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Environmental News
During budget hearings in Albany yesterday, North Country Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward questioned Department of Environmental Conservation head Pete Grannis about a number of revenue-related issues. Martha Foley has more.
A new study says wind power could meet 20% of the energy needs of the eastern United States. But to get there, the nation needs to invest in a lot of infrastructure. Samara Freemark reports. More...
OK Slip Falls would be protected as part of the Finch deal (Photo: C. Heilman, courtesy of Nature Conservancy)
State officials have confirmed that a plan to add more than sixty thousand acres of land to the Adirondack forest preserve is on hold until the state budget crisis has passed. The massive project, known as the Finch, Pruyn deal, was hailed by Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis when it was unveiled in 2007. The state's decision leaves the Adirondack Nature Conservancy holding more than $80 million of debt. Environmentalists were angered by this week's decision. But as Brian Mann reports, some critics are questioning whether the project should go forward at all.
The government's Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers to return a certain amount of agricultural fields to their original wetlands. As Tanya Ott reports, a new study finds those efforts might be paying off. More...
Governor Paterson's budget plan would slash also tens of millions of dollars from environmental and land conservation programs. In the proposal unveiled yesterday, state officials say new land purchases in the Adirondack Park should be suspended at least through 2012. The news comes at a time when the Adirondack Nature Conservancy is hoping to sell more than 50,000 acres of timberland to the state. Martha Foley has details.
The Adirondack Park Agency's Visitor Interpretive Centers in Paul Smiths and Newcomb would be closed under Gov. David Paterson's proposed 2010-11 budget.
The proposal says closing the two facilities will save the state $129,000 in the next fiscal year and $583,000 each year thereafter. The VICs provide environmental education programs to school children and adults, and offer miles of trails for hikers, skiers and snowshoers. As Chris Knight reports, supporters are shaking their heads.
Asian carp. Photo: The Environment Report
A big monster of a fish is at the center of a US Supreme Court case. Asian Carp are making their way up the Mississippi towards the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Michigan's Attorney General - along with New York and several other Great Lakes states - filed a lawsuit asking the Court to close a Chicago canal in order to keep the carp out. The shipping industry says the consequences would be devastating. Jennifer Guerra has a closer look at what's at stake. More...
When the banks failed and the recession hit last fall, lots of people predicted that the burgeoning green economy would get nipped in the bud. But that's not what happened. Julie Grant spoke with some business experts about the status of green companies. More...
Yesterday, North Country Public Radio reported on allegations that a conspiracy existed between state officials and the Nature Conservancy in the town of Black Brook. Critics claim that the plot aimed to force a local man, John Maye, from his property so that the land could be added to the forest preserve. Our investigation could find no evidence to support those suspicions. But Maye’s experience with the APA has come to be seen in property-rights circles as a textbook case of bureaucratic bullying and harassment. This morning, Brian Mann has part two of our report.
A report published last weekend in the Glens Falls Post-Star raised allegations that the Adirondack Park Agency had conspired illegally with an environmental group. According to the article’s sources, state officials schemed with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy, hoping to force a Clinton County man to sell his property. They say the goal was to add John Maye’s land to the state Forest Preserve. North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann has been investigating the charges. He found no evidence that any collusion or wrongdoing took place.
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 EnvironmentFebruary 7, 2010 | NPR· A group of scientists says the idea that life emerged from a prebiotic broth is past its expiration date. February 6, 2010 | NPR· Blue whales are updating their playlist, according to new research on the huge mammals. One scientist says it's because they've got more reason to sing. February 5, 2010 | NPR· New research dispels the notion that migrating insects are simply at the mercy of the wind. Researchers have found that the moths can actually select wind currents and often end up traveling faster than many migrating birds. February 4, 2010 | NPR· Heavy rains in California, record snowfalls in the mid-Atlantic and fires in Indonesia are all being attributed to the phenomenon. Government meteorologists say the effects of the most powerful El Nino since 1997-98 will very likely persist for another month or two. February 4, 2010 | NPR· After years of polluting and contaminating the environment, the American Smelting and Refining Company's notorious copper-smelting plant in El Paso, Texas, will be cleaned up this year. Asarco will also pay $1.79 billion to settle claims for pollution at more than 80 sites throughout the country.  Nature
 Consumer Consequences from APM: What would the world look like if everyone lived like you? Special Reports  Audio SeriesLocal Flavors: Todd Moe keeps it homegrown in this series focused on eating locally, and on sustainable agriculture and gardening. 
Audio Slideshow:A winter visit to an infected bat cave Wildlife researchers across the Northeast are scrambling to understand a mysterious ailment that is killing thousands of bats. "White-nose" syndrome has been found at sites in New York and Vermont. Brian Mann goes underground to see.  Audio SeriesHydo Power in Cree Country Brian Mann looks at hydro-electric development in Cree country in northern Quebec, where the desire for carbon-neutral energy resources comes into conflict with aboriginal rights, spiritual practice, and wilderness preservation.  Audio Slideshow:Beekeepers facing new challenges Lucy Martin visits with Ontario beekeeper Terry McEvoy and talks about colony collapse disorder and other apiary ailments that raise concerns about the food supply.  Audio Slideshow:The Slick of '76: Looking Back and Forward This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the “Slick of ‘76,” a 300,000-gallon oil spill in the heart of the Thousand Islands. The event re-shaped the way a generation views its relationship to the river. David Sommerstein reports.  Audio Slideshow:Researcher Finds New Mite Species In Adirondacks Heather Root has found at least one new type of tiny tree mite at the Huntington Wildlife Forest near Newcomb. Root does her research while dangling in a harness high above the ground in the maple tree canopy, where she also found rare forms of lichen not seen in the Adirondacks for decades.  Audio Slideshow:Chaumont Barrens: the North Country's Prairie David Sommerstein takes a nature walk on this unique Nature Conservancy land that contains some of the nation's easternmost prairie habitat. 
Photo Audio EssayProtecting the Tug Hill Plateau: Fish Creek Last summer, New York State, the Nature Conservancy, and a Boston-based timber company announced a plan to preserve 45,000 acres of forest on the Tug Hill Plateau. David Sommerstein visited the “East Branch of Fish Creek Working Forest” to see how the plan is shaping up.  Photo Audio EssayRestoring the Common Tern Once plentiful along the St. Lawrence, the common tern is now threatened. David Sommerstein joins volunteers creating artificial nesting habitat using Seaway navigational markers.  Audio SlideshowSuperfund and Brownfield Sites in St. Lawrence County Jody Tosti surveys the 20 Superfund toxic sites in St. Lawrence County.  Photo Audio EssayPCB Dredging at Alcoa/Reynolds in Massena Reports on how Alcoa/Reynolds, the EPA and the Mohawks see the PCB problem at the Superfund sites along the St. Lawrence River near Massena NY. Photo Audio EssayTurtle Cove: GM's PCBs on Mohawk Land The effects of GM's landfill on Turtle Cove and the people who live there. David Sommerstein reports.  Photo Audio EssayPreserving Adirondack Alpine Meadows Adirondack Nature Conservancy program volunteers haul rocks up into the High Peaks to protect fragile ecosystem from erosion.  Audio SeriesAmerica’s Largest Superfund Site, the Hudson River A special, three-part series on the Hudson River. The EPA has a plan for cleaning up toxic PCBs, dumped decades ago by General Electric. The corporation and many locals say the river is cleaning itself. We'll tell you about the public controversy, the health risks, and the impact of PCBs on the wildlife along the Hudson. Adirondack News Fund Founding Supporters: Paul Smith's College, The College of the Adirondacks · Wildlife Conservation Society · Adirondack Medical Center Foundation · Adirondack Museum · Niagara Mohawk Foundation · Schumann Foundation · John A. Sellon Charitable Trust · several anonymous individual donors |
