our area]

ACTION due date now

Take action against hydrofracking. Not enthralled with the possibility of hydrofracking in New York State possibly contaminating our drinking water? Take ACTION: Take Action to Help Food & Water Watch Protect the Commons | Food & Water Watch "With mounting evidence that fracking for natural gas is poisoning our air and water, and a national movement against fracking that continues to grow, why is Congress poised to commit us to an energy policy that will encourage even more fracking? Please fill out the form below to take action. Your message will be sent directly to your legislators. To edit the letter, take action here. "--from Food & Water Watch

ACTION: Due Date: now

Major action on Climate Change by Bill McKibben and 350.org. You can take part and act locally. Recruiting Local Businesses | The U.S. Chamber Doesn't Speak For Me "Here’s the plan: If we can get thousands of small businesses across the country to declare that “The US Chamber Doesn’t Speak for me,” we can get local and state chambers of commerce to do the same. By compiling thousands of declarations, we’ll build a critical mass representing the true voice of business, and fight back against the millions of dollars of money pollution that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pumping into Washington DC. " - from 350.org

Action: Due Date - Now

Join a new local Hydrofracturing Action Alert email list by contacting Anna Sears asears@rochester.rr.com. Also the local Sierra Club's Global Warming & Energy Committee has been addressing the topic of Hydrofracturing. They meet the 2nd Monday evening of the month. Contact bteheger@juno.com for more info. Also - you may wish to review this coalition letter Coalition Letter to Governor Cuomo Regarding Executive Order No. 41: Requiring Further Environmental Review of High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing Combined With Horizontal Drilling | Toxics Targeting and Governor Cuomo issued a "continuation" of Executive Order No. 41 on his first day in office, as he earlier signaled he would. See: No. 2 REVIEW, CONTINUATION AND EXPIRATION OF PRIOR EXECUTIVE ORDERS | Governor

ACTION: on or before December 31, 2012.

Review information from webinars and make public comment on “EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment.” DSW Rulemakings for RCRA Hazardous Waste Regulations | Definition of Solid Waste | Wastes | US EPA This page provides information on current and past rulemakings and links to Federal Register Notices specific to the definition of solid waste. | 2011 Proposed Rule EPA is requesting public input on proposed new safeguards for hazardous secondary materials recycling to protect public health and the environment. The proposal modifies EPA’s 2008 Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule, which revised hazardous waste regulations to encourage recycling of hazardous secondary materials. EPA is asking for comment on potential revisions to address concerns raised by the Sierra Club, as well as other environmental organizations. Under a settlement agreement with the Sierra Club that has been filed with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, EPA has committed to take final action on this proposed rulemaking on or before December 31, 2012. Federal Register - July 22, 2011 US Environmental Protection Agency [more on Recycling in our area]

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Award – Environmental Site of the Month Award – [On the last Sunday of each month, we present an environmental award for the Rochester-area environmental web site or blog that best promotes the need to protect and offers solutions for our area's environmental issues.]