environment Archives - Page 20 of 133 - The Adirondack Almanack Archive - The Adirondack Almanack

View the 2020-2021 application.

The New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) is announcing its Community Grants 2020-2021 Request for Applications for pollution prevention outreach and education projects. Eligible applicants are able to receive up to $20,000 to fund their project. NYSP2I provides an important funding source for community-focused pollution prevention initiatives.

Proposals are solicited from community organizations, municipal departments, and other public sector and nonprofit entities for projects that raise awareness and understanding of pollution prevention practices and lead to implementation at the local level. Submission Deadline: May 29, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST

Questions? Please contact Gillian Griffin at [email protected] or 585-475-5677.

Pictured here is current grant program recipient Capital Roots. The organization will continue to operate its Urban Grow Center and Mobile Markets for those who are searching for fresh, healthy produce. To ensure the safety of staff, customers and neighbors during this difficult time, Capital Roots has changed their processes to continue operations while remaining in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Restore Mother Nature Bond Act Needed Now More Than Ever

by John Davis

13 Comments

New York State’s latest conservation and environment funding proposal was wisely named. Each of those five words – Restore, Mother, Nature, Bond, and Act – can stand for good; but especially now, some months after Governor Cuomo proposed this fund, and confronting a global pandemic, these words are exactly what we need.

Humanity faces a pandemic now because we’ve been treating Earth not like a planetary Mother but like a shopping mall and garbage dump. Our fragmentation of natural habitat and exploitation of wild species led to this zoonotic disease spreading round the world; and the fundamental antidote is to Restore wild Nature. » Continue Reading.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Lake George delays start of boat inspections

by Melissa Hart

Lake George Park Commission has announced a delay the opening of the Mandatory Boat Inspection Program until June 1, a decision that has full support of the Lake George Association Board of Directors and members.

“At this time of year, we understand there is little risk of transporting and/or introducing viable invasive species to Lake George,” said Kristen Wilde, LGA Director of Education. “That fact doesn’t preclude boaters from ensuring they are following the state’s ‘Clean, Drained, Dry’ directives until the inspectors are present.”

“We want everyone to stay safe and stay healthy,” said LGA Executive Director Walt Lender. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Park Commission now and the inspectors later in the season.”

The Lake George Association is the oldest and most experienced lake protection organization in the country, whose members support water quality protection, water quality monitoring, education and lake-friendly living programs that benefit the watershed from Lake George Village to Ticonderoga.

All the money raised by the Lake George Association goes to projects and programs that benefit the Lake and the watershed, protecting Lake George water quality now and in the future.

For more information, call (518) 668-3558 or go to http://www.LakeGeorgeAssociation.org

File photo courtesy of Carl Heilman

Saturday, April 11, 2020

ADK applauds recent NYS budget measures

ADK applauds New York State legislature for supporting the Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, a $3 billion bond act proposed by Governor Cuomo, which will support habitat restoration, clean energy, and climate resiliency projects throughout the state. “If passed by voters, this bond act will secure New York as the nation’s leader in building tomorrow’s green economy and strengthening our resiliency against climate change,” said Executive Director Michael Barrett in a news release.

The legislature also continued funding the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) at $300 million. The EPF provides essential support for land stewardship, to include an increase of $1.4 million to steward critical areas affected by high use. “During this critical time in the battle against coronavirus, Governor Cuomo, the Assembly and the Senate showed exceptional leadership in producing a budget that retains the funding needed for environmental programs that are essential for rebuilding local economies and combating climate change,” said Cathy Pedler, ADK Director of Advocacy.

Monday, April 6, 2020

Family pitches in with released rehabilitated owl

As part of their at-home learning, St. Lawrence County resident Jade Reynolds, art teacher and her husband, a New York State Police Officer, were doing a lesson incorporating owl pellets into their school work by dissecting them for science.

When DEC Environmental Conservation Officer (ECO) Bret Canary caught wind of their project, he put the concepts into reality by inviting the family to take part in a release of a rehabilitated barred owl. ECO Canary met with the family at their farm and released the owl with the assistance of the two children. Reynolds posted the release live on social media so that her students at Indian River Central School in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, could view it remotely.

Provided photo: Rehabilitated owl in a box getting ready for release

Sunday, April 5, 2020

DEC Seeks Birdwatchers to Contribute to 2020 Breeding Bird Atlas

State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos has announced a call for citizen science volunteers to help in the development of a comprehensive, statewide survey that takes place every two decades to detail New York’s breeding bird distribution. Starting in 2020, five years of field surveys will be conducted by volunteers and project partners to provide the data that will be analyzed to create the third New York State Breeding Bird Atlas.

Saturday, April 4, 2020

Your help needed in obtaining water quality reports

by Ry Rivard

2 Comments

(Calling all citizen scientists! The following is from Water Line, a weekly newsletter by Adirondack Explorer water reporter Ry Rivard.)

Late last year, I began requesting documents from the state of New York to help me understand who around the Adirondacks may be drinking potentially unsafe water.

While larger communities in the state of New York post their annual drinking water quality reports online, not all smaller communities do this.

New York is notoriously slow in responding to requests for public records. To give state officials the benefit of the doubt, it’s a big state and a lot of people want to know things about it. The other explanation is that government officials like to control information, particularly information that might scare people or make themselves look bad.

Friday, March 20, 2020

LGLC Director Named To Land Trust Accreditor

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has announced the appointment of Executive Director Jamie Brown to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee.

Brown had served as one of the eighteen commissioners on the Commission for the past six years before his recent appointment to the Executive Committee of the Commission, where he will help to lead its direction and to work closely with the Land Trust Alliance Board. » Continue Reading.

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Mt Marcy, Influenza And Our Impulses To Protect Public Land

by David Gibson

4 Comments

Whether we seek a wilderness, park, backyard, garden or streetscape, studies show we can expect an emotional, psychological, and physical benefit from regular outdoor activity, interactions with trees or woods, waters and views, however prosaic or sublime. The more we can focus on the natural world around us, the more our powers of awareness grow and the more our minds can grow quiet.

As the First World War slowly ended, another pandemic, influenza, was spreading around the world and killing tens of millions. The impact of losing so many young people so suddenly from that flu, coming on top of so many deaths and injuries resulting from the war itself, must been extremely profound. That time of death, threat and recovery motivated many to get outdoors and to push to acquire more public lands in which to literally “re-create” themselves. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

LGLC Selected As Reusable Bag Program Beneficiary

The Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) has been selected as a beneficiary of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program for the month of March. » Continue Reading.

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

DEC Accepting Applications for Environmental Awards

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced they are now accepting applications for the 17th annual Environmental Excellence Awards program. The Environmental Excellence Awards recognize businesses, institutions, municipalities, and organizations for outstanding commitments to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and economic viability. » Continue Reading.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Woodward Lake Proposal Tests Park Agency

by John Sheehan

12 Comments

The developers who want to turn the small, private Woodward Lake in the Town of Northampton into a housing subdivision have agreed to move a handful of lots away from the water and change some boundary lines. However, the overall plan still doesn’t conserve open space or protect wildlife habitat and should be rejected. » Continue Reading.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

The Plastic Bag Ban: What It Means For You

4 Comments

A new analysis from the Rockefeller Institute of Government examines New York’s plastic bag ban – how the law rolls out, what is prohibited by the law and what is exempt; what it means for customers, retailers, and the environment; and how consumers can best adapt. » Continue Reading.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Viewpoint: State Facilitating Unlimited Access to High Peaks

by Peter Bauer

70 Comments

It seems pretty clear at this point that the state agencies that manage the High Peaks Wilderness Area, and adjacent Wilderness areas, are not interested in limiting public use.

The state is investing in new parking areas, new hiking trails, and a new hiker transportation system that are all designed to facilitate ever-higher levels of public use in the High Peaks, not limit it.

Consider the change underway at Cascade Mountain.