On the Alert

•Off the Point: Last year, The Green Sheet reported on a proposed golf course development on an old landfill at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx (Get the Point, January 2001). As predicted, the developer, Ferry Point Partners, turned the site into a new construction and demolition debris dump. Now the weight of the trash has caused the old landfill to sink, forcing methane gas to migrate toward residential areas. The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) halted work on the project a few months ago, but the developer wants DEC to modify its permit to allow them to bring in more debris. Responding to comments submitted by the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA), DEC has required the developers to provide additional information. Then, DEC will have two weeks to decide whether or not to hold a public hearing, something the community wants. Send letters requesting a public hearing to Michelle Moore, NYS DEC, 47-40 21st St., Long Island City, NY 11101. For more information, call Matthew Malady, NYCEJA, at 212-239-8882.

•ItÕs Erie: After two years of delay, why not delay some more. That was the attitude of the Erie County Legislature at a July meeting when it came to pesticide neighbor notification. Although the votes were there to pass the law, the leadership, in an attempt to defeat the measure, would not allow the bill to be discussed or voted on. Instead, they have agreed to deal with the issue at their next meeting on September 5. Activists are now putting pressure on County Executive Joel Giambra to support this common sense measure. Call him at 716-858-8500. Also call your own Erie County legislator. Tell them that advance notice allows neighbors to take simple precautions ø like closing windows and bringing toys indoors ø to protect themselves and their children, pets and property from inadvertent exposure to dangerous chemicals. For more information, contact Michael Davoli, NY Public Interest Research Group, at 716-568-1039 or mdavoli@nypirg.org.

•Saratoga Battlefield: Saratoga Mountain is at risk of being dramatically altered. Pompa Brothers, Inc. wants to open a strip mine and build an on-site processing plant to crush and screen stone that will result in the permanent removal of 237 acres, nearly a mile long section, from the top of Saratoga Mountain on the Kayderosseras Range in the Town of Greenfield. The blasting and mining will affect air and water quality, childrenÕs safety, homes, roads, wildlife and quality of life. Comments on the projectÕs environmental impacts were due to DEC in June. If DEC approves the project, it must still go before the Greenfield Town and Planning Boards for a permit and zoning change. It is not too late to contact local officials now and voice your opposition: Robert Stokes, Town Of Greenfield Supervisor; Daniel Pemrick, Chairman of the Zoning Board of Appeals; Gary Dake, Chairman of Planning Board; and Theresa Ellsworth, Chairman of Environmental Commission. They can all be reached at: Greenfield Town Hall P.O. Box 10 Greenfield Center, NY 12833. Visit www.greenfieldconcernedcitizens.com for more information.

For Your Information

Sound of Music: Spend the afternoon of September 29 enjoying a festival of music at The Oaks, on Long Island Sound in New Rochelle. Ochs at the Oaks: A Benefit Concert on The Sound, sponsored by the New Dawn Foundation and the Hudson River Clearwater Foundation, will feature the music of Phil Ochs, performed by several different musicians and groups. The benefit will also include A Taste of The Sound, a pre-festival tasting provided by local restaurants and caterers. The Oaks is a place of renewal for those working for social change. Proceeds from the concert will benefit The OaksÕ youth program. Visit www.theoaks.qpg.com, or call 914-632-8084. (See Calendar.)

Head for the Coast: Make plans now to attend the Quality Communities, Quality Coasts Conference & Exhibition at the Empire State Plaza Conference Center and the Egg in Albany, New York, October 22 - 23, 2002. This conference, sponsored by the New York Department of StateÕs Division of Coastal Resources, will feature how-to sessions, instructional workshops and network opportunities. Pre-register by Sept. 5th to save on your admission. For a copy of the registration form and additional information, visit www.dos.state.ny.us/cstl/qc2002.html, or call 518-474-6000.

Health Center: EnviroHealthAction is an education and action center that provides an online community for health professionals and others interested in environmental health. It is designed to provide busy professionals with the opportunity to access important resources and deliver valuable input to policymakers. EnviroHealthAction has information on important environmental health topics like toxics and health, safe drinking water and chronic disease and the environment. Visit EnviroHealthAction at: www.envirohealthaction.org.

Body of Knowledge: A new website on chemical body burden issues is now up and available. The site was developed by Coming Clean, a coalition of groups across the US working together to raise awareness about toxic chemicals and the companies that produce them. The website, www.chemicalbodyburden.org, answers common questions about the chemical load we all carry in our bodies, and provides links to recent studies on chemical body burden, information on specific chemicals and their health effects, ideas for addressing the problem and current action alerts.

Activists' Corner

Within REACh: Residents Environmentally Active for Change (REACh) formed in 2000 as a result of the ongoing chemical contamination problem left behind by 3M, General Electric and Black & Decker in Brockport, NY, just west of Rochester. These companies are gone from Brockport, but their toxic chemical aftermath remains in the environment. According to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the levels of contamination in Brockport are many times over New YorkÕs limitations for residential areas. PCBs, VOCs, cyanides and metals are among the contaminants that have been found in Brockport and Clarkson soil and stream tests. ItÕs REAChÕs position that the companies responsible for the pollution should take full responsibility for cleaning up their environmental degradation. Visit REACh online at: http://home.rochester.rr.com/reach4brockport/.

August

1-27: Revealing the Edges: Communities and Infrastructure Along the Waterfront, an exhibit sponsored by the Metropolitan Waterfont Alliance and Municipal Arts Society. Urban Center, 457 Madison Ave. (between 50th and 51st Streets). Call 1-800-364-9943.

4: Tours of Organic, Ecological, and Alternative Farms, sponsored by the Troy Waterfront FarmersÕ Market and the Regional Farm & Food Project. Visit farms in Rensselaer, Saratoga, Washington and Schoharie Counties. Also 8/18, 9/8, 9/29. Free. Call 518-427-6537 or email: farmfood@capital.net.

8-11: 7th Annual Grassroots Radio Conference, hosted by WJFF/Radio Catskill and the Grassroots Radio Coalition. Meeting of community radio stations from across the country discussing all facets of grassroots radio from basic technical details to the overarching importance of community media in the struggle to reshape the commercial media superstructure. Callicoon Center (Sullivan County). Call 845-482-4141.

9-11: Northeast Organic Farming AssociationÕs (NOFA) 28th Annual Summer Conference. Hampshire College, Amherst, MA. Fees vary. Contact Dennis or Audrey Cronin at 508-799-2278 or nofareg@juno.com.

15: Meet Your Meat, a video showing followed by discussion of meat industry practices and factory farming vs. organic farming. Video not appropriate for small children. Park Slope Food Coop, 782 Union St., Brooklyn. Call the Coop at 718-622-0560.

17: A Day in the Country, the Western NY Land ConservancyÕs annual benefit featuring a wet art sale, bicycle tour, storytelling, pot luck dinner and music. Olmstead Camp, 12820 Benton Road, Sardinia. Call 716-687-1225.

27: Lower Manhattan Rebuilding ø Putting Pedestrians First, Auto-Free New York Meeting. Briefing and walking tour. Meeting room, 104 Washington St. NYC. 6:00PM-8:00PM. Call 212-475-3394 or visit: www.auto-free.org.

September

5-8: One Earth, 2nd Annual Century of the Environment Conference, sponsored by Lifebridge Foundation, EF Schumaker Society, and others. For environmentalists, educators, scientists, business leaders, spiritual teachers, grassroots activists. Omega Institute, Rhinebeck. $375; housing available (additional). Call 800-944-1001 or visit www.eomega.org.

8: NYC Century Bike Tour 2002, sponsored by Transportation Alternatives. Features a selection of distances and magnificent views of NYÕs bridges, neighborhoods, and parks. Register online at www.transalt.org.

18: Radon in Ground (well) Water, a presentation on radiation and radon basics. Teatown Lake Reservation Nature Preserve and Education Center. Ossining. 7:30PM-8:30PM. Free. Limited to 60 people. Call 914-762-2912.

21: 16th Annual Coastal Cleanup, coordinated by the American Littoral Society. Collect and record the litter around your lake, river, bay, sound or ocean. Call Barbara Cohen, Beach Cleanup Coordinator, at 718-471-2166, or visit: www.alsnyc.org.

29: Ochs at the Oaks: Benefit Concert on The Sound, sponsored by the New Dawn Foundation and the Hudson River Clearwater Foundation, features the music of Phil Ochs with special guests. The Oaks, 590 Davenport Ave., New Rochelle. 1:00PM-6:00PM. Call 914-632-8084. (See FYI.)