ADK Asks Your Support For Two Bills In NYS Legislature

Two bills in the NY State Legislature could give a big boost to recreation and conservation right here in Western New York. The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and the local ADK-Niagara Frontier Chapter are calling on you to contact NY State Legislators to ask them to co-sponsor the bills.

1. Bill to define the boundaries of the Niagara River Greenway:
We have all been disappointed in the way the $400 million Niagara River Greenway money has been used as a slush fund rather than to build the strip of parks and trails along the Niagara River that we were promised.

S.4824 by Senator Marc Panepinto and A.478 by Assembly Member Sean Ryan would correct that by requiring these funds be spent on establishing a linear system of parks and conservation areas along the Niagara River.

ADK Memo RE: Niagara River Greenway - Click Here

2. Bill to add 18 Mile Creek to the definition of inland waterways:
Water and waterways are among Western New York's most valuable assets. Scenic 18-Mile Creek in Erie County looks beautiful, provides lots of fish and clean water, and overlays an aquifer.

S.4109-A by Senator Panepinto and A.3475-B by Assembly Member Ryan will have 18-mile creek classified as an "Inland Waterway" which will protect and preserve those qualities.

ADK Memo RE: 18 Mile Creek - Click Here

Take Action: Contact your NYS Senator & Assembly Member
Urge them to Co-sponsor these two bills.

Senate Directory and Identity:
- For phone number, address and to contact by Email, visit: http://www.nysenate.gov/senators

- To identify your Senator, go here: http://www.elections.ny.gov/district-map/district-map.html

Assembly Member Directory and Identity:
- For phone number, address and to contact by Email, visit: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/

- To identify your Assembly Member, go here: http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/search/

UB Professor Jim Holstun Receives Conservation Award

By Art Klein and Jay Wopperer

Conservation Committee Co-chairs

Adirondack Mountain Club - Niagara Frontier Chapter (ADK-NFC)

At the Annual Meeting and Picnic the Committee selects a person whom we think should be the ADK-NFC Conservation Person of the past year.
 

Jim Holstun at the founding meeting of UB CLEAR* - NY Times

This year we unanimously selected Jim Holstun, who teaches World Literature at SUNYAB.
 

Jim was the hero who forced the SUNYAB leadership to admit they had let a wolf in sheep's clothing to slip into UB, technically the Geology Department. Holstun was a founder and the chair of a group called UB CLEAR, the Coalition for Leading Ethically in Academic Research.
 

A couple years ago the Natural Gas Industry decided to infiltrate academia and develop "special relationships," especially in Geology Departments. At SUNYAB, the Shale Institute was their guise and unapologetic industry shills ran it from the Fracking side of Natural Gas development.
 

Like many technological and science efforts such special bodies work with the universities both gaining mutual benefit from the effort and the University often realizing much needed income and special insight to many aspects of any process that is not already part of the academic realm.
 

Soon UB's Shale Institute published a report that assured the world of the environmental safeness and theoretical total benefits of Fracking. The report was portrayed as a peer-reviewed, valid, scientific study.
 

Then the tattiness of the report began to emerge. The report was actually "sort of peer reviewed," then it was admitted no such review was done. Also, the authors were consultants for the oil and gas industry but failed to disclose their financial conflicts in the report.
 

The Public Accountability Initiative did a detailed study of the report and discerned some terrible arithmetic, distorted emphasis and even signs of repressed data. Liberal Arts folk were now ethically aroused by a bad actor in their midst with the blessing of the University Geology Department.
 

In the end the Institute was bounced and the ethically-inclined Holstun and many allies rewarded for their very special efforts.
 

We had a very pleasant presentation of the reward at our annual meeting and became quite delighted with Professor Holstun who revealed his acumen by having done some research and was glad to note us as such wise Stewards of the Adirondacks, especially our High Peaks Steward Program. Naturally then he briefly explored the etymology of the word steward and expressed hope we would not diminish our efforts.
 

We were all equally pleased that we had one great selection on one great day to present it.

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*For more information on the many allies who helped to expose the Shale Institute shills, Click Here.

Editorial cartoon in The Buffalo News by Adam Zyglis

Environmental Event: "Buffalo's Waters"

ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB’S

NIAGARA FRONTIER CHAPTER

presents

CONSERVATION CONVERSATION 2010

“BUFFALO’S WATERS”

History, Present, Future of One of Our Planet’s Most Water-Rich Environments

SATURDAY, APRIL 10, 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
FREE and Open to the Public

SPEAKERS:

• Jerold C. Bestedo of Penn Dixie will highlight the formation of the Great Lakes and Niagara River region.
  

• Rachel Heckl represents Great Lakes United and shall discuss the state of our waters and issues surrounding water conservation and water quality.

• Theresa Hudson works for the US Army Corps of Engineers. She will speak of the Corps extensive field work and enforcing Federal laws to protect our resources.

• Tim Tielman is from Campaign for Greater Buffalo and will enlighten us with stories of Buffalo’s waterfront, its scrappy and glorious history.

Coffee, tea, and goodies will be provided. Get there early and grab a seat! Public is welcome, free of charge.

Where? Gateway Executive Office - near Woodlawn Beach State Park [MAP]

Directions: from North or South, take Route 5 (Lake Shore Drive) to where it intersects with Route 179. Follow signs toward Woodlawn Beach State Park. Look for the Gateway Executive Office. Park in large lot near building.