THE GREEN SHEET

Vol. 8 - No. 5
May 2003

Lead Story: Filtration in the Park
On the Alert
For Your Information
Activists' Corner
The Month Ahead
Contact Information

Filtration in the Park

Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx is New York City’s third largest park. Although urbanized on three sides, it still retains several natural corridors that include streams, ponds and marshes, as well as a 158-acre forest. It has a popular municipal golf course – the only one in the country that can be reached by subway – and acres and acres of playing fields for sports like soccer, cricket, baseball and running. Over 150 species of birds have been recorded in the park, earning it state designation as an Important Bird Area.

Unfortunately, it has also been targeted as a site for a new water filtration plant. The proposed facility, requiring more than 40 acres of the park for construction, would treat the 10 percent of New York City’s drinking water that comes from the East-of-Hudson Croton Watershed. While the on-going discussion continues about the need to filter Croton water – once a filtration plant is operational, the imperative to protect surface water quality declines – there is clear opposition to taking valuable New York City open space for the plant. Officials who argue for the facility say it will be built underground and that, after construction, the park will be restored. But a completed filtration plant would immediately become a terrorist target, especially in New York City, requiring significant and constant security.

Also distressing is the way New York City is rushing the project. Under state law, park land cannot be “alienated” – that is, taken for another use – without a home rule message from the local government and a vote of the state Legislature. With the city promising Bronx elected officials a financial incentive package of over $200 million, there is growing pressure in Albany to pass the necessary legislation before the environmental review process is complete. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who represents the park, and other environmentally minded Assemblymembers are fighting the plan. They note that the city’s Department of Environmental Protection has failed to produce an environmental impact statement and the city has ignored the public part of the process necessary to change the zoning laws. Dinowitz, and many environmental groups including the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, are calling for a full and open process. For more information, contact Friends of Van Cortland Park Executive Director Paul Sawyer at 718-601-1460 or email: friendvcp@aol.com.

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On the Alert

♦Sail Away: One of the most important developments in the 25-year fight to get General Electric’s PCBs out of the Hudson River was the formation of Hudson River CARE (Citizen’s Along the River’s Edge). Representing residents of Ft. Edward, Hudson Falls and other upriver communities impacted by the PCB health threat, HRCARE has opened an office on Main St. in Fort Edward and done important community health research. Now the group needs help and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, along with others in the Friends of a Clean Hudson coalition, has organized a fundraiser on the boat. The 3-4 hour evening sail will depart from the Coxsackie village dock (about 20 minutes south of Albany) at 5:00PM on May 9, a Friday. Tickets start at $50 for Clearwater and HRCARE members, $75 and up for others. Wine and cheese will be provided. Call Tim Sweeney at Clearwater to make reservations, 845-454-7673 ext. 116, or email: tim@clearwater.org.

♦Money Talks: Over 200 community, religious, education, health care, labor, environmental and human services organizations from throughout New York State have formed a coalition endorsing alternatives to budget cuts in essential services and opposing regressive taxes and fees. New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness (NYFF), which includes Environmental Advocates of NY, has developed The Better Choice Plan which calls for NY’s leaders to make smart revenue choices, preserve the promise of NY, and ensure that the financial burden is distributed fairly. As the budget debate intensifies, it is important to contact legislators in support of the restorations needed to protect the full range of vital services, and for a fair and balanced revenue package to fund those restorations. Go to www.abetterchoiceforny.org to learn more and to send a fax to your Senate and Assembly representatives. You can also use NYFF’s Toll-Free Action Line – 1-877-255-9417 – to call the Governor and members of the state Legislature and tell them to make the better choice. For more information or to join the Better Choice for NY Campaign, contact NYFF’s Executive Director, Marc Lapidus, at 212-219-0022 ext. 5187 or email: info@fiscalfairness.org.

♦Chemical Insensitivity: There are 15,000 industrial facilities that use and store huge quantities of hazardous chemicals across the US. While the Bush Administration is working on a voluntary program, Sen. Jon Corzine of New Jersey has once again introduced legislation that would require companies to assess their weaknesses and take basic steps to reduce them. The Chemical Security Act (S. 157) will require facilities that produce, use or store significant quantities of toxic chemicals to assess their vulnerabilities to terrorist attack. Companies will reduce the threats posed by their operations to the extent feasible and develop plans, both for improving site security and for reducing chemical hazards through safer materials or processes. Contact your Congressional representatives and urge them to support the Chemical Security Act. For more information visit: www.nrdc.org, or www.greenpeaceusa.org where you can also send a fax to your representatives.

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For Your Information

♦Green Day: The University at Buffalo Green Office, Great Lakes United, and the Western NY Sustainable Energy Association will sponsor an Earth Day Home Energy Workshop on Saturday, May 3. This two hour workshop will inform participants about ways to significantly reduce home energy consumption as compared to the energy use of average Niagara Mohawk and National Fuel residential customers. For more information, call 716-829-3535, email: ubgreen@facilities.buffalo.edu, or visit: http://wings.buffalo.edu/ubgreen.

♦Community on Wheels: The fifth annual BikeSummer, a month-long celebration of bicycling and bike culture, will hit the streets of New York City from June 27 to July 26, 2003. BikeSummer was founded in San Francisco in 1999 and since then has traveled to Vancouver, Chicago, and Portland, OR, leaving behind more effective cycling communities. A month full of educational and fun events, BikeSummer’s East Coast debut will include rides for all ages along with bike-themed workshops, competitions, exhibits, films, parties, lectures, and more. For more information, call 212-348-2601, email: gasiorcj@att.net, or visit: www.bikesummer.org.

♦Change Up: A new report gives clear steps on how to help ensure that, as the climate changes due to global warming, water quality is protected and soil is preserved. The Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Conservation Implications of Climate Change: Soil Erosion and Runoff from Cropland, was released in February. Download a PDF version of the report at the Society’s website: www.swcs.org/t_advocacy_action.htm. Copies can also be requested by emailing pubs@swcs.org or calling 515-289-2331.

♦Mountain High: The Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks is working to raise funds to open the doors to the Center for the Forest Preserve and Adirondack Research Library. The site of the Center is the former home and property of a great Adirondack conservation leader, Paul Schaefer, and is adjacent to the 11-acre Reist Wildlife Sanctuary. For more information about the Association or its campaign, contact Ken Rimany at 518-377-1452, or visit: www.protectadks.org.

♦Bigger Better Website: The New York Public Interest Research Group has just launched a new website for its Bigger Better Bottle Bill campaign. Visit: www.nybottlebill.org.

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Activists' Corner

Getting Centered: In April, the first meeting of the Eastern Queens Alliance’s (EQA) Idlewild Park Preservation Committee brought together area residents and experts to devise plans to restore the degraded ecosystem of the park and build an environmental center.
   Over the years, sections of the Park have been used as a construction waste landfill, leaving behind degraded wetlands and hazardous wastes. An air cargo center is currently being built on 25.4 acres of parkland that the city alienated from Idlewild, some of it on that landfill.
   The Park has been designated as a Forever Wild Preserve. The US Army Corps of Engineers will provide matching funds if a local government commits money to restoration work. EQA is looking for local sponsors – government, private and corporate – and has organized a 5K run on 5/31 to raise awareness of this local treasure. For more information, contact Barbara Brown at 718-525-4399 or eqa@att.net.

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The Month Ahead

May

3: Energy Independence: Real World Solutions for Homes and Business, sponsored by Federated Conservationists of Westchester County and others. Westchester County Center, White Plains. 8:00AM–5:00PM. Call 914-422-4053.

3: Earth Day Home Energy Workshop, sponsored by UB Green Office and others. Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court, Buffalo. 10:00AM-12:00PM. (See FYI.)

3: Rediscovering Our Old Growth Forests, sponsored by the NY Old Growth Forest Association. Learn to recognize old growth and tree species, conduct old growth surveys and tour the forests of Pine Lake. Pine Lake Forest, West Davenport. 9:00AM-4:00PM. Fees vary. Call David Hutchinson at 607-433-2236.

3: YouthCaN 2003. A conference uniting environmentally active youth to exchange ideas about the environment. American Museum of Natural History. Visit: www.youthcanworld.org or email: youthcan@us.iearn.org.

3: Earth Fest, sponsored by Rogers Environmental Education Center (REEC). REEC, 2721 State Hwy. 80, Sherburne. Call 607-674-4017.

9: Join Hudson River CARE, Clearwater and Friends of a Clean Hudson for a 3-4 hour evening sail fundraiser. Proceeds go to help HRCARE’s Upriver outreach. Coxsackie village dock. 5:00PM. Prices vary. For information and reservations, call Tim Sweeney at Clearwater: 845-454-7673 ext. 116. (See On the Alert.)

10: Run for Your Life, a 5k road race sponsored by Greenpeace to highlight the dangers of chemical facilities in the NY/NJ area. Start at Lincoln Park in Jersey City and finish at Liberty State Park. Registration is $15 before 5/3, $18 after. Contact Karl Riber at 202-319-2402 or karl.riber@wdc.greenpeace.org or visit: www.greenpeaceusa.org/run. (Also see On the Alert.)

11-13: Climate Solutions for the Northeast, a Conference on Implementing State and Regional Climate Change Action Plans sponsored by Clean Air-Cool Planet. This conference is for high-level decision-makers from the public and private sectors. Fees vary; scholarships available. Contact Jennifer Schroeder at jschroeder@cleanair-coolplanet.org or 603-422-6464.

12: Public Hearing on 2nd Avenue Subway Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Alexander Hamilton US Custom House, One Bowling Green. 4:00PM and 6:30PM. Also 5/13, El Museo Del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave at 104th St. 4:00PM and 6:30PM. Call 212-878-7483 or visit: www.mta.info/planning/sas/index.html.

30-June 1: Coastlines Are Our Lifelines: Advancing Marine Science Through Research, Education, and Conservation, NYS Marine Education Association’s Annual Conference. Southhampton College. Call Lisa Breslof at 212-769-5169.

31: Hudson River Concert featuring Patti Smith to benefit Friends of Hudson, the organization currently challenging the coal-fired St. Lawrence Cement proposal. Basilica Industria, Hudson. 8:00PM. Advance tickets $30; VIP seating $100. Call 518-822-0334.

31: Run for Idlewild Park Wetlands, benefiting Idlewild Park Forever Wild Conservation Projects and the establishment of an environmental education center. 5K run and 2.5K family walk. Assemble at Idlewild Park Field of Dreams, 148th Ave. (between Sprinfield Lane and 223rd St.), Springfield Gardens, Queens. 9:00AM. Rain or shine. Before 5/24: 5K-$12, 2.5K-$10; day of race: $18, $12. Call 718-527-3678. (See Activists’ Corner.)

June

8: 4th Annual Stewart Buffer Bike Tour, sponsored by SPARC (Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition). Enjoy bike rides for all skill levels and ages and support local charities. Call Ralph Grimaldi at 845-496-9487.

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THE GREEN SHEET
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Editor • Laura DiBetta

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