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“In January when the shipping season is over, do exactly what you did last winter – physically let out as much water as you can because you don’t know what’s going to happen next spring.”
The vote was 7-1.
“And the really cool thing is when you fill out a survey on your smartphone, it geolocates you. We’re able to go back to that exact same spot and we’ll do the water quality testing.”
“They’re not being transparent enough, they’re not engaging the stakeholders and the shoreline communities and they’re not getting the data they need from the appropriate sources like the shoreline communities.”
State legislators, local elected officials, and environmental advocates called for stringent standards on three toxic chemicals that have polluted drinking water across the state: PFOA, PFOS and 1,4-dioxane.
The Walden Project is an example of an outdoor independent learning program that is a possible alternative for immunocompromised students or others who can’t or don’t want to return to a traditional classroom setting during the coronavirus pandemic.
“They’re tipping the balance towards a more diverse ecosystem. The result will be beauty and color in the landscape, new homes for butterflies improved water quality and a stronger web of life.”
Jason Ward, host of the video series “Birds of North America,” explains that being a black birder means having to take precautions to stay safe while pursuing a passion for nature.
By lowering the outflows from Lake Ontario, the Board hopes to make navigation in the St. Lawrence River safer and raise the water levels in Lake St. Louis.
“The whole spring season is basically lost.”
Water levels throughout the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River System are expected to peak below the record-high levels seen in 2019.
Repairing the locks, which allow boats to travel from one neck of the waterway to another, was deemed nonessential work.
“As we begin to rethink and restart the economy, projects like this can really help transform communities in a very positive way.”
“Think about the backyard, think about the neighborhood, think about the local park, think about a local trail, think about the closest state park or forest area and how to recreate safely there.”
Sugar Maple is New York’s state tree and has one well-known, particularly sweet feature: syrup.
The Army Corps of Engineers reports that four of the five Great Lakes were at record-high water levels this week.
“What the dredging does is it increases the access and capacity of creeks, inlets, et cetera. And it uses the dredging material, in this situation, to increase a barrier to keep the high water from affecting the shoreline.”
In annual budget address, Wolf talked about need for pipeline reform
The lower layer of the bark contains a compound that tastes and smells like wintergreen or rootbeer. Twigs from smaller trees can be snapped off and chewed up for a tasty treat on the hiking trail.
“We’re definitely helping to prevent some rehoming events, for sure. We often get calls from people who are at the end of their rope; they don’t know where to turn next with their pet.”
In Philadelphia, the survey found two of the most commonly researched PFAS chemicals at levels far below the EPA’s recommended limit.
DEP quietly withdrew the fine for faulty drilling after the company promised to fix the problems.
The Christmas fern gets that name because the leaflets’ shape is similar to a Christmas stocking hung over the fireplace.
One of Seneca County’s better known attractions, the white deer at the former Army Depot, will lose one of the tourism efforts that has sprung up in recent years.
Amid federal inaction, there’s no consensus on how much of the PFAS class of chemicals is too much.
Witch Hazel is a small tree with multiple smooth trunks and flowers that look otherworldly, burgundy with yellow petals bursting out that look like crinkled yellow ribbons.
The Maidenhair fern is not as common as some other ferns, but it can still be found in damp, shady woods, especially down by ravines.
Plastic doesn’t go away, but it breaks down in the environment. One bottle can degrade into hundreds, even thousands, of tiny pieces of plastic the size of a grain of sand, which can be eaten by birds or fish.
A new report by the National Audubon Society says Pennsylvania’s state bird the ruffed grouse and New Jersey’s American goldfinch could disappear from the state.
The flower blooms for about a month between September and October.
“The result has been a decrease in the ability of staff to adequately maintain physical infrastructure…manage natural and cultural resources and address numerous environmental challenges.”
“This is not 1970, where we can have the concept that because of economic reasons, we can have acceptable levels of materials like this in our drinking water.”
Congressman Antonio Delgado (NY-19) sponsored the bill, which requires some companies to report their usage of PFAS to the EPA.
Rates will differ across Broome County and still could go after 2020.
A stowaway from China, the spotted lanternfly, is eating its way across Pennsylvania, killing trees and grapevines. Scientists are considering importing the bug’s natural enemies from back home.
Meanwhile, environmental groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation say the move is an “assault” on clean water.
Army Corps of Engineers surveys the lake, looking for noxious weed.
State says Trump Administration is overstepping.
“While there are shipping interests and energy interests and environmental interests, the human interest, specifically, the residents and business owners along the shore are first and foremost in my mind.”
It was seen on 2nd and Cascadilla Streets before it was captured by Tompkins County Animal Control.
The county wants anyone who might drink untreated water or who swims in the lake to be aware of the discharge.
Activists plan to take to Cayuga Lake early this morning to protest seismic tests by Cargill. The company has salt mines below the lake.
Bait laced with the vaccine will be dropped in areas where wild animals known to carry rabies may be lurking.
A new report titled “Great Lakes Revival” tells the story of how Buffalo and other rust-belt cities reclaimed their waters.
“This is a species that was incredibly abundant and then were overfished for many years, then impacts of dams and pollution. Now they still persist, but they’re about 1% of their historic numbers.”
“Maybe if they have the right conditions, they can do a nature-based shoreline approach, where they work in shoreline plants and rock rubble.”
The federal government’s congressional watchdog agency is taking a look at a controversial plan that helps adjust water levels on Lake Ontario.
The Environmental Working Group wants a standardized monitoring system across the U.S. to better inform the public about harmful algal blooms.
“At this time, when our bees are dying off, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has done a very quiet but very dumb thing. They’ve stopped collecting critical scientific data on honeybees.”
Lyme disease has been spiking in the Finger Lakes over the last few years, but the latest data show it might finally be stabilizing.
“Sometimes while you’re doing this job, you do think, ‘Wow, I am the luckiest guy to be paid to go out on the lake.’ Even though there are some problems on the lake, it’s still wonderful to be out there.”
“We recognize that the storms will happen more and more often, become more and more severe – so this is going to be the new normal. What’s not clear yet is how intense it will be.”
Quagga mussels have few natural predators, and have been successful in the Great Lakes and other lakes across North America since being carried here by ships from Europe in the 1980s.
It wants a shipping suspended several days a week this summer to allow more water to go through the Moses Saunders dam near Massena.
The training center welcomes hundreds of people each summer who want to see the “regals.”
“The idea here is to make sure that people who live along the shorelines of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, make sure that they have a voice.”
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding joined Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday for a tour of an area in Harrisburg infested with spotted lanternflies’
Several bodies of water in central New York have reported harmful algal blooms in recent weeks. With temperatures heating up after a wet spring, conditions are ripe for the blooms.
In Tompkins County, educational activities and games were organized by FORCES, Friends of Recreation, Conservation and Environmental Stewardship.
The Department of Environmental Conservation reports “record-breaking” fishing continues on those bodies of water, with the potential to catch huge fish from a wide variety of species.
Earlier this week, the state said it will set the nation’s lowest allowable level for industrial chemicals that have contaminated some communities’ drinking water.
All week long, New Yorkers have been weighing in on a proposed project that would help preserve some of the oldest shipwrecks in the Great Lakes.
NOAA wants to protect, research, and improve public access to shipwrecks and other maritime heritage resources. The designation doesn’t mean that NOAA would regulate fishing, water quality or other natural resources of the area.
The parasite carries potentially lethal pathogens in Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. Now it’s in North America. We ask tick specialists to weigh in.
Since June 1, a half-dozen goats have been used to target and eat unwanted plants or brush that have overrun a waterway.
“Is this the new normal? Or is this just an extended flooding event, like we had in 1993 or in the 1970s?”
“If a beekeeper is able to take a honeybee swarm, they can care for them and manage them if they need it, instead of having these colonies kind of inhabit people’s homes.”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is also represented on the Delaware River Basin Commission, was invited to the event but was unable to attend
“You can certainly try to remove the tick yourself. The problem that you can run into is if you leave parts of the tick embedded.”
“When a water system is contaminated with PFAS, treatment will lower the concentration but not completely remove it. So the contamination is still there.”
“It seems natural for us to do that, with the hydroelectric power generation that goes on here.”
The spotted lanternfly eats away at the bark of trees. It’s a threat to some commercial crops that are big in New York like grapes and apples.
“It’ll change the fortunes of this lake forever. What doomed it, was cutting it off and industrializing it and not having that connection with communities.”
To save the American chestnut tree, New York researchers want to release genetically engineered trees into the wild to reproduce. It would be a first.
With concerns about rising levels on Lake Ontario, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that he has directed state agencies to begin deploying resources to protect communities along the lakeshore.
It may not be pretty, but supporters of the Eastern hellbender say it’s a vital reminder to keep streams and waterways healthy.
The Eastern hellbender salamander may not be a looker. But its sensitivity to pollution and changing water conditions makes the creature a useful indicator for water quality in rivers and streams.
This effort was spearheaded by the counties along the shore of Lake Ontario, which pushed for recognition and protection of the lake’s shipwrecks.
The lanternfly lays its eggs in masses that look like smears of mud on trees, vehicles, and outdoor furniture.
When birds migrate, they can become attracted to and disoriented by artificial lights. The result: they end up colliding with New York’s skyscrapers.
“We’re working with willing landowners who are interested in selling their property to acquire these and dedicate them to conservation rather than development.”
Experts say there are at least 17 different tick species found in New York state. Some people and animals that are bitten by an infected tick can get any of a number of illnesses, including Lyme disease.
Right now the IJC has only two members – two short of the quorum needed to make decisions.
Typically the IJC is responsible for overseeing lakes and rivers bordered by the U.S. and Canada.
More than 300,000 watched live as April gave birth to a healthy male calf at around 12:45 p.m., the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York said.
“We are really, really thrilled,” said Mary Anne Kowalski, Seneca Lake resident. “I think the fact that is impressing me most is that we’ve got bipartisan support on this bill.”
Small farmers and rural homeowners argue they set aside too much land for preservation.
Pennsylvania is looking for new ways to fight the invasive spotted lanternfly, nearly five years after it was first discovered in Berks County.
A number of federal lawmakers are concerned that high water levels on Lake Ontario will result in a repeat of the flooding seen along the lake shore in 2017.
A new report finds coal ash pollution is leaking into groundwater at nine power plants around Pennsylvania and over 200 nationwide. West Pa. site has arsenic 372 times the ‘safe’ level
The state Department of Health wants to hire 10 scientists to learn more about the health risks of the PFAS group of chemicals that have been linked to cancer and other illnesses.
Renovations on the Erie Canal have been causing a rift between some canal side residents and the state’s Canal Corporation for about a yearnow.A final set of public meetings will be held Monday & Tuesday ahead of the last phase of the project.
Senator Chuck Schumer was in the Finger Lakes region Monday, urging members of the House to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Schumer says it provides critical funding that protects water resources and historical sites in every county across the U.S.
Pennsylvania will begin the process of setting its own health limits for two toxic PFAS chemicals because it’s unclear when the federal government will set national standards, the Department of Environmental Protection said late Thursday.
Canadian researchers are studying how to help prevent the spread of this fish
Sound travels differently through open fields than the woods. When deer eat up bushes, small trees and other forest plants, it affects the transmission of bird calls and other natural sounds.
It’s been over three years since water fountains in some Ithaca area schools could offer students a drink. In 2015, water systems in all 12 Ithaca City Schools were shut off after tests showed elevated lead levels. However, within two weeks, the water will be turned on again at some elementary schools.
A legislative fight may be looming on an issue near and dear to many rural Pennsylvanians’ hearts: hunting on Sundays.
Onondaga County continues taking the steps it needs to build a swimmable beach along the northern shore of Onondaga Lake. That includes a series of public meetings showcasing what it would take to create a beach along what was once called the most polluted lake in the country.
Freshwater mussels once thrived in rivers, streams and lakes across Pennsylvania. They provided a natural filter, cleaning up muddy water and allowing more sunlight into the waterways, which in turn provided a healthier ecosystem for aquatic life.
Scientists at SUNY ESF have been trying to bring back the American chestnut tree for decades. Three to four billion of the trees were destroyed by blight in the first half of the 20th century, but researchers are now getting close to bringing back an American chestnut resistant to blight.
The New York legislature returns to work this morning and Finger Lakes Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R-C-I) sees it as another chance to kill a proposed trash incinerator in the town of Romulus.
It was literally their 30 seconds or so of fame, several of the white deer that make their home at the former Seneca Army Depot, were the focus of the nature segment that usually ends each episode of the program CBS Sunday Morning.
Scientists from Cornell have a few tips for those of you who cut down Christmas trees, now that the holiday is behind us. Brian Eshenaur is the lead arborist for Cornell Botanic Gardens and says there are plenty of ways to recycle those trees.
The state’s Drinking Water Quality Council has issued what it considers to be safe levels for exposure to toxic chemicals, including PFOAs and PFOS that have been found in high quantities in some of New York’s drinking water supplies.
Significantly more harmful algal blooms were reported on Cayuga Lake this year than in 2017. A local non-profit reports the 2018 blooms were more likely to contain toxins harmful humans and small mammals, like cats and dogs.
Frank Femia runs Klubfunstore Guns and Ammo in Henrietta, where the popular ammunition this season is copper bullets. “It’s been hard finding them because everyone’s been sold out of them and it’s been hard to keep in stock,” Femia said.
State Police say a trooper who stopped to help a driver with a flat tire near Elmira over the weekend found out the call was anything but routine.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for the implementation of a law that would allow airports to stop using toxic chemicals that are said to poison local waterways.
Cornell University says it will cut down more than 2,000 ash trees in the next few years because of an invasive beetle.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – AAA has researched crash data, and they’ve found that by far, November is the worst month for deer crashes in New York. In November 2016, for example, there were nearly 45-hundred deer crashes – that’s one every ten minutes.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — State environmental officials have fined natural gas operator EQT for drilling into an old mine in 2017 and releasing 4 million gallons of abandoned mine drainage into the Monongahela River and surrounding wetlands in Allegheny County.
HARRISBURG, PA (WSKG) — A state audit of the Susquehanna River Basin Commission has uncovered more than $20,000 in food expenses and employee perks it labeled “extravagant,” and “questionable” from summer 2016 to this year.
By the time dawn’s first vermilion fingers tickle the east’s black sky, hunters in a dozen-plus marshes have slogged, sometimes chest-deep, through marshes to arrive at blinds – often constructed, sometimes mostly natural – to await the arrival of ducks, large and small, drab and bright, slow and fast.
“There’s been a long time passing without much information about what the remediation was,” said Alan Karasin, treasurer of the PTA. “We would get periodic reports that things were being replaced but we didn’t exactly know what or when.”
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA — Remember the $12.6 million penalty on Sunoco for dozens of permit violations during construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline? The Department of Environmental Protection said at the time it would turn that penalty into grants for projects related to water quality, watershed restoration and stormwater management. The DEP just put out a list of where that money is going.
A group of resort owners had challenged DEP’s new classification of headwater streams in Monroe County.
More than 70 New York City restaurants are pouring their discarded shells into the Billion Oyster Project, through which students recycle and transform them into healthy reefs in once-toxic waters.
Around New York and Pennsylvania, communities are learning their drinking water is polluted with a potentially harmful group of chemicals. The Trump Administration is working on a plan to manage them.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Students and staff at the campus of Finger Lakes Community College are welcoming the addition of 33 acres of land to the East Hill Campus for outdoor recreation and education.
Advocates: Move is a positive step but won’t protect public unless health limits are set
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A hot and humid end of summer could result in dampened fall colors in parts of New York this fall.
At Congressional hearing, advocates say federal government needs to address contamination concerns
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, nine people drowned in the Great Lakes over Labor Day weekend, including one unidentified man found in Lake Ontario near Wilson, NY.
There may soon be some new faces at the helm of the International Joint Commission, which helps protect and regulate the Great Lakes. The White House has announced the names of the three new commissioners for the IJC.
Legislation aims to improve detection, spur cooperation between federal and state governments
Hundreds of thousands of preserved plants will be made available online
Environmentalists call for new agreement to manage flows; NYC says accord was agreed between itself and four states
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Nearly two years ago, the EPA told Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection that its water program was so under-staffed and under-funded, it was failing to enforce federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards.
Marcellus region shows smallest increase in water use but quadruples frack waste from 2011-16
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Increased water quality problems tied to global climate change are affecting the way people fish, boat, and swim on Lake Erie, according to a paper published last month in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.
Lyme disease is continuing its westward march across New York state.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – According to data from the Onondaga County Health Department, no toxins have been detected at the water intake pipes in Skaneateles Lake for the last three days.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A low level detection of algae toxins, 0.3 parts per billion of toxins known as microcystins, have been found in Skaneateles Lake, according to local and state health officials. The toxins were detected in untreated water during weekly testing. None were found after the water was treated.
Organophosphates drain off farms and make their way to the ocean, where they could be harming sea creatures like whales, dolphins and manatees
The most cases were in Pennsylvania, but the disease is also becoming more common in places like Florida and California.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A battle is brewing over how to protect streams in the Poconos.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – The build out of natural gas infrastructure in Pennsylvania’s state forest system has slowed dramatically in recent years, according to a new report from the Department of Conservation and Natural resources.
HARRISBURG, PA (WITF) — The state Department of Environmental Protection is warning against a possible outbreak of West Nile Virus. Secretary Patrick McDonnell said 2018 has been a perfect year for mosquitoes that carry the disease, with a wet spring and mostly-dry summer.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Whether you call it a lightening bug or a firefly or perhaps by its scientific name, Lampyridae, chances are you’ve had some experience with the tiny flying insect that flashes and blinks its way through summer evenings.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Researchers predict less algae on Lake Erie this year compared to last, but that doesn’t mean no algae.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released action plans for 12 waterbodies affected by harmful algal blooms. The state is partnering with local communities to reduce and eliminate the blooms.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A group of researchers at Cornell University has developed a new, faster test to determine whether bacteria are present in beach water.
The pest has spread to 13 southeastern counties. The rush is on to kill it
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A new report attempts to explain the causes of last year’s flooding along the south shore of Lake Ontario.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A federal agency released recommendations on Wednesday on how to protect the public from a class of chemicals that are linked to a range of illnesses including some cancers, immune system problems, decreased fertility, and thyroid disease.
Delaware Riverkeeper Network says Sunoco has violated conditions on drilling and water pollution
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Pennsylvania conservation officials have released a plan to confront climate change on public land as flooding, wildfires and warmer bodies of water pose threats to wildlife, landscapes and recreation.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Groundwater quality in rural Bradford County has slightly improved since the 1980s despite the introduction of Marcellus Shale gas development, according to a newly released study out of Penn State.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – It looks like Lake Ontario may have already reached its peak high for the season, which is good news for lakefront home owners and business owners.
THE ALLEGHENY FRONT – To save the bats of Pennsylvania, Greg Turner wants to build a better bat cave.
Illness seen as a key piece of the puzzle in population decline
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is expected to soon release its management plans to combat harmful algal blooms in 12 lakes, some in central and northern New York.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer is the latest politician to speak out against a proposed trash incinerator in the town of Romulus on Seneca Lake.
A warming planet means some migrating birds miss mealtime.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – The state is stepping up efforts to control the tick population in an attempt to reduce the spread of Lyme disease.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Onondaga County lawmakers want to make it clear that a potential study that outlines the possibility of a beach along Onondaga Lake, doesn’t mean there will be swimming there anytime soon.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – There’s a new invasive insect that state officials want to keep out of New York. It’s called the spotted lantern fly, and it has the potential to cause great damage to crops like grapes, hops and apples.
The tick-borne illness is spreading north and south — about 300,000 U.S. cases a year. As scientists work on better diagnostic tests and surveillance tools, you can take steps to cut your risk.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Maybe you’ve seen it in your home; the oval-shaped brown marmorated stink bug. It’s hard shell looks like a shield. It gets its name from the strong scent it releases as a defense against predators. Some compare it to the aroma of cilantro.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A year ago, Lake Ontario began an unprecedented climb that resulted in record water levels and catastrophic flooding for those on its shoreline. The lake’s levels are currently 16 inches below where they were in May of 2017, but still eight inches above the long-term average.
TATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Freshwater mussels function as nature’s water treatment plants. Each animal can filter up to 600 gallons of water per month. Working together, they can dramatically clean the water of the rivers they live in.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – If you’re heading down to the Erie Canal trail to enjoy some of the nicer weather, you might notice a small detour in the Perinton section of the path.
An invasive insect is attacking hemlock trees in Michigan and along the East Coast. The hemlock woolly adelgid is an aphid-like bug, and it can kill hemlocks.
Piping plovers are little shorebirds, and they’re an endangered species in the Great Lakes region. But they’re making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts and even some heroics. Last year was pretty exciting for Mary Birdsong. She’s a shorebird monitor at Presque Isle State Park, on the Pennsylvania side of Lake Erie. “Previously I had only reported the presence of piping plovers, and this last year I got to actually watch over the first successful nest in more than 50 years,” she says.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – New York’s new budget sets aside money to combat harmful algal blooms that have closed some of the state’s lakes and threatened the municipalities that use them for drinking water. The funding would be a welcome relief for several communities in central New York that have been battling the blooms for years.
Opposition is growing against a proposed trash incinerator in the town of Romulus. In recent months several Finger Lakes municipalities have voted resolutions opposing the proposed incinerator in the town of Romulus. Article Ten allows for state review for proposals like this. Now, lawmakers have proposed a law eliminating trash or waste incinerators from the Article Ten process. When the project faces strong local opposition the company withdrew it’s application for local permitting. They said they would bypass local permission and seek a permit from the state under Article Ten instead.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) As the invasive species the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid continues to spread across New York, our neighbors to the North are trying to get ahead of the problem.
They were about 100 feet above the ground. They had been there for hours. And they didn’t know how to get down. Operation Goat Rescue begins!
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – With recent emergency repairs announced along parts of the Erie Canal, already disgruntled neighbors are speaking out again.
KEYSTONE CROSSROADS – Last week’s 2,200-page omnibus congressional spending bill nearly doubled funding for construction work led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Exactly how the money will be allocated is still being determined by Army Corps’ headquarters.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Several experts from across the state and the country held a summit Monday evening at Monroe Community College to try to come up with solutions to the state’s algal bloom problem.
ITHACA, NY (WSKG) – The emerald ash borer has infested several trees in the City of Ithaca. Just a week after one tree in Cornell’s Arnot forest was found to have ash borers, entomologist Mark Whitmore confirmed them in a tree in downtown Ithaca. Whitmore calls this is big news.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Key federal funding for the Great Lakes has survived again thanks to Congress. This is the second time President Trump proposed a big cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. And Congress restored it full: $300 million for the 2019 budget year. Since 2009, the initiative has funded thousands of projects that help the Great Lakes by cleaning up pollution, combating invasive species, and protecting wetlands. And it has received support from Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Water is being let out of Lake Ontario at record rates, but it’s doing little to relieve high water on the south shore, in New York. Last year, flooding caused millions of dollars in damage to residences and businesses, and in some areas drove people from their homes for months. One neighborhood in Hamlin, New York, was hit particularly hard. Now, residents there say they fear another harsh flood season. Bobby Jones stands on a sandy beach looking out over Lake Ontario.
HARRISBURG,PA (WITF) — A recent proposal to cut costs at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has drawn some controversy.
SYRACUSE, NY WRVO) – As the Emerald Ash Borer continues its decimation of ash trees in New York state, it has turned up this winter for the first time in Tompkins County near Ithaca.
A field outside Bob and Deborah Hoffman’s Delaware County home is filled with orange construction fencing, a 20-foot industrial curtain blocking their view of some surrounding houses, and hundreds of yards of steel pipeline waiting to be laid as part of the controversial Mariner East project.
Regulators are working hard to avoid a repeat of last year’s flooding on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The International Lake Ontario St. Lawrence River Board, which manages water levels, set a record last month for most water pushed downriver in any month since the dam was built in the 1950s.
Ithaca, NY (WSKG) – Emerald ash borers have been found in Tompkins County. Researchers at Cornell University spotted the insects in one tree in the University’s Arnot Forest. The forest is 4,500 acres and stretches across Tompkins and Schuyler counties.
It’s been almost 80 years since anyone was able to swim in Onondaga Lake from a public beach. Years of industrial pollution and sewage outflow destroyed any hope of public access until recent years, following a multi-million dollar cleanup of the lake once deemed the most polluted in the country.
Many advocates for the Great Lakes are in Washington, D.C., this week to push back against President Trump’s proposal to slash funding for the region. They want Congress to continue its bipartisan support on issues such as cleaning up pollution and protecting drinking water.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A state judge on Wednesday ruled in favor of the Towns of Pittsford, Perinton and Brighton in their effort to halt the clear cutting of trees along the Erie Canal, at least until the Canal Corporation and the New York Power Authority comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Experts on harmful algal blooms in bodies of water across upstate are developing plans and informing the public on solutions to the problem. The blooms can negatively affect drinking water quality and recreational use of lakes.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Canada and the province of Ontario recently released their plan to combat toxic algae blooms in Lake Erie. Phosphorus is the primary cause of the blooms that turn parts of the lake green most summers.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Just off Lake Ontario in Irondequoit Bay, Dave Hulburt is doing some work at the BayCreek Paddling Center. The shop is closed in winter, but it’s unusually warm and sunny by the water. A few cars drive by, a flock of geese flies overhead, but other than that it’s quiet on the dock.
GREAT LAKES RADIO – In the Great Lakes region, toxic algae blooms are a big problem. Every summer, they leave a green sheen on parts of the Great Lakes – and on many smaller lakes. New York State has a new campaign to find solutions. But some question the approach.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Out on farmland in western New York, near the shore of Lake Erie, is Five & 20 Spirits and Brewing. Here, they make more than just booze. They also raise fish.
For Christians, the weeks leading up to Easter are a time of sacrifice. And many observe by giving up chocolate, alcohol or other treats.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI)When an orangutan at the Seneca Park Zoo recently had an echocardiogram, there was both a veterinarian and a cardiologist who normally treats humans at his side.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – New York state has released a concept plan that closes the gap in the Erie Canalway Trail System between Camillus and DeWitt. It would extend the recreation trail through an urban area.
Skunks may be roaming more freely these days as it’s skunk mating season.
Scientists might have found a new way to combat white-nose syndrome, a disease caused by a fungus killing millions of bats in the U.S. and Canada.
This has to be one of the most Zen-like videos of the year: a snowy owl riding the icy waves of Lake Ontario. Now, it’s a hit on social media.
One of Governor Cuomo’s State of the State proposals would protect Cayuga Lake from toxic algal blooms.
Governor Cuomo’s proposal targets the 12 lakes that have the biggest algal bloom problems in the state. He said, “In the beautiful lakes of upstate New York we now have toxic algal that is spreading it is literally endangering the drinking water. No more procrastination, Let’s resolve these issues and let’s do it this year.” It’s a $65 million plan he wants begun in February, finished in May and enacted this summer. After years of inaction, Greg Boyer, professor of biochemistry at SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, thinks the “aggressive timeline.”
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – As communities in upstate like Oswego continue to get pounded by the relentless snowfall, some are running out of space to put it. One controversial option for municipalities is disposing some snow into waterways. That was the case for Oswego when nearly three feet of snow fell on the night before December 27. It prompted Mayor Billy Barlow declared a state of emergency. Oswego had filled its two snowbank reservoirs, but the snow was still piling up.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – A new year brings new opportunities for recreation and commercial interests along the Great Lakes. It also means seven gubernatorial elections in states that border the lakes, and growing concern over climate change. Great Lakes Today asked environmental groups and others for their thoughts on 2017 — and what’s to come in the new year. One issue stood out: the wide gap between regional interests and the Trump administration. The administration’s threat to cut $300 million in Great Lakes funding was one of the biggest stories of 2017, according to environmental groups.
KEYSTONE CROSSROADS – Many cities across Pennsylvania are struggling with outdated infrastructure, especially their water and sewer lines. In Pittsburgh this week, a water main break caused a safety advisory affecting 7,000 households. It’s the city’s third such warning this year. The broken 20-inch water main left some customers without water or with very low pressure, which means groundwater could infiltrate the pipes. In a precautionary measure, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority told affected customers to run their taps and then boil water before using it to drink or cook.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – The New York State Canal Corporation has agreed to wait until February to continue their project that’s removing trees from canal embankments between Medina and Pittsford. That’s after a protest a few weeks ago and a meeting held earlier this week, where residents and three town supervisors from Brighton, Pittsford and Perinton voiced concerns about the project. The Canal Corporation says they need to remove the trees to maintain embankment integrity and prevent erosion. They say the roots cause the embankments to weaken. But those who live along the canal weren’t so quick to let that happen.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River make up the world’s biggest freshwater system — and an enormously valuable resource. It supplies drinking water for millions of residents and powers the region’s economy. Last year, 42 million gallons were withdrawn from the basin each day, according to a new report from the Great Lakes Commission. Here’s where it went.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – Residents from communities along the Erie Canal are protesting tree removal between Medina and Pittsford. Elizabeth Agte organized a rally for Sunday afternoon saying they are worried about the lack of habitat for animals and lack of shade for those who use the trail. “We’re concerned about the fact that they’re taking away all of our beautiful, shady, tranquil canal path and replacing it with grass.” Agte lives near the canal in Perinton, saying she can see the trees the State Canal Corporation plans to cut from her kitchen window. She hopes to show with the rally that there is push back.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – A group that says it works to protect our air, land, water and wildlife is updating its 2016 report “Tapped Out: New York’s Clean Water in Peril, and they’re finding billions of gallons of sewage are being discharged in state waterways. Liz Moran is water and natural resources director for Environmental Advocates of New York. “We’ve found that since 2013, 10,687 sewage overflow events in New York State have been reported, totaling to over 3.8 billion gallons of sewage discharged,” she said. Moran says thanks to the Sewage Pollution Right to Know Act of 2012, reporting of overflows has greatly improved, but the group maintains serious underreporting exists. She points to Chemung County, which has reported only 1 sewage overflow since 2013.
The latest internet sensation, April the Giraffe, is expecting a calf. It will be her fourth. The 15-year old giraffe is drawing a lot of attention to the Animal Adventure Zoo in Harpursville, NY. The Stream
A video stream from her pen at the zoo went live on Wednesday, and as of this writing, has over 75,000 current viewers. Vice even wrote about the stream saying, “You can watch one of the world’s goofiest mammals pop out a baby and be distracted briefly from the growing hellscape that is our current world.”
Hundreds of metal and wood structures have been installed along the river’s bulkheads so fish have shelter from ships.
