July 2006  news (The most recent news stories are at the top.)

• City Takes Lead, Gets Tough on Lead -The city of Rochester gave notice Thursday that it’s enforcing its new lead law, one of the toughest in the country. Jul 27, 2006 R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• DEC: Don't transfer fish from lake to lake— State biologists reminded fishermen this week that moving fish and other organisms from one water to another can have serious consequences. Historically, the Adirondacks offered fishermen tens of thousands of acres of lakes and ponds containing native brook trout. Today, just a fraction of these populations remain, driven out by nonnative species like bass and perch. (July 30, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Dry cleaners shun suspect solvent - N.Y. businesses in forefront of effort to reduce 'PERC' exposure— Many people don't realize that dry cleaning can be a messy business. "People think you waft the clothes over a vat of something and they come out clean and on hangers and in plastic bags," said Judith Schreiber, a scientist who works for the New York Attorney General's Office. (July 31, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• globeandmail.com : What is killing the fish of the Great Lakes? Researchers at the University of Guelph are processing infected fish tissues and developing diagnostic tests to look at a deadly virus suspected in the deaths of thousands of fish in the Great Lakes basin. It's believed the virus could be spreading from one species to another, even infecting fish farms and hatcheries. (July 28, 2006) globeandmail.com
• Progress made in lakes cleanup - Oswego River off problem list, but Genesee remains— The Oswego River was officially removed from a binational list of the Great Lakes' most polluted tributaries Tuesday — the first American site to mark such a milestone. Meanwhile, the Genesee River, which appears on the same list of 43 polluted sites, needs several more years of effort before it can be considered healthy. (July 26, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• City Newspaper: Featured story: Featured story: River views The plan for the harbor is nearly finished. Not everybody likes it. The temperature inside the meeting hall has risen by several degrees. At least that's what it feels like at the public hearing when the question-and-answer period --- which becomes more interrogation than questioning --- begins. (July 26, 2006) City Newspaper
• Newsday.com: New take on protecting waters Gov. George Pataki is expected to sign a bill today that could shift the state's approach to protecting its bays, harbors, Great Lakes and ocean waters -- as well as the plants, animals and fish that live there. Under the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act, the state would embrace an environmental approach known as ecosystem-based management. It would emphasize the overall health of coastal habitats instead of simply focusing on individual stretches of beach or a specific species of fish. (July 26, 2006) Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports
• Webster Wind May Run Sewer Plant  The town of Webster is looking at the wind to help treat its sewage. The town is going to set up a 165-foot-tall tower near its sewage treatment plant to gather data. Jul 24, 2006 R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Penfield peddles bicycling survey - Town hopes to accommodate serious and recreational riders - — PENFIELD — From the standpoint of a bicyclist who rides in the town to stay fit, Blaine Grindle does not think too much of the roads. On busy arteries where traffic is congested, shoulders are sparse if there are any at all, giving bike riders little place to go when vehicles come up from behind, he said. What you can do The bicycle safety and trails survey is available at www.penfield.org . Copies are also available at Penfield Town Hall, 3100 Atlantic Ave. (July 24, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Schumer says chemical plants lack security - Visiting here, he backs bill on anti-terrorism measures - — Standing in front of fuel tanks that loom over a 19th Ward neighborhood in Rochester, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday that chemical facilities pose one of the biggest terrorism risks faced by western New Yorkers. The tanks, at the Buckeye Terminal on Brooks Avenue just east of the Greater Rochester International Airport, are an important economic asset. They could also be a terrorist target, Schumer said. (July 25, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Scientists use oranges to track blue-green algae - Newsday.com SWANTON, Vt.(AP) _ Scientists studying toxic blue-green algae blooms on lakes Champlain, Erie and Ontario are using a low-tech tool to track the blooms' movements: oranges. Lake researcher Greg Boyer joined two assistants for a boat ride out onto Lake Champlain's Missisquoi Bay on Monday to dump two crates of 25 oranges each overboard. "Oranges are biodegradable and they float right on the surface just like algae, so they are good markers for how the algae travel," Boyer said. (July 25, 2006) Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports
• Cleaner Oswego River makes history It's first off the list of the Great Lakes' most polluted  The Oswego River today will become the first waterway in the United States to be taken off an international list of the most polluted tributaries to the Great Lakes, federal officials say. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to announce the "historic milestone" at 1 p.m. in ceremonies at Veterans Park Stage along Oswego Riverwalk West. (July 25, 2006) Syracuse.com: Latest News and More
• Lake control creates winners, losers - Comments still being taken on three options to manipulate Lake Ontario's water levels — Craig Goodrich looks out the door of his Hamlin home at six feet of fragile Lake Ontario beach that could erode with the floodwaters from just one monstrous storm. About 200 miles to the east, in the Thousands Islands region, Rochesterian Al Fink gazes through the window of his cabin at rocky ledges that would keep his boat out of the lake from August to October if lake levels drop at all. (July 25, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Conservancy works to protect city drinking water - Land purchased along shores of Hemlock, Canadice lakes — The Nature Conservancy is buying nearly 1,000 acres of land near Hemlock and Canadice lakes in hopes of stemming development and preserving the purity of the water that most Rochester residents drink. The silent lakeshores are lined with tall maples, walnut trees and, of course, hemlocks. One of the region's few nesting pairs of bald eagles are often seen flying overhead. - (July 22, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Keuka Lake park backers get boost - Citizens trying to save land to honor Curtiss are given $500,000 check — A group of citizens scrambling to turn a wilderness plot along Keuka Lake into a public park honoring aviation pioneer Glenn H. Curtiss has raised half of the $1.35 million needed to try to seize the land from developers. A California charity sent a $500,000 check this week from an anonymous donor who, during a recent trip to New York's Finger Lakes region, read about the long-running feud over whether to preserve or develop the largely unobstructed lakefront in the time-warp village of Hammondsport. (July 21, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Deadly fish virus spreads in Northeast - LiveScience - MSNBC.com A deadly virus found in two fish species in the northeastern United States last month appears to have spread to two more species, scientists said today. (July 21, 2006) Today's News from MSNBC - MSNBC.com
• DEC urges caution after botulism found in birds - Newsday.com ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ The state Department of Environmental Conservation reported Thursday that Type E Botulism was found in gulls and terns collected from Little Galloo Island earlier this month, warning hunters and fishermen to take only waterfowl and fish that appear healthy from along the Lake Ontario shores and St. Lawrence River. The strain of botulism most commonly affects fish-eating birds, causing paralysis and often killing them. If ingested, a toxin produced by the bacteria can harm people. Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports
• WXXI: Hybrid Buses Coming for Rochester (2006-07-19) Public transportation authorities in New York are increasingly turning to hybrid diesel-electric buses to cut costs amidst rising fuel prices. Four such buses went into service in Westchester County this week, and the Rochester area will not be far behind. The Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority expects to launch 19 hybrid diesel-electric buses next May. The buses were ordered from Gillig Corporation of San Francisco, California this spring. Public NewsRoom
• Schumer targets Lyme disease U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, citing a sudden rise in the number of Lyme disease cases in Upstate New York, visited a DeWitt park Monday to announce his push for a federal prevention effort. Schumer said the number of people infected with the tick-borne disease in Upstate counties increased 58 percent from 629 cases in 2005 to 994 cases so far this year. (July 19, 2006) Syracuse.com: Latest News and More
• State Investigates Dead Fish - The state is trying to figure out what is killing thousands of fish washing up on Lake Ontario’s eastern shore. (July 19, 2006) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• County health departments prepare for pandemic situations All area county health departments are preparing for the possibility of a pandemic flu event, Andrew Lucyszyn, director of the Orleans County Health Department said. "Orleans and other counties across New York state are working on documents and procedures to follow in the event of a pandemic," he said. "The various counties and health departments may be at different stages in the process but we are all working toward a program the state wants implemented by the fall." The Finger Lakes Public Health Alliance (FLPHA), of which Monroe County is a part, has been working to develop their response plans as well. Utilizing guidance from both state and federal governments, each county is working with key community partners to develop plans that would become an annex to each county's comprehensive emergency plan. (July 19, 2006) Westside News Inc.
• Wind turbine tour set for Saturday - A bus tour of some of upstate New York's largest wind turbines in Lowville, Lewis County, has been scheduled for Saturday. The tour will depart from the Tim Horton's restaurant in Batavia at 8 a.m. and is expected to return by 6 p.m. Local residents and community leaders will speak, and participants will have the opportunity to view both operating turbines and those that are under construction on the Tug Hill Plateau.  (July 19, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Audubon office to use wind power - Audubon New York will use 100 percent wind energy to power its offices, the statewide environmental group announced recently.  (July 19, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Environmental issues stall Victor Wal-Mart — VICTOR — Citing such concerns as increased traffic and noise, the Victor Planning Board has rejected a developer's plan for addressing concerns about a proposal that would include a Wal-Mart superstore near Eastview Mall. Instead, the Planning Board, working with its own consultant, Stuart I. Brown Associates, will come up with a plan to address the concerns. (July 19, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Thousands of fish wash up on shore of Lake Ontario - Newsday.com LYME, N.Y. -- With thousands of fish washing up on Lake Ontario's eastern shore, state officials are investigating whether the cause is the virus detected this spring in some species, a botulism outbreak or some other factor. "We're conducting tests to see what the larger die-off occurring in that waterway could be the result of," Department of Environmental Conservation spokeswoman Maureen Wren said Thursday. "We sent samples of the species that have been affected to Cornell." July 13, 2006 Newsday.com: News, Entertainment and Sports
• Ginna's Output to Increase by 16% - Constellation Energy plans to boost the output of Wayne County's Ginna Nuclear Power Plant. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a 16.8 percent capacity increase, from 525 to 610 megawatts of electricity.(July 12, 2006)  R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• City Newspaper: Featured story: Featured story: Growth without growth An advocate for smart planning folds; meanwhile, we're still sprawling - Like a lot of people, Neil Jaschik has his e-mail set up to append a quote to each outgoing message. Jaschik's, attributed to the second-century Rabbi Tarfon, reads this way: "It may not be your obligation to finish the task; but neither are you permitted to refrain from beginning it." They're fitting words for anyone engaged in the often Sisyphean task of promoting healthy land-use planning. But they're doubly so considering the contents of the e-mail that accompanied them to our inbox: "I am sorry to have to inform you," the opening sentence read, "that due to loss of funding and staff, the Common Good Planning Center will no longer be functioning as it has in the past, effective July 1, 2006." The e-mail takes a Tarfonian twist, assuring its readers that the center is working to bequeath its mission --- "developing communities in ways that are ecologically sustainable, economically productive, and socially equitable" --- to like-minded organizations in Rochester. - (July 12, 2006)  City Newspaper
• Spencerport officials share plans for wastewater treatment plant Only a dozen people attended a June meeting hosted by Village of Spencerport officials in which plans for the future of the village's wastewater treatment plant were delineated. Many of those in attendance were from the Maida Drive area, adjacent to the facility. "The engineering firm we are working with offered a presentation and explained why we are looking to decommission the plant and what our alternatives are," Mayor Ted Walker said. "Our system needs upgrading - we looked at that and we also took into consideration the potential for increased capacity because of population growth and after that we looked at all our alternatives." ( July 11, 2006) Westside News Inc.
• Water plant picks up speed - Some say proposed facility in Webster isn't needed - — WEBSTER — One of Monroe County's biggest projects, a proposed $128 million water treatment plant, is now on the fast track. But critics are wondering whether the project, which was first talked about more than 40 years ago before the county's population growth leveled off, is needed. The proposal calls for building a treatment facility off Basket Road in eastern Webster capable of pumping 50 million gallons of water a day from Lake Ontario into a network of pipes that extend through most of Monroe and parts of five surrounding counties. The local Sierra Club's report, Watering Sprawl, contends that the facility is not now needed. "We are safer if we maintain the current system," said Hugh Mitchell, a local Sierra Club member who says that the Water Authority is too eager to expand into areas that should remain open space. (July 10, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• The City's Department of Community Development will conduct the fourth and final public meeting on the Port of Rochester Master Plan Study, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Mon., July 17, in the Roger Robach Center, Ontario Beach Park, Charlotte. The community is being encouraged to attend to ask questions and provide input to planning and design consultants, Sasaki Associates, whose design for the Port Master Plan is being based on public input as well as in-depth studies of the area's environmental conditions. Sasaki Associates will present their final design for the Port area based on the two preferred concepts presented at the last public meeting held on April 26. The final design includes proposals for retail, residential, parking and a marina. This meeting will introduce the preferred design concept and allow for public viewing of the refined design scheme for the Port of Rochester. A project web site, located at http://projects.sasaki.com/portofrochester/  provides up-to-date information about the study and also serves as another means for community input.
• Food for Thought: Farm Fresh Pesticides, Science News Online, July 8, 2006 U.S. agriculture has developed a heavy reliance on chemicals to safeguard crops from yield-robbing weeds. However, many of those herbicides can pose substantial health risks to people, pets, and wildlife, which is why laws prescribe how some of these chemicals are handled in fields. A study now finds that trace quantities of such agricultural chemicals nonetheless find their way into consumers' homes—not on the fruits and vegetables they buy but probably by hitchhiking on dust. The findings are disturbing for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the link between pesticide exposure and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a malignancy whose incidence has exploded during recent years. Indeed, the new study was as an offshoot of a larger non-Hodgkin's lymphoma study financed by the National Cancer Institute.
• Area hopes to catch a lift off fuel cell event - For several years, officials have played up the Rochester region's prominence in fuel cell research. Next June, Rochester will have a chance to show off. Rochester will host the Fuel Cell 2007 trade show, a gathering of some of the top technical minds in the growing field, Greater Rochester Enterprise and Fuel Cell magazine publisher Webcom Communications announced. At least 300 out-of-town attendees are expected at the June 13-14 show at the Hyatt Regency. (July 8, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle
• Cornell finds key to hybridizing oaks - ITHACA — Cornell University scientists have unlocked the key to breeding hybrid oaks. With this long-elusive process now understood, Nina Bassuk, the program leader of Cornell's Urban Horticulture Institute, aims to develop tree varieties that are better able to withstand the harsh conditions of city life. Problems with highly alkaline soils, limited access to water, overdoses of salt in winter and tangling with overhead wires have long limited the types of trees that can grow in urban centers. All those problems could be addressed once this new process has enough time to grow suitable trees. (July 9, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle
• MPNnow.com: Canandaigua talks bird flu County officials warn their city colleagues that local governments will be on their own in the event of a pandemic. - CANANDAIGUA — The city's Environmental Committee took a break from the pesticide debate recently to talk about a bug chemicals can't kill: avian flu. Ontario County Health Department officials are trying to get the word out about how important it is for local governments to prepare for a pandemic if the disease mutates into a form that passes easily from person to person. For more information on how to prepare for a possible pandemic flu: www.ontariocountypublichealth.com  or www.pandemicflu.gov .
• Wind energy powering Monroe Litho presses - Move equivalent to taking 140 cars off the road — Monroe Litho Inc. will now get 100 percent of its power from wind energy. "This is a huge commitment and it's just one example of our company's plans to improve and protect our environment," said Chief Executive Chris Pape. The number of companies using "green," or alternative energy, is growing but is still small. At the end of 2004, the most recent compiled data available, about 8 percent of U.S. companies used alternative energy, which could be wind, solar or fuel cells, according to the American Wind Energy Association. (July 4, 2006) Democrat & Chronicle