• ......tion and on a shoe-string budget. we are a grassroots operation. this year 2010,we will...

S I E R R A A T L A N T I C 1w w w.newyork.s i e r r a c l u b . o r g • w w w. s i e r r a c l u b . o r g

SierraAtlanticThe Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club — Serving New York State Volume 37 Spring 2010

Will taxes support unprecedentedfactory farm with 72,000 animals?

Wine country beats back Chesapeake

continued on page 7

by Linda A. DeStefano

M any people were shockedwhen ABC and Nightlinebroadcast footage January 26,

2009, of workers at a Cayuga Countydairy mega-operation abusing cowsand calves. The footage was takenfrom a video produced by a memberof Mercy for Animals, working under-cover at the dairy. You can view it athttp://www.youtube.comwatch?v=6RNFFRGz1Qs.

Sadly, the treatment of these ani-mals and other animals imprisonedon factory farms (also known asCAFOs or Concentrated Animal Feed-

S ierra Club volunteers across New York state regularly do the workof three with little or no resources. They are helping to protectclean drinking water from contamination and holding polluters

accountable for their actions. They are teaching the value of energyefficiency and opposing new coal-powered plants. They are readingenvironmental impact statements, press releases, newspaper articles,and e-mails — and that’s just before breakfast! They do all of this, andthen pay to photocopy educational material out of their own pockets,because they know that our funds are limited and precious. Theywould love to be able to expand their efforts, but lack the resources.

This March, the Atlantic Chapter is asking for your support — pleasegive it, because it will be returned to you a hundred-fold, often in waysyou will never hear of because our volunteers are there before a fester-ing problem becomes bad news.

Look for the Appeal letter in the mail. To support the work we aredoing in New York, you could use the reply envelope and tear-off en-closed in the mailing or simply send a donation today to:

Sierra Club Atlantic ChapterPO Box 886Syosset, NY 11791-0886You may write a check payable to Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter in

any amount, or donate by Visa or MasterCard by supplying your ac-count number and expiration date. Contributions, gifts and dues to theSierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Thank you.

Support our volunteerswith annual March Appeal

ing Operations) is not unusual: de-horning and tail docking withoutanesthesia, crowded and filthy condi-tions, little or no vet care for sick andinjured animals, calves being draggedaway from their mothers shortly af-ter birth so that the milk meant forthe calf is instead sold for humanconsumption.

If this operation with 7,000 ani-mals treats the animals so badly,imagine what it would be like at anoperation with 72,000 animals.

Such is part of the proposal ofBion Environmental Technologies, acorporation which is courting the

M ichael Brune, a respectedleader whose strategic visionhas driven a number of im-

portant environmental victories, hasbeen named executive director ofthe Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest,largest and most influential grass-roots environmental organization.

Brune, 38, takes leadership as theclub, founded in 1892 by iconic con-servationist John Muir, plunges head-long into the most important envi-ronmental battle of the 21st century,notching up dramatic successesagainst greenhouse gas-polluters andhelping create the clean energy fu-ture that is the best defense againstpotentially catastrophic climate dis-ruption.

Brune’s alignment with this ambi-tious mission is reflected in his criti-cally acclaimed book, Coming Clean— Breaking America’s Addiction toOil and Coal. Published by SierraClub Books in 2008, the volume de-tails a plan for a new green economythat will create well-paying jobs, pro-mote environmental justice and bol-ster national security.

“The grassroots volunteers andstaff of the Sierra Club have wonsome of the country’s most signifi-cant environmental battles,” saidBrune. “I believe the Sierra Club’sbest work lies ahead, and I’m excitedto be a part of it.”

Allison Chin, president of the

Michael Brune newnational leaderby Sue Smith-Heavenrich

On January 12, not many peoplein the Finger Lakes regionknew that Chesapeake, one of

the nation’s largest natural gas com-panies, had submitted an applicationto convert a natural gas well into adisposal well for toxic gas drillingwastewater. But the news spread tolistserves across the region and bythe time Pulteney town supervisorBill Weber gaveled the town meetingto order 24 hours later, nearly 80people showed up at town hall.

At issue: conversion of a Trenton-Black River natural gas well, theBergstresser 1, into an undergroundinjection well for the disposal ofdrilling wastewater.

Underground Injection WellsDisposal of wastewater produced

by natural gas wells is not trivial. Cur-rently many New York drilling com-

panies are sending their wastewaterto treatment facilities that handleindustrial wastes. But the lack of fa-cilities in our region means longtruck trips to Pennsylvania and Ohio,an option that is becoming increas-ingly expensive.

In areas where there are no treat-ment facilities, a cheaper alternativecould be using old wells, depleted ofgas, as injection wells. The US Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA)regulates injection/disposal wells as“class II” wells under their Under-ground Injection Control (UIC) pro-grams. “Most” of the injected fluid issalt water, EPA points out, brought tothe surface during extraction of oiland gas. But, notes the EPA, the brineproduced from gas wells can containtoxic metals and radioactive sub-stances.

On its website, the EPA explainsthat this brine water “can be verydamaging to the environment andpublic health if it is discharged tosurface water or the land surface.” Its

Digital delivery of Sierra Atlantic?Chapter needs reader e-mail addresses

For budgetary reasons, theChapter’s Executive Commit-

tee has passed a resolution askingmembers to provide their e-mailaddresses in anticipation of thepossibility of partial electronicdistribution of the Sierra Atlantic.

Specifics of electronic distribu-tion had not been developed atpress time but the Chapter willneed members’ e-mail addressesto implement any plan that maybe approved at its next meeting.

Under one scenario, one of thefour annual issues of the SierraAtlantic would be distributed bye-mail to all “registered” members

who request this option. If youlook forward to each issue of theSierra Atlantic to learn about criti-cal environmental issues in NewYork, please make sure your e-mailaddress is registered: visit ourwebsite publications page (http://newyork.sierraclub.org/publications.html) and select “Sub-scribe me to the Sierra Atlanticonline.”

Your e-mail information will re-main confidential. Your e-mail ad-dress will be added solely to a Si-erra Atlantic distribution list. Youwill not be subscribed to otherSierra Club e-mail lists.

continued on page 8

continued on page 7

SPRING 20102 S I E R R A A T L A N T I C

Sierra Atlantic (ISSN 0164-825X) ispublished quarterly for $1 by the AtlanticChapter of the Sierra Club, 353 HamiltonSt., Albany, NY 12210-1709; 518-426-9144,518-427-0381 (fax)

http://newyork.sierraclub.org/

EDITORS Hal Smith and Dorinda White,[email protected]

ADVERTISING Circulation 40,000. Ad rates,specs and deadlines available uponrequest from Bobbie Josepher,[email protected]

ATLANTIC CHAPTER STAFF

Conservation Program ManagerRoger Downs,[email protected]

Chapter Coordinator Bobbie Josepher,[email protected]

ATLANTIC CHAPTER OFFICERS

Chair Susan Lawrence, 518-489-5721,[email protected]

Vice Chair Jeff Bohner, 607-621-8241,[email protected]

Secretary James Lane, 212-697-8942,[email protected]

Treasurer Steve Kulick, 315-476-0695,[email protected]

CONSERVATION

Chair Jessica Helm, 631-849-5373,[email protected]

SIERRA ATLANTIC MISSION The mission ofthe Sierra Atlantic is to educate andenlist the people of New York state toprotect and restore the quality of thenatural and human environment. Wewill do this by providing informationabout important environmental issues;sounding an alarm when the environ-ment is threatened; reporting on theactivities, outings and campaigns con-ducted by the Atlantic Chapter; celebrat-ing nature; and inviting our readers tojoin us.

SUBMISSIONSSend us a letter, an

article, news briefs, com-ments, photos, graphics orother items of interest.Contact the editors at thee-mail address above forsubmission format anddetails. When querying,please write “Sierra Atlan-tic” in the subject line.

DEADLINES –SUMMER ISSUE

May 15 — Final copy andcamera-ready ads due

June 15 — Newsletter mailed to40,000 members

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Message from the Chairby Susan Lawrence

Support Chapter’s work by donating to March Appeal

Hudson resort will lock up invaluable town assets

Letters

Iam writing this while I am draft-ing our annual March fund-raisingappeal letter to our members and

there is so much I want to say.Thank you for your membership,

donations and everything you do toprotect our precious environment inNew York.

Let me assure you that our verysmall Chapter staff and hundreds ofdedicated volunteers at the state andlocal levels will continue to fightvery hard to protect our natural re-sources from pollution and exploita-tion and on a shoe-string budget. Weare a grassroots operation.

This year 2010,we will work hardto elect a governor, state legislatorsand Congressional representativeswho will protect our environment.We need your help to do so.

You may not know that the na-tional Sierra Club only shares a smallportion of your Club membershipdues with the Atlantic Chapter andthat the Great Recession and sloweconomic recovery has severely re-duced that share.

Any donations our members giveto the Atlantic Chapter will stay withthe Chapter to support our work inNew York. There are so many criticalissues we need to tackle.

In 2010, the Atlantic Chapter willexpand even more our efforts to:

• Stop the drilling of 10,000 plusnatural gas wells from the Catskills to

Lake Erie. Hydraulic fracturing of theMarcellus Shale — using millions ofgallons of water per well mixed withmany toxic chemicals — threatensthe water supplies of 15 million people.

• Green our state’s economy, em-phasizing energy conservation andefficiency and renewable energy.Investing millions and even billionsin green jobs, green energy is the key,not investing in the infrastructureand cleanup for hydraulic fracturingfor natural gas, a fossil fuel.

We need to educate the public,public officials, business and otherstakeholders that we cannot put offprotecting our environment todayand tomorrow and indefinitely de-spite downturns in the economy.

Our statewide district lobby day,where our members visit their statelegislators in their home offices, wasso successful in 2009 that we aredoing it again this year. Throughthese visits, e-mails, letters, phonecalls and lobbying by our staff inAlbany, we are saying loud and clearthat the state needs to:

• Increase, not cut, funding for theDepartment of Environmental Con-servation, an agency short of 800essential staff, and for green energyprograms and green jobs, and

• Keep state parks open, and• Fund wilderness purchases in

the Adirondacks and Catskills.

Achievements in 2009In 2009, we did make a difference by:• Saying no to natural gas drilling,• Enacting the Bigger Better Bottle

Bill for water bottles,• Providing new funds for home

energy conservation,• Improving regulations for wet-

lands, solid and hazardous waste, fac-tory farms and air pollution monitor-ing, and

• Expanding significantly the“standing” rights of environmentalgroups to sue regarding State Envi-ronmental Quality Review Act(SEQRA) proceedings.

Goals for 2010Your donation now will help us

fight in 2010 for:• Comprehensive NYS protection

for waters supplies and other naturalresources against the potentially dev-astating impacts of massive gas drill-ing in the Marcellus and Utica Shale,

• Greatly increased funding foressential State programs for environ-mental protection, parks and greenenergy and green jobs,

• Key legislation to: – Authorize the DEC commis-

sioner to set caps on greenhouse gasemissions from all sectors,

– Give DEC the power to regulateground and surface water withdraw-als, and

– Protect small isolated wetlandsfrom development and pollution.

By contributing to the Chapteryou can make a difference in ourmany campaigns to protect preciouswatersheds and water supplies, wil-derness, wetlands, wildlife and farm-land. Your donation will fill our va-cant staff position in Albany, so criti-cal to bolster the efforts of our toosmall but top-rate staff, Roger Downs,our conservation program manager,and Bobbie Josepher, our part-timeChapter coordinator.

To make our voice heard loud andclear, we are emphasizing 21st cen-tury communications with an excit-ing new website (www.newyork.sierraclub.org) and action alerte-mails to our 47,000 members andsupporters. And this publication, theSierra Atlantic, informs us aboutcritical environmental issues.

You can use the “tear off” from myMarch Appeal letter to send a dona-tion to the Chapter. Anything youcan afford to give will help ensurethat we have the resources neededin 2010.

At any time of the year, your dona-tion will be most appreciated. Youcan write a check to the Sierra ClubAtlantic Chapter and send it to P.O.Box 886, Syosset, NY 11791-0886 orprovide us with credit card informa-tion. Or use the form on page 3 ofthis issue of the Sierra Atlantic

And as always, the efforts of ourmany dedicated volunteers make allthe difference.

I am writing, on behalf of the Mid-Hudson Group, in response to theWinter 2009 letter from Tim Allred,project manager of the proposedHudson River Valley Resorts (HRVR)project at Williams Lake.

We were surprised to see this let-ter from Mr. Allred since he has madeno direct attempt to communicatewith our Group during more thantwo years of publicly voicing objec-tions to his project.

Even more surprising is his charac-terization of this project as “smartgrowth.” HRVR plans to take an es-sentially wild, geologically unique,biologically significant area, homenot only to a diverse variety of spe-cies but historically a major recre-ational resource for the local popu-lace, and develop it into a privateenclave of 160 luxurious homes anda high-end resort hotel and spa.

Private ownership notwithstand-ing, Williams Lake has long been abulwark of community life. Theformer resort hosted many publicevents, and all manner of fund-raisingevents. In fact, HRVR’s take-over ofthe land in 2007 marked the firsttime in nearly 80 years that the pub-

lic has been denied access to theproperty. The project would result inthe permanent loss of the existingtrail network as well as loss of accessto two of the region’s largest andfinest lakes.

Most of the property is nowheavily forested. It is dotted withnumerous rock outcroppings, wet-lands, ponds, streams, and three gla-cially-carved lakes valued for theirabundant fish and aquatic life. Theformer cement mines provide criti-cal hibernacula for six species ofbats, including the federally endan-gered Indiana bat. DEC records indi-cate that the property provides habi-tat for at least three endangered ani-mal species and two others of spe-cial concern. The site likely provideshabitat for many other rare plant andanimal species, according to scopingcomments submitted by scientistsfor the Shawangunk RidgeBiodiversity Partnership.

The project can hardly be termed“...a thoughtful adaptive reuse of thiscommercial/industrial site.” Littleremains of the “scarred landscape” towhich Mr. Allred refers. The rem-

continued on page 9

E X P L O R E , E N J O Y A N D

P R O T E C T T H E P L A N E T


Gillibrand bill: solar panels on 10 million roofs

There’s nothing like learning about na-ture, exploring our wild places or givingback to them through service trips withfellow Sierrans. New York’s Groups offer agreat variety of activities for fun while ex-panding your understanding or helping pro-tect the trails we use. For an up-to-date list ofSierra Club outings, go to http://newyork.sierraclub.org/outings.html.

There, you can also subscribe to theChapter’s Impromptu Outings listserve. Formore information or to volunteer as a leader,e-mail Don Pachner at [email protected] or call evenings at 914-234-6618.

Get Out There

O U T I N G S • O U T I N G S • O U T I N G S

Governor Paterson has an-nounced a clean energyproject that will more than

quintuple the amount of solar powerproduced in New York, foster devel-opment of solar technologies, andstimulate the state economy.

The New York Power Authorityissued a request for proposals seek-ing a public-private partnership forthe installation of up to 100 mega-watts of photovoltaic systems acrossthe state, including roof-mounted andground-mounted solar arrays. Facili-ties will be installed primarily atschools, public universities and col-leges, state and local governmentfacilities, municipal electric utilitiesand rural electric cooperatives.

This initiative will boost the State’sgrowing solar industry, create cleanenergy jobs and support efforts toreduce the carbon footprint of stateand local public facilities by reducinggreenhouse gas emissions by an esti-mated 45,000 tons per year. If fullyinstalled, this project would be thelargest solar initiative in state historyand would generate enough energyto power about 15,000 homes.

U .S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrandintroduced legislation recentlyto encourage the installation of

10 million solar systems on the roof-tops of homes and businesses overthe next decade.

According to a 2009 NYS Depart-ment of Labor report, the state hasnearly 75,000 jobs associated withsolar manufacturing and installationin more than 7,000 New York com-panies. Based on average wages,New York’s solar industry payroll isapproximately $4.8 billion dollars.

“Developing new, clean, home-grown sources of energy is a vitalpart of our economic recovery,” Sena-tor Gillibrand said. “This legislationwould make solar panel installationmore accessible and affordable forNew Yorkers — helping to cut emis-sions, improve our environment,lower our energy bills, and create good-paying green jobs right here at home.”

The 10 Million Solar Roofs and 10Million Gallons of Solar Hot WaterAct would provide consumers andbusinesses with rebates of $3 perwatt for systems up to 4 megawatts.This would help consumers over-come a key barrier to expanded solardeployment. Solar energy requiressignificant upfront expenditures forsystems that are otherwise cost-effec-tive over time. This rebate programwould complement existing federaland state incentives.

To apply, consumers would needto meet certain energy efficiencyrequirements. The rebates couldcover up to half of the installed costto the consumer, after all other appli-

cable incentives are applied. If fullyfunded over a ten-year period, thislegislation could deploy up to 30gigawatts of solar PV, and create750,000 jobs.

President Obama’s budget for nextyear requested $2.4 billion for energyefficiency and renewable energy pro-grams. The requested 5 percent boostoverall included a 22 percent in-crease for solar power.

A recent report shows that solarpower could help make every statemore energy independent if solarunits were installed on available roof-top space, because every state canmeet 10 percent or more of its elec-tricity needs just through rooftopsolar. Moreover, solar energy createsmore jobs per megawatt than otherenergy sources. Senator Gillibrand’sbill could create hundreds of thou-sands of jobs in the solar industryover the next ten years. According toa study by the University of Californiaat Berkley, solar energy creates morejobs per megawatt than any other

Support Chapter’s Work in NYSWe need your help to maintain the Atlantic Chapter’s most critical

conservation efforts. Your membership dues primarily support theClub’s national priorities. Your additional support is needed to strengthenthe Chapter’s work in the state Legislature and throughout the state.

Please use the coupon below to send us your donation. Contributionsand dues to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our ef-fective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts. Thank you.

Yes, I want to help the Atlantic Chapter preserve and protectthe environment of New York state. I am enclosing my gift of:

❑ $500 ❑ $250 ❑ $100 ❑ $60 ❑ $35 ❑ Other $______

❑ Check made payable to Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter is enclosed.

❑ Bill to: ❑ Mastercard ❑ Visa

Acct. no.________________________________ Exp. date____________

Signature____________________________________________________

Name_______________________________________________________

Sierra Club membership no.____________________________________

Street_______________________________________________________

City__________________________________ State ______ZIP________

❑ Please save paper and postage by not sending me a thank you for

my contribution.Mail this completed form with your check or

credit card information to:Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, PO Box 886, Syosset, NY 11791-0886

A copy of our latest financial report can be obtained by writing to Sierra ClubAtlantic Chapter, PO Box 886, Syosset, NY 11791-0886, or the NYS Attorney General,Dept. of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.

energy technology — 33 jobs inmanufacturing, installation and main-tenance.

This measure is patterned aftersuccessful state programs promotingsolar energy in New Jersey and Cali-fornia, where energy prices havefallen as the number of solar unitsincreased.

by Susan Lawrence

N ew York State government isworking on two importantinitatives to reduce green-

house gas emissions from all sources— climate action planning and thegreening of local government opera-tions. You can participate in andsupport these initiatives.

In 2009, Governor Paterson signedExecutive Order No. 24, Establishinga Goal to Reduce Greenhouse GasEmissions Eighty Percent by theYear 2050 and Preparing A ClimateAction Plan. He appointed a ClimateAction Council, composed of stateagencies and authorities, to draft aClimate Action Plan by September30, 2010. The plan will assess howall economic sectors can reducegreenhouse gas emissions, adapt toclimate change and identify howthese actions will support the state’sgoals for a clean energy economy.

A series of meetings will brief thepublic about this planning, get feed-back on the process and seek ideas.You can go to http://www.nyclimatechange.us for informationabout the planning, how you can getinvolved, public meeting dates, etc.

Our state government has alsoinitiated “Climate Smart Communi-ties.” These communities are similarto the Sierra Club’s Cool Cities, CoolTowns, Cool Counties campaignsdeveloped a few years ago. As SierraClub members, we can advocate andhelp our town or city to become aClimate Smart Community. (For moreinformation go to http:/www.dec.ny.gov/energy).

The February 2010 Conservation-ist has an article, “A Change in Cli-mate: Local Communities acrossNew York Find Innovative Ways toGo Green.” (You can find this onDEC’s website). The article high-lights the achievements of the Cityof Schenectady and the Town of RedHook in going green.

State plans newclimate action,‘smart’ communities

NY plan to quintuplesolar energy supply


Clarence Petty, a Sierran for morethan 35 years and a NYS forest rangerfor decades, has died at 104. He maywell have been the staunchest de-fender and most knowledgeable wil-

derness expertin theAdirondackPark’s history.

“WhenClarence Pettyjoined the Si-erra Club in1974, therewere far fewerenvironmentalorganizationsin New York

state than there are now,” said RogerGray, co-chair of the Chapter’sAdirondack Committee. “For our filesand possible publication, I wouldlike to hear members’ recollectionsof working with Clarence, or onAdirondack issues in that era. (Doesanyone remember Ton-Da-Lay?)”

Please send your recollections toRoger Gray at [email protected].

Without baseline testing, gas drillers get off the hook

Why we can’t ignore population any more

by Jessica Helm, Conservation Chair

Conservation Action

Despite the many documentedcases of toxic water appearingin faucets and streams near

hydrofracking activity, the industryregularly claims that hydrofrackinghas a spotless record. What gives?

These cases have lacked adequatedocumentation of baseline waterquality data; industry lawyers couldclaim contamination was presentbefore the fracking took place, andresidents couldn’t prove otherwise.

How do we change this picture?

Gather the baseline dataLandowners planning to lease

their mineral rights may be able toget a contract that covers pre-drillingwater tests by a reputable indepen-dent lab, and provide for long-term

delivery of clean water in case of anycontamination. (One caveat: Drillingcompanies often will agree to pro-vide clean water in an emergencybut only on the condition that thelandowner sign a non-disclosureagreement that gags the landowner,in perpetuity. This prevents the land-owner from exposing the damagethe driller has caused and perpetuatesthe myth drilling is safer than it is.)

Horizontal drilling, geologic fis-sures, and pollution do not respectproperty lines — neighbors andfarmers downstream of fracking ac-tivity need to be prepared too.

Sierra Club Water Sentinels workto protect, improve and restore ourwaters by fostering alliances to pro-mote water quality monitoring, pub-

lic education and citizen action. OurAtlantic Chapter Conservation Com-mittee, national Water Sentinels, andthe newly formed nationalHyfrofracking Team (a product of theAtlantic Chapter Gas Drilling TaskForce) are working together to pro-vide water-testing resources to Atlan-tic Chapter Groups, members, andresidents.

Teams adopt a river or aquiferSimple portable tests will be made

available to all qualified teams, andselected teams will send samples to alaboratory for more in-depth tests(specifics as resources allow). Theonly requirement is a one -year com-mitment to reliable data reporting.The test results will go into a

baseline water quality database andenable us to flag any potential prob-lems early on.

Instructions for private testingResidents wishing to have their

water tested can follow our instruc-tions and submit the results to ourdatabase.

Call for expert adviceIf you are — or know someone —

willing to advise in the followingareas, please contact me [email protected]. Seeking: labora-tory project managers, drinking orwastewater inspectors, drilling hy-drologists, drilling geologists, chem-ists, toxicologists. Consultations canbe public or confidential as desired.

by Katherine Schwarz andDiane Buxbaum

Overpopulation is still virtually ataboo topic in Washington —too controversial to mention. It

was barely mentioned even in Copen-hagen, at the climate change talks.

The Population Committee of theAtlantic Chapter is reaching out tomembers of Congress in the hopethat someone in Washington willspeak out about the urgency of the

Honorable [name of officical],Some people may find it contro-

versial to be linking the issues of fam-ily planning and world hunger, butthe planet is reaching such a criticalpoint that the interconnection mustnot be ignored any longer. We arereaching out to you to urge you tobecome an advocate in connectingthese two issues.

We are writing to express our fearsfor the over a billion people on earthwho are thought to be undernour-ished today. This is already an unac-ceptable situation, as highlighted bythe earthquake havoc on the alreadypoor people of Haiti. But with theprojection that the population of theplanet will reach 9 billion people bythe year 2050, we need urgent actionnow to prevent even more mass star-vation in the future.

If we cannot adequately feed the6.8 billion we have today, how canwe ever expect to feed 9 billion? Es-pecially with the environmental deg-radation we are witnessing — climatechange (partially caused by the cur-rent agricultural system itself), thefrightening depletion of the oceans’fish, the growing use of food as asource of energy, the shocking lower-ing of water tables and melt-off of

issue and how it connects with allother environmental and even manyof the economic issues. Help us reachyour member of Congress.

Below is a sample letter similar toones we sent to several members ofCongress. Please consider reachingout to your representative in thisway. We can adapt this letter to thespecific committee assignments andpolitical strengths of your represen-tative if you are willing to sign on tothe letter.

Contact Kathy Schwarz [email protected] or DianeBuxbaum at [email protected] if you are interested. If you arewilling to meet with your representa-tive (or staff) in your district office,we will arrange for a member of thecommittee to join you.Katherine Schwarz, Lower HudsonGroup, and Diane Buxbaum, New YorkCity Group, are co-chairs of theChapter’s Population Committee.

freshwater glaciers around the world,the wars over oil and other resources,and the unfathomable extinction ofan estimated 150 species of plantsand animals every day.

We urge you to become a stronger,louder voice for recognizing the con-nections between these key environ-mental and health issues and theneed for stronger, but smaller families.Women do most of the agriculturalwork (especially in the developingworld), as well as the raising of chil-dren and the searching for water. Ifwe could encourage smaller, healthierand economically stable families, inlarge part by empowering women,we could curb population growth. Wealso should be fighting for more sub-stantially increased funding for familyplanning services abroad.

Domestically, the estimate is that49 million Americans go to bed hun-gry every day. We could be doingmore to encourage smaller familieshere by eliminating tax and healthinsurance incentives to have morechildren. Indeed, we could reversethe current legislation and providetax and insurance incentives tocouples to have one child or none. Itis well past time for us to be recon-sidering that legislation. Additionally,

we hope that the healthcare reformbill that finally passes will emulateMedicare for all, and exclude theStupak Amendment and other regres-sive measures.

You could become the spokesper-son in Congress on these issues, link-ing them, and convincing your col-leagues that these are vitally impor-tant to the future of all life on theplanet. You could begin, for instance,with a “Dear Colleague” letter thatcould point out these importantchallenges. We would thoroughlysupport you on this, and share ourenthusiasm with the other SierraClub members in your district.

We, as a group of environmental-ists/women’s rights advocates/nutri-tion and food experts would love theopportunity to meet with you todiscuss this further. We offer you ourexpertise, if we could back you upon an effort to bring the linkage ofthese issues into the spotlight.

We thank you for your time inhearing our plea. The entire planetwould thank you if we could, to-gether, make some substantialprogress addressing these urgentchallenges of population and food.

Sincerely,[Your name]

A sample letter for your Congressional representative

Clarence Petty

Adirondack giantClarence Petty dies

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Albany Update

by Roger Downs, Chapter Conservation Program Manager

Environmental agencies face 43% staff cut

Governor David Paterson de-clared the beginning of the2010 budget season as the “win-

ter of reckoning”— a time for Albanyto break through its chronic dysfunc-tion and close the gap on an $8.2billion deficit. But for all the rhetoricsurrounding the state’s fiscal crisis,little has been made of New York’s“ecological” deficit, which is arguablydeeper and more serious than ourcurrent economic recession.

Earth’s climate is growing moreerratic as the atmosphere’s CO

2 con-

centration reaches 390ppm. We arerapidly losing wetlands, biodiversity,and agricultural lands to poorlyplanned development. New York’swater quality is degrading as waterconsumption increases. The com-plexity of man-made chemicals inour environment continues to sur-pass our ability to comprehend thenegative impacts. And now the fund-ing and regulatory mechanisms de-signed to reverse these “debts” to thenatural world are in jeopardy. Whilethere are concessions that every sec-tor of our state must make in timesof fiscal crisis, the environment takesa disproportionately cruel hit in thegovernor’s deficit reduction proposal.

DEC staffing crippledThe half billion dollars cut from

the DEC in the executive 2010-11budget represent 34% of the depart-ment’s operating budget, puttingbasic programs into jeopardy. Unlikeother agencies, DEC funding comesfrom multiple sources, including thefederal government. Such a drasticcut in state funding undermines match-ing grant opportunities, making thefinancial hit potentially much worse.

The DEC stands to lose 54 morestaff positions (from 3,368 to 3,314),continuing a precipitous slide inwork force numbers, topping more

than 450 losses over the past twoyears. Collectively, all the state envi-ronmental agencies will lose a whop-ping 677 staff positions in 2010-2011. Even though environmentalagencies make up 3.3% of the statework force, they represent 43% ofthe proposed staffing cuts.

EPF guttedThe Environmental Protection

Fund is the primary funding sourcefor the state’s critical environmentalprograms, including land acquisition,farmland and habitat protection,drinking water infrastructure, andwaste reduction. Although the state’s2010-11 budget is .6% larger than theyear before, the EPF is slashed by33% (from $210 to $148 million) andthe funding stream for the EPF (thereal estate transfer tax) has been re-duced by $67 million. The EPF isnow owed more than a half billiondollars in IOUs from the general fundafter many years of being short-changed. The Atlantic Chapter callsupon the Legislature to:

• fund the EPF to at least 2009levels (222 million),

• oppose the removal of the Land

Acquisition Program (when landprices are now most affordable),

• oppose new categories to theEPF without new funding sources.(Property taxes for NYS Parks wereoffloaded from the general fund intothe EPF), and

• create a repayment plan to theEPF so that the full promise of thefund can be realized.

Marcellus shale staffingincrease: blessing or burden?

The governor’s budget proposalsets aside nearly $6 million over atwo-year period for staffing increasesin the Division of Mineral Resources,the Department of Health and thePublic Service Commission, to over-see the development of theMarcellus shale.

This translates into 25-30 newinspectors and officials to alleviatethe bottleneck in issuing new drill-ing and pipeline permits. These newpositions, however, are not exemptfrom the governor’s 40% cut to non-personnel spending (telephone, sup-plies, travel expenses).

While the idea of new staff is wel-come, there will be little funding forsite visits or inspection equipment;rather, they will be confined to theirdesks and not out in the field wherethey are needed. Clearly, this staffaugmentation plan was meant to ac-celerate drilling permits, not enhanceneeded environmental protection.

With the projected income fromthe proposed 3% severance tax onMarcellus wells at a miniscule $1 mil-lion dollars over the next two years,it would appear that this is a staffinginvestment that does not make sensein the short term, especially whenwe are facing austerity measuresacross the board.

Closing 80+ state parksAs part of a cost savings plan, the

executive proposal lists more than80 state parks to be closed or se-verely limited to public access. Thismove is wildly unpopular and fiscallyimprudent, as cash strapped NewYorkers will rely on in-state openspace destinations when vacationbudgets shrink. Closures will notonly shut off a local source of rev-enue to communities, but will alsoincur greater costs when and if wedecide to reopen the parks. Routinemaintenance of parkland is cheaperin the long run than restoring ne-glected and vandalized infrastructure.

As Governor Paterson’s “winter ofreckoning” takes on new meaningamidst his own personal ethicsprobe, the Legislature must nowseize the opportunity to close thebudget gap in a way that restores ourecological prosperity, not just oureconomy. Polluter-pays initiatives,increased fines for environmentalviolations, and the implementation ofgreen jobs/efficiency programs canhelp lessen the current cuts to theEPF and DEC. Ecological health is thecornerstone of New York’s wealth,and our actions in hard fiscal timesshould reflect that truth.

The 2010 legislative sessionpromises to be as contentiousand unproductive as the last.

The Democratic Senate leadershipcontinues to hold on to a fragile ma-jority that can dissolve with a singledefection. We will continue to pushpriority legislation but most Albanyinsiders agree that this will be a diffi-cult year to get anything done. Hope-fully this November’s elections willyield a more politically stable envi-ronment for 2011.

Clean Water/Flood Prevention(S.4956 Thompson/A.6363

Sweeney) Hundreds of wetlands areat risk of destruction in New Yorkbecause they are not protected un-der state or federal laws. This billcloses a regulatory gap created bythe Supreme Court’s 2001 SWANCCdecision, giving New York regulatoryauthority over wetlands of one acreor more.

Status: Passed the Assembly 2009,held in Senate Environmental Con-servation Committee

Sen. Antoine Thompson held hear-ings on wetlands regulation in fall2009 and has said he wants to tackle

Chapter lists priority legislation for 2010the issue in the 2010 session. Wecould see a dramatically different billfrom Thompson dealing with thisissue by session’s end, and the Atlan-tic Chapter will be active in shapingthe outcome.

Global Warming Pollution Cap(S.4315A Thompson/A.7572

Sweeney). This bill requires an 80%reduction of greenhouse gas emis-sions from all sources by 2050, asrecommended by the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change. Ifenacted, it will be the strongest car-bon cap legislation in the country.

Status: Passed the Assembly in 2009,in the Finance Committee in the Sen-ate. We have more than 32 co-spon-sors, meaning we have theoreticallyenough votes to pass this legislation.

Electronic Recycling and Reuse(A.9049 Sweeney/S.6047 Thomp-

son/ Governor’s Program bill #44)This bill requires manufacturers of

electronic equipment to take back e-waste and ensure that it is properlyhandled and recycled, establishingmandatory minimum recovery ratesthat step up as they phase in over

time. By including a broad scope ofproducts and strong collection stan-dards, this legislation will effectivelyaddress the burgeoning problem oftoxic e-waste and benefit cash-strapped municipalities and towns.

Status: Passed the Assembly in2009, pulled from vote on Senate floor

Environmental Access to Justice(S.1635 Thompson/A.9480

Sweeney) This bill restores the origi-nal legislative intent of the State En-vironmental Quality Review Act(SEQRA) by allowing groups or indi-viduals to challenge a SEQRA deci-sion if they can demonstrate thatthey will suffer injury from a pro-posed project’s environmental im-pact, without having to show thatthe harm they will suffer is differentthan that suffered by the public atlarge.

Status: Passed the Assembly in2009, on the floor calendar in theSenate.

Partial victory at the Court of Ap-peals in October 2009 satisfies aportion of this bill’s intended effect,but it is still important to removethe requirement of “special harm.”

Budget cuts by the numbers

DEC ....................................... –33.9%Parks (OPRHO). .................... –19.3%Agriculture and Markets ........ –10.0%Dept. of State ........................... –9.1%Dept. of Health ....................... –1.1%Education Department ............ –2.1%

Total Env’mental Agencies ... –27.5%Total NYS Budget ..................... 0.6%


Chapter calls for ExCom nominations

The Atlantic Chapter Executive Committee (ExCom) sets Sierra Club con-servation policy in New York state and administers the Chapter. SomeExCom members are chosen by their local Groups. Others, the at-large

delegates, are elected by the Chapter membership statewide for two-yearterms. This fall’s election will fill four at-large seats.

If you are interested in running for one of these seats, please let the Nomi-nating Committee (NomCom) know by July 22. Send your name, address, andmembership number to: Nominating Committee, Sierra Atlantic Chapter, P.O.Box 886, Syosset, NY 11791-0886, or by e-mail to [email protected] include a statement about your qualifications and reasons for runningto help the NomCom decide whether to nominate you. The NomCom willnotify you by July 29 if they are nominating you as an at-large delegate.

Anyone not nominated by the Nominating Committee can become a candi-date by filing a petition signed by at least 50 members of the Chapter. Let theNominating Committee know you are interested in running. Anyone who sub-mits his or her name by July 22 will be guaranteed a response from the Nomi-nating Committee by July 29. The deadline for filing petitions to be a candi-date is Sept. 5. The Nominating Committee has the option until Sept. 5 tonominate more candidates. The deadline for all candidates to submit thefinal version of their ballot statements is Sept. 5.

Chapter Conservation CommitteesCONSERVATION CHAIR Jessica Helm,631-219-6449, [email protected]

Adirondacks Roger Gray, 518-434-8681, [email protected] John Nemjo, 518-279-0771, [email protected] (co-chairs)

Air Quality Warren Berger, 212-663-3768, [email protected]

Airports Julius Shultz, 914-946-1271, [email protected]

Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Linda DeStefano, 315-488-2140,[email protected]

Clean Water/Watershed Chair TBA

Energy Annie Wilson, 212-388-9780, [email protected]

Environmental Education Jeff Bohner, 607-621-8241, [email protected]

Environmental Justice Aaron Mair, 518-374-5243, [email protected]

Farm and Food Erin Riddle, 607-372-5503, [email protected]

Gas Drilling Task Force Rachel Treichler, 607-569-2114,[email protected]

Global Warming Coordinating Moisha Blechman, 518-329-0531,[email protected]

Great Lakes Wayne Howard, 585-359-0782, [email protected]

Hudson River PCB Cleanup Bill Koebbeman, 518-399-5027, [email protected]

International Population Kathy Schwarz, 914-631-1560,[email protected] and Diane Buxbaum, 718-855-2399,[email protected] (co-chairs)

Open Space/Sprawl chair TBA

Solid Waste Chris Burger, 607-692-3442, [email protected]

Sterling Forest/Highlands Jurgen Wekerle, 845-744-5116

Sustainable Forestry Gerald Davison, 845-339-4509

Toxics Joe Gardella, 716-833-6735, [email protected]

Transportation chair TBA

Wetlands Liz Kaszubski, 716-695-3570, [email protected]

Wildlife & Wilderness Hal Bauer, 585-335-2623, [email protected]

WHATEVER YOUR INTERESTS, opportunities abound to work withfellow Sierrans to enjoy, explore and protect the beautiful state of NewYork. Listed here are the names of conservation committees and their

chairs. Pick your passion and join us.

Pick your passion

by Don Pachner

How many of you have becomeinterested in preserving andprotecting the wild open

spaces of our world or joined SierraClub after going out into the moun-tains, forests, lakes or rivers to see thenatural world first hand? Sierra Clubwas founded by John Muir to takethe public into the wilds of YosemiteValley and the Hetch Hetchy Valley inhopes that they would return spiritu-ally renewed and ardent supportersof protecting these natural treasures.

One of my favorite quotations isJohn Muir’s call to “Climb the moun-tains, and get their good tidings,nature’s peace will flow into you assunshine flows into trees, the windswill blow their own freshness intoyou, and the storms their energy, whilecares will drop off like autumn leaves.”

Sierra Club continues this traditionof taking the public into wild places,leaving only memories and footstepsin the Leave No Trace tradition. Thenational club also sponsors servicetrips designed to improve our enjoy-ment and protection of these wildspaces. While the wonderful nationaltrips, including some led by membersof our Atlantic Chapter, are wellknown, our state Chapter and localGroup outings are less prominent,but vitally important to our mission.

Our outings in New York rangefrom hikes, service trips to ecologi-cally sensitive trails, snowshoe andcross country ski trips, to nature

Get outdoors in the spirit of John Muir: Join – or lead – an outing

the future. I urge anyone interestedin becoming a Sierra Club outingsleader to contact your regionalGroup chair or outings chair, or con-tact me at the Chapter outings com-mittee to start down the trail towardfulfilling the Sierra Club mission. I

hikes and walks, museum trips, con-servation awareness outings, canoeand kayak trips, backpack trips andweek-long canoe adventures in theAdirondacks. To find out more aboutthe outings program in New York,browse our new outings website atwww.atlantic.sierraclub.org/outings.html. The site features our new com-prehensive outings schedule, sub-scription link to our outings e-mailannouncement list, and general infor-mation on our outings programs.

Our outings program is only asrich as the Chapter and Group mem-bers who volunteer to lead them.Unlike many other clubs, all SierraClub outings are open to all, includ-ing non-members. In the tradition ofJohn Muir, the outings are consideredpublic outreach to further our mis-sion. To be a Sierra Club leader sym-bolizes responsible leadership in theenvironmental community and in theoutdoors community. To that end,we train our volunteers and helpthem acquire the leadership skillsand first aid training necessary toconduct a safe and effective outdoorsexperience for the general public.

Our Chapter is planning a week-end training session July 9-11 to beconducted by the national SierraClub staff in the Hudson Valley. Thisis an opportunity for those motivatedto become volunteer Sierra Club out-ings leaders, with the training neces-sary to become an outings leader forSierra Club, with the possibility ofgoing on to lead national outings in

can be reached by e-mail [email protected] should youhave any questions about our state orregional outings program. See you onthe trails!Don Pachner is chair of the AtlanticChapter Outings Committee.


Brune named executive director

The Atlantic Chapter ExCom met in New York City on January 30 and thenheld a follow-up meeting by telephone conference call on February 21.At these meetings, the ExCom elected Chapter officers for 2010: Chair,

Susan Lawrence; Vice Chair, Jeff Bohner; Secretary, Jim Lane; Treasurer, SteveKulick; Steering Committee, Susan Lawrence, Jeff Bohner, Ken Baer, LarryBeahan, Moisha Blechman, Diane Buxbaum, Jessica Helm, Jim Lane, and JurgenWekerle; delegate to Council of Club Leaders, Ken Baer; Alternate Council Del-egate, Hal Bauer. Jessica Helm continues as Conservation Chair.

The ExCom approved the promotion of Roger Downs to the senior staffposition in Albany. His formal title is now Chapter conservation program manager.

The budget adopted for 2010 reflects decreased support from National aspart of the Sierra Club’s general financial tightening. The ExCom approvedholding a training weekend for outings leaders and rejected an appeal thatcalled for certification of the disputed NYC Group ExCom election.

On conservation matters, the ExCom approved these positions: support forcombatting the spread of invasive insects, opposition to environmentally un-sound methods of drilling for natural gas, and joining as amicus curiae in alawsuit opposing the Fordham University Lincoln Center master plan in Manhattan.

Executive Committee Reportby James Lane, Secretary

board of directors, said: “We look for-ward to the innovative thinking andinspired leadership Michael brings tothe Sierra Club at a pivotal moment.The board was particularly impressedby Michael’s credentials workingwith volunteers and his proven talentfor bending the will of powerful ad-versaries without breaking the bondsof civility that keep them at the table.”

Brune holds degrees in economicsand finance from West Chester Uni-versity in Pennsylvania, and comes tothe Sierra Club from the RainforestAction Network, where in his sevenyears as executive director he earneda reputation for using bold but re-spectful confrontation to encouragecorporate responsibility.

Rainforest Action leaderAt age 26, he led a historic con-

sumer-education campaign that ulti-mately persuaded Home Depot tostop selling wood from endangeredforests. Time magazine called thatvictory “the top environmental storyof 1999.” Under Brune’s leadership,Rainforest Action Network went on

to win more than a dozen other keycommitments from America’s largestcorporations, including Citi,Goldman Sachs, Bank of America,Kinko’s, Boise, and Lowe’s.

Like most Sierra Club activists,Brune has his roots in the outdoors.He learned to walk at a campgroundin Maine, and says he grasped theimportance of protecting the naturalworld as a teenager, when hypoder-mic needles and chemical pollutionwashed up on the shore near hisNew Jersey home, closing beachesand keeping him from the waveshe’d grown up body surfing.

He and his wife, Mary, attributetheir ongoing passion for environ-mental activism in part to concernthat their outdoors-loving children,inherit a healthy world. He is particu-larly interested in promoting pro-grams that link the Club’s traditionalprotection of wild places, includingnational parks, to urgently neededclimate change solutions.

As the Sierra Club’s sixth execu-tive director, Brune succeeds CarlPope, who has steadily increased theClub’s political clout and intellectualheft. Pope will maintain his 37-yeartenure with the Club in the role ofexecutive chairman, continuing tohelp shape Club strategy and col-laborating with Brune, Chin andchapter leaders to connect the Clubwith policymakers, the media, othernon-profits and donors.

continued from page 1

Michael Brune

town of Schroeppel in OswegoCounty. Bion says the operationscould be divided into four or fiveareas, but that still would be morethan 14,000 animals at each location.What about the air, water and soilcontamination from the manure,blood, and other waste from theseanimals? What about the methane, apotent greenhouse gas, coming fromthe breath of the cattle? Bion claimsthat they have a patented systemwhich will significantly reduce pollu-tion and use manure to produceethanol. (See www.bionoswegoproject.com). Bion claims that itssystem works better on a large scale,and it encourages even larger CAFOsthan those currently in New York.

However, their system is un-proven. As of this writing, they don’teven have a demonstration project,although they have received a loanfor one.

A different company, e3biofuels,convinced Nebraska officials to try asimilar scheme. In spite of govern-ment aid, the company went bank-

rupt after their system experiencedvarious failures, leaving some farmersunpaid for the supplies they had soldto the company. The company evenhad the gall to try to get money backfrom suppliers they had already paid.See http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/biofuels/e3_files_bankruptcy/

Also see http://www.omahanewsstand.com/articles/2009/12/19/wahoo_newspaper/news/doc4b2950cd85253074296239.txt

Bion appears to be in serious fi-nancial trouble and is hoping to re-ceive subsidies. Some significantitems from Bion’s 2010 report to theSecurities and Exchange Commission:

“The report of the independentregistered public accounting firm onthe Company’s consolidated financialstatements as of and for the year end-ing June 30, 2009, includes a ‘goingconcern’ explanatory paragraphwhich means that the accountingfirm has expressed substantial doubtabout the Company’s ability to con-tinue as a going concern.”

Yet, on the same page (27), thereport goes on to say: “The Companyhas tentatively selected the Town ofSchroeppel, Oswego County, NewYork, for its initial Project...” Andmanagement’s five-year business plan(through 2016) is for about 12 - 24projects in various locations.

How can this be? I fear the com-pany is depending on our taxes tokeep it afloat. Bion actually did re-ceive approval in January, 2009, fromthe Board of Pennsylvania Infrastruc-ture Investment Authority for $7.8million for a demonstration project(not yet initiated, as of this report).And the company talks about work-ing with local, state and federal offi-cials to find available sites in mul-

tiple states. Do we want to hand overour hard-earned taxes to subsidizethis kind of shaky and undesirableoperation?

To understand what existingCAFOs have already done to degradethe environment and public health,read the 29-page report from theFarm and Food Committee of theAtlantic Chapter and Citizens Envi-ronmental Coalition, “The Wasting ofRural NYS: Factory Farms and Pub-lic Health.”

Request a free copy from Linda A.DeStefano, Chair, Biodiversity/ Veg-etarian Outreach Committee, 5031Onondaga Rd., Syracuse 13215-1403,(315)488-2140, [email protected]

You can also request a two-sidedhandout, “Don’t Eat a Cow, Man!How Animal Agriculture Adds to Glo-bal Warming.”

And don’t forget the powerfulweapon of your fork; you can give abreak to the environment, humanhealth (including your own) and ani-mals by adopting or moving towarda plant-based diet. For recipes andother information, contact Lindaabove, and see Betsy Naselli’s columnin this issue (page 11).

Most of this material can also bedownloaded from the Chapterwebsite: newyork.sierraclub.org.Click on “Conservation.” Then, for“Wasting...” click on “Agriculture.”For “Cow...” and related material,click on “Biodiversity/Vegetarian Out-reach.”

-800

— John Muir


Bion Factory Farm

Adirondacks vacation rentalCharming cottage, built 2008. Secluded woodedlocation overlooking trout stream. 15 min. toLake Champlain ferry; 35 min. to High Peaks/Lake Placid. 3BR, 2 full baths; full kitchen; Sat. TV;oil heat. Near Exit 32 of I-87. No smokers; nopets. 518-873-2019; [email protected]

Classified

Do we want to hand over

our taxes to subsidize

this kind of shaky and

undesirable operation?Our new Atlantic Chapter website

(www.newyork.sierraclub.org) pro-vides up-to-date information onChapter activities. Looking for infor-mation on important conservationissues and how to get involved? Out-ings, or who to contact in the Chap-ter? Then go to our Chapter website.You will find links to the nationalClub and our New York Groups,which also provide a wealth of infor-mation on conservation issues.

Can’t wait for the new Sierra At-lantic to be left in your mailbox? Toread it a few weeks earlier, go to ourChapter website. The website alsoarchives the Sierra Atlantic, a valu-able reference source.

If you have comments, questionsor suggestions regarding our website,contact [email protected].

Stay informed, visitnew Chapter website


‘Gasland’ documentary wins Sundance’s Jury Special award

solution for preventing surface con-tamination is to inject the brine intodeep wells, and in a February 18Penn State webinar Karen Johnson(Region 3) argued the validity ofconverting depleted gas wells intodisposal wells.

“There are multiple layers of pro-tection,” Johnson said, noting thelayers of casings that would be ce-mented to the surface. She also triedto ease fears by noting that UICwells are monitored on a continualbasis, so leaks would be quickly dis-covered and cleaned up.

But those types of argumentswould not help the people ofPulteney; the Bergstresser is locatedless than a mile from Keuka Lake andin the heart of wine country. Notonly could a leaky casing contaminatewater and soil, but the presence of atoxic waste disposal site would dam-age the burgeoning wine and touristindustry that brings millions of dol-lars to the local economy.

Chesapeake’s plansAccording to its application,

Chesapeake planned to inject up to181,440 gallons of wastewater a dayinto the Bergstresser well. They haddone no actual testing, but based thisfigure on data from injection wells inother locations.

Given that the average brine tank-ers hold close to 5,000 gallons, thatmeans 35 or more trucks woulddrive the country roads haulingwastewater — a total of 70 trucktrips in and out of the disposal facil-ity every day for the next ten years.

To handle that amount of waste-water, Chesapeake planned to buildsix concrete unloading bays. Eachentering truck would dock at a bayand pump wastewater into one ofsix 1,000-barrel (42,000 gallon)above-ground storage tanks. Pipeswould connect the tanks to a filtra-tion vessel, and from there the waste-water would be injected into the well.

In addition, Chesapeake notedthat they would need to add corro-sion inhibitors and biocides to thewastewater. So they would havestored chemicals on site as well.

Pulteney ProtestsOn Superbowl Sunday, close to

500 people crowded into the

Pulteney Fire Hall to protestChesapeake’s plans. The SteubenCounty residents vied for leaning-space against the wall and unluckylate-comers lined up four-deep in thelobby, just beyond the notice warn-ing “maximum occupancy 278 persons.”

As far as the residents are con-cerned, the heart of wine country isnot a good place for toxic waste dis-posal. Not only that, the county roadtwists and turns and is steep inplaces. The folks who drive thoseroads are concerned that the in-creased truck traffic will damagetheir roads. On this particular daythey were giving up two hours ofpre-game celebration to learn moreabout fracking, geology, and disposalwells – and to voice their outrage atthe proposed injection well.

All wells have ‘failure potential’Cornell engineering professor

Tony Ingraffea was one of the speak-ers invited to the Fire Hall that day.He’s been studying rock fracturemechanics for over 30 years, he said,and doesn’t ask “if” disposal wells aresafe; engineers, he says, look for waysto reduce the probability of accidentsto an acceptable (and very low) level.

Right now there are approxi-mately 144,000 Class II injectionwells operating in the U.S., most ofthem used for brine disposal. “Thereare no underground injection wellsfor frack fluid,” Ingraffea said. Statesusing underground injection requirethat the brine be injected into theoriginating formation or into forma-tions that are similar to those fromwhich it was extracted.

“But,” asked Ingraffea, “what aboutethylene glycol? Biocides?” The regu-

lations say nothing about injectingfracking chemicals into the disposalwells. [Not to worry, EPA’s Johnsonresponded later when asked thisquestion. The law refers to brine andany drilling chemicals included in it,so it would include frack water.]

Not only is the Bergstresser welllocated less than a mile from KeukaLake, Ingraffea pointed out that it’ssurrounded by another 17 existingwells within a five-mile radius. Engi-neers must be certain there is nointer-connectivity between the wells,he said. They also need to knowwhat is going down the well, howmuch wastewater there will be, thestructural capacity of the well, thegeology — whether the formationwill accept the wastewater — andhow long the disposal well will beused. All of this information be-comes part of the calculation thatdetermines injection pressure —inthis case, 3,200 psi, very close tofracking pressure — and the require-ments for on-site storage of brine.

“And all of these have some failurepotential,” Ingraffea said.

Chesapeake retreats – for nowOn Tuesday, February 16, Chesa-

peake officially withdrew its permitapplications for converting theBergstresser well into an under-ground injection well. According toits letters to the EPA and the NYSDepartment of Environmental Con-servation (DEC), Chesapeake nolonger requires the permits because


Wine country village beats back Chesapeake gas drilling company

Group ChairsFinger Lakes Kate Bartholomew, 607-228-7371,

[email protected]

Hudson-Mohawk Virginia Boyle Traver, 518-322-0950,[email protected]

Iroquois Martha Loew, 315-492-4745, [email protected]

Long Island Shawn Kilmurray, 631-669-1175, [email protected]

Lower Hudson George Klein, 914-941-2505, [email protected]

Mid-Hudson Joanne Steele, 845-338-0300, [email protected]

Niagara Bob Ciesielski, 716-634-3394, [email protected]

New York City Dan Miner, 917-310-2924, [email protected]

Ramapo-Catskill Stanley Mayer, 845-342-3997, [email protected]

Rochester Deb Muratore, 585-385-9743, [email protected]

Susquehanna Julian Shepherd, 607-722-9327, [email protected]

of its “enhanced operational capabil-ity to reuse/recycle water producedfrom development of natural gasresources in the Marcellus Shale.”

Chesapeake is adamant that itsdecision to back off has nothing todo with the disposal facility posing athreat to the environment. And thecompany denies that its decision hadanything to do with the very vocalopposition to the project.

While this is certainly a victory forthe residents of Pulteney, they — andresidents across upstate New York —need to worry about more than justthis single well. Penn State Coopera-tive Extension agent Tom Murphybelieves that gas companies will con-tinue to drill into the Trenton-BlackRiver formation because, once theyextract the gas, those wells give com-panies a place to dump theirMarcellus waste.

There are more than 115 activeTrenton and Black River wells inNew York. Most are in SteubenCounty, but more than 40 are inChemung County. While the wellsare labeled “active” on the DECwebsite, clicking on their productionrecords reveals that — at least a fewof them — aren’t lining anyone’spockets with income. To a companydesperate for disposal options, thesewells look like holes in the groundjust waiting for frackwater.Sue Heavenrich is a freelance writerand member of the Society of Environ-mental Journalists. She lives in Candorand blogs at marcelluseffect.blogspot.com.

New York theater director and filmmakerJosh Fox, right, has won the Jury SpecialAward for his documentary at the 2010 Sun-dance Film Festival. A critic for Variety saysthe movie “may become for natural gas what[Rachel Carson’s] Silent Spring is to DDT.”

When Fox discovered that natural gasdrilling was coming to his area — theCatskillls/Poconos region — he set off on a24-state journey to uncover the deep conse-quences of the natural gas drilling boom. Hediscovered water that can be lit on fire rightout of the faucet, chronically ill residents ofdisparate drilling locations all with the samemysterious symptoms, huge pools of toxicwaste that kill cattle and vegetation, well

blowouts, and huge gas explosions consis-tently covered up by state and federal regu-latory agencies.

“Who could have anticipated that one ofthe most effective and expressive environ-mental films of recent years would be thework of a Gotham theater director who’snever before made a [documentary]?” asksVariety’s reviewer.

Many environmental groups anticipateshowing the film as a fundraiser as soon asa DVD is available. Meanwhile, another natu-ral gas documentary, “Split Estate,” whichreports on the situation in New Mexico andColorado, is being widely shown in South-ern Tier communities.

The village of Pulteney has

turned away a major

Marcellus player, but gas

drillers own countless

other “dry” well holes

across the Southern Tier

where they may try to

inject hazardous waste.


Roger Tory Peterson’s work continues in Jamestown

Explore, Enjoy, Protect

by Hal Smith

When naturalist Roger ToryPeterson was growing up,bird watching was a rather

esoteric form of recreation. Todayabout 48 million Americans watch orphotograph wild birds in the U.S.,and more than 15 million Americanstravel away from home each year tosee unfamiliar species abroad, spend-ing more than $30 billion.

It is hard to imagine how suchinterest would have developed with-out Peterson and his guidebooks; theidentification of birds would still bethe realm of people with shotguns.Indeed, it’s hard to imagine how wecould begin to conserve birds with-out being able to name them.

Peterson was born to immigrantparents in Jamestown, New York, in1908. It was a mill town whereSwedish craftsmen carrying lunchbuckets walked down from the hillsto their workshops and turned oaktrees into quality furniture.

He started his working life bydecoratively painting lacquered “Chi-nese” cabinets before moving toNew York City. There he attended theArt Students League while indulginghis fascination with birds by makingfield trips with his buddies in theBronx County Bird Club.

Later, as a teacher at a boys’ prepschool, Peterson decided to writeand illustrate a book that wouldlaunch his career as America’s lead-ing wildlife educator. In 1934, whenhe was just 26 years old, his A FieldGuide to the Birds introduced simpleidentification techniques that couldbe reliably used by anyone to enrichthe enjoyment of bird watching.

The guidebook was an immensesuccess and the author, artist andphotographer would write or editmost of the 50 more Peterson fieldguides to come, many of which heillustrated. The Peterson books arethe most successful series of natureguides ever published in the U.S.,according to Houghton Mifflin.

Although he is rememberedchiefly for inventing the modernfield guide, Peterson was a trailblazer in bringing nature program-ming to television and the movies, a

tireless lecturer nationwide for theNational Audubon Society, and afounder and leader of the World Wild-life Fund.

Before he died in 1996 at the ageof 87, Peterson would receive morethan 20 honorary degrees and twonominations for the Nobel PeacePrize, and was awarded the U.S. Presi-dential Medal of Freedom, the high-est honor the nation can present to acivilian. Peterson frequently creditedhis seventh grade science teacherwith sparking his interest in natureand, if he were alive today, he wouldbe most gratified to know that hiswork of educating children contin-ues at the Roger Tory Peterson Insti-tute of Natural History (RTPI), whichhe established in Jamestown.

RTPI’s mission is, as Peterson said,to “teach the teachers” so that youngpeople would develop a lasting rela-tionship with nature. RPTI providesteachers with publications, curricu-lum, school partnerships, workshops,and courses — online (www.enaturalist.org) as well as on site.

The institute’s handsome building,in suburban woods, also housesPeterson’s art work, papers, library,study specimens, 175,000 slides, andnearly 400 nature documentaries andfeature films.

Last year, the institute held its firstannual Roger Tory Peterson BirdingFestival (see sidebar), attracting manyprominent ornithologists to leadworkshops and field trips, includingPeterson’s favorite sites in town, the66,000 acres of Allegany State Park,and many other habitats on land andwater. The Jamestown area is ahotspot for 30 species of northernand southern warblers, whose rangesoverlap in Chautauqua County.

“Birds are far more than cardinalsand jays to brighten the garden, ducksand grouse to fill the sportsman’sbag, or warblers and rare shorebirdsto be ticked off on the bird watcher’schecklist,” Peterson said. “They areindicators of the environment—asort of ecological litmus paper.

“Because of their high rate of me-tabolism and furious pace of living,they reflect subtle changes in the en-vironment rather quickly; they warnof things out of balance. They sendout signals when there is a deteriorat-ing of the ecosystem. It is inevitablethat the intelligent person who watchesbirds (or mammals or fish or butter-flies) becomes an environmentalist.”Hal Smith, a freelance writer and mem-ber of the Susquehanna Group, is co-editor of the Sierra Atlantic.

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At the second annual RogerTory Peterson Birding Festival,June 10-13, bird watchers at alllevels will have an opportu-nity to go birding in the foot-steps of the master. Birdersmay choose from about adozen field trips, includinglocations on the AlleghenyPlateau that inspired Petersonas well as Jamestown’s “SwedeHill,” where he had a life-changing encounter with aflicker.

For information, contact theRoger Tory Peterson Instituteat 800-758-6841, or www.rtpi.org.Accommodations and work-shops will be at JamestownCommunity College, contigu-ous with the RTPI property.

If You Go

Nature education is the mission of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York.

You can sign up for AtlanticChapter “action alerts” to take ac-tion on legislation and other keyissues. Send an e-mail to:[email protected], withthe message

“Subscribe ATL- [email protected]”Include your first and last name.You can make a difference fromyour home by taking action viaphone, e-mail, or letter.

Join the ActionAlert listserve

continued from page 2nants of cement mines and their as-sociated structures provide a glimpseinto the industry which once madeRosendale “the cement capital of theworld,” whose cement was used tobuild the Brooklyn Bridge. And theexposed structural geology, includingready access to 400-million-year-oldrock strata, makes the area a geologicparadise for research and education.

Furthermore, HRVR proposes touse 6 to 9 times the amount of waterused by the former Williams LakeHotel. The area’s fractured bedrock/karst aquifer system makes its waterresources particularly vulnerable tocontamination. Yet the developer hasresisted the need to conduct tracertests, even though that is the onlyreliable method for determininggroundwater flow routes under thisproperty. Without such testing, it isnot possible to determine what on-and off-site receptors will receiveproject wastewater and storm watercontaminants. This is a major con-cern of the Sierra Club.

The rail trail that Allred’s companyproposes to create already exists; it isa vital link in the proposed extensionof the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. More-over, as the development is to be agated community, how will publicaccess be managed?

As William Janeway, DEC Region 3director, stated: “Significant portionsof the property contain resources ofstatewide significance and theproject, as proposed, has potentiallysignificant impacts of a regional andstatewide nature.”

“Smart growth” is defined notonly by how one builds, but where.This luxury housing project, built ona largely undeveloped property, canhardly be considered “smart growth.”

If Mr. Allred wishes to meet withus, we are certainly willing. The Si-erra Club, however, can hardly beexpected to abandon its more thancentury-old tradition of preservingbiological diversity, conserving natu-ral resources, and providing appro-priate public access to wild and sce-nic places.

The Mid-Hudson Group supportspreservation efforts by groups suchas Save the Lakes (www.savethelakes.us).We continue to believe that HRVR’sdevelopment represents a tremen-dous loss to the local community,region, and state.

MARIE CARUSO

MID-HUDSON GROUP

Hudson resort

Roger Tory Peterson


by Moisha Blechman

The above headlines, and manymore like them, could be in thenews every week. They would

sell papers, are without exaggerationand true. Yet most of the huge bodyof direct field evidence of globalwarming is missing from the massmedia. That fact reflects the public’slack of concern about global warming.

At the same time, there is little, ifany, attempt at giving the generalpublic a fundamental understandingof the chemistry and physics that iswarming the planet. If the public hadsuch an understanding, the recent“Climategate reports that misrrepre-sented the content of stolen e-mailsbetween climate scientists wouldhave no effect on public perception.Against the vast body of science,those e-mails have no relevancy.

Copenhagen coincidence?Instead, headlines hinting darkly at

a conspiracy among climate scien-tists, coinciding with Copenhagen,flooded the media. It started with thestolen e-mails of a climate scientist inthe UK, which were taken out ofcontext. The e-mail in question wassent in 1999, one year after the hot-test one on record. It discussed rec-onciling the temperature record intree rings with global average tem-peratures. One of the scientists usedthe word “trick,” a kind of shorthandamong scientists, in discussing themethodology in that reconciliation.

It is absurd to question the rise intemperatures — recorded by scien-tists worldwide — and to discreditan entire discipline because of aphrase used between two scientists.Yet this is exactly what has hap-pened. It worked like a gossip thread,embolding the governor of Texas totreat the lies as truth, and challengethe EPA’s authority to regulate CO

2

emissions in Texas.Compounding PR problem, Kevin

Trenberth, from the National Centrefor Atmospheric Research in Boulder,Colorado, had written an e-mailwhich said: “The fact is that we can’taccount for the lack of warming atthe moment and it is a travesty thatwe can’t.” In Copenhagen, SenatorJames Inhofe linked the Phil Jones“trick” e-mail to this one, implying ascientific conspiracy to withholddata of a cooling world.

The link is bogus since the e-mailswere written 10 years apart! Trenberthwas referring to a slackening of therate of warming and not a coolingperiod, as the skeptics preferred tointerpret the e-mail. Trenberth wassaying that it was a “travesty” becausehe was exhorting his colleagues toexplain it in terms of the physicalmechanisms involved, and not justexplaining it away as a normal fluc-

tuation. (Actually, it is possible thatice melting is slowing the rise in landsurface temperatures, for example,and constitutes temporary reliefwhile we still have enough ice forthat action to take place in an amountsufficient to make a difference.)

More recently, the Intergovern-mental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC) has come under fire for astatement on the rate of Himalayanglacier melt and two other minorerrors in a 3,000-page report. Theattack is an attempt by skeptics(funded by the fossil fuel industry) andwilling media to discredit the IPCC.

The recent claim that the IPCC isexaggerating the climate crisis isbased on one statement by its head atCopenhagen and one statement in along report that the Himalayan gla-ciers will be gone by 2035. However,the IPCC Summary for Policymakers,which is what everyone actuallyreads, states: “If current warming ratesare maintained, Himalayan glacierscould decay rapidly.” Actually, it is re-

markable that there has been so littleto criticize, given the structure of theIPCC — 2,500 scientists, 450 leadauthors, and 130 governments, all ofwhich must review, integrate and signoff on its consensus-based reports.

The fact remains, as reported bythe World Glacier Monitoring Service,that 90 percent, or 398 of all glaciers,are retreating and only 26 are advanc-ing. The Himalayan glacier is amongthe retreating. One half a billionpeople are dependent on it for theirwater and the irrigation for theircrops. In fact, large populations, hugeagricultural areas, fish, birds and ani-mals (whole ecosystems) all over theworld are glacier dependent.

Think about the U.S. west of theContinental Divide. Much of it is aglacier dependency. Think about theultimate fate of California, the sixthlargest economy in the world, as aglacier dependent economy. SenatorDianne Feinstein is introducing a billthat would siphon off glacial meltwater from wildlife areas and redirectit to farmers. The war for glacial meltwater is on and wildlife will be theloser. This should make a very alarm-ing headline, but it is not being written.

The IPCC was criticized in the

press for the statement that: “Up to40 percent of the Amazonian forestscould react drastically to even a slightchange in precipitation; this meansthat the tropical vegetation, hydrol-ogy and climate system in SouthAmerica could change very rapidly toanother steady state, not necessarilyproducing gradual changes betweenthe current and the future situation.”

It turns out that the science under-lying that statement remainsunassailed. The citations were poorbecause they were from a report ofthe World Wildlife Fund and the Inter-national Union for the Conservationof Nature, instead of the originalpeer-reviewed literature. The sub-stance of the issue remains un-changed and should reach the public.

Lungs of the planetThe public should understand that

the Amazon is called the lungs of theplanet, creating oxygen and seques-tering CO

2. Tropical forests have the

richest diversity in the world and arethe source for new drugs. Every per-son on this planet has a stake in theirhealth. The undisputed loss of 40 per-cent because of a warming worldshould be making a different kind ofheadline.

In all these cases, and others, thereis a pattern of all-out assault by theoil and coal industries. It is a desper-ate attempt to find any possible flawin global warming news, and thendisseminate it broadly to deflect seri-ous thought about the climate crisis,and even discredit the concept itself.

“Overall,” according to the Unionof Concerned Scientists, “the IPPC’sconclusions remain indisputable: cli-mate change is happening now andhuman activity is causing it.”

The media blitz never actually at-tacks fundamental science. But hav-ing created an aura of flaw and skep-ticism, it has been successful in itspurpose. The public at large, in boththe U.S. and Britain, no longer putsglobal warming at the top of its con-cerns, or only vaguely in their con-cerns at all.

A poll found that almost 10 per-cent fewer Americans believe globalwarming is happening than just ayear ago. In fact, there is a prevailingloss of urgency about the climatecrisis at best. The majority public hasbeen transported to a comfortableplace where either outright denial ora state of climate amnesia has taken over.

Unfortunately, this campaign in-cludes the intimidation of scientistsand environmental organizations.There is a new caution, so strong thatit has crippled the minds of many.

A study of public perception ofclimate, made about eight years ago,found that answers to questionsabout the importance of globalwarming were completely different ifthe questionnaire explained a fewbasic facts about how climate works.The public could be intelligent.

If news reports reflected what isreally happening, the public wouldhave demanded strong legislationfrom both houses long ago. The U.S.would have led the nations of theworld in Copenhagen to bindinggoals commensurate with the crisis.

Disinformation campaignThis situation will not change if

the campaign of disinformation, as anon-stop strategy, continues to con-trol public perception. So far it hasbeen so successful that Texas can getaway with thumbing its nose at theEPA; Inhofe and Sarah Palin can liewithout being laughed at; and a Texasschool board can require textbooksto reduce global warming to a non-topic — and get away with it. (Text-book publishers do not print differ-ent editions for different states. Be-cause Texas is the biggest client, itsbook orders will determine whatmost U.S. students study.)

This is exactly the outcome forwhich the oil and coal industry hasspent millions.

The celebrated founder of the “art”of public relations, Edward Bernays,put it this way: “Those who manipu-late the unseen mechanism of societyconstitute an invisible governmentwhich is the true ruling power of ourcountry. We are governed, our mindsmolded, our tastes formed, our ideas sug-gested largely by men we never heard of.

“In almost every act of our liveswhether in the sphere of politics orbusiness, in our social conduct or ourethical thinking, we are dominated bythe relatively small number of per-sons who understand the mental pro-cesses and social patterns of themasses. It is they who pull the wiresthat control the public mind.”

They have been successful withglobal warming.Moisha Blechman chairs the Chapter’sGlobal Warming Committee.

Climategate disinformationcampaign fuels public skepticism

Much of the West is a

glacier dependency. Think

about the ultimate fate of

California, the sixth

largest economy in the

world, as a glacier

dependent economy.

WATER CRISIS THREATENS 155 MILLION IN BANGLADESH

THAWING PERMAFROST ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE

ACIDITY PUSHES ALL OCEAN LIFE NEAR TIPPING POINT


Late-winter porcupines and humans share ennui

by Betsy Naselli

I f you are a gardener you may al-ready know of some of the affini-ties between plants, such as basil

planted near tomatoes to attract in-sects to itself that may otherwisedamage tomatoes, or borage plantednear pumpkins to attract the beesthat will pollinate the pumpkins. Itseems only natural then that usingherbs in a plant-based diet could besynergistic as well.

Now is the perfect time to addsome herb plants to your garden orpot on deck or porch so that you canhave fresh herbs at hand. Most arefairly fuss free, requiring only sun-shine and some water — and regularpruning, which the recipes here willencourage you to do frequently.

I suggest you start with parsley,basil, thyme, tarragon and rosemary.If you have space, lemon verbenaand lemon balm make lovely teas.And, although they are not herbs, ifyou plant a few nasturtiums todangle around the sides of your potsor sprawl along the edges of yourgarden, you’ll have beautiful edibleflowers to enhance your meals andwater. In hot weather, I always have apitcher of water in the refrigeratorwith a few lemon or cucumber slicesand two or three nasturtiums. It islovely to look at and refreshing todrink. (Guests always feel specialwhen you serve them a glass of thiscold water too!)

Have you had bruschetta withtomatoes and basil? It is easy tomake, and I am going to give you arecipe for basil salt that will further

Using herbs in the plant-based diet

W inter’s end makes me feel likea porcupine — plodding, list-less, unimpressed with hu-

man progress in the search for goodjobs and world peace. Porcupinessuffer the same seasonal ennui.They’re tired of winter — tired ofholing up in the same damp caveevery time the weather turns bad;tired of climbing the same old tree toeat the same old bark; tired of beingon the lookout for a great hornedowl that may be hungry enough totempt fate and attack the spiny wallsof their quilled fortress.

Because we share this same end-of-winter malaise, the porcupine andI have worked out a support systemto get us through these trying days.Every year at this time, on a blusteryafternoon when the sun is blanketedby clouds of medium gray, I go insearch of the noble quill pig. We willcommiserate, the porky and I, assur-ing one another that spring surelywill sprout with the following dawn.

It has developed over the yearsthat one of us ends up doing most of

Wheel of Seasonsby Rick Marsi

ramp up the flavors!Roasting vegetables with rose-

mary and thyme makes them taste somuch more interesting, and it is easyto do. My recipe for roasted tomatoesis very simple.

Zesty herb vinegar that you makeyourself will add flavor to salads andmarinades all through the year.

Bruschetta1 small baguette or Italian bread1 or 2 cloves garlicextra virgin olive oilfresh tomatoes (plum or Roma

tomatoes are best as they are meatierand less juicy, but any fresh tomatowill do), thinly sliced

fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded (Pilethe leaves together, roll them up, andslice very thinly into “ribbons.”)

basil sea salt (or just sea salt)Slice bread into half-inch slices

and place in oven on cooking sheetat 350 degrees. When top is toasted,flip and briefly toast other side.When both sides are lightly toasted,gently rub garlic cloves over oneside. Top with tomatoes and basil andlightly drizzle with olive oil. Sprinklea little basil sea salt on top. Serve.

Basil Sea Salt1/2 C coarse sea salt1 bunch basilIn food processor, pulse basil until

it is finely chopped. Add sea salt andprocess until completely blended.Place on baking sheet in oven on thelowest setting. Keep an eye on it; stirit a few times so it dries evenly. Whendry, store in an air-tight container.

Oven Roasted TomatoesMake this at the end of the sum-

mer when tomatoes are prolific andinexpensive.

tomatoes1 t sugargarlicthymeolive oilsea saltPreheat oven to 275 degrees. Slice

tomatoes in half and place on parch-ment covered baking sheet. Separategarlic into cloves, but do not peel.Scatter among the sliced tomatoes.Place sprigs of thyme around toma-toes. ( I use lots of thyme and muchogarlic cloves, but you can experi-ment to see what suits you best.)Sprinkle with sugar. (This is the onlyingredient that I have given andamount for because I want to im-press upon you that you need very,very little!) Drizzle with a little oliveoil- maybe a tablespoon or two perbaking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt;again, not a lot. You can always addmore salt later if you feel it is neces-sary.

Roast for about thirty minutes,until tomato skins are wrinkly. Re-move from oven and pull skins fromtomatoes. This is not as difficult as itmay seem as long as they are softenough. Return to oven and roastuntil the garlic cloves are very softand tender. Remove from oven. Letcool until you can safely handle andsqueeze garlic from skins; removesprigs of thyme (if there are littlepieces remaining, no worry). Placetomatoes, any juices from pan andgarlic into container, or use immedi-

ately on pasta or pizza. I like to blendit all together to make a roasted to-mato sauce for pasta.

Zesty Herb Vinegar1/2 C fresh basil1/2 C fresh marjoram1/2 C fresh oregano1/2 C fresh tarragon1/2 C fresh thyme2 T whole peppercorns4 C white wine vinegar*Wash all herbs thoroughly and

carefully pat dry. In a two quart orlarger prewashed ,sealable jar or con-tainer combine all ingredients. Coverand store in a cool dark place for 10-14 days. Remove from storage andstrain vinegar through several layersof cheese cloth or mesh strainer intosterilized bottles. Add a sprig of yourfavorite fresh herb in each bottle, sealand apply label. Vinegars are bestwhen stored in cool, dark places.Most are best used within a year.

*Note: This is not distilled vinegar;if you can’t find white wine vinegar,or if it is too pricy, you can use applecider vinegar instead.

Betsy Naselli owns The Holistic LifestyleCompany in the Syracuse area.www.TheHolisticLifestyleCompany.comThe Atlantic Chapter encourages you to movetoward a plant-based diet to protect the environ-ment, human health and wildlife, and to makebetter use of natural resources. To learn more andreceive more recipes, contact the Biodiversity/Vegetarian Outreach Committee [email protected], (315) 488-2140 ,5031 Onondaga Rd., Syracuse, NY 13215-1403 orgo to www.newyork.sierraclub.org/. Click on “Con-servation” at the top. On the left, see “Environmen-tal Issues.” Click on “Biodiversity/Vegetarian Out-reach.”

the work to make this rendezvous asuccess. It is not the porcupine.

The porcupine, for example, doesnot have to climb to the top of asteep, forested ridge and clamberabout on rock outcroppings lookingfor caves in the protruding sand-stone. The porcupine already is there.As a matter of fact, the porcupineisn’t even required to make a per-sonal appearance. It just has to leavea sign of its presence to let me knowit’s survived another winter. This signtakes the form of scat — hundreds ofpellets forming a carpet several

inches think at the cave entrance.That’s all I need to know — a porcu-pine is inside his darkened bastion,watching me with listless wintereyes.

Porcupine pellets are an inch orso long and rather neat in appear-ance. They look like chewed up bark,which is what they are. Bark is allporcupines eat in winter. Sometimesthey feed on the same tree for weeksat a time until its outer bark isstripped completely. This can getmighty boring, compared with thevaried fare upon which porcupinesdine during more imaginative sea-sons. Not only are water plants andtender leaves available during warmweather, but canoe paddles, axhandles and the odd front porch aswell. It’s a craving for salt that drivesporcupines to chew canoe paddlesand porches. The tiniest whiff of thestuff sends them swooning. That’swhy they hang around highways somuch, getting hit by cars — they’reafter road salt.

That’s also why they’re not above

gnawing on mufflers and tailpipes.Several years ago, a camping friendawoke to this thrill in the middle ofthe night, in the middle of Alaska. Hewas sleeping in a Volkswagon bus,the bottom of which featured thatparticular brand of petrified roadslop that makes northeastern wintersso special.

Fortunately for my friend, he coulddrive away, which he did, thus avoid-ing confrontation. People hardly everfare well confronting porcupines. Ifsuch an occurrence takes place, it iscomforting to know a porcupinealways will let you know it is dis-pleased and considering hostile ac-tion. This it does by turning around,flaring its quills, and swinging its tailrapidly back and forth. Anyone get-ting in the way during this forewarn-ing is dumber than the porcupine.

Only once have I met a porcupineface-to-face on my late winter so-journ to the forested ledge. It hadwedged its way, headfirst, into a rockcrevice and greeted my approach byfanning the quills on its backsidewhile holding its ground. That wasthe moment I decided the porcupinecould leave its pellets at the caveentrance and didn’t have to show upin person.

Naturalist Rick Marsi, a member of theSusquehanna Group, is a journalist,public speaker and leader of eco-tours.His book of favorite nature columns isWheel of Seasons, available atwww.rickmarsi.com. ©2010 Rick Marsi


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IroquoisHydrofracking efforts spawn meetings; towns bar drilling on town land

Our hydrofracking efforts have taken on a life of their own and havebirthed meetings all around us on this issue. Seems like every week there areat least two nearby (if you count an hour’s drive as nearby).

Along with our allies, we now own two copies of “Split Estate,” a film aboutthe destruction that natural gas drilling created in the Rocky Mountain region.Many activist groups show the film at the beginning of a discussion about drill-ing for natural gas in the region.

One result of all this energy has been that town boards are passing resolu-tions committing to no leasing on town lands.The Onondaga County Legisla-ture has passed two resolutions and is soon to pass one more to providegreater teeth to the intent. Such resolutions are always sent on to the governorand state legislators.

Preliminary discussions of an urban forest movement have taken place, andhopes are for thousands of trees in Syracuse. This project would involve theU.S. Forest Service here at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The program meeting for February, The Great Mountaintop RemovalRoadshow, featured a Sierra Club member from Kentucky with first-handviews of this destructive practice. He was on a two-week road tour from Ken-tucky to New England and here. His stops included U. of Conn, U. Mass, Yale,Williams and many other universities and colleges.

As it has for the last five years, the Iroquois Group will provide some volun-teers for the Cazenovia energy symposium on Friday, April 16, presented bythe college and faculty member Rhea Jezer. This year’s theme is The EnergyHighway. For information and to register, go to www.cazenovia.edu/energy.

Also, we will do our annual cleanup of Lake Ontario on May 22. This isan interesting project, as the type of litter seems to change each year. Italso is a good source of contact with the many other groups who partici-pate in the event.

MARTHA LOEW

Group Roundup

Mid-HudsonGroup plans Hudson cleanup, tribute to Muir on his 150th birthday

We look forward to updating our website, to our new-member meeting, andto our spring programs. In April, we celebrate Earth Day with two events. OnSaturday, April 17, we invite our members to pitch in with their ExCom tohelp the Hudson River Rowing Association (http://www.hudsonriverrowing.org/), our meeting place in Poughkeepsie, clean up its Hudson Riverwaterfront from 9 a.m.-noon. Lunch together afterwards. On Wednesday, April21, at 7:30 p.m., James Krueger will present a program on John Muir, on his150th birthday, in words with music. On Wednesday, May 19, Will and CherylCass will present a program on the Galapagos Islands.

The Group’s conservation efforts continue to focus on the environmentalproblems of the proposed development of Williams Lake (www.savethelakes.us). See the letter to the editor, page 2.

Last September, our tag sale required a last-minute relocation from a churchproperty because of a funeral. It was successful, though, due to the heroic ef-forts of about 25 volunteers admirably shepherded by Marie Caruso.

In October, Chris Burger, chair of the Chapter’s Solid Waste Committeewho has lived among us producing only one pound of solid waste in a wholeyear, gave us a PowerPoint presentation on why it’s important for us all to re-duce waste, followed by a practical “how to.”

In November, Rusty Johnson, renowned wildlife educator, presented an ex-citing program with his cadre of live reptiles and birds. Through the fall, theExCom worked to re-structure. After eight years of Bibi Sandstrom’s dedicatedservice as chair, we have a new chair, Joanne Steele. With Sandstrom as vice-chair, the Group has elected to focus the environmental devotion of membersby presenting them with a survey of their interests, abilities and desires in ourwinter newsletter.

JOANNE STEELE

NiagaraIncrease in voluntarism raises number of Group’s general meetings

The Niagara Group intends to hold general meetings more frequently. Thisis partly in response to a survey which was sent to our entire mailing list. Itresulted in a large number of people saying they would like to volunteer towork in specific areas. We then held an informational meeting for those whohad offered to volunteer. We hope in this way to broaden our base and be-come more powerful in advocating for environmental concerns.

We had visitors at our January ExCom from the office of state SenatorAntoine Thompson, who explained several bills which the senator is sponsor-ing to protect the environment. We are studying them and probably will en-dorse all of them shortly.

The Peace Education Fund in the western New York area is planning manymajor events on the themes of peace and the environment on April 14-24.This overlaps Earth Day on April 22. We have agreed to participate, whichmeans that the umbrella organization will publicize our events and we willhelp publicize the events of other groups. Events will be held in the BirchfieldPenny Art Museum, at the Galleria Mall, and other locations. This will be alarger educational endeavor than is usually mounted on Earth Day and shouldreach thousands of people.

CHARLES LAMB

Susquehanna Presentations range from biodiversity to crow behavior to global warming

Our principal educational effort has been our monthly meetings, whichhave featured speakers on topics ranging from biodiversity to crow behaviorto climate change. We have instituted a short activist advisory at each meetingin the form of a 10-minute update on current issues for action, organized byConservation Chair Rich Kellman.

Our main activist focus has been on the plan to drill in the Marcellus shaleformation for natural gas, using hydrofracture and horizontal drilling. Our areais supposedly a “sweet spot” in the formation for abundant gas reserves. Wehave lobbied our local legislators (Lupardo, Crouch, and Libous) inBinghamton to show our concern, filed comments on the draft SupplementalGeneric Environmental Impact Statement, and organized field trips to view theprocess already in progress in neighboring SusquehannaCounty, Pa.

Our annual Lynda Spickard award for outstanding ser-vice to the environment was given to Cynthia Westermanthis January, in honor of her longstanding activism andservice to local environmental committees and groups.

We also aim to have regular outings: in addition to thegas-drilling outings, these have included visits to localsites of natural value (a prime bog on State forest prop-erty and a virgin hemlock forest in a state park). Weopted for “innings” this winter in the Binghamton Univer-sity greenhouse and the Loomis bird collection atRoberson Museum and Science Center.

We have a full and active executive committee, but aretrying to encourage more of our Group’s fairly large membership to partici-pate more actively.

JULIAN SHEPHERD

Cynthia Westerman

• ......tion and on a shoe-string budget. we are a grassroots operation. this year 2010,we will...

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