In the town of Porter and elsewhere in Niagara and Erie Counties (NY) wind farms are being proposed, pushed, and touted as the the answer to our energy requirements. A recent The Nature Conservancy article on the topic can be found here.
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Monday, August 31, 2009
The Impacts of Wind Power
“We need a prescription for dealing with landscape-level issues” — how wind projects may affect large, intact landscapes."
In the town of Porter and elsewhere in Niagara and Erie Counties (NY) wind farms are being proposed, pushed, and touted as the the answer to our energy requirements. A recent The Nature Conservancy article on the topic can be found here.
In the town of Porter and elsewhere in Niagara and Erie Counties (NY) wind farms are being proposed, pushed, and touted as the the answer to our energy requirements. A recent The Nature Conservancy article on the topic can be found here.
The Roads to a Smarter Planet
Another case for reducing the impact of cars can be found here and below.
In 2007, the world crossed an epochal threshold. For the first time in history, the majority of the human population lived in cities. And this urbanization is accelerating. By 2010, there will be 59 metropolitan areas with populations greater than five million – up 50% from 2001.
Many of those city dwellers will be driving cars, and the products they consume will be arriving in trucks. So if you think your day is plagued by gridlock now, what might the future hold?
Quite simply, our transportation infrastructure and management approaches can’t handle the world’s traffic. In the U.S. alone, 3.7 billion hours are lost every year to people sitting in traffic, and 2.3 billion gallons of fuel – enough to fill 58 supertankers – burn needlessly, at a cost to the economy of $78 billion per year.
This isn’t smart – but it can become so. The systemic nature of urban transportation is also the key to the solution. We need to stop focusing only on pieces of the problem: adding a new bridge, widening a road, putting up signs, establishing commuter lanes, encouraging carpooling or deploying traffic copters.
Instead, we need to look at relationships across the entire system and all the other systems that are touched by it: our supply chains, our environment, our companies…the way people and cities live and work. Traffic isn’t just a line of cars: it’s a web of connections. “Smart traffic” isn’t yet the norm, but it’s not some far-off vision of
tomorrow. In many places, IBM is helping to make it happen today.
In Stockholm, a dynamic toll system based on the flow of vehicles into and out of the city has reduced traffic by 20%, decreased wait time by 25% and cut emissions by 12%. In Singapore, controllers receive real-time data through sensors to model and predict traffic scenarios with 90% accuracy. And in Kyoto, city planners simulate large-scale traffic situations involving millions of vehicles to analyze urban impact.
All of this is possible because cities can infuse intelligence into their entire transportation system — streets, bridges, intersections, signs, signals and tolls — which can all be interconnected and made smarter. These new traffic systems can improve drivers’ commutes, give better information to city planners, increase the productivity of businesses and raise citizens’ quality of life. They can reduce
congestion, shrink fuel use and cut CO2 emissions.
Our rapidly urbanizing planet depends on getting people and things from here to there. In the 20th century, that meant freeways from state to state and nation to nation. In the 21st century, “smart” traffic systems can be the new milestone of progress.
Let’s build a smarter planet. Join us and see what others are thinking
at ibm.com/think
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In 2007, the world crossed an epochal threshold. For the first time in history, the majority of the human population lived in cities. And this urbanization is accelerating. By 2010, there will be 59 metropolitan areas with populations greater than five million – up 50% from 2001.
Many of those city dwellers will be driving cars, and the products they consume will be arriving in trucks. So if you think your day is plagued by gridlock now, what might the future hold?
Quite simply, our transportation infrastructure and management approaches can’t handle the world’s traffic. In the U.S. alone, 3.7 billion hours are lost every year to people sitting in traffic, and 2.3 billion gallons of fuel – enough to fill 58 supertankers – burn needlessly, at a cost to the economy of $78 billion per year.
This isn’t smart – but it can become so. The systemic nature of urban transportation is also the key to the solution. We need to stop focusing only on pieces of the problem: adding a new bridge, widening a road, putting up signs, establishing commuter lanes, encouraging carpooling or deploying traffic copters.
Instead, we need to look at relationships across the entire system and all the other systems that are touched by it: our supply chains, our environment, our companies…the way people and cities live and work. Traffic isn’t just a line of cars: it’s a web of connections. “Smart traffic” isn’t yet the norm, but it’s not some far-off vision of
tomorrow. In many places, IBM is helping to make it happen today.
In Stockholm, a dynamic toll system based on the flow of vehicles into and out of the city has reduced traffic by 20%, decreased wait time by 25% and cut emissions by 12%. In Singapore, controllers receive real-time data through sensors to model and predict traffic scenarios with 90% accuracy. And in Kyoto, city planners simulate large-scale traffic situations involving millions of vehicles to analyze urban impact.
All of this is possible because cities can infuse intelligence into their entire transportation system — streets, bridges, intersections, signs, signals and tolls — which can all be interconnected and made smarter. These new traffic systems can improve drivers’ commutes, give better information to city planners, increase the productivity of businesses and raise citizens’ quality of life. They can reduce
congestion, shrink fuel use and cut CO2 emissions.
Our rapidly urbanizing planet depends on getting people and things from here to there. In the 20th century, that meant freeways from state to state and nation to nation. In the 21st century, “smart” traffic systems can be the new milestone of progress.
Let’s build a smarter planet. Join us and see what others are thinking
at ibm.com/think
Saturday, August 29, 2009
EMPACT America Conference Sept. 9 and 10, Niagara Falls, NY Convention Center
I was asked to pass along this information. If you have questions or comments please do not reply to me but to the original sender.mstmary@msn.com Thank you
EMPACT America is working to increase the public awareness of the risk of an EMP attack and also spur a grassroots movement to place pressure on the US government to devote the necessary resources to prevent and/or prepare for such an attack.
I am helping to get the word out about an upcoming conference of national significance that will be held in Niagara Falls on September 9 & 10th, 2009. Keynote speakers include Newt Gingrich and Gov. Mike Huckabee. We need your help!
Can you assist us in letting raising the awareness of our fellow citizens about this topic, the importance of preparedness and the upcoming Conference?
Here is some information about recent media coverage:
This topic was recently covered on NPR's Science Friday:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111889490
August 14, 2009
America's electric grid is vulnerable to attack from electromagnetic weaponry, and building a smart grid might make it worse, says Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD). Bartlett, a former research scientist and engineer, offers his solution for securing U.S. electronics from attack.
In addition, this recent Associated Press (AP) article highlighted the EMPACT America Conference:
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/764139.html
And additional details about the Conference:
EMPACT America Inc. is pleased to announce its upcoming EMP Conference:
Protecting America from Permanent Continental Shutdown from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). The conference will take place at the Conference Center, Niagara Falls, NY. It will feature EMP experts and local and national leaders addressing the need for infrastructure protection and recovery planning in local communities and across the nation.
This conference is expected to be a watershed event, helping to establish the recommendations of the congressional EMP Commission as a critical step in ensuring U.S. national security in the face of this dangerous threat.
EMPACT America Inc.
EMPACT America works with local citizenry, civic-minded companies, and grassroots activists to help prepare communities in New York State and across America to prepare for an EMP attack. Working with local city governments and first responders, EMPACT America provides for coordination, education, and consulting services, helping to create a growing grassroots movement focused on EMP preparedness and recovery.
An EMP attack can cripple our infrastructure causing all of our electronic equipment and infrastructure to fail. That means even basic modes of emergency response, like cars, planes, and other emergency vehicles, may not even start. Current emergency planning is primarily based upon short-term disasters, and is heavily dependent upon assistance from peripheral communities; unfortunately, an EMP could have long-lasting and wide-spread effects that are not adequately addressed by current planning. Moreover, availability of fundamental resources such as our food, water, and medical supplies would almost certainly break down.
Who Should Attend the Conference?
All Concerned Citizens
Managers of infrastructure or crisis management of the following:
› Electric, Natural Gas, and Water Utilities › Renewable Energy Systems
› Banks › Financial Institutions
› Transportation Systems › Healthcare Institutions
› Transportation Systems › Healthcare Institutions & Agencies
› Communications › Computer & Software
› State & Local Governments › First Responders
› Disaster Recovery Organizations › Homeland Security
› Disaster Preparedness › Business Continuity
› Universities › Electronics
We invite you to join us from the evening of September 8th through September 10th, 2009, in Niagara Falls, New York, to help better understand the impact of EMP. Learn how it could affect you, as well as proactive, hands-on ideas to protect your home, business, or organization from the devastating effects of this threat.
Attend this conference to learn about:
• The EMP Threat • Recovery & Emergency Preparedness
• How to Update Your All-Hazards Business Continuity Plan
• How to Prepare Your Company • How to Protect Your Government Infrastructure
Conference Pricing
Registration
$75 per person
Prices have been greatly reduced due to sponsorships and subsidies to allow greater attendance by a diverse group of interested attendees. Space is limited, so register early. Also, special conference rate pricing is available at the hotel for a limited time. See our accommodations page on our website and/or call the hotel for details.
Special Reduced Rate for Government Employees, Students, Volunteers, Members of Community Groups, First Responders:
$25 per person*
*In addition to the greatly reduced pricing for government employees, students, and first responders, EMPACT America is coordinating additional funds to help first responders come to this conference.
EMPACT America wants every first responder who wants to attend to have that opportunity.
We're working with various sponsors to set-up conference scholarship/sponsorship funds to pay, or help pay, for registration fees of first responders who want to attend but have funding issues, including those waiting for funds and those departments/agencies that would like to send more representatives than they currently have funds to cover. The scholarship/sponsorship funds are limited, but we're working to get more. We encourage you to contact us if funding is an issue. Given the limitation on funds, a firm attendance commitment must (and will be) required. Contact us at: info@empactamerica.org or 716.435.7873.
Conference information and registration is available at www.empactamerica.org .
Questions & more information: info@empactamerica.org .
Thank you for your assistance in spreading the word about this extremely important topic and Conference. If I can answer any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Mary
Mary C. St.Mary
www.empactamerica.org
716.867.7973
EMPACT America is working to increase the public awareness of the risk of an EMP attack and also spur a grassroots movement to place pressure on the US government to devote the necessary resources to prevent and/or prepare for such an attack.
I am helping to get the word out about an upcoming conference of national significance that will be held in Niagara Falls on September 9 & 10th, 2009. Keynote speakers include Newt Gingrich and Gov. Mike Huckabee. We need your help!
Can you assist us in letting raising the awareness of our fellow citizens about this topic, the importance of preparedness and the upcoming Conference?
Here is some information about recent media coverage:
This topic was recently covered on NPR's Science Friday:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111889490
August 14, 2009
America's electric grid is vulnerable to attack from electromagnetic weaponry, and building a smart grid might make it worse, says Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD). Bartlett, a former research scientist and engineer, offers his solution for securing U.S. electronics from attack.
In addition, this recent Associated Press (AP) article highlighted the EMPACT America Conference:
http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/764139.html
And additional details about the Conference:
EMPACT America Inc. is pleased to announce its upcoming EMP Conference:
Protecting America from Permanent Continental Shutdown from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). The conference will take place at the Conference Center, Niagara Falls, NY. It will feature EMP experts and local and national leaders addressing the need for infrastructure protection and recovery planning in local communities and across the nation.
This conference is expected to be a watershed event, helping to establish the recommendations of the congressional EMP Commission as a critical step in ensuring U.S. national security in the face of this dangerous threat.
EMPACT America Inc.
EMPACT America works with local citizenry, civic-minded companies, and grassroots activists to help prepare communities in New York State and across America to prepare for an EMP attack. Working with local city governments and first responders, EMPACT America provides for coordination, education, and consulting services, helping to create a growing grassroots movement focused on EMP preparedness and recovery.
An EMP attack can cripple our infrastructure causing all of our electronic equipment and infrastructure to fail. That means even basic modes of emergency response, like cars, planes, and other emergency vehicles, may not even start. Current emergency planning is primarily based upon short-term disasters, and is heavily dependent upon assistance from peripheral communities; unfortunately, an EMP could have long-lasting and wide-spread effects that are not adequately addressed by current planning. Moreover, availability of fundamental resources such as our food, water, and medical supplies would almost certainly break down.
Who Should Attend the Conference?
All Concerned Citizens
Managers of infrastructure or crisis management of the following:
› Electric, Natural Gas, and Water Utilities › Renewable Energy Systems
› Banks › Financial Institutions
› Transportation Systems › Healthcare Institutions
› Transportation Systems › Healthcare Institutions & Agencies
› Communications › Computer & Software
› State & Local Governments › First Responders
› Disaster Recovery Organizations › Homeland Security
› Disaster Preparedness › Business Continuity
› Universities › Electronics
We invite you to join us from the evening of September 8th through September 10th, 2009, in Niagara Falls, New York, to help better understand the impact of EMP. Learn how it could affect you, as well as proactive, hands-on ideas to protect your home, business, or organization from the devastating effects of this threat.
Attend this conference to learn about:
• The EMP Threat • Recovery & Emergency Preparedness
• How to Update Your All-Hazards Business Continuity Plan
• How to Prepare Your Company • How to Protect Your Government Infrastructure
Conference Pricing
Registration
$75 per person
Prices have been greatly reduced due to sponsorships and subsidies to allow greater attendance by a diverse group of interested attendees. Space is limited, so register early. Also, special conference rate pricing is available at the hotel for a limited time. See our accommodations page on our website and/or call the hotel for details.
Special Reduced Rate for Government Employees, Students, Volunteers, Members of Community Groups, First Responders:
$25 per person*
*In addition to the greatly reduced pricing for government employees, students, and first responders, EMPACT America is coordinating additional funds to help first responders come to this conference.
EMPACT America wants every first responder who wants to attend to have that opportunity.
We're working with various sponsors to set-up conference scholarship/sponsorship funds to pay, or help pay, for registration fees of first responders who want to attend but have funding issues, including those waiting for funds and those departments/agencies that would like to send more representatives than they currently have funds to cover. The scholarship/sponsorship funds are limited, but we're working to get more. We encourage you to contact us if funding is an issue. Given the limitation on funds, a firm attendance commitment must (and will be) required. Contact us at: info@empactamerica.org or 716.435.7873.
Conference information and registration is available at www.empactamerica.org .
Questions & more information: info@empactamerica.org .
Thank you for your assistance in spreading the word about this extremely important topic and Conference. If I can answer any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Regards,
Mary
Mary C. St.Mary
www.empactamerica.org
716.867.7973
Thursday, August 27, 2009
September 11 - Fly the American Flag
We have less than one month and counting to get the word out all across this great land and into every community in the United States of America. If you forward this email to least 11 people and each of those people do the same ... you get the idea .
THE PROGRAM:
On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.
In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds
Action Plan:
(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.!
(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.
Thank you for your participation.
God Bless You and God Bless America !!
THE PROGRAM:
On Friday, September 11th, 2009, an American flag should be displayed outside every home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on this eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies. We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11, their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.
In the days, weeks and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses and stood shoulder-to-shoulder against terrorism. Sadly, those flags have all but disappeared. Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds
Action Plan:
(1) Forward this email to everyone you know (at least 11 people). Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.!
(2) Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.
Thank you for your participation.
God Bless You and God Bless America !!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Question for the Day
An interesting query embroiled a local political committee meeting last night. One potential candidate maintained the President’s recent national actions on health care and clunker cars would dictate how people will vote in September’s grassroots primaries, and ultimately, November’s local elections.
Neutral ground disappeared and sharp opinions divided them. One person felt the statement insulted voter intelligence. Another felt the question represented hate/racial tactics spurred by a major national party and that mentality should end. Others, a tiny minority in the small group, withheld comment, fell silent.
So, here’s my question:
This September and November, at the local election level, what will influence your vote?
Will you vote for local people who have a say on what directly affects your immediate, residential quality of life?
Or
Will you vote for a particular political Party based upon the Presidential actions in Washington, DC, an individual you will probably never meet or have an opportunity to influence?
You can use the poll below.(Scroll to the bottom.) You can also email comments to mypoll730@gmail.com.
I’ll post your comments verbatim, if you leave your initials and place of residence (city, county, state)
Civil, thoughtful comments creates an exchange of ideas and dialogue, so humor me, ok? Provide honest opinion. I want to understand why and what you’ve based your logic on.
Neutral ground disappeared and sharp opinions divided them. One person felt the statement insulted voter intelligence. Another felt the question represented hate/racial tactics spurred by a major national party and that mentality should end. Others, a tiny minority in the small group, withheld comment, fell silent.
So, here’s my question:
This September and November, at the local election level, what will influence your vote?
Will you vote for local people who have a say on what directly affects your immediate, residential quality of life?
Or
Will you vote for a particular political Party based upon the Presidential actions in Washington, DC, an individual you will probably never meet or have an opportunity to influence?
You can use the poll below.(Scroll to the bottom.) You can also email comments to mypoll730@gmail.com.
I’ll post your comments verbatim, if you leave your initials and place of residence (city, county, state)
Civil, thoughtful comments creates an exchange of ideas and dialogue, so humor me, ok? Provide honest opinion. I want to understand why and what you’ve based your logic on.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Tell Congress to Support Walking and Biking
The 2009 Transportation Bill
More of the same?
Right now, Congress is getting ready to write the new 2009 Transportation Bill—an opportunity that only comes along once a decade. Sign a petition here
Did you know?
* Congress spends about $60 billion a year on transportation.
* Nearly 85% of that goes to expanding or maintaining highways.
* Only 1.5%—about $3 per American per year—goes to support walking and biking. About 15% goes to support public transit.
* 83% percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas, yet only 5% live within walking distance of decent public transit.
Getting a great Walk Score doesn't happen by chance. Walkable neighborhoods result from smart policy decisions that allocate our tax dollars and set the rules for development.
Unfortunately, current federal rules and funding priorities make it difficult for communities to create walkable neighborhoods.
For Niagara Falls, it's compounded by an almost unbelievable fact: Lewiston's interference and political fear to take a stand to support the removal of the Robert Moses Parkway. YOU can help here
More of the same?
Right now, Congress is getting ready to write the new 2009 Transportation Bill—an opportunity that only comes along once a decade. Sign a petition here
Did you know?
* Congress spends about $60 billion a year on transportation.
* Nearly 85% of that goes to expanding or maintaining highways.
* Only 1.5%—about $3 per American per year—goes to support walking and biking. About 15% goes to support public transit.
* 83% percent of Americans live in metropolitan areas, yet only 5% live within walking distance of decent public transit.
Getting a great Walk Score doesn't happen by chance. Walkable neighborhoods result from smart policy decisions that allocate our tax dollars and set the rules for development.
Unfortunately, current federal rules and funding priorities make it difficult for communities to create walkable neighborhoods.
For Niagara Falls, it's compounded by an almost unbelievable fact: Lewiston's interference and political fear to take a stand to support the removal of the Robert Moses Parkway. YOU can help here
Walkable Neighborhoods
Main Street Niagara Falls, NY, by definition should be a thriving, walkable street. What hurts its ability to thrive is the fact that traffic on the Robert Moses Parkway is diverted from Main Street, bypassing every business district.
Picture a walkable neighborhood. You lose weight each time you walk to the grocery store. You stumble home from last call without waiting for a cab. You spend less money on your car—or you don't own a car. When you shop, you support your local economy. You talk to your neighbors.
What makes a neighborhood walkable?
* A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a discernable center, whether it's a shopping district, a main street, or a public space.
* Density: The neighborhood is compact enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to run frequently.
* Mixed income, mixed use: Housing is provided for everyone who works in the neighborhood: young and old, singles and families, rich and poor. Businesses and residences are located near each other.
* Parks and public space: There are plenty of public places to gather and play.
* Pedestrian-centric design: Buildings are placed close to the street to cater to foot traffic, with parking lots relegated to the back.
* Nearby schools and workplaces: Schools and workplaces are close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
Picture a walkable neighborhood. You lose weight each time you walk to the grocery store. You stumble home from last call without waiting for a cab. You spend less money on your car—or you don't own a car. When you shop, you support your local economy. You talk to your neighbors.
What makes a neighborhood walkable?
* A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a discernable center, whether it's a shopping district, a main street, or a public space.
* Density: The neighborhood is compact enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to run frequently.
* Mixed income, mixed use: Housing is provided for everyone who works in the neighborhood: young and old, singles and families, rich and poor. Businesses and residences are located near each other.
* Parks and public space: There are plenty of public places to gather and play.
* Pedestrian-centric design: Buildings are placed close to the street to cater to foot traffic, with parking lots relegated to the back.
* Nearby schools and workplaces: Schools and workplaces are close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Niagara River Greenway Commission Violates Own Guiding Principals
Buffalo News. Niagara Relicensing Environmental Coalition asks Niagara River Greenway Commission to rescind their endorsement. Read the complete story.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Reinveting State Parks - Eyefromalbany's blog
Here's additional support for the Niagara Heritage Partnership's proposal to removal the Robert Moses Parkway.
Reinvention of parks
By eyefromalbany
Introduction
The red flag has been raised when it comes to the newspaper trade (watch the NY Times shrink before your eyes), on Wall Street, in corporate law firms, the automobile industry and in the plight of state and local government budgets with all the public programs they support. We are approaching huge changes in our economy and the way we live.
Some of the change has to do with scale. Over decades single family homes grew from 800 Sq. Ft. to 1,600 Sq. Ft., to 2,400 Sq. Ft. to the McMansions of recent decades. Sedans were replaced by SUVs. The population of traditional cities spread themselves over territory 8 times as large as the city space during in the 1950s. Yes, we will be downsizing on a lot of things, but that is the easy thing.
What really will be interesting and challenging are those aspects of our lives that will be completely reinvented like, I suggest, parks, senior living, mobility, urban living, education, environmental protection, medicine, energy, how we get news and what we eat to begin the list. Not only will the automobile be downsized, again that is easy, but, for example, new transit systems and other means of mobility will become the norm (back to the future). The automobile, for example, may not be individually owned, but rather be cooperatively owed and used as needed.
Despite these daunting prospects, we are like the deer caught in the headlight when it comes to understanding and taking control of the reinvention that will take place and in many cases is actually happening around us with little real awareness on our part. Many people and institutions are simply holding on to what they have always been accustomed to and this is not helpful. Too few are seriously thinking and contributing to the changes and reinvention that is happening. Apparently many believe this too will pass situation or simply right sizing will make things better. They should look again.
Beginning with this Eye column we are going to take a look at how certain key features of our lives need to be reinvented and how that should be done. In many cases reinvention has been quietly happening for years, mostly with little public and leadership awareness. Some of this reinvention comes from creative thinking and other aspects are a result of nature abhorring a vacuum.
Future of State Parks as We Know Them
Most people take state parks for granted. I was told a former Commissioner of the Office of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation went to a cocktail party in New York City soon after her appointment and proudly told others at the party that she was “the state parks commissioner”. The response was ho, hum and what else is new. Protecting open space in the Hamptons and Columbia counties is interesting, but state parks?- they are yesterday’s news. Yet, state parks for much of the 20th century were very important in preserving natural wonders and should emerge in the 21st century in a different form as green and cultural infrastructure. Take notice!
State parks as we know them are unlikely to survive into the future.
Traditional parks have been public estates, separate and apart from surrounding land. Many state parks should and will continue as public preserves (see, the state forest preserve and Albany Pine Barrens Preserve as examples) set aside for their natural beauty and unique natural and cultural features. Otherwise, as park historian Galen Cranz wrote about urban parks in the “open space” era, state parks will become more entwined with the whole landscape. Gone will be the golf courses, swimming pools and other costly active recreational facilities as a major concern of a state park system.
The park of the “green” and “sustainable” future (identified, designed and protected, but not wholly owned by the public) is already here, for example, as greenways, heritage areas, agricultural and forest landscapes with scenic values and all sorts of trails for recreation.
This is both the result of emerging environmental objectives and financial realities. If you don’t believe me consider what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing in California. Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. That could mean closing up to 220 state parks. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed.
In response, Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines said the state cannot afford to subsidize state parks when lawmakers are being asked to make severe cuts in even more vital areas. “Parks are just not going to be a priority over public safety and education, as much as we hate to see them close,” Villines said.
California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman declared: “We are often a harbinger of things to come elsewhere, for better or for worse. What will happen here with our state park system deserves close monitoring by World Commission on Protected Area members throughout North America and abroad. How much public support do we really have?”
A Little Background
In the early 20th century when State Parks came on the scene in New York City there were two opposite advocacy points of view on the development of State Parks. The booster types called for State Parks to be developed every 20 miles along Route 20 which crossed New York State. Do some landscaping including, if possible creating a swimming hole and add picnic and other recreation facilities and you will have a State Park. These parks were to be recreational amenities to encourage development across the State.
The other advocacy interest simply believed you can’t have a State Park until you find it. These scenic preservationists believed State Parks should be created to bring scenic lands like the Letchworth Gorge (the Grand Canyon of the east) and Niagara Falls under State protection.
For the most part, the scenic preservationists prevailed and many of our state parks are special places though often with conventional recreational facilities like golf courses, swimming pools, sandy ocean and lake beaches and other play spaces mostly for the auto dependent middle class (with exceptions like Roberto Clemente State Park and the state park on the sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River at 145th Street).
In the 1980s a state park administrator told me that his agency should drop concerns about conservation and concentrate solely on recreation. That never came to be but now we have reached the opposite situation,
Why the change or reinvention?
Financial realities like those being faced in California, a growing environmental crisis, expanding population and need to bring human habitats more in harmony with nature and quality of life are all driving the need to reinvent our notion of parks from being separate and apart with a large recreational component to having a whole landscape approach to protecting and managing our natural and cultural infrastructure.
New York State’s state park program has a backlog of $650 million in traditional infrastructure needs while it is losing over a 100 positions. Carrying the backlog of deferred maintenance of a costly park infrastructure as staffing for ongoing operation shrinks is a strong wakeup call that state park facilities as we have known them including golf courses and swimming pools are not sustainable.
Signs of change
TNC: The Nature Conservancy is a premier national and international conservation organization dedicated to the protection of plant and animal species. Originally it narrowly focused on the immediate habitat of unique species. In recent years TNC realized that a narrow approach was not adequate and intervening in whole landscapes was necessary. Under the rubrics of Landscape by Design and Conservation by Design, TNC develops a systematic approach to preserving healthy ecosystems that support people and host the diversity of life on Earth. Instead of owning golf courses, state park programs need to follow the direction of TNC and become a whole landscape approach.
Open space movement. Open space protection has been a primary effort in recent decades. Land trusts established to acquire open space easements, development rights and purchase significant natural and cultural resources have sprung up across the country. They are complemented by tax policies, community preservation acts funding open space programs through dedicated revenue sources, cluster zoning and state and federal programs supporting protection of opens space including protection of agricultural land for agricultural use.
Heritage Areas and cultural landscape. The notion of the cultural value of the entire landscape was the basis for the Council of Europe designating the entire area of Europe as a cultural landscape. Human attainments over the centuries (don’t forget the Native Americans were in North America for centuries before the Europeans came) are associated with the land and deserve attention, in some cases preservation and many cases interpretation. In the 1970s heritage areas (first called urban cultural parks) emerged as an integrated approach for the goals of conservation, education, recreation and sustainable development. Yes, feature traditionally associated with urban and state parks can be found and utilized throughout urban settings and regional landscapes. New York State’s first in the nation state system of heritage areas was enacted in 1982 and more than 20 heritage areas have been designated by the state legislature. Congress has established 40 national heritage areas some encompassing large portions of States. New York’s Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor stretches 540 miles across the State and links to the Hudson River National Heritage Area. Heritage areas are one of the key models for the next generation of state parks-one encompassing entire urban setting and regional landscapes.
Greenways. Linkage or connecting the dots is an important conservation approach. Greenways have primarily been established to protect and manage river corridors, but they have other forms. New York State’s greenways beginning with the Hudson River Green way in the early 1990s encompasses an ambitious agenda for goals in a region stretching from Saratoga and Washington counties in the north to the Battery in New York City. It boundaries are county wide so its focus ranges from developing traditional trails to Greenway planning based on fostering regional planning for regions within his boundaries. Like heritage areas (and the HR Greenway manages the Hudson River National Heritage Area), the Hudson River Greenway connections the dots including the roles played by traditional state park programs. The only difference is that its mission extends to an entire and vast landscape.
Trails. In 1987 President Reagan’s President’s Commission on American Outdoor recommended that all Americans be able to go out their front doors and within 15 minutes be on trails that wind through their cities or towns and bring them back without retracing steps. Today, public programs like the Healthy Heart program of the NYS Department of Health supports trail development in rural and urban communities. Many types of trails from wilderness trails in the Adirondack Park to Scenic By-ways are becoming the health, recreation and mobility infrastructure in New York.
Natural infrastructure (see Saratoga counties natural infrastructure plan), healthy watersheds and ecosystem based management (see Art. 14 of the Environmental Conservation Law). Complementing heritage areas, greenways and trails is a new generation of state and local planning focused on integrating the needs of natural and cultural resources with the needs of human communities. This is but another driver of the transition of traditional parks from public estates into an approach that encompasses the entire landscape of states and the nation.
Conclusion. Look for state park programs to be reinvented from being the custodians and managers of public country clubs to being a leader in managing the entire landscape for its ecological and human values.
The Conservation Foundation in its report entitled National Parks for a Generation identified the phenomenon as a move beyond the feature to the entire setting. Like California and, in fact, the nation, New York State can no longer financially afford the traditional state and national park model and, at the same time, can no longer afford to not connect the dots and make the linkages so that our entire landscapes are ecologically healthy, economically sustainable and humanly enriching. (Don’t worry about our natural and cultural wonders, they will be maintained as preserves.) Change in parks has been approaching for decades. The current crisis can provide the impetus for the leap forward.
Tags: new normal, parks, transformation, whole landscape
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Reinvention of parks
By eyefromalbany
Introduction
The red flag has been raised when it comes to the newspaper trade (watch the NY Times shrink before your eyes), on Wall Street, in corporate law firms, the automobile industry and in the plight of state and local government budgets with all the public programs they support. We are approaching huge changes in our economy and the way we live.
Some of the change has to do with scale. Over decades single family homes grew from 800 Sq. Ft. to 1,600 Sq. Ft., to 2,400 Sq. Ft. to the McMansions of recent decades. Sedans were replaced by SUVs. The population of traditional cities spread themselves over territory 8 times as large as the city space during in the 1950s. Yes, we will be downsizing on a lot of things, but that is the easy thing.
What really will be interesting and challenging are those aspects of our lives that will be completely reinvented like, I suggest, parks, senior living, mobility, urban living, education, environmental protection, medicine, energy, how we get news and what we eat to begin the list. Not only will the automobile be downsized, again that is easy, but, for example, new transit systems and other means of mobility will become the norm (back to the future). The automobile, for example, may not be individually owned, but rather be cooperatively owed and used as needed.
Despite these daunting prospects, we are like the deer caught in the headlight when it comes to understanding and taking control of the reinvention that will take place and in many cases is actually happening around us with little real awareness on our part. Many people and institutions are simply holding on to what they have always been accustomed to and this is not helpful. Too few are seriously thinking and contributing to the changes and reinvention that is happening. Apparently many believe this too will pass situation or simply right sizing will make things better. They should look again.
Beginning with this Eye column we are going to take a look at how certain key features of our lives need to be reinvented and how that should be done. In many cases reinvention has been quietly happening for years, mostly with little public and leadership awareness. Some of this reinvention comes from creative thinking and other aspects are a result of nature abhorring a vacuum.
Future of State Parks as We Know Them
Most people take state parks for granted. I was told a former Commissioner of the Office of New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation went to a cocktail party in New York City soon after her appointment and proudly told others at the party that she was “the state parks commissioner”. The response was ho, hum and what else is new. Protecting open space in the Hamptons and Columbia counties is interesting, but state parks?- they are yesterday’s news. Yet, state parks for much of the 20th century were very important in preserving natural wonders and should emerge in the 21st century in a different form as green and cultural infrastructure. Take notice!
State parks as we know them are unlikely to survive into the future.
Traditional parks have been public estates, separate and apart from surrounding land. Many state parks should and will continue as public preserves (see, the state forest preserve and Albany Pine Barrens Preserve as examples) set aside for their natural beauty and unique natural and cultural features. Otherwise, as park historian Galen Cranz wrote about urban parks in the “open space” era, state parks will become more entwined with the whole landscape. Gone will be the golf courses, swimming pools and other costly active recreational facilities as a major concern of a state park system.
The park of the “green” and “sustainable” future (identified, designed and protected, but not wholly owned by the public) is already here, for example, as greenways, heritage areas, agricultural and forest landscapes with scenic values and all sorts of trails for recreation.
This is both the result of emerging environmental objectives and financial realities. If you don’t believe me consider what Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing in California. Schwarzenegger proposed eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. That could mean closing up to 220 state parks. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed.
In response, Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines said the state cannot afford to subsidize state parks when lawmakers are being asked to make severe cuts in even more vital areas. “Parks are just not going to be a priority over public safety and education, as much as we hate to see them close,” Villines said.
California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman declared: “We are often a harbinger of things to come elsewhere, for better or for worse. What will happen here with our state park system deserves close monitoring by World Commission on Protected Area members throughout North America and abroad. How much public support do we really have?”
A Little Background
In the early 20th century when State Parks came on the scene in New York City there were two opposite advocacy points of view on the development of State Parks. The booster types called for State Parks to be developed every 20 miles along Route 20 which crossed New York State. Do some landscaping including, if possible creating a swimming hole and add picnic and other recreation facilities and you will have a State Park. These parks were to be recreational amenities to encourage development across the State.
The other advocacy interest simply believed you can’t have a State Park until you find it. These scenic preservationists believed State Parks should be created to bring scenic lands like the Letchworth Gorge (the Grand Canyon of the east) and Niagara Falls under State protection.
For the most part, the scenic preservationists prevailed and many of our state parks are special places though often with conventional recreational facilities like golf courses, swimming pools, sandy ocean and lake beaches and other play spaces mostly for the auto dependent middle class (with exceptions like Roberto Clemente State Park and the state park on the sewage treatment facility on the Hudson River at 145th Street).
In the 1980s a state park administrator told me that his agency should drop concerns about conservation and concentrate solely on recreation. That never came to be but now we have reached the opposite situation,
it being time for states to drop most of their role as providers of recreation and to concentrate solely on preservation of scenic, natural and cultural places of significance and doing this actively in the context of stewardship of our natural infrastructure: the air, water, soil, plants, animals, and microbes that working together in ecosystems providing critical environmental services necessary for humans to survive and our cultural heritage or ongoing narrative of human attainments over time.
Why the change or reinvention?
Financial realities like those being faced in California, a growing environmental crisis, expanding population and need to bring human habitats more in harmony with nature and quality of life are all driving the need to reinvent our notion of parks from being separate and apart with a large recreational component to having a whole landscape approach to protecting and managing our natural and cultural infrastructure.
New York State’s state park program has a backlog of $650 million in traditional infrastructure needs while it is losing over a 100 positions. Carrying the backlog of deferred maintenance of a costly park infrastructure as staffing for ongoing operation shrinks is a strong wakeup call that state park facilities as we have known them including golf courses and swimming pools are not sustainable.
Signs of change
TNC: The Nature Conservancy is a premier national and international conservation organization dedicated to the protection of plant and animal species. Originally it narrowly focused on the immediate habitat of unique species. In recent years TNC realized that a narrow approach was not adequate and intervening in whole landscapes was necessary. Under the rubrics of Landscape by Design and Conservation by Design, TNC develops a systematic approach to preserving healthy ecosystems that support people and host the diversity of life on Earth. Instead of owning golf courses, state park programs need to follow the direction of TNC and become a whole landscape approach.
Open space movement. Open space protection has been a primary effort in recent decades. Land trusts established to acquire open space easements, development rights and purchase significant natural and cultural resources have sprung up across the country. They are complemented by tax policies, community preservation acts funding open space programs through dedicated revenue sources, cluster zoning and state and federal programs supporting protection of opens space including protection of agricultural land for agricultural use.
Heritage Areas and cultural landscape. The notion of the cultural value of the entire landscape was the basis for the Council of Europe designating the entire area of Europe as a cultural landscape. Human attainments over the centuries (don’t forget the Native Americans were in North America for centuries before the Europeans came) are associated with the land and deserve attention, in some cases preservation and many cases interpretation. In the 1970s heritage areas (first called urban cultural parks) emerged as an integrated approach for the goals of conservation, education, recreation and sustainable development. Yes, feature traditionally associated with urban and state parks can be found and utilized throughout urban settings and regional landscapes. New York State’s first in the nation state system of heritage areas was enacted in 1982 and more than 20 heritage areas have been designated by the state legislature. Congress has established 40 national heritage areas some encompassing large portions of States. New York’s Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor stretches 540 miles across the State and links to the Hudson River National Heritage Area. Heritage areas are one of the key models for the next generation of state parks-one encompassing entire urban setting and regional landscapes.
Greenways. Linkage or connecting the dots is an important conservation approach. Greenways have primarily been established to protect and manage river corridors, but they have other forms. New York State’s greenways beginning with the Hudson River Green way in the early 1990s encompasses an ambitious agenda for goals in a region stretching from Saratoga and Washington counties in the north to the Battery in New York City. It boundaries are county wide so its focus ranges from developing traditional trails to Greenway planning based on fostering regional planning for regions within his boundaries. Like heritage areas (and the HR Greenway manages the Hudson River National Heritage Area), the Hudson River Greenway connections the dots including the roles played by traditional state park programs. The only difference is that its mission extends to an entire and vast landscape.
Trails. In 1987 President Reagan’s President’s Commission on American Outdoor recommended that all Americans be able to go out their front doors and within 15 minutes be on trails that wind through their cities or towns and bring them back without retracing steps. Today, public programs like the Healthy Heart program of the NYS Department of Health supports trail development in rural and urban communities. Many types of trails from wilderness trails in the Adirondack Park to Scenic By-ways are becoming the health, recreation and mobility infrastructure in New York.
Natural infrastructure (see Saratoga counties natural infrastructure plan), healthy watersheds and ecosystem based management (see Art. 14 of the Environmental Conservation Law). Complementing heritage areas, greenways and trails is a new generation of state and local planning focused on integrating the needs of natural and cultural resources with the needs of human communities. This is but another driver of the transition of traditional parks from public estates into an approach that encompasses the entire landscape of states and the nation.
Conclusion. Look for state park programs to be reinvented from being the custodians and managers of public country clubs to being a leader in managing the entire landscape for its ecological and human values.
The Conservation Foundation in its report entitled National Parks for a Generation identified the phenomenon as a move beyond the feature to the entire setting. Like California and, in fact, the nation, New York State can no longer financially afford the traditional state and national park model and, at the same time, can no longer afford to not connect the dots and make the linkages so that our entire landscapes are ecologically healthy, economically sustainable and humanly enriching. (Don’t worry about our natural and cultural wonders, they will be maintained as preserves.) Change in parks has been approaching for decades. The current crisis can provide the impetus for the leap forward.
Tags: new normal, parks, transformation, whole landscape
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Main Street Observation To Paul
At the NREC meeting today, I learned that at the last meeting of the Niagara River Greenway the Commission asked if you wanted to make a motion to rescind their consistency decision regarding The Lewiston Scenic Trail.
I understand you declined. No explanation was given for your inaction on Lewiston's incomplete proposal.
***
Should the MSBPA request a reimbursement for the mowed flowers at the Main Street Sign, please see my note below declines, though I appreciated their offer. M
-----Original Message-----
From: mv
To: Leslie T
Cc: van400
Sent: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 9:02 pm
Subject: Re: flowers
Leslie,
I don't want, need, or expect reimbursement or replacement from the city or anyone else. I just think it's sad.
Not because I purchased and planted them, but because some bright spot, flowers or hope, bloomed in this city despite all the crummy odds.
They didn't have to be destroyed. Call it metaphoric, or not, they left a dead tree standing.
M
-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie T
Sent: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 01:52 PM
To: mv
Subject: flowers
M - let me know what you had in the flower bed ( type and cost) and I will call the city for reimbursement- replacement - whatever they can do.. thanks
___________
Leslie J. T
Main Street Business and Professional Association
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I understand you declined. No explanation was given for your inaction on Lewiston's incomplete proposal.
***
Should the MSBPA request a reimbursement for the mowed flowers at the Main Street Sign, please see my note below declines, though I appreciated their offer. M
"In land use decisions and actions, it is unethical to evaluate an area in isolation from its surroundings or from its development over time. Ethics impel us to consider an area in its broadest spatial and temporal perspectives." Richard T.T. Forman, Landscape Architect
-----Original Message-----
From: mv
To: Leslie T
Cc: van400
Sent: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 9:02 pm
Subject: Re: flowers
Leslie,
I don't want, need, or expect reimbursement or replacement from the city or anyone else. I just think it's sad.
Not because I purchased and planted them, but because some bright spot, flowers or hope, bloomed in this city despite all the crummy odds.
They didn't have to be destroyed. Call it metaphoric, or not, they left a dead tree standing.
M
A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise. Aldo Leopold
-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie T
Sent: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 01:52 PM
To: mv
Subject: flowers
M - let me know what you had in the flower bed ( type and cost) and I will call the city for reimbursement- replacement - whatever they can do.. thanks
___________
Leslie J. T
Main Street Business and Professional Association
The Robert Moses Gorge Parkway - How Many Cited Resources Are Required For Removal?
I, a Main Street Business and Professional Association board member, am attending a noon Slaughter visit to Main Street re: road resurfacing.
For the NREC meeting today:
In addition to the resource cited below, how many carefully researched resources must be systematically provided in order to preserve one of Niagara's and western NY's greatest natural assets: the Niagara Gorge?
We have provided reams of information that has been and continues to be ignored by the Niagara River Greenway Commission, NY State Parks, local Niagara Co. municipalities and government officials, and state officials, commissions and authorities.
Here's another one documenting the Niagara Heritage Partnership's proposal for total 4 lane Robert Moses Gorge Parkway removal and the subsequent reclamation and restoration of the gorge rim, PLUS it advocates for the prevention any other "Riverside" road constructed in its place.
Chapter 5, page 82, middle column,
"Corridors, which are described as man-made or natural linear strips of land connecting two habitat types, can be an effective means of providing connectivity. Examples of natural corridors include river and stream corridors and can include unpaved trails and right-of-ways."
..."the most most effective buffers contain undeveloped land with native vegetation. Uses of these areas are often limited to passive activities that are compatible with conservation objectives." ...For example, a minimum of 80 feet may help in removing pollutants from run-off.
.... Land buffers as large as 535 feet may be needed to protect the long-term health of an eco-system." [Note: The Niagara Gorge is botanically unique.]
(3rd column, same chapter and page)
Source: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/agency/scorp/
Based on that particular document and the research NHP and others have undertaken,
I am respectfully requesting the NREC members address and implement a formal position on the NHP proposal, removal of the Robert Moses Gorge Parkway, the subsequent reclamation and restoration of the gorge rim, and the prevention any other "Riverside" road constructed in its place, through a passed resolution and
a written, formal position on the Greenway's on-going and consistent failure to address the NHP Proposal for road removal as the NHP proposal meets and exceeds all of the Niagara River Greenway's eleven guiding principles, including economic development though eco, geo, and creative tourism. All new concepts being successfully and progressively implemented in the US.
Based on the precedent created by the Niagara River Greenway Commission in granting funds for the "Lewiston Scenic Trail," we will be emulating and walking in Mr. Newlin's blazed path with our own request for consistency and funds through NREC funds, Greenway Ecological funds and Greenway funds, for "a study and the means" to hire experts to support and implement the NHP proposal.
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For the NREC meeting today:
In addition to the resource cited below, how many carefully researched resources must be systematically provided in order to preserve one of Niagara's and western NY's greatest natural assets: the Niagara Gorge?
We have provided reams of information that has been and continues to be ignored by the Niagara River Greenway Commission, NY State Parks, local Niagara Co. municipalities and government officials, and state officials, commissions and authorities.
Here's another one documenting the Niagara Heritage Partnership's proposal for total 4 lane Robert Moses Gorge Parkway removal and the subsequent reclamation and restoration of the gorge rim, PLUS it advocates for the prevention any other "Riverside" road constructed in its place.
Chapter 5, page 82, middle column,
"Corridors, which are described as man-made or natural linear strips of land connecting two habitat types, can be an effective means of providing connectivity. Examples of natural corridors include river and stream corridors and can include unpaved trails and right-of-ways."
..."the most most effective buffers contain undeveloped land with native vegetation. Uses of these areas are often limited to passive activities that are compatible with conservation objectives." ...For example, a minimum of 80 feet may help in removing pollutants from run-off.
.... Land buffers as large as 535 feet may be needed to protect the long-term health of an eco-system." [Note: The Niagara Gorge is botanically unique.]
(3rd column, same chapter and page)
Source: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/agency/scorp/
Based on that particular document and the research NHP and others have undertaken,
I am respectfully requesting the NREC members address and implement a formal position on the NHP proposal, removal of the Robert Moses Gorge Parkway, the subsequent reclamation and restoration of the gorge rim, and the prevention any other "Riverside" road constructed in its place, through a passed resolution and
a written, formal position on the Greenway's on-going and consistent failure to address the NHP Proposal for road removal as the NHP proposal meets and exceeds all of the Niagara River Greenway's eleven guiding principles, including economic development though eco, geo, and creative tourism. All new concepts being successfully and progressively implemented in the US.
Based on the precedent created by the Niagara River Greenway Commission in granting funds for the "Lewiston Scenic Trail," we will be emulating and walking in Mr. Newlin's blazed path with our own request for consistency and funds through NREC funds, Greenway Ecological funds and Greenway funds, for "a study and the means" to hire experts to support and implement the NHP proposal.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Jane Jacobs Legacy by Howard Husock, City Journal 31 July 2009
Jane Jacobs Legacy by Howard Husock, City Journal 31 July 2009
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But none of this might have mattered had Jacobs not made the intellectual case against high-rise housing, neighborhood clearance, and highways that ran through cities—indeed, against the profession of city planning itself. She was untutored except in the way celebrated by the Yogi Berra aphorism: You can see a lot just by looking.
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Transparency and the Niagara River Greenway
One concern I have had since the Niagara River Greenway process started: how do we ensure our requests and suggestions are not only acknowledged, but implemented? My understanding is this is a public process and projects, especially controversial ones, are to have public hearings and input.
If we continue to be ignored and summarily dismissed do we, NREC, the Niagara ReLicensing Environmental Coalition, have a plan to implement and ensure greater transparency? If we don't, shouldn't we?
Were any changes made to the recently approved projects? To any project? I know many had and voiced concerns regarding the Scenic Trail in Lewiston and the use of non native trees in the ReTree Proposal.
Did NREC receive any written correspondence from the Greenway Commission about the Scenic Trail? About ReTree? If not, why not? If so, could it be shared, please.
If we continue to be ignored and summarily dismissed do we, NREC, the Niagara ReLicensing Environmental Coalition, have a plan to implement and ensure greater transparency? If we don't, shouldn't we?
Were any changes made to the recently approved projects? To any project? I know many had and voiced concerns regarding the Scenic Trail in Lewiston and the use of non native trees in the ReTree Proposal.
Did NREC receive any written correspondence from the Greenway Commission about the Scenic Trail? About ReTree? If not, why not? If so, could it be shared, please.
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