Federal Aid Highway Act aka The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act

Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
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The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (Public Law 84-627), was enacted on June 29, 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law. Appropriating $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of Interstate Highways over a 20-year period, it was the largest public works project in American history to that point.[citation needed]

The money was handled in a highway trust fund that paid for 90 percent of highway construction costs with the states required to pay the remaining 10 percent. It was expected that the money would be generated through new taxes on fuel, automobiles, trucks and tires.

Eisenhower's support of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 can be directly attributed to his experiences in 1919 as a participant in the U.S. Army's first Transcontinental Motor Convoy across the United States on the historic Lincoln Highway, which was the first road across America. The highly publicized 1919 convoy was intended, in part, to dramatize the need for better main highways and continued federal aid. The convoy left the Ellipse south of the White House in Washington D.C. on July 7, 1919, and headed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. From there, it followed the Lincoln Highway to San Francisco. Bridges cracked and were rebuilt, vehicles became stuck in mud, and equipment broke, but the convoy was greeted warmly by communities across the country. The convoy reached San Francisco on September 6, 1919.

The convoy was memorable enough for a young Army officer, Lt. Col. Dwight David Eisenhower, to include a chapter about the trip, titled "Through Darkest America With Truck and Tank," in his book At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1967). "The trip had been difficult, tiring, and fun," he said. That experience on the Lincoln Highway, plus his observations of the German autobahn network during World War II, convinced him to support construction of the Interstate System when he became President. "The old convoy had started me thinking about good, two-lane highways, but Germany had made me see the wisdom of broader ribbons across the land." His "Grand Plan" for highways, announced in 1954, led to the 1956 legislative breakthrough that created the Highway Trust Fund to accelerate construction of the Interstate System.
Eisenhower argued for the highways for the purpose of national defense. In the event of an invasion by a foreign power, the military would need good roads to be able to quickly transport troops around the country. Following completion of the highways the cross country journey that took the convoy two months in 1919 was cut down to two weeks.

Another result of the act was the direct subsidization of the suburban road infrastructure, making commutes between urban centers to suburbs much quicker, furthering the flight of citizens and businesses and divestment from inner cities, and compounding vehicle pollution and excessive petroleum use problems.[citation needed]

Many limited-access toll roads built prior to the act were incorporated into the Interstate system (for example, the Ohio Turnpike carries portions of Interstates 76, 80, and 90).
[edit]References

The Greatest Decade 1956-1966 Part 1 Essential to the National Interest at United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration
History of the Interstate Highway System at United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Act of 1956

The Niagara River Greenway

My understanding of the Niagara River Greenway project submission process is it is limited to municipalities and not-for-profits. Before anyone can receive any greenway dollars, the project must go before the Greenway Commission, be presented to the public, and be the recipient of public comments made through the greenway website.

After that, the Commissioners make the determination of "consistent with" or "not consisitent with" the Niagara River Greenway plan. Majority wins the consistency vote. Assuming one has the consistency determination, then the project must be submitted to a Standing Committee where it's decided whether or not to fund the project. Each individual standing committee decides how it will fund. Some have agreed to split the money evenly (Niagara Co. Host Committee). Some have mandated 100% agreement between members of the committee Niagara Relicenicng Environmental Coalition (NREC). Some agreed to a majority vote.

In Niagara Co. the Host Community Standing Committee is made up of 3 school districts, 3 municipalities and the county. (The New York Power Authority (NYPA) sits on all four Standing Committees). The school districts are: Lewiston-Porter, Niagara Falls, and Wheatfield. The municipalities are Town of Lewiston, Town of Niagara, and City of Niagara Falls. (They receive $3 million/year for 50 years) The 7 members have only funded their own projects todate. That dictate appears to be how their funding process will work for the next 50 years.

The only other greenway funding sources available to Niagara Co. are the two Ecological Standing Committees. The big one (seems like there are over 20 groups involved, including the three nations), is overseen by NYPA. NREC has a seat on it, and is represented by Riverkeeper. Wooster attends those. Every Member of NREC can all attend, but only Margaret has the floor to speak.

The smaller Ecological Committee, NREC, will receive 1 million/per year for 50 years.). It's chaired by Margaret Wooster. It's the one I have a voice on via The Niagara Frontier Wildlife Habitat Council (NFWHC). Every organization in NREC has one vote and we must all agree for a project to be funded. NFWHC is the only Niagara Co. organization on this committee.

Wild Ones Niagara, has a project into the Niagara River Greenway Commission. They have hired an outstanding, award-winning, ecological/environmental firm, that has designed scenic trails. Their project is running head-on in direct opposition to the Robert Moses Parkway road removal debate, and other major issues going on here. To make their project meet mutual goals, they have to prove an economical benefit. They anticipate asking NREC to fund this study. If they are granted "consistency."

They intend to develop the study with or without support, advisory capacity, or friendship. If the Wild Ones project is successful or not in the Greenway process they gave it everything. They donated time and money (literally thousands) and all available resources. The chapter isn't making any money on the project. They do expect that to change, after they have finished this current study and moved on to actual reclamation. And, that requires they start the process all over again...

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Olmsted Vision for Niagara Falls and The Gorge - In His Own Words

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following report, published in 1880, addressed certain concerns Olmsted had for a preservation strategy at Niagara. The report has not been reproduced elsewhere, and is provided here as an NAOP [National Association for Olmsted Parks] “Reprint” [Volume 7, Issue 1] because it contains interesting observations on the specific qualities of vegetation and landscape composition that Olmsted felt contributed to Niagara’s unique and powerful emotional effect. —Ethan Carr

SPECIAL REPORT
OF
NEW YORK STATE SURVEY
ON THE
PRESERVATION OF THE SCENERY
FOR THE YEAR 1879.

JAMES T. GARDNER, DIRECTOR.
ALBANY:
CHARLES VAN BENTHUYSEN & SONS.
1880.

"The few notes which I propose to append to Mr. Gardner’s report will be directed to a single point. There are those, and I fear that most of the people of Niagara are among them, to whom it appears that the waterfall has so supreme an interest to the public that what happens to the adjoining scenery is of trifling consequence. Were all the trees cut away, quarries opened in the ledges, the banks packed with hotels and factories, and every chance-open space occupied by a circus tent, the Falls would still, these think, draw the world to them.

Whatever has been done to the injury of the scenery has been done, say they, with the motive of profit, and the profit realized is the public’s verdict of acquittal. It must be considered, therefore, that the public has not had the case fairly before it.

The great body of visitors to Niagara come as strangers. Their movements are necessarily controlled by the arrangements made for them. They take what is offered, and pay what is required with little exercise of choice. The fact that they accept the arrangements is no evidence of their approval.

The real question is, how, in the long run, is the general experience of visitors affected by measures and courses which are determined with no regard to the influence of the scenery?"

I have myself been an occasional visitor at Niagara for forty-five years. My attention was first called to the rapidly approaching ruin of its characteristic scenery by Mr. F. E. Church, about ten years ago. Shortly afterwards, several gentlemen, frequenters of the Falls, met at my request, to consider this danger, one of them being a member of the Commission now reporting on the subject. I have thus had both occasion and opportunity for observing the changed courses into which the public has been gradually led and of studying these courses and their results.

When the arrangements by which visitors were conducted were yet simple; when there were few carriages, and these little used; when a visit to the Falls was a series of expeditions, and in each expedition hours were occupied in wandering slowly among the trees, going from place to place, with many intervals of rest, there was not only a much greater degree of enjoyment, there was a different kind of enjoyment from any now generally obtained. People then were loth to leave the place; many lingered on from day to day after they had prepared to go, revisiting ground they had gone over before, turning and returning; and when they went away it was with greatful hearts and greatful words.

The change from this to what is described in the second section of the Commissioner’s report has been gradual and, while something must be attributed to modern ease of travel, a greater influx of visitors and to habits of quicker movement and greater restlessness; much must also be referred to the fact that visitors are so much more constrained to be guided and instructed, to be led and stopped, to be “put through,” and so little left to natural and healthy individual intuitions.

The aim to make money by the showman’s methods; the idea that Niagara is a spectacular and sensational exhibition, of which rope-walking, diving, brass bands, fire-works and various “side-shows” are appropriate accompaniments, is so presented to the visitor that he is forced to yield to it, and see and feel little else than that prescribed to him.

But all the time there are some who, because of better information and opportunities, and as the result of previous training,get the better of this difficulty, and to these the old charm remains. Take as an illustration, the experience of the writer of the following passage. It is that of a man who has traveled extensively for the express purpose of observing scenery and comparing the value, as determined by the influence on the imagination, of different types of scenery. It is recorded in a little book (Alpine Flowers, By William Robinson, F. L. S. London: John Murray, 1875) which treats more especially of the scenery of the Alps and of what are designated “nature’s gardens” among them.

But says the author: “The noblest of nature’s gardens that I have yet seen is that of the surroundings and neighborhood of the Falls of Niagara. Grand as are the colossal Falls, the Rapids and the course of the river for a considerable distance above and below possess more interest and beauty.

“As the river courses far below the Falls, confined between vast walls of rock—the clear water of a peculiar light-greenish hue, and white here and there with circlets of yet unsoothed foam—the effect is startlingly beautiful, quite apart from the Falls. The high cliffs are crested with woods; the ruins of the great rock walls forming wide, irregular banks between them and the water, are also beautifully clothed with woods to the river’s edge, often so far below that you sometimes look from the upper brink down on the top of tall pines that seem diminished in size. The wild vines scramble among the trees; many shrubs and flowers seam the high rocks; in moist spots, here and there a sharp eye may detect many flowered tufts of the beautiful fringed Gentian, strange to European eyes; and beyond all, and at the upper end of the wood-embowered deep river bed, a portion of the crowning glory of the scene—the Falls—a vast cliff of illuminated foam, with a zone towards its upper edge as of green molten glass.

Above the Falls the scene is quite different. A wide and peaceful river carrying the surplus waters of an inland sea, till it gradually finds itself in the coils of the rapids, and is soon lashed into such a turmoil as we might expect if a dozen unpolluted Shannons or Seines were running a race together. A river no more, but a sea unreined. By walking about a mile above the Falls on the Canadian shore this effect is finely seen, the breadth of the river helping to carry out the illusion. As the great waste of water descends from its dark gray and smooth bed and falls whitening into foam, it seems as if tide after tide were gale-heaped one on another on a sea strand. The islands just above the Falls enable one to stand in the midst of these rapids, where they rush by lashed into passionate haste; now boiling over some hidden swellings in the rocky bed, or dashing over greater but yet hidden obstructions with such force that the crest of the uplifted mass is dashed about as freely as a white
charger’s mane; now darkly falling into a cavity several yards below that level of the surrounding water, and, when unobstructed, surging by in countless eddies to the mist-crested Falls below; and so rapidly that the driftwood dashes on swift as swallow on the wing.

Undisturbed in their peaceful shadiness, garlanded with wild vine and wild flowers, the islands stand in the midst of all this fierce commotion of waters--below, the vast ever-mining Falls; above, a complication of torrents that seem fitted to wear away iron shore; yet there they stand, safe as if the spirit of beauty had in mercy exempted them from decay. Several islets are so small that it is really remarkable how they support vegetation; one, looking no bigger than a washing-tub, not only holds its own in the very thick of the torrents just above the Falls, but actually bears a small forest, including one stricken and half cast-down pine. Most fortunate is it that these beautifully verdant islands and islets occur just above the Falls, adding immeasurably to the effect of the scene.

I have spoken of the distinctive charms of Niagara scenery. If it were possible to have the same conditions detached from the Falls (which it is not, as I shall show), Niagara would still be a place of singular fascination; possibly to some, upon whom the Falls have a terrifying effect, even more so than it is now. Saying nothing of the infinitely varied beauties of water and spray, and of water-worn rock, I will, for a purpose, mention a few elements which contribute to this distinctive charm.

The eminent English botanist, Sir Joseph Hooker, has said that he found upon Goat Island a greater variety of vegetation within a given space than anywhere in Europe, or east of the Sierras, in America; and the first of American botanists, Dr. Asa Gray, has repeated the statement. I have followed the Appalachian chain almost from end to end, and traveled on horseback, “in search of the picturesque,” over four thousand miles of the most promising parts of the continent without finding elsewhere the same quality of forest beauty which was once abundant about the Falls, and which is still to be observed in those parts of Goat Island where the original growth of trees and shrubs has not been disturbed, and where, from caving banks, trees are not now exposed to excessive dryness at the root.

Nor have I found anywhere else such tender effects of foliage as were once to be seen in the drapery hanging down the wall of rock on the American shore below the Fall, and rolling up the slope below it, or with that still to be seen in a favorable season and under favorable lights, on the Canadian steeps and crags between the Falls and the ferry.

All these distinctive qualities—the great variety of the indigenous perennials and annuals, the rare beauty of the old woods, and the exceeding loveliness of the rock foliage—I believe to be a direct effect of the Falls, and as much a part of its majesty as the mist-cloud and the rainbow.

They are all, as it appears to me, to be explained by the circumstance that at two periods of the year when the northern American forest elsewhere is liable to suffer actual constitutional depressions, that of Niagara is insured against like ills, and thus retains youthful luxuriance to an unusual age. First, the masses of ice, which, every winter are piled to a great height below the Falls, and the great rushing body of ice-cold water coming from the northern lakes in the spring, prevent at Niagara the hardship under which trees elsewhere often suffer through sudden checks to premature growth; and, second, when droughts else- where occur, as they do, every few years, of such severity that trees in full foliage droop and dwindle, and even sometimes cast their leaves, the atmosphere at Niagara is more or less moistened by the constantly evaporating spray of the Falls, and in certain situations frequently bathed by drifting clouds of mist.

Something of the beauty of the hanging foliage below the Falls is also probably due to the fact that the effect of the frozen spray upon it is equivalent to the horticultural process of “shortening in;” compelling a denser and closer growth than is, under other circumstances, natural.

Reference is made at page 9 of the Commissioners’ report to a marvelous effect in scenery above the Falls. It is that to which the following account by the Duke of Argyle applies: “The River Niagara, above the Falls, runs in a channel very broad, and very little depressed below the general level of the country. But there is a steep declivity in the bed of the stream for a considerable distance above the precipice, and this constitutes what are called the Rapids. The consequence is that when we stand at any point near the edge of the Falls, and look up the course of the stream, the foaming waters of the Rapids constitute the sky line. No indication of land is visible—nothing to express the fact that we are looking at a river. The crests of the breakers, the leaping and the rushing of the waters, are still seen against the clouds, as they are seen in the ocean, when the ship from which we look is in the trough of the sea. It is impossible to resist the effect on the imagination. It is as if the fountains of the great deep were being broken up, and that a new deluge were coming on the world. The impression is rather increased than diminished, by the perspective of the low wooded banks on either shore, running down to a vanishing point and seeming to be lost in the advancing waters. An apparently shoreless sea tumbling toward one is a very grand and a very awful sight. Forgetting, then, what one knows, and giving oneself to what one only sees, I do not know that there is anything in nature more majestic than the view of the Rapids above the Falls of Niagara.”

FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED

350 Degees.org Because The World Needs To Know

Niagara Gazette - ROBERT MOSES: Partnership questions role of parks employees in debate

Niagara Gazette - ROBERT MOSES: Partnership questions role of parks employees in debate

Another Robert Moses Parkway Myth

MYTH:
Question: Are you willing to compromise with those that are advocating for the complete closure of the Parkway?

Answer: A reconfigured Parkway could include two lanes, but it appears there is no such compromise by those advocating for the closure of the Parkway.(Source: Parkway Preservation Committee website)

FACT:
The advocates for parkway removal provided a logical compromise. Remove the Robert Moses Parkway. Send traffic around the DeVeaux neighborhood by rerouting it onto Hyde Park Boulevard/Highland Avenue to Main Street.

Everyone wins. Restoration of the gorge rim will gain parkland for Niagara Falls and business owners can celebrate the inflow of traffic into every business district in the city. The Deveaux residents keep their tranquil neighborhood. Hyde Park and Highland Avenue are revitalized.

ArtsBeat: "From the Western Door": Rogovin's photos, Gansworth's text

ArtsBeat: "From the Western Door": Rogovin's photos, Gansworth's text

Niagara Gazette - ROBERT MOSES PARKWAY: Plan goes wild

Niagara Gazette - ROBERT MOSES PARKWAY: Plan goes wild

Center for City Park Excellence, Cities Closing Park Roads to Cars: The Trust for Public Land

You know all the fears associated with removing roads, the handicapped won't have rights, traffic will destroy my neighborhood? This article found that removing cars for the use of parks, and by extension trails, increases the number of people who use it. To read the article, click the title. Center for City Park Excellence, Cities Closing Park Roads to Cars: The Trust for Public Land

Invasion of the Longhorn Beetles | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine

Invasion of the Longhorn Beetles | Science & Nature | Smithsonian Magazine

Quote of the Week

Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself
to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition
of your life, but define yourself.

Harvey Fierstein

Town: Residents happy with trails | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal

Survey: 81 percent say quality of neighborhood 'improved' or 'much improved'

By Krisy Gashler •kgashler@gannett.com • October 4, 2009, 8:20 pm

When a new walking trail is proposed in a residential area, the idea is often greeted by at least a few nearby property owners who oppose it based on fears of vandalism, noise, or trespassing.

But based on a survey of Town of Ithaca property owners living adjacent to the town's three major walking trails, those fears are largely unfounded.

The town's Trails Committee presented the results of a survey this week, which shows that 81 percent of people who live next to the trails believe their presence 'improved' or 'much improved' the quality of their neighborhood. Twelve percent said the trails have no impact, 6 percent said they 'worsened' and 1 percent said they 'much worsened' the neighborhood.

'As we're hoping to develop more trails in the future, we wanted to get a sense of how our existing trails were working,' committee chair and Town Board member Bill Goodman said. 'A lot of times when people first hear about a trail, they think of the negative things right away, you know, invasion of privacy, noise, litter, and so we wanted to see if those fears were actually well founded.'

In May, the town mailed two-page questionnaires to all 137 property owners who live adjacent to the South Hill Recreation Way, East Ithaca Recreation Way, and Northeast Ithaca Recreation Way. Ninety-five people returned the questionnaires.

People who live near trails use them frequently according to the survey -- 59 percent use them daily to four times a week and another 22 percent use them once or twice per week. Only three percent never use the trails.

Trails are used most often for walking (92 percent), bicycling (38 percent), running, and dog walking (both 27 percent).

The town asked people to rank various potential problems, unleashed pets, dog waste, litter, and noise, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being 'no problem at all' and 5 being 'major problem.' The biggest problem was unleashed pets, with 19 percent of people ranking that 4 or 5, while 52 percent of responders said it was 'no problem.'

Goodman said the Trails committee hopes its survey will help provide some context to the discussion when the town looks to expand or create new trails, such as a walking trail the town hopes eventually to put in on West Hill. There's no defined pathway for a West Hill trail at this time, Goodman said.

The Northeast trail has existed since the late-1970s, the East Ithaca trail has been there since the 1980s, and the South Hill Recreation Way was completed in 1994, according to town Park Maintenance Manager Rich Schoch.

The town hosts an 'adopt-a-trail' program, whereby individuals can volunteer to pick up litter or plant flowers near trail entrances, Schoch said."

Framework for Regional Growth - Part 3 – Final Highlights

Growth and Investment Guidance. The last chapter suggests strategies for development in developed areas (cities), developing areas (sparsely settled), and rural areas. It categorizes those as Prime Policy and Policy Sub areas and offers economic development and public investment strategies. Some examples:

Developed Areas – (Cities)
Bullet point 3:
“ Explore the feasibility of creating a regional “Main Street” organization modeled after successful programs of the National Main Street Center.” and

Bullet point 9:
“…improve local accessibility, encourage sidewalks, and pedestrian/bicycle trails…and continue to promote public transit use, walking, and biking as alternatives to automobile use.”

Developing Area Policies & Strategies (Sparsely settled)
Development Guidance Strategies
Bullet Point 3:
“Minimize conversion of significant open space, agriculture lands, and natural systems.”

Natural & Cultural Overlay Policies and Strategies.
Bullet point 1:
Establish priorities for the conservation of regionally, nationally, and internationally significant natural and cultural heritage resources including the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario waterfronts, the Niagara River Greenway, the Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor, and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks System.

Bullet Point 3:
Support regional initiatives to indentify potential greenway, open space, and trail linkages within and between regionally significant natural and cultural heritage corridors; support public and private efforts to preserve rights-of-way and complete appropriate improvements…”

Committee on Natural Resources - Heritage Areas Abound across America, as Legislation Advances through the House

Committee on Natural Resources - Heritage Areas Abound across America, as Legislation Advances through the House

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Erie-Niagara Framework for Regional Growth, Part 2, Principals

Framework for Regional Growth. The Seven Principals are a quick summation of the concepts behind the 2006 document. It clearly states the guidelines are "conceptual, intentionally drawn loosely." It ignores municipal boundaries. The following excerpts are from the beginning of Chapter 3, pages 30-32. Additional details and subsequent chapters will be made in upcoming posts.

Guiding Growth & Investment

Section 3.1

A Vital Economy
…the region's prosperity is dependent upon the vitality of its downtowns and urban waterfronts.

Sustainable Neighborhoods
…improve livability of the region’s urban neighborhoods…create more compact, walkable communities in developing areas, ease pressure of road network.

Strong Rural Communities
…protection of sensitive scenic and natural areas, wildlife habitat and open spaces.

Improved Access & Mobility
…support transit use, walking, ride-sharing, more efficient commuting patterns.

Efficient Systems & Services
…encourage preservation and adaptive reuse of historic sites and buildings

Effective Regional Stewardship
… Erie and Niagara Counties recognize as a liability the absence of a forum for addressing pace and quality of development, efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure and the conservation of sensitive resources.

Conserve Natural and Cultural Assets
…the region’s unique natural, historic,and cultural heritage represents an important though under-appreciated asset. The counties support efforts to preserve historic sites and landscapes, conserve and improve access (as appropriate) to natural systems and resources…the counties encourage the conservation and protection of the region’s most sensitive natural systems-the lakefronts and escarpments; rivers, creeks and streams; wetlands and floodways; and forested lands are recognized as regionally significant resources worthy of protection and conservation.

Framework for Regional Growth - Erie and Niagara Counties, NY. Part 1. 2006

In May 2006, a bi-county steering committee drafted a document, Framework for Regional Growth. The acknowledged members on page 5 are key development people from both Erie and Niagara Counties. The entities they belong to include chairpersons from each county legislature, as well as planners from both counties.

The consultants listed include the Greater Buffalo Niagara Region Transportation Center (GBNRTC), two county economic development divisions, the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, several members of Niagara River Greenway Plan design team, the Urban Design Project, and one Niagara County Chamber of Commerce, the Niagara USA Chamber. There are other organizations and individuals listed, but this will provide a broad general sketch of the document's major stakeholders.

The Framework for Regional Growth mission statement notes that this document

"is to be utilized as a blueprint to support the actions of county and regional agencies relating to the area’s physical development.

It will also be used to inform state and local governments, private developers, and non-profit organizations about the process and actions County government could undertake when making decisions affecting the region’s development.

It will establish a framework for development within the region, and describe policies, programs, and projects that will encourage and facilitate development that is consistent with such framework.

The Plan will help local officials coordinate their decisions so they can anticipate how one decision may affect another.”

Section 1.4 Home Rule Context:
“While the counties review and comment on many local land use decisions, the authority to approve or disapprove proposals is in the hands of the Region’s 64 independent municipal governments—3 cities, 25 towns, and 16 villages in Erie County and the 3 cities, 12 towns and 5 villages in Niagara.”

Flash Notes lifted from the 71 page report
Page 15 - little growth, lots of sprawl, declining population shifts

Page 26 – declining densities, single use development in rural areas and fragmented employment centers has increased the daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Increases in VMT results in greater stress on the environment. Pollution from motor vehicles contributes to the declines in air quality, paved surfaces increase urban runoff and threaten water quality, and transportation infrastructure can fragment agricultural and forested lands and wildlife habitat.

2.9 Threats to Natural Systems
page 28 – without careful management, the region places at risk the region’s best agricultural lands, major riparian corridors, wetlands, floodplains, and forests.

to be continued…

Message from Leadership Niagara - Class of 2009

If you’re a Leadership Niagara Alumni, you've undoubtedly heard the phrase "The BEST Class EVER!" Well, the time has finally come to determine which class in the 25 year existence of Leadership Niagara IS "The Best Class Ever."

The LN Class of 2009 is hosting the Taste of Leadership Niagara to be held on November 21, 2009 at Antonio's Banquet Center, 7708 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls from 6:00pm-9:00pm. The event will feature food vendors from Niagara County and the wineries of the Niagara Wine Trail. Tickets are $40 per person. This event raises funds to support the efforts of Leadership Niagara. In addition to the opportunity to network and get reconnected with your Leadership Niagara friends, the evening will feature a great DJ and a basket auction.

Here's how it works:
1. The LN class with the greatest percentage of attendees will be named the BEST class EVER. The winning class will be toasted with a complimentary glass of wine and recognized on the LN website. (The Class of 2009 will not compete.)

2. In the event of a tie, the LN class that donates the most baskets ($50 value) for the basket auction will be the winner.

Call your classmates and have them meet you at Antonio's on November 21st!

For tickets, information or to donate a basket, please contact the Leadership Niagara offices at 716-286-7908.

Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,

Class of 2009

Blog Action News: Climate Change and Cleaning Up After Moses

Robert Moses made driving in a straight line at high-speed an embraced American lifestyle. We are a car-fumes society. Most call it progress. Others, the beginning of climate change.

Even today, as evidenced here in Niagara County by the current Niagara River Greenway goal to create a greenway of interconnected parks along the river, transportation officials, elected bureaucrats, and power-generating authorities label Moses and his parkway as necessary, a testament to his “genius.”

Others know him as the man who divided and transformed the land with an arrogant disregard for cultural heritage, neighborhoods, and the natural scenic landscape. Bruce Lampson believes Robert Moses destroyed out of arrogance and greed.

"I read Mark Scheer's article in the Gazette this morning about what your organization would like to do if you got Greenway funding. I served the Niagara Parks Department for fifty four years in the historical preservation department. I also worked for Niagara Mohawk Power and am known as the last surviving worker of the collapse and destruction of Schoellkopf stations B & C in 1956.

From 1956 through 1963 I fought Robert Moses tooth and nail about his plan for an expressway to be built from the overburden from the excavations of HIS power station from LaSalle to HIS power station in Lewiston. I also fought him on his proposal to take over Tuscarora land for HIS pump storage reservoir and the destruction of the historical Adams Power Stations and the complete destruction of what was left of the Schoellkopf Station.

Robert Moses was a greedy S.O.B. and his death was a joy to me. He did not care what he destroyed, whether natural or historical, so long as it benefited his personal greed. There was no need to build HIS expressway and destroy all of the natural islands on the upper river, the entrance to the Schoellkopf Power Canal at Port Day, the park area at Prospect Point, and the natural beauty of the lower gorge rim from Niagara Falls to Lewiston. In 1960 we jokingly called HIS expressway "The Robert Moses five second tour of Niagara Falls" because once you got on to it in LaSalle your next exit was DeVeaux Collage. In later years an exit was put in at Port Day onto Daily Drive and another at 1st Street to exit into the Parks Departments parking lot.

HIS expressway was so well received by everyone that in 1965 it was torn up from The Green Island Bridge to The Geological Museum north of Rainbow Bridge and was never used again in order to have better access for tourist traffic into downtown Niagara Falls. The expressway north of the Rainbow Bridge to DeVeaux Collage ran on the old right-of-way of the New York Central Railroad which meant he did not destroy anything natural between those two points and that is also why at DeVeaux there is a right hand curve in the road that is blocked. His expressway had to end there in 1960, but because he had Governor Rockefeller in his back pocket. The Governor allowed Moses to extend his expressway through the natural areas from DeVeaux Collage to Niagara Collage [Niagara University] destroying access to Whirlpool Park and Devils Hole.

In my opinion, this is what I believe should be done with the Greenway money. The expressway should be closed from Main Street in Downtown Niagara Falls to Niagara Collage. The four lanes should be divided up as follows: one lane each, north and south bound for bicycles and one lane each, north and south bound for walking, jogging and rollerskating, with motor vehicle access to the Discovery Center and to Whirlpool Park. Let the trees, grass and brush reclaim some of its land and provide a more scenic area for people to enjoy. We will still need access to trails 3 and 3-A from the walkway at the Great Gorge Bridge for tours to the Power Station and Whirlpool Bridge, site of the deadly Great Gorge Route disaster.

In conclusion, Robert Moses and Mayor E. Dent Lacky were given to much autonomy at that time and they misused it, plus the expressway is used very little now, and with the Lewiston Road overhaul underway, I feel there is no need for the Moses Parkway to be kept as a motor vehicle parkway anymore, it should be converted to a pedestrian walkway and nature walk.

If you have any question in regards to my opinion, please feel free to contact me at rrrestspec@ameritech.net."

Blog Action Day - Oct. 15, 2009

If you're a blogger, consider adding your site to blogactionday.org and writing about this year's topic: climate change. The topic range is extensive and you're only limited by your imagination.

Fix New York e-advocacy site

For Release — October 8, 2009
Business Council launches Fix New York e-advocacy Web site
ALBANY—As part of The Business Council of New York State Inc., continuing effort to reduce the cost of doing business in New York, The Business Council has launched a new e-advocacy Web site to give business owners, their employees and the public the ability to make their voices heard in Albany.

The new Fix New York Web site (www.FIXNYS.org) allows users to send letters, e-mails or faxes to the Governor as well as state and federal legislators. Unlike other sites, our Fix New York allows visitors to obtain voter registration information, track voting records of their local, state and federal representatives and track candidates in their area.

The Business Council mobilizes thousands of employers on key issues. But that is not enough. Now we have a way for companies to rally their workers, too. We encourage you and your co-workers to get involved. Visit Fix New York and help us make a difference.

The Web site provides the latest news from local and statewide news papers on issues that Business Council members say are important to them and our economy. It gives visitors the ability to find their local chamber of commerce, links to state government sites and other vital information that will allow them to make informed decisions.

Robert Moses Parkway. One Wild Plan 2

Subject: Moses Parkway, Niagara falls

To: Doug Brackett
From: Gary H Scott

Doug- I read about your leading a plan to remove a portion of the Moses Parkway in Niagara Falls. Outstanding !
The Moses Parkway was one of the most ill-conceived projects ever, along with many of his expressways that ruined the Bronx, and areas north of the Bronx. In 1985, I was the lead LA on the Cannon Design team that was charged with re-establishing the Niagara Reservation, aka Prospect Point, at the American Falls. Along with developing pathways that followed the original routes, recreating the upper and lower (active and passive) areas of the park, and creating as many Olmsted pathway "braids", hidden views,framed views, etc, my primary goal was elimination of the Moses Parkway.I had hopes of removing the Parkway as far east as the exit that heads toward the casino, knowing that Olmsted's park plan reached almost to Seventh Street.The State Parks and Rec folks insisted that the parkway physically remain along the upper rapids as it is today, "....to assuage the handful of fishermen who drive there to fish". ......Fortunately, you don't have such absurd notions along the gorge. I would offer the following suggestions in your efforts to return the lower river area to a bikepath, walking trail, with removal of the parkway. 1) Tie in the ecological virtues of the lower gorge to those of Goat Island, which was Olmsted's method of protecting Goat Island. 2) The City of NF has no similar facility (bikepath/walkway) that offers direct connection to so many residential areas 3) Removal of the parkway would allow for reforestation along the route, changing the scale and making the overlooks more meaningful.

The article I read didn't define the limits of the study, but I'd hope that the nodes would at least be Devil's Hole Park and Whirlpool Park. Good luck in your efforts. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.

BTW, my daughter and her husband are graduates of ESF, two degrees each, in wildlife biology.

Sincerely, Gary H Scott, RLA Az, formerly RLA in NY, Mass,Conn, Md
130 S. Melpomene Way Corona, Az *5641 520-762-1020 ghsbas@gmail.com

Parkway. One Wild Plan

Dear Michelle:

I read Mark Scheer's article in the Gazette this morning about what your organization would like to do if you got Greenway funding. I served the Niagara Parks Department for fifty four years in the historical preservation department. I also worked for Niagara Mohawk Power and am known as the last surviving worker of the collapse and destruction of Schoellkopf stations B & C in 1956. From 1956 through 1963 I fought Robert Moses tooth and nail about his plan for an expressway to be built from the overburden from the excavations of HIS power station from LaSalle to HIS power station in Lewiston. I also fought him on his proposal to take over Tuscarora land for HIS pump storage reservoir and the destruction of the historical Adams Power Stations and the complete destruction of what was left of the Schoellkopf Station. Robert Moses was a greedy S.O.B. and his death was a joy to me. He did not care what he destroyed, whether natural or historical, so long as it benefited his personal greed. There was no need to build HIS expressway and destroy all of the natural islands on the upper river, the entrance to the Schoellkopf Power Canal at Port Day, the park area at Prospect Point, and the natural beauty of the lower gorge rim from Niagara Falls to Lewiston. In 1960 we jokingly called HIS expressway "The Robert Moses five second tour of Niagara Falls" because once you got on to it in LaSalle your next exit was DeVeau Collage. In later years an exit was put in at Port Day onto Daily Drive and another at 1st Street to exit into the Parks Departments parking lot. HIS expressway was so well received by everyone that in 1965 it was torn up from The Green Island Bridge to The Geological Museum north of Rainbow Bridge and was never used again in order to have better access for tourist traffic into downtown Niagara Falls. The expressway north of the Rainbow Bridge to DeVeau Collage ran on the old right-of-way of the New York Central Railroad which meant he did not destroy anything natural between those two points and that is also why at DeVeaux there is a right hand curve in the road that is blocked. His expressway had to end there in 1960, but because he had Governor Rockefeller in his back pocket, the Governor allowed Moses to extend his expressway through the natural areas from DeVeau Collage to Niagara Collage destroying access to Whirlpool Park and Devils Hole.

In my opinion, this is what I believe should be done with the Greenway money. The expressway should be closed from Main Street in Downtown Niagara Falls to Niagara Collage. The four lanes should be divided up as follows, one lane each, north and south bound for bicycles and one lane each, north and south bound for walking, jogging and rollerskating, with motor vehicle access to the Discovery Center and to Whirlpool Park. Let the trees, grass and brush reclaim some of its land and provide a more scenic area for people to enjoy. We will still need access to trails 3 and 3-A from the walkway at the Great Gorge Bridge for tours to the Power Station and Whirlpool Bridge, site of the deadly Great Gorge Route disaster.

In conclusion, Robert Moses and Mayor E. Dent Lacky were given to much autonomy at that time and they misused it, plus the expressway is used very little now, and with the Lewiston Road overhaul underway, I feel there is no need for the Moses Parkway to be kept as a motor vehicle parkway anymore, it should be converted to a pedestrian walkway and nature walk.

If you have any question in regards to my opinion, please feel free to contact me at rrrestspec@ameritech.net or 630-392-5378.

Thank You for your time

Bruce Lampson

Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition Conference

Saturday, October 24, 2009
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Buffalo, NY
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Dear Great Lakes Enthusiasts,

It’s time for the annual New York State Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition annual one-day conference to advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. We have an unprecedented opportunity to advance manageable solutions to the threats facing our Great Lakes, such as aquatic invasive species, sewer overflows and runoff pollution, legacy toxic contamination, habitat loss, and climate change.

The passage of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact and positive movement on President Obama’s $475 million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative testify to the power of our collective action. The conference is an opportunity to further collaboration as we work to restore Great Lakes water quality using the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, and to responsibly manage our Great Lakes water resources by implementing the Compact. Join with citizens, scientists, regulators, policymakers, academics, business people, and activists to work together to achieve our common goal of healthy lakes, healthy lives.

The 4th Annual New York State Healing Our Waters Coalition Great Lakes Conference will provide many opportunities to network with other organizations and individuals working to advance Great Lakes restoration throughout the Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, and St. Lawrence River watersheds. Sessions will update participants on the exciting federal legislative initiatives moving in Washington D.C. and offer in-depth science and policy breakout sessions on:

1. Implementing the Great Lakes Compact in New York;
2. Improving near shore water quality;
3. Preventing and controlling aquatic invasive species;
4. NYS water conservation opportunities for the Great Lakes; and
5. Implementing ecosystem-based management for NY’s Great Lakes

Please join us this year in Buffalo on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

As usual, conference registration is free, but required. Please register by Monday, October 19 at http://www.citizenscampaign.org/glconference.

If you have any questions, please contact us at greatlakes@citizenscampaign.org.

http://www.citizenscampaign.org/glconference/agenda.asp

What is That?

Group wants to remove part of Robert Moses Parkway : Niagara County : The Buffalo News

Group wants to remove part of Robert Moses Parkway : Niagara County : The Buffalo News

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Spin and the Roberts Moses Parkway

MYTH:
The Parkway Preservation Committee's website spun a gateway goal of the Niagara River Greenway Plan into an unsubstantiated statement: [The Robert Moses Parkway] "is the gateway for communities from Niagara Falls to Youngstown."

FACT:
Niagara Falls is the gateway to the Niagara River Greenway Corridor. The Robert Moses Parkway bypasses every business district in the City of Niagara Falls. That fact alone is why the following entities passed resolutions supporting the total removal of the road to the north City line: The Main Street Business and Professional Association, The Niagara Falls Tourism Advisory Board and the Niagara Falls City Council.

Lewiston and Youngstown, NY will be unaffected by removal as the major routes north are the I-190 Interstate (use exit 25A and you will exit across the street from the current exit of the parkway in Lewiston) and Route 265 (Military Road). Both routes run parallel to the Robert Moses Parkway, making the parkway redundant.

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics Offers Ethics Primer and Training for Government Officials

Here's an Introductory Course on Government Ethics taught by Judy Nadler and Mirium Schulman from St. Clara University.

The Markkula Centerce offers this observation:

"Sometimes it's easy to see when things go wrong in government: Elected officials take bribes; candidates lie about their opponents; city officials make important public decisions in secret meetings. Other times, the right thing is not so obvious: Should a councilmember represent the wishes of the majority, even when he or she thinks the majority is wrong? Is it acceptable for a governor to appoint a family member to his or her cabinet if the appointee is the best person for the job? ...The materials in this "primer" on government ethics are intended to provide elected officials, government workers, and ordinary citizens with an introduction to the basic questions that are likely to come up in the conduct of public business."

Niagara Falls - Look What We're Missing by Keeping The Robert Moses Parkway

Here are more statistics from the Land Trust Alliance documenting the economic benefits the city of Niagara Falls could gain. Those opposed to parkway removal need to get out of the way of progress.

According to government data, tourism such as visits to local farms, trails and nature preserves in the Hudson Valley alone annually generates $4.7 billion in spending and $300 million in local taxes, and employs 80,000 people. In a report released earlier this year, the Trust for Public Land says that it is widely understood that investments in conservation boost property values, support businesses, save energy and tax payer money, and safeguard natural ecosystems on which economic well being depends. With the grant awards announced today, land trusts will advance significant projects at a critical time for communities and businesses across the state.

Pete Grannis, Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation, said: “Today’s funding will help to continue our efforts to build and strengthen this important collaboration across the state by assisting organizations that work with DEC to identify, preserve and protect parcels of varying sizes and ecological importance.

Greening The Ghetto and How Much It Won't Cost Us - A Smart Growth Speaker Series

Smart Growth Speaker Series: Greening the Ghetto, and How Much It Won't Cost Us
Event Date:Thursday, October 08, 2009
Time: 12:30 pm
Location: National Building Museum, 401 F Street N.W, Washington D.C. (Judiciary Square Metro)
Complete Description
Time Span:12:30 pm to 1:30 pm

Event
Theme/Description:

After decades of increasing and unprecedented philanthropic giving in the U.S., public health, income disparities, educational outcomes, and incarceration and recidivism are all getting worse. Decisions about growth and development -- rather than addressing these issues -- often exacerbate these problems. As a result, communities are left with the high costs associated with helping people overcome generational poverty, recover from traumatic combat and/or prison experiences, and generally attain a better quality of life.

Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx, will speak from her experience revitalizing the Hunts Point area to explain how "horticultural infrastructure" is not only a key component of successful and efficient stormwater runoff management -- it can also simultaneously address the issues associated with healing the people mentioned above. Ms. Carter will describe how the manner in which we distribute jobs in horticultural engineering -- and to whom -- can have multiple social, economic and environmental benefits if done with intelligence and care.

Majora Carter is a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, host of Eco-Heroes on Sundance Channel and The Promised Land on NPR. She was awarded the National Building Museum's "Visionaries in Sustainability" award in June 2009, and is currently President of her own economic development consulting group.

Imagining High Speed Rail in Niagara Falls, Along the Gorge

A Great Help for the Great Lakes - Tonic

Image via Wikipedia

A Great Help for the Great Lakes - Tonic

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Debunking More Myths About the Robert Moses Parkway. I Don't See the Truth in This Claim:

MYTH: The Parkway retentionists claim: the Parkway also is a vital transportation route that provides a significant return on investment for our region, including Niagara Falls and the communities of the lower Niagara River region.

FACT: NYS Parkway Rules and Regulations
Excerpts from the Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York

SUBCHAPTER E § 180.1
Special Parkways

PART 180
SPECIAL REGULATIONS REGARDING SPECIAL PARKWAYS

§ 182.31 Restricted vehicles.
The following type vehicles are not permitted on the Parkways within the Parkway system, unless authorized under an agreement with the New York State Department of Transportation:
(a) bicycles;
(b) buses;
(c) commercial;
(d) golf carts;
(e) hearses, except those operated by or for a licensed funeral director or undertaker while traveling to or from a funeral, interment, cremation, place of death or other destination for the acceptance and shipment of the body or remains of a deceased person;
(f) house coaches;
(g) motor-driven cycles;
(h) school buses;
(i) semitrailers;
(j) snowmobiles;
(k) tractors;
(l) trailers;
(m) trucks.

Definitions
§ 181.1 Definitions of words and phrases.

Authorized emergency vehicle.
Every ambulance, police vehicle and fire vehicle.
(i) Ambulance. Every motor vehicle designed, appropriately equipped and used for the
purpose of carrying sick or injured persons.

(ii) Police vehicle. Every vehicle owned by the State, a public authority, a county, town, city or village, and operated by the police department or law enforcement agency of such governmental unit. Any other-vehicle operated by a chief or deputy or assistant chief of a police department, a sheriff, undersheriff or regular deputy sheriff. A vehicle owned and operated by the law enforcement unit of a public or private corporation authorized by law to maintain a unit for the enforcement of law on the property of such corporation shall be a police vehicle only for the purposes of this section.

(iii) Fire vehicle. Every vehicle operated for fire service purposes owned and identified as being owned by the State, a public authority, a county, town, city, village or fire district, or a fire corporation subject to the provisions of subdivision 1 of section 112 of the Membership Corporations Law, or a fire company as defined in section 100 of the General Municipal Law. Any of the following vehicles shall be fire vehicles only for the purpose of this section:
(a) a vehicle operated by officials of the division of fire safety in the Office for Local Government of the Executive Department;
(b) a vehicle ordinarily operated by a chief or assistant chief of a fire department, or a county or deputy county fire coordinator, or county or assistant county fire marshal, or such vehicle when operated in an official capacity by or under the direction of such person; and
(c) a vehicle owned by a person, which is recognized and certified by the director of
such division of fire safety as being maintained for the purpose of fire-fighting on premises owned or occupied by such person.
(iv) Emergency operation. The operation, or parking, of an authorized emergency vehicle, when such vehicle is engaged in transporting a sick or injured person, pursuing an actual or suspected violator of the law, or responding to, or working or assisting at the scene of, an accident, disaster, police call, alarm of fire or other emergency. Emergency operation shall not include returning from such service.

Bicycle.
Every device propelled by the feet acting upon pedals, having wheels any two of which are each more than 20 inches in diameter.

Bus.
Every motor vehicle used for transportation of persons that is designed for carrying more than 14 passengers, or has more than four tires, or that exceeds 9 feet in height from underside of tire to the top of the vehicle, 7 feet in width or 19 feet in length,

Commercial vehicle.
Every type of motor-driven vehicle used for commercial purposes on the highways, such as the transportation of goods, wares and merchandise and motor coaches carrying passengers; including trailers and semitrailers and tractors when used in combination with trailers and semitrailers, and excepting such vehicles as are run only upon rails or tracks,

Highway.
The entire width between the boundary line of every way or parkway publicly maintained when any part thereof is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.

House coach.
Any vehicle motivated by a power connected therewith or propelled by a power within itself, which is or can be used as the home or living abode or habitation of one or more persons, either temporarily or permanently. In the application of these regulations to house coaches, a house coach propelled by a power within itself shall be deemed a motor vehicle, a house coach motivated by a power connected therewith shall be deemed a trailer, and all house coaches shall be deemed vehicles.
Motorcycle. Every motor vehicle having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground, but excluding a tractor.

Motor-driven cycle.
Every motorcycle, including every motor scooter, with a motor which produces not to exceed five horsepower, and every bicycle with motor attached.
School Bus. Every motor vehicle owned by a public or governmental agency or private school and operated for the transportation of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity, to or from school or school activities or privately owned and operated for the transportation of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to or from school or school activities that is designed for carrying more than 14 passengers, or has more than four tires, or that exceeds 9 feet in height from underside of tire to the top of the vehicle, 7 feet in width or 19 feet in length.

The Vehicle and Traffic Law of the State of New York further defines a School Bus as:

"Every motor vehicle owned by a public or governmental agency or private school and operated for the transportation of pupils, children of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity, to or from school or school activities or privately owned and operated for compensation for the transportation of pupils, children of pupils, teachers and other persons acting in a supervisory capacity to or from school or school activities."

Semitrailer.
Any trailer which is so designed that, when operated, the forward end of its body or chassis rests upon the body or chassis of the towing vehicle.

Taxicab.
A motor vehicle having a seating capacity for passengers of not more than seven persons, in addition to the driver, and used in the business of transporting passengers for compensation.

Trailer.
Any vehicle not propelled by its own power drawn on the public highways by a motor vehicle as defined in this section, except motorcycle sidecars, vehicles being towed by a nonrigid support and vehicles designed and primarily used for other purposes and only occasionally drawn by such a motor vehicle

Truck.
Every motor vehicle designed, used or maintained primarily for the transportation of property; provided, however, that a pickup truck or a van which is legally registered as a passenger vehicle and which has passenger license plates shall not be deemed to be a truck.

Vehicle.
Every device in, upon or, by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, except devices moved by human power or used exclusively upon stationary rails or tracks.

Hearse.
A station wagon type vehicle equipped for transporting a coffin or remains of a deceased person.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question:
May I use the Parkways with my tour bus/school bus/special organization bus?

Answer:
With limited exceptions, there are no permits issued for use of buses on the Parkways.

Two of these exceptions involve special circumstances. Westchester County buses, on a limited basis, are allowed to use the Sprain Brook Parkway and the Taconic State Parkway (between the southern end and Route 35 on the north). These bus runs, for the most part, are done without passengers. Another exception category pertains to special circumstances where a highway construction project causes a significantly longer detour for school buses. An example of the this type of circumstance occurred during the construction of the Miller Hill Road interchange on the Taconic State Parkway. School buses were allowed a limited usage of the Taconic State Parkway. Again, these runs were done without passenger involvement whenever possible.

Question:
Are State/County/Town trucks and buses allowed to use the Parkways?

Answer:
Governmental agency (State, County, Town, etc.) vehicles, whether they be buses, trucks, or other commercial vehicles, have no more rights to be on the Parkway system than non-government commercial vehicles. This, of course, excludes highway maintenance vehicles, or the "HELP" (Highway Emergency Local Patrol) Program vehicles.

Thought For Today: Every Urban River Deserves A Book

Image by krisdecurtis via Flickr

The Orion Society periodically gives away books to its members. For the price of shipping, I received Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed by Eddee Daniel. Like every book lover, I flipped it open, skimming. Sometimes, in unexpected moments, words take on prophetic impact.

The Romantic notion of landscape as sublime and enduring has given way to one that is malleable, even fragile. Today, the land can be bent to suit human needs, or broken through self-interest or short-sighted planning. We can also choose to include wildness in our landscapes and in our lives. We will be richer for it. (pg.33)

Evidence of Human Activity Found Beneath Lake Huron

Image via Wikipedia

If they found this evidence beneath Lake Huron, could it also be found beneath Lake Ontario?

"Scientifically, it's important because the entire ancient landscape has been preserved and has not been modified by farming, or modern development. That has implications for ecology, archaeology and environmental modeling."

Read the entire article here.

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• Ancient caribou-hunting camp may lie at bottom of Lake Huron (canada.com)

Requiem for a Stream