October 2006 news

• www.ny.gov - GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $5.8 MILLION TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY - Funding to Support 60 Projects to Reduce Runoff and Improve Aquatic Habitat - Governor George E. Pataki today announced more than $5.8 million in grants for 60 water quality improvement projects throughout New York State that will help to reduce the amount of pollution in waterways and restore critical aquatic habitats. - “Our efforts to improve water quality in the Empire State are vital to ensuring that people have access to clean, healthy water and our pollution does not harm important aquatic habits,” Governor Pataki said. “These grants support local water quality improvement projects and will provide needed funding to restore, preserve, and protect our water resources. We are pleased to partner with local communities in this effort and will continue to provide assistance to promote beneficial projects.” - Monroe County Stormwater Coalition – $16,174 for the purchase of a hydroseeder for critical area seeding. - NYSDEC Press Office - Governor Pataki's Environmental Press Releases
• 9/12/2006~Red knot named candidate for Endangered Species Act protection The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it has designated the red knot, a migratory bird, as a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection. The announcement was published in today?s ?Federal Register? as part of the annual Candidate Notice of Review, an appraisal of the list of plants and animals that may warrant protection under the Act. In 2004 the Service initiated a status review for the red knot through the internal candidate assessment process, according to Marvin Moriarty, Northeast regional director for the Service. The candidate determination also serves as a response to petitions subsequently filed requesting protection under the Act. The Northeast Pennsylvania Audubon Society requested emergency Endangered Species Act protection for the Atlantic coast population of the red knot. In 2005, the Service received two additional petitions ? one initiated by Defenders of Wildlife, and one initiated by the Delaware Riverkeeper Network ? both requesting emergency protection. In response to the petitions, the Service found that the red knot does not warrant temporary protection under the Act?s emergency provision because the threat to the bird is not imminent, although its population has experienced a significant decline. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Home
• Monroe County Selected by the CDC as a "Model Community" Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks announced that Monroe County has been designated as a “Model Community” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This honor is being bestowed on Monroe County for the county’s successful emergency preparedness efforts. - MyMonroe. Opening Up Government. | Monroe County, NY
• Development threatens farmland - Preservation issues arise as areas such as Farmington grow - With a loss of 20 percent of its farmland to development from 1992 to 2004, Farmington's fate is similar to other western Ontario County towns, according to a report by the Ontario County Planning Department. Of the 25,252 acres in Farmington, 13,358 acres were classified as agricultural in 2004 compared with 16,627 acres in 1992. The number of farm operators in Farmington is estimated to have dropped from 32 to 27 over the past six years, and just 11 of them are full-time farmers, said farmer George Ayres, a member of the town's Agricultural Advisory Committee.  (September 25, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• WXXI: Volunteers Canvass City for Lead Hazards (2006-09-21) ROCHESTER, NY (2006-09-21) A group of 30 volunteers walked through North Clinton Avenue neighborhoods in Rochester Thursday afternoon, passing out information on childhood lead poisoning. The volunteers are with the AmeriCorps chapter at Monroe Community College and they were working with Rochester's Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning. (Sept 24, 2006) Public NewsRoom
• MPNnow.com: Duckweed clogs shore  Meanwhile, blue-green algae has bloomed on the east side of Canandaigua Lake. - CANANDAIGUA — Duckweed has turned portions of Canandaigua Lake into a sea of green confetti. The small, round plant arrived with the rains from Hurricane Ernesto and grew thick at Bob Krokus’ home on West Lake Road. (Sept. 17, 2006) Messenger Post Newspapers
• RIT aids in emissions study - U.S. initiative gives $2 million to fund a 5-year research project— HENRIETTA — Every gallon of gas you pump into your car comes out the tailpipe as, among other things, roughly 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. Now scientists and policy makers around the globe are seeking ways to cut gas emissions that are considered a major factor in rising temperatures worldwide. To help take the guesswork out of the impact of policy changes on automakers, consumers and the environment, a federal initiative — the National Science Foundation's Materials Use: Science, Engineering and Society program — has given $2 million to researchers from Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan to develop a computer model that will map out the impact of different scenarios. (September 24, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Wayne County, Golisano mull wind power— LYONS — Wayne County leaders will continue to discuss whether to delve into the wind power business with billionaire Tom Golisano. Golisano and his newly formed company, Empire State Wind Energy LLC, have been talking with communities across upstate New York in recent months about taking the issue of wind farms into their own hands. The goal, Golisano said, is to provide financial and technical support to communities so they, rather than outside private companies, would be in control of where wind farms are located — and potentially reap the profits of energy distribution. (September 20, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Study shows New York State mercury pollution more widespread than previously reported - Mercury pollution has made its way into nearly every habitat in the U.S., exposing countless species of wildlife to potentially harmful levels of mercury, a new report from the National Wildlife Federation shows. The impacts in New York State raise significant concern during the state's comment period for a draft power plant mercury emissions rule. (September 20, 2006) New York State News on the Net!
• Stresses flood Great Lakes - U.S. weighs massive restoration plan; scientists say the time to act is now - WASHINGTON — The Great Lakes restoration plan before Congress addresses myriad problems that scientists say are threatening the Great Lakes. The lakes, environmentalists say, are showing signs of extreme stress from toxic contaminants, invasive species and development that has destroyed more than half of the wetlands that normally buffer the lakes from pollution.   (September 15, 2006)  Democrat and Chronicle
• Great Lakes protection stalling in Congress - (September 15, 2006) — A massive grass-roots plan to safeguard the ecological future of the Great Lakes may be endangered on Capitol Hill. -  (September 15, 2006)  Democrat and Chronicle
• Invasive species are lakes' worst enemy — Excerpts of an interview with Donald Scavia, a University of Michigan natural resources professor, on the Great Lakes: (September 15, 2006)  Democrat and Chronicle
• No new money for Great Lakes cleanup WASHINGTON -- Despite calls for federal financial assistance from scientists and state officials, the Bush administration says it won't be investing billions of dollars in new funding for cleaning up the Great Lakes. The admission came Wednesday during a U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee hearing as members of Congress, including Michigan's Rep. Vern Ehlers, quizzed Bush officials about the administration's financial commitment to Great Lakes restoration. (September 14, 2006) MLive.com - Everything Michigan
• Wayne County man is state's first West Nile death this year - A Wayne County resident has died after contracting the mosquito-borne West Nile virus — the first human death from the illness in New York state this year. It is also only the second West Nile death north of New York City and Long Island since the New York state Health Department began keeping records in 2000. A person died from Schuyler County in 2003. (September 13, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• East Rochester school getting new power source - District hopes to have fuel cell in operation next month— EAST ROCHESTER — The East Rochester Union Free School District has begun laying the groundwork for its new energy source. The concrete foundation for the district's 200-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell is expected to be installed within a couple of days, said Michael Mamo, assistant superintendent for business. Plumbers have also begun running pipes from the boiler room into the area where the fuel cell will be housed on the district's campus. (September 12, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Some commuters kick out their cars - Environment - MSNBC.com Cars a cash hole In 2004, U.S. households spent an average of $650 a month on transportation, of which only a fifth was gasoline and motor oil, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rest was mainly the cost of the car, insurance and repairs. Only $37 was spent on public transportation, which includes air travel. Today's News from MSNBC - MSNBC.com
• The City's Neighborhood Empowerment Team, Department of Community Development and Law Department will host an information forum for city residents and landlords on the City's new lead paint legislation, 6 p.m., Wed., Sept. 13 at the NET Area F Office, 500 Norton St. NET, DCD and Law staff will present the City's implementation plan for the first year of the lead ordinance, passed in Dec., 2005 by City Council. The new, comprehensive ordinance is designed to make Rochester's rental housing stock lead safe over the next three years by a combination of inspection and testing, interim controls of properties with lead paint, and education of tenants and landlords on the dangers of lead to children. - PUBLIC (City of Rochester News Release - 09/11/2006)
• Anglers Advised Not to Move Fish Between Water Bodies The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising anglers of the negative effects of moving fish from one body of water to another. Whether purposely or accidentally done, stocking of fish is illegal without a DEC permit. Introduced fish species can negatively affect the fishery and aquatic ecosystem of the waters they are released into by preying on fish already present, out-competing native species for food, spreading diseases and changing the amount, size, and type of microscopic organisms in the water. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation - Protecting NY's Environment and Managing its Natural Resources
• Lead Free Funding To Help 50 Homes  - 2010. It's the year Greater Rochester hopes to rid itself of the threat of lead paint. We learned Tuesday the local effort to do that is 80-percent complete. The latest effort to meet that goal is a $376,000 program funded by the Monroe County and run by the city of Rochester. (September 6, 2006) R News: As It Happens, Where It Happens
• Residents living near contamination site want medical bills paid - News - MSNBC.com It's been several years since chemical contamination was cleaned up from a G.E. small appliances plant in Brockport, but questions remain about whether there could be a possible cancer cluster near the former site. The issue was argued in the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court in Rochester on Wednesday.  (September 06, 2006) Rochester, NY news from WHEC-TV - MSNBC.com
• Victor to air two park plans - Village-town meeting designed to elicit public comment - — VICTOR — The joint Town Board-Village Board meeting tonight will feature a presentation and public hearing on master plans for two Victor parks. The 7 p.m. meeting will be at Town Hall, with a presentation of the master plans by Doug McCord, owner of McCord Landscape Architecture of Penfield, followed by a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. and a possible vote by the boards on the plans. (September 11, 2006)Democrat and Chronicle
• EPA pulls plug on spray string toys — The federal Environmental Protection Agency has asked stores to pull from their shelves illegal spray string toys manufactured in Asia that violate American regulations to protect the ozone layer. (September 10, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Pending federal rule may threaten bodies of water - Easing transfer process sparks contamination fears — A pending federal rule could open Lake Ontario to the risk of new invasive species, the nutrient pollution that feeds seasonal algae blooms and the bacteria that can make swimmers sick, according to environmentalists and state attorneys general who have formally opposed the change. "We think it opens up doors for all kinds of mischief," said Jim Tierney, an assistant New York attorney general. Known as the water transfer rule, the change would give businesses and communities the right to shift water from one body to another without taking the cleanliness of the water into account by applying for federal pollution permits. (September 5, 2006)
• More mosquitoes test positive for West Nile in Rockland The level of West Nile virus activity in Rockland County is on the rise, even as the temperatures drop and the mosquitoes that carry the disease are less active, health officials said yesterday. Five batches of mosquitoes trapped in the county during the week of Aug. 21 tested positive for the disease, which is spread between birds and mosquitoes. People can contract the potentially fatal virus through a bite from an infected mosquito. (September, 09,06) THE JOURNAL NEWS: LOHUD.COM
• Owners' lead law worries lessen - With 1,500 rentals checked, about 70 percent have passed city test— Predictions that Rochester's older rental housing would be so riddled with lead hazards that most units wouldn't meet new city regulations have so far proved false. More than 1,500 city rental houses and apartments have undergone lead hazard tests since the regulations took effect July 1. City Hall estimated that more than 60 percent would fail. So far, about 70 percent have passed. (September 5, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
• Lead paint partnership announced in Monroe County  - Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy Tuesday announced a new partnership benefiting 50 housing units in the city. Under the arrangements of the plan, which will be presented to the county legislature for approval on September 12, Monroe County will accept $376,500 in federal Housing and Urban Development funding originally allocated to the City of Rochester for lead paint remediation. New York State News on the Net!
• KILLER CARP! Coming soon to a Great Lake near you? In the meantime, Asian carp have closed within 50 miles of Lake Michigan and turned large sections of the Mississippi and Illinois rivers into carp havens where little else can survive. (September 6, 2006) Detroit Free Press - www.freep.com
• MPNnow.com: Development a hot topic for lake watchdogs The Canandaigua Lake Watershed Alliance held its annual meeting Saturday, hearing from a developer and an attorney. CANANDAIGUA — To see what a hot-button issue lakefront development has become, one only needed to be seated among the 100 or so members of the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Alliance as they gathered for their annual meeting Saturday morning. (September 03, 2006) MPNnow.com: Local News