News stories tagged with "lake-ontario"

(04/12/12) A group of Jefferson County legislators has for the second time in two years expressed opposition to offshore wind turbines in Lake Ontario. Almost two years ago, the New York Power Authority proposed an offshore wind turbine project, which Jefferson County rejected. Now the county may move to oppose federal overtures in that direction. Joanna Richards has more. more

(04/03/12) New York is one of five states joining the Obama Administration in an agreement designed to spur offshore wind development in the Great lakes. But as the Innovation Trail's Zack Seward reports, the issue of offshore wind farms is still a divisive one. more

(03/16/12) Historical re-enactors will gather in Sackets Harbor this weekend as part of a War of 1812 bicentennial commemoration. But the conversations will focus on period clothing and quilts, rather than muskets and cannons. Todd Moe talks with Ted Schofield, a re-enactor from Chaumont, about his early 19th century reproduction sewing implements and a love of recreating historic clothing.

(03/08/12) U.S. Representative Bill Owens says environmentalists shouldn't be concerned about his stand on a new water level plan for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.

The International Joint Commission started controlling high and low water levels in the 1950s. While that's kept a stable water level, the agency now says it's bad for the environment. The new plan allows water levels to reach higher highs and lower lows.

The IJC has yet to release all the plan details. Congressman Owens recently wrote to the agency, urging closer attention to shoreline property damage along Lake Ontario. He says that damage could exceed $3 million annually. more

(02/21/12) When spring comes, water levels rise. The spring thaw naturally fills-up lakes and rivers. But you might not know it by looking at Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. For fifty years regulators have been tempering extreme high and low water levels. And shoreline property owners, shippers, and dam operators like it that way. They don't like big fluctuations.

But now a new proposal by the International Joint Commission recommends a more natural approach. Julie Grant reports. more

(01/31/12) A new plan for controlling water levels in lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River is intended to restore diversity in shoreline plant and animal communities by permitting greater fluctuations.

The International Joint Commission, representing both the U.S. and Canada, released the regulatory plan yesterday. more

(11/23/11) Theatre Kingston has welcomed its new Artistic Producer on board this season. Brett Christopher has been an active member of the Canadian theater community for more than a decade. Most recently he was Artistic Associate at the Thousand Islands Playhouse. Christopher is perhaps best known for his performance in I Am My Own Wife in 2009. Founded in 1990, Theatre Kingston is Kingston, Ontario's professional theater company. Todd Moe spoke with Christopher about his goals, which include collaboration and community connections to keep local theater vibrant.

(07/20/11) Small communities across the North Country, from Burke in the east to Hammond in the west, have been deeply divided over wind power development.
The disputes pit neighbor against neighbor, and can go on for years.

That's the case in Cape Vincent, situated just where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River.

The picturesque town fills up in the summer with boaters, fisherman and summer residents with homes on the water. But the community's tourism and second home economy has come into conflict with the prospects for up to 137 wind turbines being built there by BP and a Spanish company called Acciona.

That's put enormous pressure on the town council and town planning board. In recent weeks, three of the Planning Board's five members have resigned.
Joanna Richards reports. more

(07/13/11) A five-year agreement among the states and Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes region to protect water resources has hit its half-way point.

The National Wildlife Federation released a report yesterday assessing how well the states are doing in meeting the goals of the Great Lakes compact.

It says all eight states adjoining the lakes have missed at least one deadline for improving water conservation and efficiency. But some have made more progress than others. Martha Foley has more. more

(07/07/11) The land just off eastern Lake Ontario near Watertown contains thousands of acres of fields and wetlands that are valuable habitat for birds and wildlife.

In the Jefferson County town of Brownsville, owners of a private wildlife preserve have signed an agreement ensuring their land will be forever protected. Ontario Bays Initiative announced the new conservation easement on the 182-acre property.

Joanna Richards visited the sanctuary and has this story. more