Updates Aug - Sep 05

Daily Message for August and September of 2005

•  09/28/05 -- **EVENT**  Living with the Coyote - Program & Lecture by the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club: Tuesday, November 15th, 7PM -9PM at 2300 Elmwood.  No other North American animal has more misinformation perpetuated about it than the Eastern Coyote. Just the sight of a coyote gives most people an adrenalin rush that makes them think they have to 'do something' about the presence of this animal.  Learn what can be done to protect our pets and how we can best avoid conflicts. Learn the natural history of coyotes and sort myth from fact.  
•  09/28/05 -- **EVENT** RENEW NY Open House - Oct. 4th, 2005 - What: RENEW NY Open House. Exhibits from early stage renewable energy and fuel cell companies in Western, Finger Lakes, and Central NY regions. Network with entrepreneurs, politicians, investors, and others interested in new companies and new jobs in renewable and sustainable energy. Open to guests and the public. Where: Rochester Institute of Technology Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies - Building 78, Conference rooms 2210/2240 - 111 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY http://inside.rit.edu/maps/  When: Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - 5:30P to 7:30P - Why:  Learn more about early stage companies in NYS in biofuels, solar, wind, and fuel cell energy systems. Network with entrepreneurs, peers, investors, politicians, NYSERDA, potential partners, and academia, customers, etc.  About RENEW NY: Renewable Energy Network of Entrepreneurs in Western New York (RENEW NY) is dedicated to helping early stage renewable energy companies start and grow in the western portion of New York State. RENEW-NY is supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and is a joint program between RIT, High Technology Rochester and Greater Rochester Enterprise to encourage the creation and success of new Alternative Energy Companies in Western New York.  Hope to see you there! Larry Simpson - Director, RENEW NY  http://www.renew-ny.org/
•  09/25/05 -- **ACTION** Get the Study, make comment: Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS)  The GEIS evaluates the environmental consequences of the adoption of a lead poisoning prevention ordinance by the City of Rochester. (5 magabyte PDF file -Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader)  Lead study up for comment - A study gauging the impact of three proposed changes to Rochester city code that would make lead paint cleanup mandatory, particularly in pre-1978 rental properties, is the subject of a public hearing Tuesday at City Hall. Some studies have rated Rochester as one of the 10 U.S. cities with the worst lead paint problems. It remains in thousands of older homes and is especially dangerous when ingested in the form of paint chips or dust. Children age 6 and younger are most at risk. To see the study, go to www.cityofrochester.gov , click on "Your Government" and "What's New," or pick up a copy at the city clerk's office, public libraries or NET offices. The hearing is at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 30 Church St. (Sept. 25, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle
•  09/25/05 -- **EVENT** 09/25/05 -- 7th Symposium on Off-Flavours in the Aquatic Envrionment 7th International Water Associations (IWA) Specialty Symposium on Off-Flavours in the Aquatic Environment will be held in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada on October 2-7, 2005 - The International Water Association (IWA) is a global network of water professionals, spanning the continuum between research and practice and covering all facets of the water cycle. We are pleased to welcome you to participate at the 7th International Water Association (IWA) Symposium on Off-Flavours in the Aquatic Environment. The event will bring together international specialists from academic institutions, research centres and industry, and participants interested in water supply and water cycles to discuss source treatment, perception, control and effects of off-flavours. We are also pleased that the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences (SLRIES) has agreed to organize the event. Established in 1994, the SLRIES is located in Cornwall, Ontario (Canada) on the shoreline of one of the largest river ecosystems in the world.
•  09/25/05 -- Useful information: Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative (CSII) - Cancer Mapping and Related Information The Cancer Surveillance Improvement Initiative (CSII) began in 1998. It is designed to answer questions of many New Yorkers about the cancer incidence in their communities. It provides maps of cancer incidence; maps of risk factors, including environmental information, also will be produced. CSII also provides information on cancer, its possible causes and how to interpret maps and graphs. Learn more about this project see About CSII
•  09/25/05 -- **EVENT** Conservation Story of the Century: DIRECTOR OF CORNELL’S IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER TEAM TO REVEAL SEARCH DETAILS IN OCTOBER SPEECH HERE - ROCHESTER, N.Y.,– An insider’s story of the rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker will be presented Thursday, Oct. 13 by Ron Rohrbaugh, director of Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Ivory-billed Woodpecker Research Project. His speech -- “A Feathered Needle in a Haystack” -- is sponsored by the Rochester Birding Association and will be open to the public. Rohrbaugh, who spent a good portion of last winter in the swamps of the Arkansas Big Woods as co-manager of the search team, will regale the audience with behind-the-scenes details of the historic search and a first-hand report of the progress to date. Scientists throughout the twentieth century had tried to prove the bird extinct, and a well-publicized search in Louisiana in 2002 failed to find the woodpecker.
  Just when everyone through this most regal of woodpeckers was gone for good, a persistent search in Arkansas’s Cache River and White River National Wildlife Refuges revealed its continued existence in what many consider to be the conservation story of the century. The electrifying discovery made headlines around the world last spring. “The Ivory-billed Woodpecker epitomizes the resiliency of our natural world. If recoveries of the bald eagle and peregrine falcon weren’t enough, anyone who still doubts the efficacy of three decades of conservation need only look to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker for inspiration. I hope that the discovery and continued survival of this magnificent bird will finally galvanize Americans to become unified stewards of our world’s natural resources,” Rohrbaugh says. Rohrbaugh’s speech is part one of this unfolding story. The search team returns to Arkansas this winter, and on Feb. 15, 2006, Cornell’s Tim Gallagher, a co-discoverer of the bird and author of the The Grail Bird:
  Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, will provide an update on the Ivory-bill research program's activities as part of the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series. Call 585.271.4320 or go to www.rmsc.org for more information on this event.
  Rohrbaugh will speak at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 13 in the Rochester Museum & Science Center’s Eisenhart Auditorium, 657 East Avenue, Rochester, N.Y.
  Tickets are $5.00, and can be reserved by calling (585) 385-0834. Advanced reservations are recommended as seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on the Rochester Birding Association, please visit www.rochesterbirding.com .
  ## Media Contact: Sandy Mauceli, Rochester Birding Association, (585) 385-0834, smauceli@lightyearmarketing.com
•  09/18/05 -- Get this important and comprehensive directory of Environmental Organizations in our are.  Many of the listings do not have web sites.  CEI Directory of Environmental Organizations CEI's Directory of Environmental Agencies and Organizations in the Rochester-Genesee-Finger Lakes Region is now available! The 2004 edition of the Directory is now available. It includes over 350 listings, covering the counties of : Chemung - Schuyler - Genesee - Seneca - Livingston  -Steuben - Monroe - Tompkins -Ontario - Wayne - Orleans - Yates -Federal, state, and local government agencies concerned with the environment are included. The Directory has both a Table of Contents and an Index to assist identification of agencies or organizations by name or by subject, e.g. parks, planning, health. --from Center for Environmental Information (CEI) for environmental information on: acid rain north coast conference New York Rochester info
•  09/16/05 -- Someone made a difference in Rochester's Environment, Wayne Harris:  Conservationist Wayne Harris dies — Wayne Harris' mission in life was to leave the world a better place than he found it. Upon his death from an illness Sept. 5 at age 79, few could deny his success. Long before groups like Greenpeace and events like Earth Day brought saving the environment into vogue, Mr. Harris wore the label "environmental activist" with pride. He took up the cause against pollution in 1951 and by 1970, a Democrat and Chronicle columnist dubbed him the Monroe County area's "most powerful conservationist." (September 16, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle
•  09/13/05 -- Cleaning up the Great Lakes.  A lot of local groups, including the Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club gave comment:   Water, water, everywhere... Forty million people a day (maybe you?) drink from them. They're a full fifth of the planet's fresh water. Yet in places --- consider Charlotte Beach --- the Great Lakes are often not even safe to swim in. Now there's yet another plan afoot to restore them. A year ago, then-EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt was in town to announce, from the deck of a Rochester research vessel, a $20 billion strategic plan to improve the Great Lakes. Based on the timing (and George Bush's abysmal environmental record), cynics might easily have dismissed the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration as an election-year pork promise to a swath of swing states. But a year has come and gone, and the project is still with us. In fact, earlier this summer the collaboration released a draft report. The last of six public hearings around the Great Lakes was held last week at the University of Buffalo. Rochester's Hugh Mitchell spoke, representing the state Sierra Club. For the most part, Mitchell's concerns lined up with what the draft report stated as its priorities. But there was one glaring difference: mercury. Plans to reduce the presence of the heavy (and heavily toxic) metal in the lakes "are unacceptably weak," according to Mitchell's testimony, "in that they mirror the administration's Clear Skies program." The Sierra Club wants sharper and faster reductions, specifically from coal-fired power plants like RG&E's Russell Station --- 90 percent by 2011.(SEPTEMBER 7, 2005) City Newspaper
•  09/12/05 - Something we should think about in order to ensure our Water Quality: Road salt may turn waters supplies toxic Newburgh – It's a rusty reality for winter drivers in the Northeast: Salt makes the wheels go round. But new research from the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook suggests that a rotting undercarriage isn't the only price to pay for increased traction on icy roads. Scientists studying chloride concentrations in streams say surface waters in the Hudson Valley could become toxic to people and wildlife over the next 100 years if road-salting trends continue. (Sept. 12, 2005) recordonline.com - The Times Herald-Record, serving New York's Hudson Valley and the Catskills
•  09/12/05 -- **EVENT**   DEC Announces Statewide Meetings on Chronic Wasting Disease- NYSDEC Press Release Information on Response to Discovery of Deer Disease Will Be Provided - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced a series of statewide meetings to be held during the month of September to inform the public of DEC efforts in response to the limited discovery of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in wild and captive white-tailed deer in New York State. Meetings are being held in all nine DEC regions. A complete listing of dates, times, and locations is attached. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources  For the Rochester area: Chili; September 21 (Wednesday) 7 p.m. - Chili Town Hall, 3333 Chili Ave., Chili. 585- 889-6125. Directions: From I-490 West, take the Rte.386 exit (Exit 5) toward Chili Center. Turn left onto Rte. 386 (Chili Center Coldwater Rd.). Turn right onto Chili Ave. (Rte. 33A). Enter through middle door. -- Canandaigua; September 19 (Monday) 7 p.m. - Ontario County Safety and Training Facility, 2914 County Rd #48, Canandaigua. 585-396-4310. Directions: From Rtes 5 & 20, turn north onto Smith Rd (near Walmart.). At the stop sign, turn right (east) onto County Rd 46. After ½ mile, turn left (north) onto County Rd 48 to end.
•  09/12/05 -- **ACTION** Only a few more days to comment: September 16, 2005 - Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy Announced - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan recently announced the release of the draft Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS), which provides a blueprint for maintaining the rich diversity of wildlife species that live in New York. The public is invited to comment on the plan through September 16, 2005. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources
•  09/12/05 -- Lead Poisoning report.  Read the Childhood Lead Screening Report --from  Report Urges Improved Lead Testing Of Children Calls on State Health Department to Improve Lead Testing Reporting Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today released a report urging improved testing of infants for lead poisoning. The report includes the Attorney General’s Top 10 recommendations to increase childhood lead testing in New York. One of the key concerns raised in the new report is that one-year-olds in New York may not be getting tested, as required by law. The report specifically urges HMOs and state health officials to make concerted efforts to ensure these one-year-olds are tested in greater numbers. "No child in New York should suffer from lead poisoning simply because he or she was not tested in time," Spitzer said. --Office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
•  09/07/05 --  I have seen several positive steps in the Renaissance Square project. As promised by Maggie Brooks, there have been several public hearings where the public can help shape this project. And, it looks as though the developers have actually listened because I’m hearing talk about ‘green’ (energy efficient) buildings, bringing the bus station up to street level, instead of underground, preserving some historical buildings, keeping the traffic congestion at a minimum, isolating idling buses from the public, and cleaning the air from the buses through a sophisticated filtering system. Underground terminal out in revised RenSquare plans - The Renaissance Square underground bus terminal is no more. Renaissance Square lead designer Moshe Safdie unveiled a conceptual design for the downtown project Wednesday evening that scrapped the original bus terminal plans and tackled head-on some questions skeptics had about the bus station. As well, Renaissance Square became better defined, portrayed in renderings as an airy, well-lit downtown project combining public courtyards, ground-level retail space, gardens and greenery with its three major elements — a Monroe Community College satellite campus, a bus terminal and a performing arts center. (September 8, 2005) Democrat and Chronicle
•  09/07/05 -- **EVENT** 20th Annual International Coastal Clean-up - Requires Adobe® Reader®  8:30 AM, Saturday, Sept. 17 -  Water Education Collaborative -  Saturday, September 17, 2005 - Want to Make a Difference? Our area’s extensive waterfront is a unique community resource. Whether you’re an outdoor-oriented individual or involved in a group, like scouts, schools or a church... Here’s a wonderful opportunity to help protect our water and have fun! Last year, over 1,000 volunteers collected over 5 tons of trash locally! Feel Doing our part to clean our watershed and keep pollutants out of storm drains and ultimately local water bodies such as streams, bay, and lakes. A watershed is the land the water flows over to get to the lowest point. Rain or Shine! Start time 8:30 am - •Genesee Valley Park - •Durand Eastman Beach - •Turning Point Park •The Seth Green Drive Fishing Site - •Community Water Watch Sites •Hamlin Beach (9 am-12 pm)  •Irondequoit Bay Marine Park •Greece Ponds • Braddock Bay • Meridian Centre Park - doing our part to clean our watershed and keep pollutants out of storm drains.
•  09/07/05 -- **EVENT** -from The Rochester Regional Group of the Sierra Club:  Orientation General Meeting - The Sierra Club, John Muir, and You - 7:15 PM, October 6, 2005, Brighton Town Hall - Over the years, we have conducted many educational programs on environmental issues for the Rochester area. On October 6th at 7:15PM at the Brighton Town Hall, we will step back and explain in more detail who we are and what we do. With a quick summary and a great film, we will answer the question: What is there about the Sierra Club that causes so many people (over 700,000 nationwide) to reach out to their neighbors to “Explore, Enjoy, and Protect the planet.”
•  09/07/05 -- Environmental job opportunity from Monroe County website: Department of Human Resources Environmental Facilities Mechanic Trainee - Job Information: This is a training position in the field of wastewater collection, conveyance, treatment and solid waste processing. Incumbents will be given various mechanical assignments over a 24-month, structured training period and will learn and master the skills required to perform the mechanical work of the facilities. Upon successful completion of the 24-month training period, incumbents are promoted to Environmental Facilities Mechanic. Incumbents may be required to work in all types of weather, including extreme hot and cold, ascend and descend up to one hundred feet, and perform work in small, cramped spaces. Incumbents who do not successfully complete the training period will be removed from the position...
  
•  09/07/05 -- **EVENT** Rochester Area Mycological Association presents the annual “Weekend of Wild Mushrooms”. Join us for events on September 24thand 25th. Saturday, September 24th, the 9th annual Tanghe Foray takes place at the Parade Grounds Shelter in Letchworth State Park. Meet at 10 a.m. for this two-hour search for wild mushrooms. All mushrooms to be displayed as specimens at Sunday’s “Mushroom Mania”. Appropriate walking and weather gear recommended. Sunday, September 25th, the 19th annual mycological fair, “Mushroom Mania” will take place at Brighton Town Lodge on Westfall Rd. In addition to the fresh mushroom display, there will be herbarium samples, demonstrations of cooking and of the cultivation of mushrooms. Learn about papermaking and fabric dyeing using local fungi. Bring one fresh sample of a mystery mushroom that you would like identified. There will be activities for all ages including a kid’s table, microscopy opportunities, habitat displays and an information and resource table. Mushroom Mania is open from 12:00 Noon until 4 p.m. For more information e-mail: mushroominfo@frontiernet.net  or call RAMA president, Don Tumminelli at 585.346.6085. Both events free and open to the public, donations accepted.
•  09/04/05 -- **ACTION**From Metro Justice Pack the City Council Chambers - Tuesday, Sept 6 - 7 pm - 30 Church Street, downtown Rochester (down the street from the Federal Building)  Rochester's lead problem is considered among the worst in the nation  - In Monroe County almost one out of ten children is poisoned by lead paint, nearly double the national average. Most of these children live in the poorest sections of the city. In Rochester 25% of our children are poisoned by lead, and in some areas the figure is closer to 40%. These children are six times more likely to have learning disabilities. These children are seven times more likely to drop out of high school. These children are robbed of nearly $475,000 each in lifetime earnings because of lost IQ. The Rochester City council is currently working on legislation to address the lead poisoning problem. They need to hear from their constituents on this issue. In order to protect our children from lead poisoning we need to: 1. Target investigations in neighborhoods presenting the greatest lead poisoning risks 2. Identify and repair houses, before children get sick 3. Use lead-safe work practices 4. Warn people of lead hazards in houses built before 1978 at purchase, rental, and/or when doing any repairs to houses 5. Protect tenants from being punished for asking for lead-safe housing  See you there, -Jon Greenbaum, Metro Justice Organizer
•  09/04/05 -- **EVENT** Be a part of one of the largest development project in Rochester's history: Third Renaissance Square Workshop September 7 - Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Renaissance Square Project Partners announced that the third public workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center... Monroe County
•  09/04/05 -- Last Chance: Great Lakes Regional Collaboration: Draft Report Great Lakes Regional Collaboration draft strategy: Comments due by Sept. 9  The public is invited to submit comments on the draft GLRC report until Sept. 9, 2005. The GLRC is a wide-ranging, cooperative effort to design and implement a strategy for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes.
•  08/26/05 -- **ACTION** The search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Arkansas will continue in November. Meanwhile, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Arkansas are organizing search teams involving volunteers who can commit to two-week blocks of time. For those interested, information and an online application form are available from the News section of our Ivory-billed Woodpecker web site, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/ivory .
•  09/03/05 -- Heat for your home is going to be expensive this year.  Burning fossil fuels is warming up the planet and that's not even the half of it.  Maybe you should think of an alternative: Geothermic heating: IGSHPA - Down to Earth Energy What is IGSHPA?
  The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) is a non-profit, member-driven organization established in 1987 to advance ground source heat pump (GSHP) technology on local, state, national and international levels. Headquartered on the campus of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, IGSHPA utilizes state-of-the-art facilities for conducting GSHP system installation training and geothermal research. With its access to the most current advancements in the geothermal industry, IGSHPA is the ideal bridge between the latest technology and the people who benefit from these developments. - Mission - The mission of International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) and its membership is to promote the use of ground source heat pump technology worldwide through education and communication.  Here are two places in Rochester, New York to find Geothermic heating: 1. Peter Smith Stantec 2250 Brighton Henrietta Town Line Road Rochester NY 14623 585-413-5635 phsmith@stantec.com -  www.stantec.com   2. Thomas Piekunka, P.E. Piekunka Systems, Inc. PO Box 17131 Rochester NY 14617 585-670-0636 piekunka@rochester.rr.com  
•  09/03/05 -- Is this attitude the wave of the future?  Ontario begins pit bull ban - billingsgazette.com TORONTO - Ontario on Monday became the first province in Canada to ban pit bulls in the wake of vicious attacks by the dogs, but defiant owners have already challenged the law. The measure makes it illegal to breed pit bulls or bring the dogs into the province. Those already in Ontario will be allowed to stay on a restricted basis, provided they're spayed, and leashed and muzzled in public. There's a 60-day grace period, until Oct. 28, for owners to comply with the law. Any pit bull born after that will have to be shipped out of the province, sent to a research facility or destroyed. (August 30, 2005) billingsgazette.com
•  09/03/05 -- **EVENT**  Harvest festival planned at Tinker - A harvest festival will take place next Saturday at Tinker Nature Park, 1525 Calkins Road, Henrietta. The free event takes place from noon to 3 p.m. and features home harvest demonstrations, honey sampling, children's crafts, activities and a horse-drawn hayride. For more information, call (585) 359-7044.  --from Democrat and Chronicle
•  08/27/05 -- Crucial in the role of Rochester's Environment is the Rochester mayoral race.  What do the candidates have to say about the most important issue of the campaign--the Environment? For, as Carl Sagan said: "If you don't have clean water to drink and air to breather, anything else you want to do is not going to happen." Check the candidates sites: BobDuffyForMayor.com  Tim Mains for Mayor  Wade Norwood for Mayor   Chris Maj for Mayor John Parrinello for Mayor  Or, you can try: City Newspaper: Election 2005
•  08/26/05 -- **ACTION**  Lead Poisoning is always a major concern here in Rochester.  To do something about it, why not join Metro Justice in their "Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning" campaign.  Call them at 585-325-2560 or e-mail them at metro@frontiernet.net
•   GreenTips Home (Index) How Clean Is Your Car? Cars and trucks are a major contributor to ground-level ozone (smog) in the United States and generate more than 20 percent of this country’s heat-trapping gases. Even if your vehicle seems to be running smoothly, it could still be emitting high levels of smog-forming pollutants, so routine emission testing, proper maintenance, and smart driving habits are critical to keeping your vehicle as clean as possible.  -from Union of Concerned Scientists
•  08/29/05 - **EVENT**  Animal Rights Advocates is pleased to announce ~ we will be tabling at VEGFEST - Sunday 8/28/05  http://www.communityanimalproject.org/ "Community Animal Project" of Syracuse NY is hosting this 1st NYS VegFest: an all-day event: Vegan food, music, guest speakers: - Harold Brown - Howard Lyman  - Erik Marcus - George Eisman  and much more ... see the beautiful VegPeace logo,
  and all details for VegFest, on their link above.  Have your group table too, or just come and enjoy the day ... come out and support this wonderful gathering in Upstate NY. Many thanks to Shawn DeLeo for bringing forth this event.  See you all there,  Lois Baum, President Animal Rights Advocates of Upstate NY - www.ARAUNY.org  SAVE ANIMALS, ONE PERSON AT A TIME. COMMUNITYANIMALPROJECT.ORG
•  08/06/05 -- **ACTION** Report details threat from invasive species - In the environment, there are no Hell's Angels. But there are outlaws more dangerous than their mild names suggest. They're called invasive species — non-native plants, animals, bugs and microbes that hitchhike into new ecosystems and flourish like bandits. (August 3, 2005) — Democrat and Chronicle -What you can do - Look up the full report on the Web at www.dec.state.ny.us . To get a copy by mail, call the state Department of Environmental Conservation at (518) 402-8924. Send comments on the plan by the end of September. By e-mail: fwhabtat@gw.dec.state.ny.us , with "ISTF Report" in the subject line. By mail: Steve Sanford, NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 12233-4756, Attn: ISTF Report. Note: Only written comments are accepted.
•  08/06/05 -- Environmental Damage is Worldwide: ENN: Environmental News Network [[Today's News Full Story ]] Commander Eileen Collins said astronauts on shuttle Discovery had seen widespread environmental destruction on Earth and warned Thursday that greater care was needed to protect natural resources. Her comments came as NASA pondered whether to send astronauts out on an extra spacewalk to repair additional heat-protection damage on the first shuttle mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. --from ENN: Environmental News Network
•  08/06//05 -- August is time to thing about West Nile Virus: Check in with the New York State Department of Health on West Nile Virus Updates: West Nile Virus Update - 2005 West Nile Virus Update - See the latest results below. (The page will be updated each Monday by 1:30pm)
•  08/06/05 -- Some good information: What are the Stormwater Phase II Regulations? from Monroe County Public Health Department - In 2003, New York State established new permits for stormwater discharges as part of the implementation of the Federal Clean Water Act. The new requirements are generally referred to as Stormwater Phase II and are designed to reduce water pollution caused by stormwater runoff. Stormwater runoff is water from rain or melting snow that does not soak into the ground but runs off into waterways. As stormwater flows toward the nearest waterway, it collects and transports pollutants. Common pollutants associated with stormwater runoff include sediment, animal waste, salt, pesticides, fertilizers, and automotive fluids. As significant progress has been made in reducing the discharge of pollutants from industrial facilities and municipal wastewater (sewage) treatment plants, greater attention is being focused on stormwater runoff. Stormwater is a major contributor to many widespread water quality problems including nuisance algae blooms, beach closures, and the loss of fish and wildlife habitat.
•  08/06/05 -- **ACTION** Volunteers Needed for Watershed Clean Up - from Monroe County Public Health Department - Would you like to help improve and protect our local streams, rivers, and bays, as well as Lake Ontario? Volunteers are needed for the annual Watershed Clean Up scheduled for Saturday, September 17th from 8:30 until 11:30 a.m. Clean up sites will be located throughout the community. Sponsored by the Water Education Collaborative (WEC), the Rochester Museum & Science Center, the City of Rochester, Monroe County, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the 4H Earth Girls, and Wegmans, this local event is part of the International Coastal Clean Up. In 2004, more than 1,000 local volunteers collected more than 5 tons of trash along area waterways. This year, the Stormwater Coalition of Monroe County is providing financial support for the event as a way of encouraging public involvement in efforts to reduce stormwater pollution. For more information or to register online, visit the "Calendar of Events" at www.thewec.org  or contact Noreen Mazurowski with the WEC at 271-4552 extension 324.
•  08/09/05 -- **ACTION** Pack the County Legislature Meeting To Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning - 6pm Tuesday - August 9 - County Office Building - 39 West Main Street, downtown Rochester - In Monroe County almost one out of 10 children is poisoned by lead paint- nearly double the national average. Most of those children live in the poorest sections of the city. In Rochester 25% of our children are poisoned by lead, and in some areas the figure is closer to 40%. And because most of the children being poisoned live in the crescent (the poorest neighborhoods) this issue is about race and class.  How do children get poisoned? Lead paint dust is created through the friction of opening and closing windows. Toddlers crawl around on the ground or stand at the window sill where there is lead paint dust and put their hands in their mouths, or they eat the paint chips. Rochester's lead problem is considered among the worst in the nation. 900 children were lead poisoned in Monroe County in 2002 - These children are six times more likely to have learning disabilities - These children are seven times more likely to drop out of high school - These children are robbed of nearly $475,000 in lifetime earnings because of lost IQ - Lead Poisoning causes:  • Lower IQ  • Reading difficulties • Problems with writing, drawing and construction • Clumsiness that could exclude a child from fully engaging in sports and other activities • Attention problems that can lead to academic underachievement and behavior problems in class • Decreased impulse control leading to antisocial behavior and juvenile delinquency. • Children who are lead poisoned are much more likely to engage in juvenile crime than statistically identical children who are not lead poisoned • Adults who were poisoned as children suffer increased:  1. Osteoporosis  2. Kidney disease  3. Hypertension  Lead poisoning costs Monroe County - Most of the cost, like most of the damage, is masked. The financial impact is felt in: -Medical costs (primarily Medicaid) -Special education  -Juvenile justice  -Lost future earnings and related lost tax revenue  Maggie Brooks’ Pilot Lead Poisoning Program is all Carrot and no Stick  Because 90% of the children that are poisoned in Monroe County are from families receiving public assistance, the county can play a crucial role in protecting our children from lead poisoning.  In order for a landlord to receive housing subsidies from the county the landlord needs to pass a quality home inspection (QHI) or “move-in move-out.” The county checks to make sure the electrical wiring is safe, the stairs are up to code, windows are intact etc.  But the county doesn’t currently check to make sure that the house does not present a lead poisoning hazard to the children living in that home.  If the county can require landlords to make sure the electrical wiring is safe and the windows are intact then the county can mandate that children have a minimal level of safety from lead poisoning.  This will cost some money, but there is money available for landlords to fix windows, doors and porches and the community needs to come together to locate other local, state and federal funds to insure that landlords can provide lead-safe housing.  We wouldn’t let our children live in a fire trap. We shouldn’t put the children of Monroe County at risk for lead poisoning either.  Maggie Brooks pledged to do something about the lead poisoning problem. Her pilot project asked landlords receiving housing subsidies if they wanted to have their buildings inspected for lead and offered assistance if the buildings presented lead hazards. Of the 59 landlords surveyed only 17 agreed to have their units inspected. All 17 houses tested positive for lead. Only 3 landlords, representing 4 units, took the county up on its offer to contain the lead hazards.  That means that the county currently knows that children living in county subsidized housing are at risk for lead poisoning and the county is doing nothing to require the landlords to address the lead hazard. The pilot program is all carrot and no stick.  The county must fix this problem. The chairmen of the Human Services Committee of the County Legislature have agreed to meet with us. We will keep you informed of their response.  Please join us on August 9th at the county legislature to send a message that county government needs to work for all the families in the area. -Jon Greenbaum, Metro Justice Organizer
•  Deer Attacking Pets?  I have not read this article, so I cannot vouch for this article's validity.  Just the headlines.  But, I have never heard of a deer attacking a pet.  Among all the things I have heard that deer do to make our lives miserable--ruining our cars, our yards, and making life a living hell for those who drive and live in the country--I have not heard of an instance of a deer attacking a pet.  This items should go out to the world's news and may even eclipse the Karl Rove/CIA leak.  City deer in cross hairs - Canandaigua officials may turn to hunting to control a deer population that has caused accidents, ruined lawns and attacked pets.  CANANDAIGUA - Residents on North Pearl, West Gibson and Chapel streets asked members of the city's Environmental Committee Thursday to do something to control an increasing deer population that is wreaking havoc in their lawns and on the roads. Daily Messenger
•  Good Food: Greater Rochester Urban Bounty Since 1999, The Greater Rochester Urban Bounty (GRUB) has been farming two market gardens and a vineyard in the northeast sector of the city during the summer months. Our produce is grown without pesticides or chemicals, and we use only approved organic fertilizers. We have a compost site to help make the precious organic nutrients for our growing crops. The Greater Rochester Urban Bounty is a program of the NorthEast Neighborhood Alliance (NENA). The NENA is an initiative committed to the revitalization of northeast Rochester through citizen empowerment and ownership. The NENA plans and coordinated development projects in the Upper Falls, South Marketview Heights and North Marketview Heights neighborhoods and serves as the Neighbors Building Neighborhoods (NBN) Sector 10 planning committee.
•  How safe is our bathing water? NRDC: Testing the Waters 2005 - A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches The report, "Testing the Waters," which covers ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches, identifies the best and worst performers when it comes to protecting beachgoers from contaminated water. NRDC also makes recommendations to all levels of governement and citizens  -- NRDC's annual survey of water quality monitoring and public notification at U.S. beaches finds that closings due to bacterial contamination are on the rise nationwide. Across the country, pollution caused nearly 20,000 days of closings and advisories at ocean and Great Lakes beaches last year -- more than ever recorded in the survey's 15-year history. The 2005 survey is based on information reported for 2004.